Dent CE Primary School Curriculum Intent
Our School Vision is for all of our pupils to be Joyful & Equipped to Succeed & Serve.
Our curriculum is broad and balanced and is planned for knowledge and skills progression based on the National Curriculum. We want our children to leave school with a solid body of knowledge and skills to allow success in the rest of their education and lives. Through all of our teaching we seek to develop a love of learning and to encourage children to acquire knowledge through open-minded curiosity, questioning and problem-solving.
Our curriculum will be hands-on and engaging, making use of visits and practical activities where possible. Our isolated rural school is deeply rooted in its local community. Through our curriculum we aim to equip our pupils not only to live well in this location, but to grow their horizons and cultivate a globally aware outlook and the skills they need to succeed wherever they go and whatever they do. This includes maximising opportunities to promote diversity and a range of worldviews and cultures within our curriculum. We are an inclusive school who ensure that all pupils are supported to succeed regardless of their ability or background.
Early Years Foundation Stage
From September 2022 we offer 3-year-old provision as part of our mixed-age Class 1.
Our 3 years olds learn through play, supported by the teacher and TAs, and where appropriate they join in with activities alongside Reception and KS1 children. This gives a great opportunity for progression and extension for even the youngest pupils.
Reception children learn through a balanced mix of child-initiated play and adult-led activities. Staff plan carefully for pupils’ next steps by tailoring both the activities and the resources available in the continuous provision to ensure they excite and challenge the pupils.
The mixed key stage classroom gives excellent opportunities to ensure that pupils are ready for KS1 and the national curriculum.
Key Stage 1
We have a two-year rolling programme in Key Stage 1 due to being a mixed-age class of Year 1 and 2 children. A cross curricular, themed approach brings learning to life and allows flexibility and curiosity for pupils to gain skills through a creative approach to learning. Where it is appropriate and enhances learning. we increasingly look to utilise the continuous provision already in the room into KS1 as well as EYFS.
Key Stage 2
The children in Key Stage 2 are taught in a mixed age class of Year 3 to Year 6 pupils and subsequently have a four-year rolling programme through the Foundation subjects and a two-year programme through other subjects, such as Science and PSHE.
We work carefully to ensure that when pupils revisit areas of learning in different years in the same class, that they build on what they have previously learned and build new skills and knowledge in that area in line with the national curriculum expectations for their year group.
Curriculum Maestro
From September 2022 we are using a resource called Curriculum Maestro across many of the foundation subjects to help us to plan, teach and assess well sequenced and progressive lessons. We personalise and adapt the resources this provides to ensure they meet the needs of our children and our context, in line with the above curriculum statement. We have chosen to use this programme because it supports our very small staff team to teach excellently regardless of the subject, and to use their resources efficiently to ensure best outcomes for children.
What is the Cornerstones Curriculum?
The Cornerstones Curriculum is a creative and thematic approach to learning that is mapped to the 2014 primary national curriculum to ensure comprehensive coverage of national expectations. It is based on a child-centred pedagogy called The Four Cornerstones and is delivered through Imaginative Learning Projects (ILPs) and Knowledge Rich Projects (KRPs), which provide a rich menu of exciting and motivating learning activities that make creative links between all aspects of children’s learning. We believe children learn better when they are encouraged to use their imagination and apply their learning to engaging contexts. Our curriculum provides many learning challenges throughout the academic year that require children to solve problems, apply themselves creatively and express their knowledge and understanding effectively. Cornerstones also provide a rigorous skills and knowledge framework that outlines the end of year expectations in all subjects. These skills and knowledge are tied to activities and are age-related so that staff can track children’s progress and identify their individual learning needs.
2022-23 is our first academic year using Curriculum Maestro and there will no doubt be changes to it as we continue to ensure it delivers fully for our pupils.