Wider Curriculum Design

 

Intent

Our Wider Curriculum is designed to ensure that our pupils are fully immersed in a learning journey that is engaging, stimulating, challenging and accessible to all pupils, and one that equips the pupils with the knowledge and skills they need to enthusiastically continue that learning journey for the rest of their lives. We aim to develop a lifelong thirst for knowledge in all areas of the curriculum, and we will introduce and develop the skills necessary for that knowledge to be acquired. Furthermore, we aim to develop the pupils’ characters, personalities and life-skills with opportunities across the curriculum. The development and acquisition of these important traits will help to facilitate a readiness and ability to apply skills and knowledge in broader and more diverse contexts, developing independent and resilient learners.

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The curriculum is designed to reflect our distinctly Christian character and work in harmony with our Christian values and ethos. These learning-skills and life-skills, which will be taught in the spirit of our core Christian values, will be developed year upon year, resulting in the pupils leaving our school as knowledge-laden, skill-rich, independent learners who are eager and ready to acquire more and reach their God given potential.

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Implementation

As part of our curriculum development, we have unpicked the National Curriculum programmes of study for each subject and looked at the skills and knowledge required to reach the end of key stage requirements.

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Through each Wider Curriculum topic, our pupils will be taught a pre-determined set of skills and key knowledge. The initial skills taught at the start of the learning journey will then be consolidated, and deployed where necessary in future topics. And in these new topics further skills will be explored and developed. Through the knowledge organisers we have created for each Wider Curriculum topic, each teacher will be aware of the skills and knowledge that their pupils already possess, and will know which new skills must be developed in the current topic. Furthermore, in order to work collaboratively and share best practices, leaders across the academy support in the curriculum development and advancement of subject leaders at all levels.

Where appropriate and productive, clear cross-curricular links are established to broaden and deepen the pupils’ skills and understanding, further enabling them to access and express their learning in a variety of ways. This helps to entrench skills and knowledge in the pupils’ long-term memories. Where possible, curriculum topics will be enlivened by educational trips to appropriate and stimulating places and by visits from experts in their field.

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We are proud that our curriculum gives our children the skills, confidence and self-belief to lead a happy and fulfilled life by encouraging them to aim high and work towards their goals and dreams in life.

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Impact

The impact of our Wider Curriculum design will be that the pupils make significant progress at all key stages in the acquisition of the skills and knowledge identified for each topic in each distinct subject area. The design will deliver the key skills and knowledge in a way that shows clear progression from year to year, with the pupils using existing skills and acquiring new ones as they move on through school. This will result in each pupil being equipped with a wealth of knowledge and an array of skills which will help them navigate their way successfully through the rest of their educational journey. To ensure that all pupils develop detailed knowledge and skills across the curriculum, the impact of our curriculum is assessed through triangulated monitoring throughout the academic year.

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Impact is evidenced through:

• Monitoring of pupils’ learning – SLT and subject leaders support staff through CPD and monitor teaching and pupils’ learning through learning walks and ‘book looks’

• Pupil voice – children enjoy their learning and are driven to lean more and apply their knowledge and skills widely.

• Whole school moderation – all staff, including subject leaders, have regular professional discussions about children’s learning across the curriculum. This involved moderating pupil’s books, staff voice and other means of evidencing learning and progress.

• Cross MAT moderation – all staff have the opportunity to meet with other staff in the Multi Academy Trust to moderate and quality assure their judgements. 

• Assessment – within the wider curriculum, staff complete summative unit assessment judgements throughout the school year for all subjects.

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For any further information about our curriculum, please see individual subject pages, or contact the school via the main office: haughtonoffice@stbartsmat.co.uk