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Our Curriculum

Curriculum Intent

At Petham we aim to:  

  • create a safe and inclusive learning environment where everyone can be happy and is ready to learn;  

  • use our outdoor environment to its fullest; 

  • provide a full and varied curriculum where every child, regardless of ability, will encounter a wide range of experiences, both within the local area and further afield;  

  • have high expectations for all;  

  • have passionate staff who foster a love of learning, inquiry and resilience in order to inspire our children to achieve their potential and be prepared for the next stage of their education and adult life; 

  • encourage and support the development of staff and governors, in order to achieve the highest standards for all; 

  • be guided by our key values: leadership, organisation, resilience, initiative and communication. 

With every child in mind, our broad and balanced intended curriculum has been designed to be:

Purposeful and progressive

A skilfully chosen and sequenced curriculum, allows our children to make connections, embed and explore in greater depth the skills and knowledge they have been taught in equal measure.  Across the curriculum, the acquisition of skills and knowledge is progressively built upon to ensure they are reinforced, developed in a range of contexts, retained in the long-term memory and used effectively so that they continually know more, remember more and do more. 

Immersive and inspiring

Placing the child at the centre of our curriculum decisions, we aim to capitalise on their interests and provide experiences beyond the classroom that not only enrich learning but also develop pupils' sense of character and well-being.  Rich and vibrant subject planning and learning environments are used as a stimulus to enhance the children’s senses.  This gives life to exciting experiences, such as outdoor learning, forest school, external visitors, trips and themed days and weeks. Meaningful links are made with our local environment and local history so that pupils appreciate and respect the community they live in.  All of this allows our learners to be fully engaged and motivated and therefore best placed to always move forward in their learning.

Ambitious and challenging

Built on the knowledge and understanding of our pupils’ and their needs, regardless of starting point, all of our children will gain relevant skills and knowledge that will enable them to thrive in their academic and personal success within the school and in the wider world.

Curriculum Implementation

Each class has a curriculum that is tailored to their specific age and skill level, across a two year cycle.  Quality first teaching, delivered and supported by dedicated and motivated staff, enables all pupils to access our curriculum and to become independent learners.

 

Our curriculum is evidence informed, helping to shape our pedagogical approach. Teachers use a model of review, teach, practice and apply to ensure that pupil knowledge is acquired sequentially, built upon progressively and retained within the long-term memory.

 

Subject leads have oversight of how subjects are taught from EYFS through to Year 6, ensuring that there is a progression of skills, knowledge and vocabulary, both within and between year groups and key stages.

Whilst the process of informally assessing and checking pupils’ knowledge and understanding is always ongoing, pupils in Years 1 – 6 are assessed more formally in the core subjects of reading, writing and maths on a termly basis to check progress. 

 

Specialist teachers support the delivery of subjects such as Music and PE to ensure that the breadth of the curriculum is taught to a high standard of excellence, whilst continually upskilling our teaching staff. A range of visiting speakers and off site educational visits and local field trips contribute to the implementation of our engaging curriculum, whilst a huge diversity of lunch time and after school clubs ensures the curriculum offer to pupils is rich and creative and that pupils are offered every opportunity to develop their unique gifts.

Curriculum Policy for 2024-25

Cycle of Topics

Curriculum Impact

At Petham School we carefully balance the requirement for pupils to reach national expectations in core subjects with our wider curriculum aims of providing full spectrum of thoughtful and enriching experiences.  Alongside offering our children a carefully mapped progression of skills within all curriculum areas, we try to enable the children to practice and incorporate these skills across all subjects; giving them the opportunity to express their learning in a variety of ways.  Our curriculum is carefully organised for depth as we aim to support children in gaining a deeper and more insightful understanding of the matters, skills and processes within subjects.  All staff monitor and evaluate the impact of our curriculum through a range of assessments, tasks and pupil and parent questionnaires.

 

The planning of inspiring and imaginative activities promotes enjoyment of the curriculum which in turn positively impacts on achievement of children, confidence and attitude to learning. Developing the independence and motivation as learners for children is crucial alongside building a sense of responsibility as a future citizen is at the heart of all our teaching and learning.  As children move through their educational journey at Petham our aim is that they will be engaged and inspired by their learning, posing their own enquiry questions, taking initiative and co-constructing their own learning pathway.  Children have opportunities to share their learning with each other, their parents and carers and other learners through school-based celebration assemblies, performances, competitions and events involving other schools.

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