Abbey Primary School's Curriculum Intent Statement

Curriculum Intent

Our curriculum puts the child at the centre of our caring, sharing, achieving school, where positive relationships, based on mutual trust and respect are at the heart of everything we do.  Our ambitious curriculum has been designed to take account of the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum and the Primary National Curriculum. It exposes our children to enriching experiences, immersing them in progressive knowledge and skills; equipping them with personal characteristics required to succeed in life.

The key principles behind the design of our curriculum are for our children to:

• learn to read, as a priority, so that they can master curriculum content as well as achieve a sense of wellbeing through a genuine love of reading;
• be able to articulate their ideas, develop understanding and engage with others through spoken language and listening;
• be confident, independent and resilient; displaying an innate and inspired curiosity to know, remember and do more;
• be kind and inclusive; showing empathy and compassion whilst valuing diversity;
• be culturally knowledgeable about their country, their world and its people;
• have aspirations for the future and know that these are reached through hard work and determination;
• achieve academically across the entire curriculum, meeting at least the national expectation by the end of their primary education;
• be well prepared for the further opportunities and challenges within the secondary school curriculum and into their lives beyond.

Our ambition is for the children of Abbey Primary School to be successful, upstanding citizens within their communities; making a positive contribution to the world in which they live.

Curriculum Implementation

 At Abbey Primary School, the progressive, carefully sequenced curriculum is designed with the needs and context of the pupils of Abbey Primary at its heart. It acknowledges our belief that primary school is the first and most important opportunity to engage children as learners. Through meaningful, enjoyable and interconnected experiences, our aim is for children learn to love learning for life. We take seriously our responsibility to introduce them to the world, age-appropriately, creating opportunities for them to develop physically, cognitively, socially, academically and spiritually.

Reading is at the heart of the curriculum at Abbey Primary School. We know that being a fluent, confident and successful reader is key to children’s academic success, as well as for their health and wellbeing. Daily reading lessons, from the Foundation Stage to Year 6, ensure that children leave our school as accurate, automatic and expressive readers who enjoy reading for both pleasure and purpose.

Teachers at Abbey Primary School know not just what they are going to teach, but why they are teaching it, recognising where their lessons fit into the wider picture of the subject, and importantly, how the current learning links to that in other subjects. Lessons in all subjects enable our children to draw upon what they already know; taking comfort in the familiar, whilst providing a view to the wider world outside their classroom window, set in the context of time, place and people, therefore bringing learning to life.

High-quality learning is achieved as a result of a well-mapped and interconnected curriculum that revisits key concepts in increasing depth over time. The conscious decisions made during its design ensure that children encounter new learning at just the right time, supported by what has come before, what they are learning at the same time and with knowledge of what they will learn in the future. Teachers understand the importance of revisiting key concepts and important knowledge, also recognising that each subject, with consideration of its disciplines, requires a well-considered pedagogical approach.

Lessons begin with a ‘rewind’ to prior learning to check the security of knowledge and revisit key knowledge, both substantive and disciplinary, so that new learning is built on secure foundations. Revisiting and practising key aspects of learning ensures that important knowledge sticks and is committed to long-term memory. In this way, our children develop fluency and confidence, mastering knowledge in both core and wider curriculum subjects. Explicit teaching of key vocabulary supports the school’s ambition to make our children ‘word ‘rich’, preventing this from being a barrier to learning and understanding across the entire curriculum.

PSHE lies at the heart of the curriculum; its content is delivered with consideration of the evolving needs and backgrounds of our children. It is organised into three key strands: Relationships, Living in the Wider World and Health and Wellbeing and was designed following consultation with the whole school community. PSHE and RSE are central to the development and growth of our children as people, making them informed and confident to thrive when faced with challenges, when encountering risks and when making important decisions throughout their lives. The PSHE and RSE curriculums recognise the importance of pupils’ physical and mental well-being in shaping their long-term life-style choices.

Our children understand the importance of working hard and demonstrating positive learning behaviours to maximise their own individual learning potential as well as contribute positively to the school and wider community. ‘Learning to Learn Cards’ and our school’s house system reward the behaviours we strive to develop. We uphold high expectations of attendance, academic achievement and pupil behaviour. 

To raise aspirations and equip children with a real belief that they can achieve anything if they are prepared to work hard, we prioritise experiential learning within our curriculum. Visitors are regularly invited into school; educational and residential visits are carefully chosen to enhance the curriculum and deepen understanding, and we make the most of our outdoor learning environment to provide hands-on learning experiences and promote a sense of wellbeing. Children from across the school have access to a wide range of extra-curricular activities in both sport, music and the creative and performing arts. 

Continuing professional development for all staff is a priority to ensure they have the necessary skills and knowledge to deliver the highest standards across the entire curriculum. Music, art and sports specialists work alongside teaching staff to enhance curriculum delivery. Subject leaders have the necessary expertise to play a pivotal role in both the design and delivery of their subject area; ensuring a clear progression of both skills and knowledge across all year groups, underpinned by clear mechanisms for assessment.

Effective and subject specific assessment is key to checking that children have learnt and retained the important knowledge. At Abbey Primary School; it is an integral part of teaching and learning. Within lessons, teachers are skilled at interacting with the children so that they can monitor success against the aims of the curriculum. In lessons, teachers provide subject-specific feedback that enables children to ‘get better’ at each subject. We recognise that feedback is most effective when given ‘in-the-moment’ and meet this aim through questioning, modelling, explicit teaching, quality interactions during independent learning, self-marking, proofreading and editing of work. In this way, our children feel responsible for their own success and are proactive in their quest for excellence.

CurricuIum Impact

• Children become fluent readers who understand the importance of reading, not just for learning but for enjoyment and wellbeing;
• Children’s articulate their ideas clearly, engaging with others, at a range of levels with the understanding that spoken language and listening skills are crucial for their success in school and life;
• Children demonstrate confidence, independence, resilience and an unmistakeable curiosity for learning;
• Children have a clear understanding of what is right and wrong; they are kind and empathetic and form meaningful relationships based upon mutual respect and trust;
• Children embrace and celebrate difference, not only within the school community, but in the wider world as well;
• Children succeed as a result of a well-sequenced, progressive curriculum in a wide range of subjects, enabling them to excel as individuals and pursue areas of interest at secondary school and in later life;  
• Children achieve at least the expected standard across the entire curriculum by the end of Key Stage Two;
• Children are well prepared to access the challenges - academically, socially, and emotionally - of the secondary school curriculum and beyond;
• Children have high aspirations for the future and know that these can be achieved with hard work and determination;
• Children grow up feeling inspired and able to make a positive contribution to the world in which they live.

We are proud of the curriculum on offer at Abbey Primary School. Should you require any additional information regarding the content of our curriculum, please contact the school office.