Our Curriculum Journey

The starting point

We plan learning in a thematic approach using our English curriculum texts as a driver following a mastery approach through the programme ‘Pathways to Write.’ Units of work are delivered using high quality texts and children in all year groups are given varied opportunities for writing. Skills are built up through repetition within the units, and children apply these skills in the writing activities provided.  Many opportunities for widening children’s vocabulary are given through the Pathways to Write approach and this builds on the extensive work we do in school to provide our children with a rich and varied vocabulary.  

Our curriculum is planned and sequenced so that the understanding of key concepts is deepened. Connections will continue to be made around the book so that children understand how their learning is linked within and across subjects. All children should be able to access the curriculum and experience success in doing so.

Moving on

Our lessons are planned using memory joggers in most foundation subjects so children and parents know what they will be learning.

Lessons will focus on developing the long-term learning of children, not just the here-and-now. With that in mind, retrieval practice will now begin to feature throughout the curriculum so that children are encouraged and supported in remembering what they have been taught so that teachers are confident in saying that children have learnt something well. This will be supported by low stakes assessments that we ask the children to take part in. Floor books are used across the curriculum and are used as a teaching tool.

Reading opportunities will be emphasised and texts will be matched to the curriculum being studied using Pathways to Read from September 2020. We are committed to building our library of non-fiction texts to support our curriculum and have portioned part of the budget for this. This will further support the deepening of understanding that children have about a concept. Children will be routinely presented with reading that relates to their subject so that they have opportunities to read widely and with increased challenge.

British Values underpin the themes for each half term and our new PSHE overview ensures children are taught to reflect on the British Value and are introduced to it through weekly assemblies, small group and focused PSHE lessons.