Curriculum

Curriculum Intent

Our inclusive curriculum is built on the commitment to ensure all children enjoy a wide range of subjects and experiences. For young people attending our schools within the Tri-school Federation, we provide an accessible and enjoyable educational journey that ensures academic success, develops life-long skills, and offers enriching experiences. Education within our Federation supports every child to grow as a well-rounded and responsible citizen, capable of fulfilling their potential and contributing positively to society.

Our curriculum is thoughtfully designed around a thematic approach using the Cornerstones Curriculum and guided by the 10 BIG IDEAS: Humanity, Creativity, Place and Space, Comparison, Significance, Change, Process, Materials, Nature, and Investigation. These global concepts run throughout the whole curriculum, providing purpose and endpoints that give children a broad and balanced understanding of the world.

Each year builds on the previous one, enhancing children’s learning through a focus on core and subject-specific knowledge and skills. This approach supports knowledge recall, subject fluency, and deepens understanding.

Expert planning across all subjects, including broader aspects such as Relationships, Sex, and Health Education, and Fundamental British Values, ensures clarity in what children learn each year and throughout their time in our schools. Our knowledge-rich curriculum prepares students for their next educational steps, as we believe that continued education and training bring significant rewards in health, happiness, and social mobility.

Our ambitious curriculum meets and exceeds the National Curriculum’s demands, enabling students to achieve and surpass age-related expectations and progress successfully to the next phase of their education. We map out the rich knowledge, skills, and understanding required in each subject and adapt learning schemes to meet the needs of all students. We robustly plan progressive delivery across a wide range of subjects to best secure our students’ learning and academic achievement. Our curriculum is tailored locally to each school, balancing breadth and depth while considering local and regional influences, along with parent and student choices and needs.

We understand that great schools are sustained within happy and healthy communities, and we must work together to tackle the causes of underachievement and disadvantage. Our curriculum is rooted in our communities, aligning with our aim of being a family of inclusive schools at the heart of our communities, where all children are cared for, standards are raised, and lives are transformed.

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10 Big Ideas

The intent of the curriculum is led by ten central Big Ideas, or macro concepts, that provide the overarching aims of the curriculum. Conceived by careful analysis of the national curriculum subjects and drawing out common themes in primary education, the Big Ideas put significant transferable concepts at the heart of our curriculum and support its horizontal, vertical and diagonal organisation.

Concepts and aspects Each Big Idea links directly to the subjects of the curriculum and is broken down into smaller parts that we call disciplinary concepts (micro concepts) and aspects (non-concepts). The concepts and aspects identify essential strands of each subject and help to organise the specific knowledge and skills of the curriculum.

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Our Progression Framework

In the final tier of the curriculum, we set out the essential knowledge and skills of the curriculum to build on the previous, so children’s understanding of concepts and aspects develops over time. The organisation of the knowledge and skills also allows for planned retrieval.

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Values Education

In the Tri-school Federation, our values are interwoven through all we do, guiding children and adults to adopt and live out positive human values. This approach creates an exceptional environment for teaching and learning. By focusing on ethical and emotional intelligence, fostering deep relationships and cultivating a strong values culture, we provide pupils with the best opportunity for academic success.

We have six core values, and Key Stage 2 pupils are introduced to an additional six values. These values are taught over a one-year rolling period, introduced in whole school assemblies, and then explicitly taught and discussed in class using the oracy framework. They are promoted in activities and recognised and rewarded in pupils’ actions. Our values form the basis of our behaviour and reward system, which encompasses ways to reward individuals and classes.

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Implementation of our Curriculum

We implement our curriculum using direct instruction, an approach with a strong evidence base for effective teaching. Cognitive psychology shows that learning is a change in long-term memory, and direct instruction focuses on effectively transferring information from the limited capacity of working memory to long-term memory.

Supported by Clark, Kirschner, and Sweller (2012), direct instruction is more effective for students learning new material than partial guidance. We apply Rosenshine’s ten Principles of Direct Instruction, derived from cognitive science, master teacher studies, and cognitive support research, to develop students’ background knowledge and learning skills.

This approach aligns with the Cornerstones Curriculum phases: Engage, Develop, Innovate and Express. The principles of direct instruction are embedded within each phase to enhance learning outcomes for all students, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

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Key Principles and Cornerstones Phases

1. Engage Phase:

• Begin lessons with a brief review of relevant prior learning (retrieval practice).
• Introduce new material in small steps with pupil practice after each step.
• Engage pupils by asking numerous questions to stimulate interest and curiosity.

2. Develop Phase:

• Check for understanding from all pupils to ensure foundational knowledge.
• Model processes using worked examples to illustrate concepts clearly.
• Guide practice under close supervision with immediate feedback.

3. Innovate Phase:

• Provide scaffolds for difficult tasks to support creative and independent thinking.
• Encourage pupils to apply their learning through innovative projects and problem-solving activities.

4. Express Phase:

• Obtain a high success rate by providing opportunities for students to demonstrate their understanding.
• Give time for lots of independent practice to consolidate learning.
• Regularly review and revisit previous learning through retrieval practice to reinforce knowledge and skills.

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5 a Day Plan Implementation in the Tri-School Federation

The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) developed the 5 a Day Plan to support students with special educational needs (SEN) through targeted and evidence-based strategies. This plan addresses the unique challenges faced by SEN students, ensuring equal access to high-quality education and opportunities for both academic and social development.

In our Tri-School Federation, we apply the 5 a Day Plan across all schools, incorporating its key strategies into our curriculum. This approach is designed to benefit all children, including those with SEND, by addressing their diverse needs and enhancing their learning experiences. The 5 a Day Plan includes:

1. Personalised Learning: Adapting teaching methods, resources, and materials to meet individual needs. Differentiation, scaffolding, and tailored challenges ensure that each student receives the support necessary for their success.
2. Cognitive and Metacognitive Strategies: Teaching students how to plan, monitor, evaluate, and adjust their learning strategies. This helps them become independent learners and develop critical thinking skills.
3. Social and Emotional Support: Creating a nurturing and inclusive environment that fosters positive relationships and supports emotional well-being. This includes peer support and social skills development to enhance student engagement and reduce barriers to learning.
4. Timely and Constructive Feedback: Providing assessment and feedback that are tailored to the specific needs of students. Clear guidance on areas for improvement and next steps, known as ‘reteach,’ supports continuous learning and development.
5. Active Learning Strategies: Using group work, cooperative learning, and practical activities to engage students in hands-on and collaborative learning experiences. This approach helps deepen understanding and highlights the real-world applications of skills.

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Impact

The 5 a Day Plan is anticipated to significantly benefit all students, including those with SEND. Tailored support and differentiation are expected to improve academic outcomes across the federation and narrow achievement gaps. A supportive environment will foster positive relationships, boost emotional resilience and enhance student confidence and engagement. The approach will help students develop independence in learning and acquire lifelong skills, contributing to a positive school culture that values and supports every pupil.