Curriculum Intent
Our school’s purpose is to develop the depth and breadth of our children’s knowledge; paying particular emphasis to the promotion of independence and resilience to challenge.
At Church of the Ascension we pride ourselves on the quality of curriculum we offer.
We use the National Curriculum and blend it with a topic / enquiry based approach to learning which ensures our children are excited about what happens in their classrooms.
In this school every child matters. The curriculum will be the means of providing all children with the very best opportunities for enjoyment and achievement. It comprises all learning and other experiences that the school plans for its pupils.
The overall curriculum will promote the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of all pupils at the school and of society. It will foster economic well-being and develop learners’ understanding of personal, social and health education. It will teach pupils how to keep safe and help them make a positive contribution to the school and the community in line with our school aims. The curriculum will enable all learners to enjoy their education and will ensure that wherever possible learning is fun.
Objectives
• To provide all pupils with equal access to a rich, broad, balanced and differentiated curriculum matched well to their ages, abilities, interests, aptitudes and needs.
• To increase pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding as they grow and develop and strengthen their connections with the world around them.
• The curriculum will be carefully planned and structured to ensure that learning is continuous and that all pupils make good progress in the development of their learning.
• To be exciting and to offer pupils lots of first-hand experiences to reinforce their learning and to underpin their growing knowledge, skills and understanding of the world.
• To develop independence; encouraging children to take responsibility for their own learning.
Strategies
• The National Curriculum will be taught to all pupils. Programmes of Study for the subjects of the National Curriculum will be used selectively as the basis for long-term and medium-term planning. They will be supplemented by judicious use of other materials and resources that form part of the whole school curriculum.
• Short-term planning will set out clear learning objectives, a strategy for differentiating the work and will show how resources are to be deployed efficiently and effectively to personalise learning for each pupil.
• Members of staff will be given responsibility for leading, managing, monitoring, evaluating and reviewing the curriculum. Teachers will be given good opportunities to use their subject expertise to enhance the curriculum.
• The Worcester Agreed Syllabus (Diocesan Syllabus) will be used as the basis for the planning and teaching of RE.
• Cross-curricular links will be made between subjects where appropriate and the cross curricular themes including PSHE and Citizenship will be planned for within the curriculum.
• Opportunities will be taken to enliven the curriculum through planned educational visits and residential trips; involvement of parents/carers, visitors, artists, crafts people, actors, and musicians; use of the school grounds, the locality and the wider environment.
• Opportunities will be sought within the curriculum to encourage community cohesion, working with other schools and communities both locally and globally.
• An extensive range of high quality resources, including ICT, will be used to underpin the curriculum.
• Homework will be set where appropriate to link the curriculum with learning at home.
Outcomes
Children’s work and achievement within the curriculum will be celebrated and displayed to enable it to make a significant impact on the visual appearance of the school and to contribute positively to its ethos. The curriculum that we provide will help children to understand who they are and where they live. It will help them learn about their community, the nation and the world in which they live. It will deepen their cultural awareness and increase their understanding of history, time and place. They will develop a respect for and an understanding of different cultures and beliefs. They will learn about issues facing the world and the importance of caring for their environment.
Please see our following policies for information about how we make the curriculum accessible for those with disabilities or special educational needs: