Curriculum
Design
Our Curriculum
The National Curriculum provides pupils with an introduction to the essential knowledge that they need to be educated citizens.
The National Curriculum is just one element in the education of every child. It provides an outline of core knowledge around which teachers can develop exciting and stimulating lessons to promote the development of pupils' knowledge, understanding and skills as part of the wider school curriculum. There is time and space in the school day and in each week, term and year to range beyond the National Curriculum specifications.
Engaging, exciting and empowering lifelong learners through a creative, mastery-based curriculum
We have developed three curriculum drivers that shape our 'Connected Curriculum' to bring about the aims and values of our school and respond to the particular needs of our community. Our drivers are designed to ensure that our children are personally successful, independent thinkers ready for their journey of lifelong learning. Life is not a straight line, therefore we want our pupils to be prepared to overcome their challenges and embrace new opportunities. Independence is a thread throughout all of our curriculum drivers.
Life-long learning
Cultural capital
Achieving milestones
Mastery approach
Developing skills
Connecting ideas
High expectations
Big questions
ENGAGE
“Question everything. Learn something”
Euripides
A SMALL SCHOOL CURRICULUM THAT IS ASPIRATIONAL IN ITS PURSUIT FOR EXCELLENCE
Engage represents a knowledge rich education: the passing on the 'best that has been thought and said' from one generation to the next. Our core aim is to provide a broad cultural knowledge which allows access and engagement in the conversations of the 21st century through a coherently planned, irresistible academic curriculum. We aim to make the purpose and connection of new knowledge, skills and understanding clear from the start, where children can confidently communicate what they are learning about and why it is important.
Co-operation
Collaboration
Respecting others
Community
The environment
Global issues
Resilience
Friendship
EXCITE
“The bits I most remember about my school days are those that took place outside the classroom”
Alan Bennett
AN OUTWARD LOOKING AND IRRESISTIBLE CURRICULUM THAT CELEBRATES INDIVIDUALITY AND PROMOTES RESPECT
Excite aims to capture the essence of children's natural curiosity, it's the stimulus that facilitates them to question, speculate and open doors into new learning and a world of possibilities. Our curriculum encourages children to explore and experience a diverse range of subject matter, media and materials; it aims to provide meaningful opportunities for children to share thoughts, ideas and feelings and expand their minds to a world of possibilities. It is about developing character, celebrating identity and developing the qualities that will be needed to thrive.
Beauty and discernment
Practical skills
Media and culture
Learning to create
Problem solving
Changing the world
Authentic experiences
Debate, question, challenge
EMPOWER
“Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason mastery demands all of a person”
Albert Einstein
A HANDS ON, CREATIVE CURRICULUM THAT ENCOURAGES MASTERY OF LIFE-LONG KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND UNDERSTANDING
Empower aligns to our mastery approach, where children acquire a deep, long-term, secure and adaptable understanding. With practice comes proficiency and confidence. We aim to establish the conditions where problems open up the space for speculation, for getting things wrong and for comparing ideas. Children are encouraged to make meaningful connections between new and learnt subject matter; they are able to draw on their knowledge, skills and understanding quickly and efficiently to become articulate, confident and responsible members of society.
We strive for learning experiences at East Farleigh to be meaningful and enjoyable for children. We aim to achieve this through incorporating these five essential aspects into our sequences of teaching and learning:
Jonasson (2007)ACTIVE
We believe pupils should be actively engaged in their learning – be it taking part in a discussion, engaging in a role-play or completing a project-based activity.
CONSTRUCTIVE
We aim to make learning constructive, both in the sense of developing pupils' mental model, and in the sense of physically making something.
INTENTIONAL
We endeavour for pupils to assume some degree of choice over how they tackle a task or project, or perhaps even over the task or project itself, to allow plenty of scope for individual creativity.
COOPERATIVE
Where possible, we construct activities so that pupils can work together and support one another: learning at East Farleigh is always a collaborative endeavour.
AUTHENTIC
We always strive to link activities with pupils’ own experiences, both within and beyond school; this may include cross-curricular projects, those linked to the life of the school or those valuing the rich cultural capital of our pupils.