Curriculum
Our Curriculum
Curriculum Statement
As a Church School, we approach all that we do through our Christian Values which are embedded throughout our curriculum. They are…
Joy, Celebration, Hope, Friendship, Forgiveness, Love and Trust
Our Christian Values are integral to all that we do and form the bedrock of our attitudes and approach.
We want all of our children to Let their light shine (Matthew 5).
INTENT
We have a clear and shared vision and language to talk about our curriculum, and now more than ever, we recognise that placing books and reading at the heart of a curriculum is the best way to raise standards and close the gap. Research shows that vocabulary is the single most significant predictor of future success. Therefore, developing in our children a love of books, words, language and literature not only enhances our provision by placing reading at the centre, but also creates an environment for accelerated progress. With this in mind, we have placed BOOKS at the heart of what we do.
We want our curriculum to:
Demonstrate BRAVERY – we want our teachers to be ambitious when planning our curriculum with high expectations of all learners. We want our learners to be brave, willing to take risks and get things wrong, and show resilience alongside a strong desire to learn and grow
Be OUTWARD-FACING – our curriculum will look beyond our school to our local community and will encourage children to see themselves as part of the wider national and global community. They will learn from other countries, faiths and cultures and we will celebrate differences while recognising that all life on Earth is precious. Our children will understand they have the power to affect change through courageous advocacy and both ask and answer Big Questions
Create memorable OPPORTUNITIES – we want our children’s time at Tarporley to be filled with happy memories that spark their curiosity, motivate them to reach their full potential, ensure learning is ‘sticky’ and instil in them a life-long love of learning. Our broad and ambitious curriculum will embrace learning outside the classroom and will recognise the importance of cultural capital in preparing our children for life and learning beyond our school
Develop KNOWLEDGE and SKILLS – we recognise that knowledge is key. Our coherently planned and sequenced curriculum ensures all children can achieve, make sense of the world and make informed judgements and decisions. Vocabulary development will be at the heart of this. Our children will leave us with the skills they need to thrive in the next stage of their learning
Nurture SPIRITUALITY – led by our Christian Values, staff will nurture the whole child by developing their social, moral, cultural and spiritual well-being. We recognise spirituality as ways of being with God and the ways God is with us
…while always having high-quality BOOKS and reading at the heart of our teaching and learning!
IMPLEMENTATION
At Tarporley, due to our one and a half-form entry structure, we have a two-year rolling curriculum across Key Stages 1 and 2. Our long-term planning is theme-based and centres around our key English texts. We make meaningful links across our subjects so that children can both embed learning and have multiple opportunities within a term or half term to practise skills and apply their knowledge. We maintain subject-specific lessons but within an overarching theme and some subjects, such as Religious Education, will be taught discretely. We recognise the value of a spiral approach where key concepts and skills are returned to throughout each child’s school journey.
We believe that people learn best in different ways. At our school we provide a varied learning environment that has breadth and balance and allows individual children to develop their skills and abilities and reach their full potential, finding their champion within.
Effective learning
We know that people learn in many different ways and we recognise the need to develop strategies that allow all children to learn in ways that best suit them.
We provide opportunities for children to learn in different ways. These include:
- investigating;
- problem solving and reasoning;
- researching and finding out;
- group work;
- pair work;
- collaborative work;
- independent work;
- whole-class work;
- asking and answering questions;
- the use of computers, including multimedia resources;
- fieldwork and educational visits;
- the use of the creative arts;
- the use of our outdoor spaces, both our school and local environment;
- debates, role plays and oral presentations;
- designing and making products;
- participation in athletic or physical activity and performances.
IMPACT
Our aim is that all our children:
- meet their full potential and be the best they can be;
- become confident, resourceful, enquiring and independent learners;
- sustain a thirst for knowledge that carries through to later life;
- use their imagination, be creative and be curious within their learning and later life;
- build positive relationships with other people;
- develop self-respect and respect the ideas, attitudes, values and feelings of others;
- show respect for all cultures and religions and, in so doing, promote positive attitudes towards other people;
- understand their local and British community and help them feel valued as part of these communities;
- engage in fundamental British values;
- grow into reliable, independent and positive British citizens.
To ensure that our aims are met, we have a robust and comprehensive monitoring schedule so that stakeholders have a clear picture of our strengths and goals.
If you have any questions about our Curriculum, please feel free to contact our Deputy Headteacher Miss Maddocks.
