Our EYFS curriculum provides children with exciting learning opportunities and goes beyond statutory requirements. We use a topic based approach which is creative, inspiring and memorable. Our curriculum also has a positive impact on children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.
We recognise that children come into our setting with different experiences from others in their learning and play. It is the role of our setting to help children experience the awe and wonder of the world in which they live. All staff work hard to ensure that the learning opportunities provided widen children’s knowledge and understanding of the world, setting ambitious expectations for all children.
We believe that children learn best in early years through play and exploration. Play is valued as a key learning tool, with skilled adult intervention enhancing the educational experience. Children receive explicit direct teaching followed by opportunities to practice and apply what they’ve learned through play. Children are encouraged to join in activities, to be independent and to make choices. We provide stimulating and well-resourced learning spaces, where provision is carefully planned to challenge, motivate and develop children’s skills within the 7 areas of learning.
In Nursery and Reception our curriculum follows guidance from the Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum. It underpins learning by supporting and promoting each child’s development both prime and specific areas. Our curriculum clearly identifies the foundational knowledge and skills, that children will need for later learning. Our 'pre-national curriculum units' ensure that children are prepared for success in year 1.
Prime Areas of Learning
The prime areas begin to develop quickly in response to relationships and experiences, and run through and support learning in all other areas. The prime areas continue to be fundamental throughout the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).
· Personal, Social and Emotional Development
· Communication and Language
· Physical development
Specific Areas of Learning
The specific areas include essential skills and knowledge. They grow out of the prime areas and provide important contexts for learning.
· Literacy
· Mathematics
· Understanding the World
· Expressive Arts and Design
Characteristics of Effective Learning
The characteristics of effective learning are how children learn through engaging with other people and their environment.
· Playing and exploring
· Active learning
· Creating and thinking critically
These underpin learning and development across all areas and support the child to remain an effective and motivated learner.
Our curriculum has been designed to be ‘connected’ - based upon the knowledge outlined in the National Curriculum. Being ‘connected’ ensures that children not only build on previous knowledge and experiences but are able to make links within and across subjects to deepen their learning. It is sequenced to ensure breadth and depth of learning, following the principles of mastery. It provides a broad range of experiences for our children and takes into consideration our knowledge of children's backgrounds, diversity and our unique community. We are committed to delivering a broad, balanced and knowledge rich curriculum which will inspire and enthuse our children. We want our children to be knowledgeable, analytical, and resilient with the skills to solve problems and the confidence to take risks.
Our aim has been to devise a knowledge rich curriculum that links across different units and different subjects across the whole primary phase so that teachers know what learning has come before and what will come after, helping children retrieve from and commit to long term memory. We organise our school curriculum by mapping objectives through each stage of learning. In this way we ensure that ‘knowledge builds on knowledge’, helping children to know more and remember more.
Woven through our curriculum are three key drivers:
Connected Curriculum | |||
Key curriculum drivers | Wellbeing | Diversity | Change |
The curriculum drivers are Wellbeing, Diversity and Change. These themes recur across year groups and in and across all subject areas. This means the children can link between their current, previous and future learning and become experts within these global issues. These drivers also link directly to our core Darwin Values and drive our key curriculum concepts
Darwin Values | Selfhelpability | Stickability | Growthability |
Bouncebackability | Empathability | Changeability |
Whilst we have worked to achieve a curriculum that is well connected, we also appreciate that some subjects stand alone and need to be taught discretely. Links are made where they are contextually meaningful. For example, RE, PE, Music and French.
Subjects Key curriculum concepts | |||
History Geography | Achievement and Beliefs | World around me | Conflict and Power |
Chronology | |||
Location and Place | Human and Physical | Fieldwork | |
Science | Humans and Animals | Living things and their habitats | Materials, Forces and changes |
Working Scientifically | |||
Computing * | Data and information | Programing and media | Systems and Networks |
Online Safety | |||
DT | Nutrition | Structure | Mechanisms and Systems |
Appraise, Design and Analyse | |||
Art | Art History, | Appreciation and Evaluation | Colour Theory |
Composition | |||
PSHE & Darwin Values | Health and wellbeing | Living in the world | Relationships |
Selfhelpability | Stickability | Growthability | |
Bouncebackability | Empathy Ability | Changeability | |
Whilst we have worked hard to achieve a curriculum that is well connected, we also appreciate that some subjects stand alone and need to be taught discretely. Links are made where they are contextually meaningful. For example, RE PE Music and French.
Our connected curriculum will:
Our curriculum is organised into units which are delivered in phases. Planning teams across all three schools have worked together to develop ‘medium term plans’ from the Unit Plans. This has involved mapping out the learning into individual lessons ensuring the sequencing and coverage of key knowledge in small steps. Teachers then plan their sequence of lessons, always beginning with revisiting prior knowledge before moving on. Subjects are taught in blocks which are spaced out to ensure that children are able to retrieve their learning in order to develop their memory and access the knowledge taught. Knowledge transfer tasks have been put in place to help children demonstrate what they have learnt. We have also planned ‘Passion Projects’, which are cross-curricular projects e.g. art and history which support children to show what they have learnt and develop links across subjects. Children are encouraged to use specific vocabulary and to ‘talk as a historian/geographer/artist’.
The impact of the curriculum is closely monitored through a range of strategies, including Curriculum Impact discussions, where subject leaders evaluate the effectiveness of teaching and learning. Subject Leaders play a vital role by using their in-depth knowledge to lead discussions and analyse their findings. Learning walks and observations provide opportunities for leaders to see first-hand how the curriculum is being implemented, while Subject Reviews (360’s) and Book Scrutiny offer insights into the quality of pupils' work and engagement. Pupil conferencing further informs the assessment of the curriculum by giving a voice to pupils about their learning experiences.
Assessment is continuous through observation, marking, and feedback. Core subjects include standardised tests that help support and moderate teachers' assessment judgments. Ongoing assessment occurs in every subject, where retrieval practice is implemented to ensure pupils have retained prior knowledge. This approach enables them to know more and remember more effectively.
A range of data, including attendance, wellbeing, progress and attainment, is regularly analysed as part of the School Development Plan (SDP) to identify trends and inform targeted interventions. In addition, the Self-Evaluation Form (SEF) is used to reflect on curriculum effectiveness, ensuring continuous improvement. Through these combined efforts, schools can gain a comprehensive understanding of their curriculum's impact on student achievement and well-being.
Throughout the academic year, we continue to review and improve the broad and balanced curriculum offered to our children here. We are keen to develop children’s interest in the arts: music, art and design, dance and drama. We have a specialist music teacher who teaches classes weekly and offers opportunities for individual and group instrumental tuition. We enrich the curriculum further by extending opportunities through visiting performers and school trips to a variety of places. There are a wide variety of after school clubs available to our children, such as: sports, computing, art, debating, cooking, drama and many more. A specialist performing arts company - 'Top Hat' - run a drama club, offering our children the opportunity to develop singing, acting, dance and performance skills.
Our outside space is truly wonderful and includes an extensive and well developed Forest School area. We employ a full-time Forest School Leader who delivers high quality provision which further enriches the curriculum. In Forest School, children develop essential skills in collaboration, creative thinking and team building as well as being empowered to follow their own interests and reflect on their choices.
We value the contributions of parents and work in partnership with them to enrich the curriculum. Parents are informed about the curriculum through curriculum letters, our school website, homework, and are positively encouraged to become involved.