Curriculum
Intent
At Elworth Hall, our vision is that 'every child has access to highest quality education everyday, in a nurturing and caring environment.'
We offer a curriculum which includes opportunities to be creative and develop problem solving skills, to develop resilience and responsibility, to develop children through both physical development and mental wellbeing.
Our curriculum recognises and celebrates the individual needs of our children whilst providing a broad range of knowledge and skills to promote independence, resilience and mutual respect to develop lifelong learners and prepare our children for their future.
The values of our school curriculum are to develop children who are;
- Respectful
- Resilient
- Responsible
- Creative
- Curious
- Independent
Implementation
Our curriculum ensures we fulfil all the requirements of the National Curriculum and the Locally Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education through discrete teaching of foundation subjects.
Each subject has a whole school overview to ensure they build on knowledge allowing for links to be made to prior learning. Delivery of subjects is designed by the subject leaders using the long-term plans (LTP) for each subject area. These inform medium term plans (MTP) which sequence the learning throughout each unit. MTP may be taught through weekly sessions or through learning blocks. This is decided by the teacher and shared with subject leaders so they can conduct rigorous monitoring of their subject responsibilities.
Teachers ensure that learning develops a sense of ‘belonging and being’ and helps children to connect to the past, live in the present and look to the future; encouraging curiosity and a passion to learn. Learning activities demonstrate high aspirations for their future and encourage children to embrace new challenges and possibilities; pushing their own boundaries. Lessons develop their knowledge, understanding and skills; being ‘determined to succeed’ and becoming independent thinkers and questioners; acquiring a solid basis for lifelong learning
Our curriculum encompasses not only the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum but offers a wealth of rich experiences beyond the classroom. This includes, visitors, trips and residential opportunities across the school. We pride ourselves on our partnerships with parents and the wider community to ensure home and school work closely together to provide the best outcomes for our children.
We strive to promote a love for reading and a passion to explore the benefits of reading to support the wider curriculum. All children will have a variety of reading experiences; this includes guided reading, 1:1 reading, reading independently, hearing stories in class and in assemblies. All these experiences develop our children as readers to allow them to access reading across the curriculum; this may be through using primary and secondary resources in history, conducting research about famous Artists or interpreting information within science to name a few.
PHSE is at the heart of our curriculum as we feel the children’s emotional and wellbeing needs are of priority to ensure they achieve their full potential. We follow a discrete PHSE programme including; No Outsiders, Christopher Winters Project and Health Education. These lessons build positive learning behaviour and enable our children to be successful learners both within the classroom and beyond.
Our curriculum promotes our school values, encouraging children to take responsibility for themselves and their actions through their learning of British Values – Individual Liberty, Tolerance and Mutual Respect, Democracy and the Rule of Law to allow them to make a positive contribution to the wider world and develop life skills
Subject leaders take on an active role within school to monitor their subject to ensure there is clear progression of skills and knowledge. This monitoring also highlights where CPD needs are and coaching is offered through sharing of good practice within school or by seeking opportunities offered across the Chancery Trust with whom we have made curricular links.
Impact
As a result of a well-planned and implemented curriculum, we enrich every child's school experience by creating an environment where they are encouraged to succeed and be the best they can be. We encourage independence through the development of metacognitive strategies and use of visual tools to support the children.
As children leave Elworth Hall, they will be knowledgeable, respectful, resilient, responsible and independent individuals who are driven by their own curiosity and thirst for learning. The exploration of new skills and experiences will help to empower our children to be confident citizens within the wider world.