Curriculum intent, implementation and impact

Curriculum Intent

Our vision for the curriculum at William Cobbett Primary School

William Cobbett Primary School strives to be an inclusive community where children EXPLORE, LEARN and ACHIEVE together. We value each child as an individual with a unique potential for learning.  Through our curriculum, we promote a broad range of knowledge and skills, giving children the opportunity to discover and pursue their own particular interests and passions. We want ALL children to explore, learn and achieve. Our curriculum nurtures and prepares children educationally, socially, morally and physically for their continuing learning journey. Integral to our curriculum are the social aspects of learning which educate children to how to become well-rounded human beings. We want our children to show RESPECT and KINDNESS to everyone; to be HAPPY and COURAGEOUS; grow into RESPONSIBLE citizens and understand the importance of being HONEST to themselves and with others. Our curriculum and learning environments are designed to promote and embed these values. We encourage pupils to respect the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance towards all faiths, beliefs and diversities.

How our curriculum is designed

Curriculum design is viewed by Senior Leaders, Governors and Teachers as an exciting, continuous and fluid process which takes into consideration the needs, characteristics and interests of our children; and the statutory curriculum (Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Statutory Framework and the National Curriculum). It is constantly evolving to ensure local, national and global contexts are topical; that approaches to ever-changing technologies are embraced; and current educational research and best practice informs pedagogy. 

Our curriculum is carefully designed to ensure that it is broad and balanced and we provide a curriculum for all children from the Reception up to Year 6. Our curriculum is enriched by a range of events, visits and visitors throughout the year. Our aim is that children will enjoy school, develop a love of learning, and that all children will reach their full potential – taking into account their different starting points.

We deliver a coherently planned curriculum with a progressive development and understanding of key knowledge, skills and concepts, which will be re-visited regularly. Some of our content is subject specific whilst other content is combined in a cross-curricular approach enabling us to put knowledge into context.

When designing the curriculum, the following factors influenced its development:

• Providing a coherent, structured and ambitious framework for teaching and learning, which is motivating, engaging and appropriate for all
• Delivering a progression of knowledge and skills from Reception to Year 6 to ensure all pupils achieve as well as they can
• Ensuring new knowledge and skills build on what has been taught before and sets the foundation for future learning
• Whether combining content in a cross-curricular approach will contextualise and enhance learning
• Ensuring we offer a wide range of subjects and opportunities for academic, technical, creative and sporting excellence
• Supporting a culture of resilience and positive mental health and wellbeing, where every child is safe, healthy, achieving, nurtured, active, respected, responsible and included
• Promoting children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development
• Equipping children with the knowledge and cultural capital they need for future success

The aims of our curriculum

Our vision for William Cobbett Primary School is to create a safe, nurturing, inclusive community where individuals are valued for what they bring to the whole. We want our children to grow into inquisitive, confident and independent young people with a thirst for learning who take pride in their own and others’ achievements. Most of all we want pupils to enjoy their time at school, experiencing inspirational, exciting opportunities which create life-long memories.

Through careful and considered planning, we aim to provide:

• A broad, balanced, structured and progressive framework for the acquisition of knowledge and understanding, and the development of skills which leads to maximum progress for all children and long-term learning
• Learning experiences that are aspirational and accessible to all through adaptive practice
• High-quality learning experiences, which engage, excite and motivate children in the classroom and beyond
• Enrichment experiences where learning and teaching can take place beyond the classroom
• Opportunities that promote pupils’ personal development and encourages them to extend their interests beyond school, for example, through an extensive range of after-school clubs

Effectively supported by qualified, highly-skilled and enthusiastic teachers, the curriculum aims to foster:

• An enjoyment of, and commitment to learning
• Essential reading, writing, speaking & listening, and maths skills they need to access learning across the curriculum
• Attitudes, understanding and skills to become successful, resilient and independent learners
• Children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development
• Appreciation and concern for the environment

Curriculum Implementation

Organisation

Knowledge underpins and enables the application of skill. We strive for children to learn new skills alongside knowledge, ensuring that both are explicitly developed. Recognising that knowledge and skills are intertwined, where we feel that it enhances and contextualises learning, we take a cross-curricular approach to maximise links across subjects.

Using the EYFS Statutory Framework and National Curriculum, age-appropriate progression in knowledge and skills for each core and foundation subject has been identified and mapped out across the primary phases.  Priority is given to the development of English (especially early reading) and Maths skills of all our pupils.  

Our curriculum has its foundations in carefully selected subject schemes, frameworks and principles, ensuring coverage of the statutory curriculum, and is adapted and enriched to ensure relevance to our children. The principle schemes, frameworks and principles underpinning our curriculum are;

• Talk for Writing – English (writing)
• Rising Stars - English (spelling and grammar)
• Nelson – English (handwriting)
• Little Wandle Letters and Sounds – English (early reading)
• White Rose – maths
• Curriculum Maestro – history, geography, science, design and technology, art and design
• Kapow – music
• Jigsaw – PSHE
• GetSet4PE – PE
• KidsLingo – French
• Surrey SACRE and Jigsaw – RE
• Teach Computing - Computing

Learning is made accessible to all through high quality teaching and teachers implement ordinarily available provision and are committed to adaptive practice within lessons. Achievement for all children is paramount and this is reflected in our implementation.

Curriculum Impact

Our children are assessed at the start and end of topics and within every lesson, through a mixture of verbal and written feedback, resolving misconceptions and encouraging progress. At the end of each term assessment data is gathered and progress is monitored by the Senior Leadership Team. Children are expected to make good or better progress in all subjects and this individual progress is tracked and reported to parents at Parents’ Evenings and within End-of-term Reports.

Subject Leadership

Subject leaders play an important part in the success of the curriculum by leading a regular programme of monitoring, evaluation and review and the celebration of good practice contributes to the ongoing commitment to evolve and improve further. All subject leaders are given access to training and CPD opportunities to keep developing their own subject knowledge, skills and understanding, so they can support curriculum development and the professional practice of colleagues.

It is the role of each Subject Leader and/or team to keep up to date with developments in their subject, at both national and local level. They review the way the subject is taught in the school, and plan for improvement - development planning links to whole-school objectives and priorities. Each Subject Leader reviews the curriculum plans for the subject and sees that knowledge, progression and acquisition of skills is planned into schemes of work. The Assistant Headteacher of Teaching and Learning overseas the curriculum and the leadership of individual subjects.