Our Vision for the Curriculum at Woodstock CE Primary School

Woodstock CE Primary School strives to be an inclusive community where children Love, Learn and Flourish together. We value each child as an individual with a unique potential for learning.  Their natural curiosity is fostered through a creative and ambitious curriculum that excites and challenges; and enables all to be independent, resilient and successful learners.  Our curriculum nurtures and prepares children educationally, socially, morally and physically for their continuing learning journey, where doors will be opened rather than closed to future success.  Supported by a culture of equality and aspiration, we aim to remove disadvantage so that every child believes in themselves and can thrive.  Through the curriculum children develop an understanding of citizenship and are empowered to make valuable contributions locally and globally.

The Design of Our Curriculum at Woodstock CE Primary School

Our curriculum is designed to develop inquisitive, independent thinkers who develop a love of life-long learning. We understand that the curriculum, both within taught lessons and beyond them, should create an environment where questioning, academic risk-taking, divergent thinking, and the freedom to learn from mistakes are all encouraged. Our intent is that our curriculum will develop in our children the qualities of responsibility and independence, and a sense that learning can excite and strengthen throughout your whole life.

Curriculum design is viewed by Senior Leaders, Governors and Teachers as an exciting, continuous and fluid process, which takes into consideration the needs, characteristics and interests of our children; their prior learning and experiences; and the statutory curriculum (EYFS Statutory Framework and the NC). The whole school community is involved in the design of the school’s curriculum, and the views of pupils and parents are sought to inform policy and practice.  It is constantly evolving to ensure local, national, and global contexts are topical; that approaches to our ever-changing and often unknown world and technologies are embraced; and current educational research and best practice informs pedagogy. 

As such, our annual Raising Achievement Plan targets focus on innovative approaches, enhancing initiatives and maintaining high standards to ensure our curriculum is aspirational, dynamic and forward-thinking.

Our curriculum is designed around a series of principles that reflect our school’s Christian vision and values, pedagogical approaches, and needs, which clarify the vision of our curriculum.

• Rigorous: Disciplinary knowledge as well as substantive knowledge. Encompassing a wide range of subjects and opportunities for academic, technical, creative and sporting excellence.  Supporting a culture of resilience and positive mental health and wellbeing, where every child is safe, healthy, achieving, nurtured, active, respected, responsible, and included.
• Focused: Teaches the most important knowledge, skills, and key concepts.  Strengthening children’s capacity as a learner and developing their independence, initiative, determination, and love of learning.
• Sequenced: Carefully sequenced concepts, clear progression of knowledge and skills to ensure all pupils achieve well. New knowledge and skills build on what has been taught before and sets the foundation for future learning.
• Coherent: Explicit connections between subjects, units of work and experiences.  Promoting children’s spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development.
• Appropriate: Matches challenge to each learner’s knowledge and skill level, motivates and engages all.  Equipping children with the knowledge and cultural capital they need for future success.

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The Aims of our Curriculum

We want children to develop a love for learning enabling them to become lifelong learners. At Woodstock CE Primary we take pride in celebrating that we are all learners; and that every child can achieve their full potential. Through a rich, broad and balanced curriculum, our aim is to make all aspects of teaching and learning exciting, engaging and motivating; ensuring all children have the best possible start to their school life.

Through careful and considered planning, we aim to provide:

• A broad and balanced provision that promotes aspiration and ambition
• A structured and progressive framework for the acquisition of knowledge and understanding, and the development of skills which leads to maximum progress for all children and long-term learning
• Ensure all children are literate and numerate, recognising that a focus on reading, writing, speaking and listening and mathematics is fundamental
• High-quality learning experiences, which engage, excite and motivate children in the classroom and beyond
• Enrichment experiences where learning and teaching can take place beyond the classroom and involve the wider community
• Opportunities that promote pupils’ personal development and encourage them to extend their interests beyond school, for example, through an extensive range of after-school clubs
• A wealth of relevant resources – in classrooms, outdoors, in the local community and the wider area, including visits and visitors
• Development of children’s enterprise skills for them to grow into innovative, creative, strategic-thinking individuals who are equipped with skills that underpin employability
• A self-reflective learning environment which enables children to know and understand what they are learning and why, and allow time to engage, reflect and review – including peer and self-evaluation

Effectively supported by qualified, highly skilled and enthusiastic teachers, the curriculum aims to foster:

• An enjoyment of, and commitment to learning
• Essential Reading, Writing, Speaking & Listening, and Maths skills they need to access learning across the curriculum
• Attitudes, understanding and skills to become successful, resilient and independent learners
• Curiosity and creativity
• A culture of high aspiration of all pupils for future career options through a series of termly STEAM presentations
• Resilience and promote children’s positive mental health and wellbeing
• Positive learning and social behaviours through the teaching, development and understanding of ‘Core Christian Values,’ British Values’ and ‘Learning Powers’
• Children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development
• Appreciation and concern for the environment
• Effective, rigorous processes to monitor and assess progression in attainment and application of skills