Ward Jackson Primary School

Curriculum statement

Intent

As we are a small, family school we have designed our curriculum - based on the National Cur-riculum - to meet the needs and interest levels of our children and wider school community. We offer a cumulative, knowledge-rich, skills-based curriculum to enable our learners to thrive and become the best that they can be. With levels of 70% + pupil premium, we tailor our curriculum to explicitly expose children to ‘experiences’ which will deepen learning, develop schema and enhance Cultural Capital by enabling them to deploy the appropriate knowledge and skills in any given situation. We are educating children for life in all its fullness. Our curriculum is therefore thematic and holistic in order to nurture ‘the whole child’. High quality literature is placed centrally within our thematic curriculum: "When I read... I can step into someone else's shoes... I can go anywhere I want... I can be whoever I want to be." (Laila – Y3). A love of reading is embedded within our curriculum; we recognise that reading is essential for emotional health and well-being in addition to academic success across the whole curriculum.
Reading is the one ability that, once set in motion, has the capacity to feed itself, to grow exponentially, providing a base from which the possibilities are infinite. (Michael Morpurgo) Our curriculum offer nurtures and empowers pupils to become the best that they can be. Meta-cognition is taught in conjunction with ‘traditional’ subject content which will be necessary in secondary education, higher education and future employment. The pace of change is increasing: the world of 2030 will be very different to the world of today. As a school, we are therefore continually reflective in our ever-evolving curriculum offers. We invest a significant amount of time in monitoring, review and evaluation of teaching, learning and curriculum.

Big ideas

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.

Mission statement

At Ward Jackson Church of England Primary School our goal is to provide and outstanding place of teaching and learning. A place where all learners thrive in a nurturing, safe and intellectually challenging Christian environment, being empowered to flourish for the rest of their lives.

General principles Our curriculum will give children the opportunity to:
• see clear links between different aspects of their learning
• understand the purpose and value of their learning and see its relevance to their past, present and future
• experience the challenge and enjoyment of learning
• develop new skills through a variety of interesting contexts
• develop a rich and deep subject knowledge
• develop and demonstrate their creativity
• explore the breadth and depth of the national curriculum
• learn within a coherent and progressive framework