Curriculum Statement
Below you will find out more about out curriculum offer in school. We begin with our curriculum statement for the whole school which is divided into three sections:
a) our curriculum intent – what we want to cover in class;
b) our curriculum implementation – how we cover our curriculum in class; and
c) our curriculum impact – how and what we monitor to measure how good our curriculum is.
Worthington Primary School Curriculum Statement
As a school community, we believe our children possess unique gifts and qualities; as such they have the right to succeed, recognise their own greatness, and develop who they are in a respectful and caring environment. We encourage a ‘love of learning’ in everything the children do and promise to provide dynamic, inspiring and engaging lessons…so together ‘We Only Reach for The Highest’.
Curriculum Intent
At Worthington we pride ourselves on creating a curriculum which is broad, balanced and inclusive considering our school’s unique characteristics: the diversity of our community, school location and the interests of our children. After our expansion to a two-form entry school we re-visited our ‘Worthington’ curriculum to carefully craft the children’s learning from nursery through to Year 6. Using the statutory requirements of the Early Years Framework and National Curriculum as our foundation, each subject leader with the staff have developed a curriculum which is dynamic, robust and challenging; underpinned by the knowledge, skills and understanding relevant for each year group. Each curriculum area has been planned to ensure the learning is sequential, progressive and organised in a way allowing children to embed their learning. Our clear long-term plans enable teachers to plan, deliver and assess children’s achievements and successes from nursery through to Year 6. Teachers are able to build upon and embed key skills and knowledge taught in the previous year; whilst understanding the next stage in our children’s development. This will enable children to revisit and build upon the key concepts, knowledge and skills at an increasingly deeper level as they move throughout the school storing them to their long-term memory. Through our curriculum design we strive to provide our children with diverse, inclusive and rich learning experiences to develop transferable skills and a sense of self and place; thus, embracing our school statement to ‘Only Reach for The Highest’. We want all of our children at Worthington to leave with a range of experiences, the self-belief to excel and to understand the feeling of enjoyment. Each unit of work is driven by an enquiry question as we believe our children to be independent learners with enquiring minds and critical thinkers who can ask big questions about their learning and the world in which they live. Underpinning all curriculum planning is our strong school ethos that promotes the holistic well-being of all members of our school family. The development of children’s Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural understanding is central in delivering a curriculum which strives to ensure our children are well-prepared for life in Modern Britain, celebrating British Values as Global Citizens.
Curriculum Implementation
The curriculum at Worthington is structured to craft a purposeful and engaging learning experience for every child. This ensures that each child, regardless of their background, undergoes a comprehensive exploration of cultural capital. Our staff have a deep knowledge and understanding of the children they teach and can use this to plan lessons that are both meaningful and challenging. Our staff believe every child deserves to learn and are skilled in developing adaptive teaching strategies to ensure all children receive a quality first education; ensuring all children succeed. Staff have an excellent subject knowledge allowing them to have high expectations and challenge children’s thinking and reasoning through careful questioning. A wide range of teaching and learning strategies are employed, promoting the development of knowledge alongside the skills needed in each subject. Children are encouraged to be resilient learners and are given time to take responsibility for their own learning through our age-appropriate marking policy, feedback from peers and teachers and by setting themselves targets. Children’s learning is enhanced by carefully planned visits and by inviting visitors with specialised knowledge into school. We value every child’s talents and so have a wide-range of extra-curricular activities to support learning within school. Our staff have worked together to create an evidence led teaching and learning policy alongside subject-specific pedagogy which are all embedded into our lesson planning.
Curriculum Impact
Measuring and monitoring the impact of our curriculum at Worthington takes on many strands. Initially, teachers evaluate each lesson and plan the children’s next steps. Assessment for Learning underpins all of the learning at Worthington to ensure all children reach their full potential. We use an on-line tool to plan and track pupil progress and to identify any specific needs. (refer to our Assessment policy for more details.) This information is used in regular pupil progress meetings which can be used to support provision programmes. Departments monitor the impact of the curriculum, celebrating the children’s achievements in all subjects and working together to plan activities and events to support the children’s learning. Curriculum Leaders monitor their subject throughout the year to reflect the current demands of the curriculum and to inform future planning. A range of strategies are used to support this; for example: learning walks, pupil voice, work scrutinies, staff and parent voice. These are planned within the school improvement plan to ensure a balance of demand across the year. Our school improvement plan is what drives areas for development. It is drawn up and agreed in an annual meeting with all staff and governors when the years achievements are celebrated and next steps are planned. Staff take ownership of measuring the impact of our curriculum using staff meetings, diamond group meetings and through their own continuous professional development. ‘We’ - children, staff and governors at Worthington- ‘Only Reach for the Highest’