Queen Eleanor’s Curriculum Rationale

Our Curriculum Vision

Our school curriculum aims to challenge each pupil and inspire a love of learning. It will encourage creative thinking and risk taking to build confidence and self-belief.

To enable this, our curriculum will make the most of the school environment, including outdoor learning, with an emphasis on practical skills and pupils’ progression during their time in school, all with a clear purpose for learning. Christian values, PHSE and SMSC will all be embedded throughout the curriculum along with our school values of honesty, trust, kindness and respect, celebrating the diversity within our school and valuing the whole person.

Introduction to our Curriculum

In order to achieve our vision, we have developed a structured progressive curriculum based on a shared understanding of what we want for our children and how we are going to achieve it. In 2019, Subject Leadership and the curriculum became a priority on the SDP- ‘To develop subject leadership to support high quality provision and pupil achievement across the curriculum.’; ‘To further enhance the wider curriculum in order to ensure that pupils are inspired to achieve well in the wider curriculum as much as they are in English and Mathematics’ . Since then, we have revamped the whole curriculum to make it more challenging, inspiring and more relevant to children’s interests. Subject leaders have worked to ensure content and skills are progressive across the four year groups.

Curriculum Intent

The aim of our curriculum is for pupils to have the essential skills to be successful, independent and motivated learners in readiness for their next stage of education as well as preparing them for the wider world. Our curriculum considers the development of the whole child; we strive to challenge and engage all children regardless of their background. The school’s Core Values (honesty, trust, kindness and respect) underpin the curriculum and these are taught through other areas of the curriculum, including assemblies and PSHCE.

Our children learn and remember a range of knowledge and understanding in all areas of the curriculum to support their wider understanding of the world in subject specific areas connected both within knowledge organisers and to prior learning. We teach the children that they have a voice and support them to have the ability and confidence to express themselves, their feelings and their opinions effectively in a wide range of situations. Early reading is at the heart of our curriculum; children are provided with opportunities to read high quality and broad texts across the wider curriculum.

Curriculum Implementation

Knowledge underpins and enables the application of skill. We endeavour for children to learn new skills alongside knowledge, ensuring that both are explicitly developed.  Teachers at Queen Eleanor’s recognise that knowledge and skills are intertwined, ensuring teaching and learning is relevant and meaningful.

Our Curriculum takes a broad and balanced skills-based approach. Teachers plan topics and lessons around the skills required for that year group from our skills of progression document. Subject leaders have spent time ensuring this is progressive across the school. In addition, subject leaders have ensured content is progressive and relevant in each year group.

Teachers plan creative opportunities for the children and we cover the requirements of the National Curriculum. We plan for visits, workshops, community links and hands on experiences to enhance the children’s learning. Children have opportunities for problem solving and deep level thinking to embed their knowledge and skills. Teachers have high expectations of the children and the children take pride in their work.

Curriculum Impact

The impact and measure of our curriculum is to ensure children not only acquire the appropriate age-related knowledge linked to the curriculum but also skills, which equip them to progress from their starting points. In shaping our curriculum this way, progress is measured and evidenced for all children, regardless of their starting points or specific needs.

Each subject’s intent, implementation and impact are in line with our curriculum vision and detail the journey of the learning our children experience during their time at Queen Eleanor’s. Subject leaders have developed assessment tools in their subjects which teachers use across the school. These show the progress that all children make throughout the year. Each subject has a clear vision and is part of a monitoring schedule.

Teachers provide opportunities for pupils to have the skills to be successful, motivated and independent learners. We believe that when our children leave us for secondary school, they have a range of skills developed during their time at Queen Eleanor’s in an inclusive and nurturing environment. We promote a love of learning which we believe prepares our children to become life-long learners.

Our Curriculum

The table below includes each of the topic areas.  If you click on a topic title a curriculum map will appear giving you a snap shot of what’s taught in that topic.

Year Group Curriculum Skills Overview

The links below are to our year group Curriculum Overview with the skills covered in each unit of work.

Curriculum Skills Overview Year 3 2022-2023

Curriculum Skills Overview Year 4 2022-2023

Curriculum Skills Overview Year 5 2022-2023

Curriculum Skills Overview Year 6 2022-2023

 

School Development Plan Priorities 2022-2023

Strategic Priority 1:

To further develop the effectiveness of the school curriculum.  

Strategic Priority 2:

To continue to improve our use of the school grounds.

To continue to develop relevant, challenging learning experiences in our outdoor spaces and the wider community.  

Strategic Priority 3: 

To enhance provision for maintaining staff health and well-being.  

Strategic Priority 4: 

To ensure that pupils continue to be more Involved with collective worship which will help them understand and express the school Christian vison and values.