WHOLE SCHOOL CURRICULUM OVERVIEW
We want children to learn how to learn as well as gaining the building bricks of essential knowledge. ‘Be a great Learner’ is one of the three key themes of the ‘Moor Allerton Hall Way’ and we teach the children our 6 learning muscles of how to do this. We help children to develop a growth mindset where it is okay to aim high. 'Be a problems solver' is another key theme at Moor Allerton Hall. We want our children to grapple with learning, make mistakes and learn from them. Our third key theme is to 'Be kind and respectful'. We encourage our children to find respectful and kind ways to solve problems and challenge each other’s ideas both academically and in their wider social lives.
We have challenged ourselves to continue to develop our curriculum to be relevant to our children’s lives and have added strands of learning such as Climate Change and Equality. We use the latest technology to encourage children to safely explore the wonders of STEM. In our school, teachers are involved in learning too and we use research projects to continuously refine our great practice, including applying the latest approaches to embedding knowledge into long term memory.
CURRICULUM INTENT
At Moor Allerton Hall Primary School, we recognise that the curriculum should be the powerful tool that promotes the learning of knowledge and competences, including life skills, as well as the inspiration to explore and take risks. It therefore includes not only the formal requirements of the national curriculum, but also our strong ethos, based on respect and responsibility for ourselves and for others.
We aim to teach children how to grow into effective, responsible young people who can work successfully and co-operate with others. This means teaching and learning in the field of emotional literacy and SMSC as well meeting current government age-related expectations.
Its purpose is to help children develop understanding, knowledge and skills that are cumulative, and which can deliver defined end points, including preparing children for the next stage of their education.
Our children have the opportunity to be creative, to be physically active and to be academically challenged.
The curriculum is taught with the consideration of the needs of all learners; inclusion is at its heart, as is overcoming any social disadvantage. Our curriculum is designed to be bespoke to our children and to the community in which they live. Our goal is to inspire motivation for learning as well as an appreciation of the diverse society in which we live.
CURRICULUM IMPLEMENTATION
Our curriculum is designed to ignite the imagination of our children. Most plans originate from a stimulus such as a text, a period of history or a theme that the children are currently engaged in. We plan our curriculum to ensure that we meet the requirement of the National Curriculum and the Early Years Curriculum by ensuring that:
- long term plans are developed collaboratively between subject leaders and year group colleagues to ensure coverage for the academic year
- medium term plans are written creatively and collaboratively, drawing on ideas from CPD (training) opportunities
- short term plans are used to specifically tailor learning for all abilities
Each subject has a bespoke annual overview for each year group. An example of the outcomes of these annual reviews is our Summer Curriculum Projects. These projects are designed annually to be creative, and project based. These projects are part of a carefully designed curriculum that thoughtfully weaves history, geography, art and our STEM subjects. Our children are encouraged to be robot builders, script writers, directors, entrepreneurs as well as set designers.
Teaching and learning is designed help children to remember, over time, curriculum content and to apply their knowledge in different contexts.
There is a sharp focus on younger children developing essential phonic, reading, language and communication skills. The school recognises the importance of reading attainment for accessing the rest of the curriculum.
Values, including respect, responsibility and compassion are taught on their own and through other areas of the curriculum, including assemblies. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of our children and their understanding of the core values of our society are woven through the curriculum.
In all year groups there are small group interventions to support children in gaining the key skills to become successful readers, writers and mathematicians.
Specialist teachers support the teaching of music.
All subject leaders are given training and opportunity to keep developing their own subject knowledge, skills and understanding so they can support curriculum development, progress and their colleagues throughout the school.
Theme days/weeks, educational including residential visits, whole school activities and opportunities within and outside school all enrich and develop the children’s learning. After school clubs and events extend these opportunities further.
The outdoor environment and the local community are considered an opportunity for active learning for all our children. The school grounds have been developed so they can enrich different curriculum areas and children experience ‘Forest Schools’.
Children have opportunities to share their learning with each other, their parents and carers and other learners through school-based performance and exhibition, for example ‘stay and play’, ‘stay and get arty’, ‘stay and calculate’.
As well as ongoing, daily teacher assessment, formal assessment is designed to be proportionate and sustainable for staff. There are 3 collection points per year, and these are used to inform next steps for teaching, including clear actions for improving progress and for intervention.
CURRICULUM IMPACT
The school is determined to:
- achieve good results through a well-constructed, well-taught curriculum
- ensure that all children, including the most disadvantaged children and children with SEND are given the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life
- assess the standard of children’s work through triangulation of work scrutiny, child conversations and test data ensure that children are prepared for the next stage of their education