Our Curriculum
Curriculum Statement
Pupils’ learning and development is at the heart of our school curriculum; it is broad and balanced and equips children with the skills necessary to succeed at school and in their next stage of education.
Our curriculum intent statement outlines how our curriculum has been created and the benefits it will bring to the children’s learning and self-improvement.
Intent – What our curriculum is designed to do
At Rushton CE First School we have designed our curriculum with pupils’ learning at the centre. We recognise that a curriculum has to be broad, balanced and offer pupils opportunities to grow as individuals as well as learners.
Through a combination of learning techniques, we aim to ensure pupils enjoy learning and feel prepared for life after school. We also intend to offer our pupils new and exciting experiences through extra-curricular activities that are designed to build resilience, confidence and self-esteem.
We recognise that pupils should be challenged in their schooling; learning from failures and celebrating successes. We intend for our curriculum to be empowering, enabling pupils to develop their interpersonal skills, creativity and independence.
Implementation – How we intend to deliver the curriculum throughout the school
As briefly mentioned above, we intend to deliver the curriculum through a variety of methods that are both classroom-based and extra-curricular. Below, we have outlined how we intend to deliver this.
Classroom-based learning: Teachers value the different ways in which pupils learn and plan lessons to account for these differences. Teachers make cross-curricular links where possible within their lesson plans, so that pupils can draw upon knowledge from different subjects and understand how each topic plays a part in everyday life.
Teachers use different learning resources to teach core content, By using different techniques, we intend on keeping pupils engaged with learning and accommodate pupils who learn differently to their peers.
We plan interventions for individuals or small groups of pupils to help breakdown the content of the lesson in a more digestible way for pupils. This allows pupils to get dedicated one-to-one time with a Teaching Assistant, ensuring any questions that pupils may have get answered in a way they understand. It is important to note that these interventions supplement the work of the teacher and do not replace it.
Extra-curricular activities: We provide a variety of extra-curricular activities for pupils that enhance their learning experience. The activities range from after-school clubs, focus days, sporting events, educational trips and visits to weekly Forest School sessions. Extra-curricular activities are designed to enhance pupils’ learning experience, form personal connections between pupils and their peers, and teach skills essential for life after school.
How the school involves parents, pupils and the local community in curriculum planning and delivery
Our school values the input of its pupils, parents and the local community with regards to the planning and delivery of the curriculum. We believe pupils get a well-rounded education if everyone is involved in shaping it. This is why we send pupils and parents questionnaires each year. These questionnaires ask questions about factors such as what pupils enjoy about learning and lessons, what they find challenging, and whether they feel well informed on attainment.
We engage with the wider community by inviting local residents to our summer and Christmas fair, special events in school as well as sharing our car park for local events. We have close links with both our local churches and we donated many parcels to the local Food bank at harvest time. This shows pupils the value of protecting and being involved in their community and establishes a link between the theories they learn in the classroom to practical examples in real life.
Impact – How the curriculum benefits pupils’ learning and personal development
Our curriculum has been designed for a range of learners, providing equal opportunities for all – by doing this, pupils will benefit in the following ways:
- Learning how to lead safe, healthy and fulfilling lives
- Understanding that failure is part of the road to success
- Being rewarded for academic and personal successes
- Being supported with their next stages in education and feeling prepared for the next stage in their education
- Becoming responsible individuals who contribute to community living and the environment
- Achieving to the best of their ability
- Acquiring a wealth of knowledge and experience
- Becoming critical thinkers
- Finding a sense of belonging to the school and its community
- Learning how to cooperate with their peers and respect one another inside and outside the classroom.
Please see our Curriculum maps to show an overview of topics, subjects taught and extra curricular activities.