The Curriculum, Teaching and Learning Policy is central to Discovery MAT’s vision of providing quality learning experiences in order to ensure that children are ready for their next stage in learning and for their adult lives.
To achieve our vision, we will:
• Encourage all our children and staff to excel and collaborate with one another, to ensure the best outcomes and progress for all.
• Develop joyful learning communities that work together to improve standards and outcomes for our children, as part of a wider community.
• Ensure that we remain committed to the following values that underpin the way we work: DEMOCRATIC, INCLUSIVE, EXCELLING COLLABORATIVE
What do we mean by curriculum?
Curriculum is a word which describes the formal and informal learning which takes place in school. “In a democratic society which prizes equality of opportunity, the curriculum should be based first and foremost on the knowledge we consider all young people should have the access to and begin to acquire during their school years” (Myatt 2018).
As a Trust, we are committed to providing a knowledge-rich curriculum to all of our learners where school leaders design a curriculum based upon the National Curriculum entitlement as a minimum, with further taught and un-taught elements that extend and enrich provision.
“The curriculum – taught and untaught – represents the totality of the experience of the child within schooling” (Myatt 2018). As a Trust we work collaboratively to design and resource our curriculum, sharing expertise and harnessing talent from within, and beyond the Trust, in order to drive high expectations of curriculum content, resourcing and pedagogy. However, we recognise that there are also differences in the contexts of our schools and the communities which they serve and each school ensures that this is considered and the curriculum adjusted accordingly to meet the needs of our individual learners.
Our curriculum aspires to be:
• Evidence-informed
• Challenging
• Supported by effective assessment processes and procedures
• Sequenced so as to help children build schemas
• Taught to be remembered
• Designed to develop children’s metacognitive knowledge and behaviours
• Broad – allowing for a wide-range of experiences and contexts
• Oracy focused to ensure pupils have access to a wide-ranging vocabulary
• Supported by the promotion and engagement of STEM subjects, so that children become resilient, reflective and creative thinkers, in order for them to be able to fulfil their wider role in their community
• Supported by evidence-informed professional development
Our un-taught curriculum reflects our Trust values in:
• Developing our children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) knowledge and understanding, supporting children’s social awareness and ensuring that they know how to make a positive contribution to society.
• Supporting children’s mental and physical health.
• Putting children’s emotional development at the heart of our work through our Trauma Informed Schools (TIS) approach.
• Opportunities for creative and sporting pursuits enhance our taught curriculum to develop individual talent.
• Ensuring that there are equal opportunities for all pupils.
Beechwood Primary Academy follows the National Curriculum. You can find out more about this by clicking on the links below:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-primary-curriculum
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework--2
Please click the link below to see our full 'Curriculum, Teaching & Learning Policy'.