Curriculum Intent

The school aims to provide a broad and balanced curriculum, with the acquisition of knowledge, skills and attitudes, which are relevant and meaningful to the needs of today's and tomorrow's society.

The curriculum relates to the development of the whole child and the school aims to meet the individual needs of all pupils.  We aim to help each child achieve their full potential with due regard for inclusion and equality as set out in the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Code of Practice and the Equality Act.

We recognise that Harby is a small, rural village and the school identifies with the need and importance of developing children’s understanding of our world in a wider context.  We strive to make purposeful links outside of the village to enhance children’s cultural and global understanding.

We encourage learning through first hand experiences.  Activities are aimed to be purposeful, stimulating and enjoyable. The school recognises the importance of character strengths in education as a tool for developing life skills and approaches to learning that will help children throughout their education.  We are an accredited Route to Resilience school and this approach is embedded in all we do and through all subject areas.   We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage in Reception and the National Curriculum in years 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.  Sustainability, healthy living and community cohesion aspects are included in our planned activities where relevant and appropriate.

The curriculum is ever changing and growing and we recognise this and embrace both change and challenge. Regular evaluation and review ensures that the school continues to deliver a relevant and purposeful curriculum and that pupils receive their entitlement and fulfil their potential.

Pupils leave Harby with the skills and knowledge they need for the next stage of their education and also to be resilient, reflective and responsible individuals that have a love for learning and a desire to engage with opportunities to be the best they can be in all aspects of life.

Curriculum Implementation

Where appropriate, content is delivered through topics and staff are encouraged to link areas of the curriculum together in creative ways whilst maintaining the integrity and development of individual subject areas. The long term curriculum map, which shows the complete coverage over the full primary age range, allows staff to create and develop their own topics whilst also ensuring the progression, continuity and entitlement of statutory elements remain and that learning, in all areas, is developmental. Staff use the progression documents, which include both skills and knowledge, to ensure that children’s development is progressive year on year.   

Teachers are encouraged to include a wow factor in their topics which will make the experiences memorable for children, inspire and enthuse them and enrich the curriculum.  This may take the form of an educational visit, whole class or school activity days or inviting speakers and professionals into school to share knowledge and specialist resources.  Use of the local environment, both within the school grounds and nearby are also used to stimulate learning. Tenuous links are avoided and curriculum areas which do not fit into the topic model are taught separately. Whole school curriculum days or weeks are a feature of the school and allow pupils of all ages to work collaboratively, enhancing their personal and social development in a purposeful way. 

A variety of teaching styles and pupil organisations are employed, as we recognise the benefit of different approaches in achieving effective learning.  Children learn in different ways.  We take pride in knowing our children well and therefore planning lessons and activities in a way that will engage them in the learning process. We continue to develop our use of ICT to enhance and support the curriculum as a tool for learning and as an important skill in its own right.

As a small school with mixed age classes our curriculum plan is rolling to ensure all opportunities are available for all pupils during their time at school.  Use the links below to see the long term overviews.

 

Individual Subject Areas

Each individual subject area has its own page within this section.  This will enable you to find out more detail about the skill and knowledge development and progression in each subject area.