Curriculum Intent

Curriculum Statement

At Greenleys First School we are committed to providing a safe and positive learning environment, where individuals are happy and resilient learners, who strive to be the best that they can be. This really is a school ‘where children come first!’. Our broad and balanced curriculum provides our pupils with opportunities to gain the essential knowledge, skills and understanding which will enable them to flourish and reach their full potential academically, socially, physically and artistically.

Rooted in our core values of respect, courage and co-operation and underpinned by a commitment to British Values the whole school community works together in partnership to achieve this.

Our curriculum encompasses not only the formal elements of the Primary National Curriculum, but goes beyond the experiences of the classroom to ensure that the children are exposed to the awe and wonder of the world around them and the richest and most varied opportunities we can find.

Our pupils are at the heart of our curriculum design. Our curriculum recognises the uniqueness of every child, as well as identifying and addressing the needs of our community, to ensure that all pupils receive the curriculum that inspires and prepares them academically, socially and emotionally for their next steps in life.

Our wider curriculum is based on Curriculum Maestro and was chosen to support our teachers in delivering engaging and meaningful lesson content through a series of exciting projects with different subject drivers at their core.

At Greenleys First School we believe that children deserve a balanced curriculum that enables them to develop a deep understanding of all subjects and the interconnections between them. The rationale for the wider curriculum takes the form of 10 big ideas that provide a purpose for the aspects, skills, knowledge and contexts chosen to form the substance of the curriculum. These big ideas form a series of multi-dimensional interconnected threads across the curriculum, allowing children to encounter and revisit their learning through a variety of subject lenses. Over time, these encounters help children to build conceptual frameworks that will enable a better understanding of increasingly sophisticated information and ideas.

The 10 big ideas are as follows:

Humankind Understanding what it means to be human and how human behaviour has shaped the world.

Processes Understanding the many dynamic and physical processes that shape the world.

Creativity Understanding the creative process and how everyday and exceptional creativity can shape the world.

Investigation Understanding the importance of investigation and how this has led to significant change in the world.

Materials Understanding the properties of all matter, living and non-living.

Nature Understanding the complexities of the plant and animal species that inhabit the world.

Place and space Understanding the visual, cultural, social, and environmental aspects of places around the world.

Comparison Understanding how and why things are the same or different.

Significance Understanding why significant people, places, events and inventions matter and how they have shaped the world.

Change Understanding why and how things have changed over time.

The principles underpinning our curriculum

We believe that it is essential that we provide opportunities for all pupils to explore the full breadth and depth of the national curriculum in order that they acquire the skills, knowledge and understanding that they need to develop into rounded, informed individuals. This should be framed within a coherent and progressive framework that ensures that learning is built upon systematically over time enabling them to develop richer and deeper subject knowledge.

We believe that all children, whatever their starting points, need to be offered the opportunity to develop new skills through a variety of interesting contexts which they might otherwise never have access to.

We believe that learning opportunities should be enjoyable but challenging in order pupils develop the courage to tackle new learning experiences, the resilience to cope when they fail and ultimately to develop a deep love of learning that stays with them through life.

SMSC/FBV

At Greenleys First School our pupils are at the heart of our curriculum. Our curriculum recognises the uniqueness of every child, as well as identifying and addressing the needs of our community, to ensure that all pupils receive the curriculum that inspires and prepares them socially, morally, spiritually and culturally.

We are committed to developing rounded pupils that will have the knowledge and skills to be successful in the next stage of their education and for future life.

Our curriculum is rooted in our core values of courage, respect and co-operation and underpinned by a commitment to British Values.

Well-being

At Greenleys First School we place great emphasis on respect and co-operation, two of our core values. We prioritise the development of the well-being of our pupils as we feel that it is vital in the modern world to have respect for both yourself and those around you. We believe strongly that children truly 'grow' when given the opportunities, through a carefully crafted curriculum, to develop and improve their 'self' and to develop the skills to work co-operatively with others.

Pupil Voice

At Greenleys First School we believe that 'children come first' and we aim to provide opportunities for children to have an active say in their learning. Through careful planning of the curriculum we encourage and teach the skills for pupils to 'have their voice' so that engagement in learning is strong and children really do feel that their ideas and contributions are valued.

Pedagogy

At Greenleys First School we aim to 'hook' children into their learning by providing memorable experiences at every opportunity. By offering a curriculum that is underpinned by meaningful real-life experiences we ensure that all pupils are engaged and their curiosity to know more is piqued. We are located on the edge of a resource-rich new 'city' that has endless opportunities for surprise and engagement.

Enrichment

Not every pupil has the same opportunities in life and as a school we aim to offer all pupils equal access to an exciting curriculum both in the classroom, outdoors and beyond the school gates. We work as a school community to develop a wider curriculum that will inspire, engage and challenge all our pupils. We welcome parents and carers to take part in children’s learning experiences as often as possible.

EYFS

In Reception we follow the Statutory EYFS Framework as well as using our own bespoke Curriculum Goals to shape and enhance our taught content. We have 8 EYFS Curriculum Goals as follows: