KILLINGHALL CE PRIMARY SCHOOL CURRICULUM 2014

BACKGROUND….. The school curriculum in England - Sept 2014 Every state-funded school must offer a curriculum which is balanced and broadly based and which: promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school and of society, and prepares pupils at the school for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life. The school curriculum comprises all learning and other experiences that each school plans for its pupils. The national curriculum forms one part of the school curriculum. It provides pupils with an introduction to the essential knowledge that they need to be educated citizens. It introduces pupils to the best that has been thought and said; and helps engender an appreciation of human creativity and achievement. We are legally required to follow the statutory national curriculum. However, there is time and space in the school day to range beyond the national curriculum specifications. Schools must publish their own school curriculum by subject and academic year online.

At Killinghall CE Primary School we want to create a joined up approach to the curriculum that develops the right learning pathways for the children of our school and our locality. We aim to develop the global citizens of the future by creating a community that nurtures ambitions and aspirations, builds resilience and enables children to seize opportunities to learn. We aim to give children the knowledge and competencies to thrive within a both a locally and globally generated curriculum. As a Church of England school spiritual and moral consideration takes high priority in all that we plan and do. Along with this we also incorporate healthy lifestyles into our work with the children.

In our previous curriculum meeting I asked you to think about what skills and attributes we hope to give our children by the time they leave us at the end of year 6….. We need a curriculum that will enable pupils to gain these skills.

Staff carried out the same exercise…….

We agreed that we want our Curriculum 2014 to be an opportunity to create positive change and develop the first steps towards a collaborative community approach to school improvement.

We seek curriculum themes which will excite, inspire and motivate learning at all ages. The children are involved in shaping both the creation and development of themes and we encourage responsibility and independence from a very early age. The two year cycle creates a whole school over arching theme which is then split into specific aspects for each class. The school delivers an exciting range of learning experiences through a broad based, balanced curriculum. This is planned thematically on a two year cycle, taking into account HMI and Department for Education recommendations, National Curriculum (English, Mathematics, Art, Music, History, Geography, PE, Science, Design Technology, Computing, Modern Languages [French] and Religious Education) and the specific needs and interests of our pupils. Over the last year we have engaged in major curriculum innovation that takes advantage of the flexibility of Curriculum 2014 whilst also meeting statutory requirements that ensure the national entitlement for every child. The staff have worked hard to look at the New National Curriculum and the statutory requirements along with your ideas. Our new curriculum statement reads………

We have developed our school curriculum having adopted: A transformational approach to the way we design our curriculum that engages all stakeholders A collective moral purpose where good quality relationships are developed involving high levels of trust, honesty and mutual respect. A partnership that creates space and opportunities that enable innovative working that promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school, and prepares our children for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life. A philosophy that gives access to the right opportunities, experiences and support to ensure that children achieve. An area based curriculum that places Killinghall at the centre of learning to create an ‘enabling environment’ where local collaboration with local businesses, heritage and cultural organisations, voluntary groups, faith communities and parents can flourish for the benefit of our children.

Using all the ideas that we have gathered, we have devised the following statement and drivers for our curriculum Learning Values and Core ‘Drivers We place great importance on our learning values. These are our Rs – Resilience, Resourceful, Reflective, Risk Taking, Relationships, Responsibility and Respect. By using this language in all we do in school we ensure that children learn determination and self belief, honesty, a passion for their learning, and real empathy in understanding each other and being active members of our team. We have identified 4 main ‘drivers’ which are constantly considered when deciding how and what we teach. Our drivers are factors that we value as a school, these coupled with our agreed visions and aims give focus to learning opportunities and are embedded throughout teaching and learning, developing the child as a whole. ‘Our’ place in ‘our’ world Inquisitive investigators Aspiring entrepreneurs Creative collaborators

OUR SCHOOL DRIVERS Creative collaborators Pupils have opportunities to communicate their ideas in a range of different and imaginative ways. Individuality and self expression is promoted whilst developing resilience, resourcefulness and risk taking when faced with more challenging tasks. Positive relationships are encouraged that enable all pupils to feel safe and cared for in an ethos of teamwork and respect. Pupils are encouraged to share their views and opinions within all areas of school life, knowing that their voice matters. Children are encouraged to be empathetic and appreciate that collaboration includes listening. Creativity is encouraged in all areas, the arts are an important aspect of school life. ‘Our’ place in ‘our’ world. Pupils develop a good knowledge of the local community, national context and wider world. They are good citizens and have a developing awareness of their responsibility to care for the environment. Links to other schools, local businesses, heritage and cultural organisations, voluntary groups and other faith communities are developed. Children are aware of world events and have a growing general knowledge. Children develop a knowledge of the differences and diversities there are across a range of global cultures. Pupils are made aware that their own health is an important aspect of their place within the world. Aspiring entrepreneurs Pupils begin to engage in the concept of the world of work and have an understanding of the value of money. Pupils are encouraged to challenge themselves to gain high aspirations about what their future ‘world of work’ may look like. Entrepreneurship is encouraged by engaging the children in activities that fire their imaginations towards enterprise and fund raising. Children are encouraged to face challenges with resilience and self reliance while also using team work and problem solving skills within an ethos of positive competition Pupils reflect upon their work to ensure that they are able to improve it and set themselves aspirational targets for the future. Inquisitive investigators Learning is fun and actively promotes pupils exploration of knowledge and skills. Children are encouraged to be inquisitive learners who are prepared to take a risk and question outcomes; they are engaged in active learning that gives them opportunities to tackle activities and problems in imaginative ways that enable them to develop solutions and outcomes for themselves. Children are actively encouraged to formulate questions, gather information and summarise possibilities. They can apply, analyse and evaluate their learning to ensure a real depth of knowledge is gained.

As part of our curriculum development we have been part of The Grand Curriculum Design Research Project

Next Steps Staff implement the new curriculum and evaluate its effectiveness Assess the degree to which our local links are sustainable Create a progressive matrix for the skills and competencies the school has identified alongside those of the new statutory curriculum. Staff CPD and on going discussion. Our curriculum will be successful if – We can demonstrate an increased engagement and motivation (pupils, staff, parents & community) Greater depth of knowledge Improvements in the skills and competencies The quality of the learning experiences planned and delivered in co-operation with local area, are judged to be high quality Pupil voice agrees with our evaluations Staff evaluations show that this redesign has had real benefits for their children across the curriculum. LEARNING IS ENGAGING AND MEANINGFUL!