The Curriculum at Sutton Bonington

Our Intent

Our curriculum framework ensures that all children access a broad, balanced, challenging and progressive knowledge rich curriculum based around the requirements of all subjects of the National Curriculum in Key Stages 1 and 2 and all of the prime and specific areas of learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage. The curriculum framework ensures that contextual barriers to learning are overcome, ensuring that all children are able to fulfil their potential, regardless of background or ability. The curriculum framework at Sutton Bonington is specific to our context and has specific components which achieve this by ensuring that:

• All children have a broad and deep knowledge of different subject areas;
• All children develop their knowledge and understanding of vocabulary and texts through a range of opportunities for reading
• All children have enriched lives through access to high quality enrichment experiences which equip pupils with the cultural capital they need e.g. trips, residentials, visitors;
• All children are able to develop independence and resilience both emotionally and academically;
• All children are aware of diversity in the world around them and have opportunities to develop socially, morally, spiritually and culturally and demonstrate an understanding of life in modern Britain through our own bespoke Sutton Bonington values.

Ultimately, our curriculum is one the primary ways in which we aim to fulfil our school vision – that all children belong, strive and flourish.  

Curriculum Implementation

We use aspects of the Cornerstones Curriculum and this is primarily delivered through termly topics which are designed to engage children whilst providing opportunities for them to develop, innovate and express their learning. Most of our curriculum is taught in a thematic way but also discretely where appropriate. Each subject is informed by a progression document which sets out both the substantive and disciplinary knowledge that children are required to acquire in order to become a scientist, geographer, historian etc. Key features of our curriculum implementation include:

• All topics are underpinned by high quality texts to ensure that children have a wide range of reading experiences and a sound knowledge of books and stories. Texts are also used to explore vocabulary and help to develop children’s use of language both in everyday speech and in their writing.
• Our topics follow the model of engage, develop, innovate and express. Within the engage stage, children are able to retrieve prior learning as well as acquire new knowledge through carefully sequenced small steps. Within the develop stage, children are able to delve more deeply into the required skills and knowledge through well sequenced lessons, making cross curricular links where appropriate. Finally, the express and innovate stage allows children to retrieve previous knowledge and skills and apply them in different contexts while celebrating their achievements.
• Quality First Teaching is at the heart of all lessons. Lessons involve explicit teaching and modelling of tasks to all children. Children are exposed to WAGOLLs, shared modelling opportunities, success criteria and opportunities for high quality talk to ensure that all make progress. They are supported with their independent work through the use of models, scaffolds, adult support and other prompts and resources as necessary.
• In the Early Years, adults teach across the seven different areas of learning and ensure that children are taught at a level appropriate for their age and ability. This involves a balanced approach to continuous provision, adult led learning and child-initiated opportunities. In Key Stages 1 and 2, all subject areas are underpinned by key knowledge and skills to be acquired in each year group. This ensures a progressive and suitably challenging curriculum within all areas of learning and subjects.
• Overarching topics have an accompanying knowledge organiser. These documents set out the core knowledge to be acquired by the end of the topic and also the key vocabulary to be acquired. These are sent home and shared with parents to assist with home learning.
• Our Sutton Bonington values are developed through our PSHE and RHSE scheme of work, assemblies and our enrichment opportunities.
• Real life and cultural experiences, such as visiting a place of worship or visiting the theatre, are provided as part of the curriculum. These are sometimes linked to wider topics and projects or may be discrete opportunities.

Impact

The intended impact of our curriculum framework is that by the end of each year group, and ultimately by the end of Key Stage 2, children are equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary for the next stage of their education across the different subject areas. We talk to children and look at their work as well as looking at learning in lessons to ensure that all children are able to fulfil their potential, regardless of ability or background.