Curriculum Intent
At Pimperne Primary School, we deliver a broad and balanced curriculum to all learners in a fun, safe and engaging environment. Our aim is to provide appropriate challenge in order to develop resilient learners who are aspirational for future learning and life endeavours. Children are guided on their learning journey by carefully building upon their prior knowledge and skills, to ensure a depth of learning. Our core Christian values and vision are at the heart of all we do.
The overall aims of our Key Curriculum are to
- Enable all pupils to understand that they are successful learners.
- Enable pupils to understand the skills and attributes needed to be a successful learner through ‘Switched On to Learning’
- Enable pupils to develop their own personal interests and develop a positive attitude towards learning, so that they enjoy coming to school, and acquire a solid basis for lifelong learning.
- Teach pupils the basic skills of literacy and numeracy.
- Enable pupils to be creative through the arts.
- Enable pupils to be healthy individuals and appreciate the importance of a healthy lifestyle, physically and mentally.
- Teach pupils about their developing world, including how their environment and society have changed over time and how to look after the world in which they live.
- Help pupils understand the fundamental British values and enable them to be positive citizens in society who can make a difference.
- Teach pupils to have an awareness of their own spiritual development, the importance of reflection time and to understand the difference between making right and wrong choices.
- Help pupils understand the importance of truth, equity, respect and fairness so that they grow up committed to equal opportunities for all.
- Enable pupils to have respect for themselves and positive self-esteem and to be able to live and work co-operatively with others.
- Enable pupils to be passionate about what they believe in and to develop their own thoughts on different topics.
- Enable pupils to develop their intellect including their emotional development, ask questions and take appropriate risks.
- Enable pupils to experience playing a musical instrument (Y4 focus).
- Teach pupils about the importance of forming healthy relationships with friends, family and peers.
Our curriculum drivers
Our ‘Switched On to Learning’ (See Appendix 1) underpins positive attitudes necessary to build resilience and courage to undertake challenges, in learning but also in everyday life.
- Our Vision: ‘As each one does their part, we grow in love’ (Ephesians 41:6). We aim to develop the belief that working together encourages growth, that we can use our strengths to help others and, in turn, receive help when we need it.
- Our Values: Perseverance, Courage, Compassion, Justice, Respect, Forgiveness, Trust, Selflessness underpin our actions in school and in our communities.
- Our Motto: Celebrate, Believe, Aspire – We want all our children to aspire and to live their lives to the full. We understand that we need to broaden their horizons through rich experiences of the world. We provide a supportive environment in which to nurture their interests and self-belief in order for each individual to have opportunities to celebrate.
- Equity and accessibility for all: We wholeheartedly embrace all additional needs and disadvantaged beginnings and encourage understanding and inclusion as well as celebrate diversity. We support and enable all children to be confident and equipped for life’s journey, thereby ensuring every child works towards fulfilling their potential.
We aim to ensure all pupils enjoy learning and feel prepared for life after school. We also to offer our pupils new and exciting experiences through themed days, outdoor learning days and extra-curricular activities that are designed to build resilience, confidence and self-esteem. Our curriculum includes learning around good mental health and strategies to support ourselves in maintaining a positive mindset, recognising our emotions and what we can do to help ourselves.
Our curriculum takes account of the needs of children with SEND and is delivered in accordance with the Equality Act 2010, through a variety of methods, including those outlined below. Our curriculum is intended to support children with varying forms of disadvantaged beginnings, to develop cultural capital and experiences as well as aim for positive educational outcomes.
Each curriculum subject has a ‘Subject Leader’ who has an overview of planning for that area of learning across the school. Each Subject Leader has considered how skills, knowledge, concepts and vocabulary, connect and build over time in their subject, so we have a coherent, progressive and cohesive curriculum. Children need lots of repetition in order to cement knowledge and skills into long-term memory. All children will have opportunities for repetition as they progress through the different key stages in order that essential knowledge and skills move into the long-term memory rather than short term, working memory.
Each subject lead, in collaboration with discussions, has identified the most important concepts that pupils should learn in each year group. These concepts build progressively through identifying small progressive steps, across the year group or key stage.
Planning starts with the requirements for that subject and then links are made between subjects to allow cross-curricular links to deepen engagement and understanding. In delivering the curriculum, we aim to remove any barriers (including misconceptions) in order that all children can make progress. We take a growth mindset approach to learning as we want all children to be resilient when challenged and have a ‘Switched On’ attitude – making mistakes is an important part of the journey to success.