The Curriculum

Curriculum intent expanded

The Holland Park Primary curriculum:

• aligns with the Sigma Trust values;
• is coherently planned and sequenced towards sufficient knowledge and skills for future learning and life;
• knowledge includes powerful knowledge (powerful knowledge refers to what the knowledge can do or what intellectual power it gives to those who have access to it. Powerful knowledge provides reliable explanations and new ways of thinking about the world and ….can provide learners with a language for engaging in political, moral and other kinds of debate: Young 2008).
• is designed to be engaging so children are enthusiastic about their learning;
• is designed to develop the children’s knowledge of the history, geography and ecology of their own coastal locality, but also to provide a clear framework for developing knowledge of what lies beyond the locality;
• is designed to develop the children’s knowledge of their community including religious community links and intergenerational links;
• promotes Fundamental British Values through the provision of the essential knowledge and skills that children need to be educated, responsible, respectful and active citizens, who contribute positively to society;
• introduces children to the best of what has been thought and said and helps children engender an appreciation of human creativity and achievement;
• is broad and balanced and underpinned by the development of knowledge and skills in reading, writing and mathematics and the application of these skills across the curriculum;
• prioritises and builds upon early phonics and reading, particularly at Key Stage 1 to ensure the children are able to access the curriculum;
• is designed to be a powerful tool for addressing social disadvantage in that it is informed by principles identified by the Education Endowment Foundation as the most effective ways to support disadvantaged children.

These currently include;

1. Development of oracy including quality classroom discussions,
2. A focus on metacognition so children are able to reflect upon and discuss their learning which is taught explicitly through ReflectEd at the beginning of each term and then embedded throughout the remainder of the year.
3. Explicit teaching of reading comprehension techniques and a love of literature,
4. Development of ambitious vocabulary through explicit teaching and the identification of progression in vocabulary development,
5. Collaborative learning where practice supports children working together to challenge, support and deepen thinking.

• Promote SMSC by, for example, prioritising respect for and a celebration of cultural diversity and the things we share in common;
• supports children to be confident, independent and resilient and to lead a healthy lifestyle, both physically and emotionally;
• is precisely adapted to meet the needs of pupils with SEN developing their knowledge, skills and abilities to apply what they know and can do with increasing fluency and independence.
• promotes a growing understanding and knowledge of the world by linking and integrating ideas into bigger ideas.
• Is designed to have sufficient flexibility to be responsive to local and national events.
• encourages the use of the outdoors and other settings as learning environments beyond the classroom, for example, through the Forest School or the Beach School.

Curriculum implementation principles:

• All year groups have non-negotiable knowledge and skills which they must cover during the course of the year. This ensures coverage of the national curriculum and the progression of knowledge and skill development over time. These are identified in subject progression maps which also identify key vocabulary and examples of learning activities.
• EYFS has its own curriculum but this feeds in to the curriculum for the whole school where there is an expectation that this early learning is built upon.
• Where appropriate, content is interleaved to foster an engaging and immersive, context for learning (referred to in documentation as a link). Links support the transference of knowledge, skills and vocabulary. For example, the teaching of the geography of the Amazon rainforest may be interleaved with the teaching of rainforest habitats in science so one area of knowledge brings deeper understanding to another. Here the link would be The Amazon.
• SMSC and British Values are taught explicitly but also embedded across the curriculum at every opportunity.

• Teachers build on what the children already know and can do.
• Over the course of study, teaching is designed to help pupils to remember long term the content they have been taught through retrieval practice.

• Teachers must ensure they have a good knowledge of the subjects they teach and that they know and use the appropriate vocabulary.

• All content must be translated into engaging, meaningful learning opportunities in well sequenced series of lessons designed to maximise progress and attainment for all pupils.
• High value is placed on collective teacher efficacy, so systems are in place for teachers to share knowledge and to plan in pairs or teams to ensure the content of the curriculum is accurate and has sufficient depth.

• There are timetable flexibilities so strands of subject learning can be organised into blocks to maximise impact and ensure immersion and continuity of experiences.

• Opportunities are planned for all pupils to develop high level oracy skills through debates and presentations.
• ‘Hooks’ are planned to engage learners in a series of lessons, for example, a book, a film, a visit or visitor, an artefact or painting. The children may also work towards an event that locks in the learning and gives them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learnt. This might be a presentation or an assembly or sharing work with another class or school.

• Learning should always start with contextual information such as: Where is this location in relation to us and the rest of the world? Where is this period on a timeline in relation to the present time and in relation to other key events or historical periods?
• Where appropriate, English units will be linked with the content of other subjects to support the application of reading and writing across the curriculum.
• Maths is largely taught as a stand-alone subject to ensure thorough development of concepts and clear progression but should be applied across the curriculum wherever possible.

Children are:

• able to achieve well and fulfil their learning potential;
• able to produce good quality work across the curriculum;
• enthusiastic and fluent readers who are able to use their reading to access the curriculum;
• confident and enthusiastic mathematicians who are able to meet or exceed national expectations;
• knowledgeable and skilful across the curriculum at an age appropriate level;
• able to embody Sigma Trust’s values;
• confident communicators and orators;
• able to form and sustain meaningful relationships and positive roles in society;
• enthusiastic about learning throughout their lives;
• ready for the next stage of their education;
• well rounded citizens with a secure knowledge of SMSC and Fundamental British Values.