Curriculum
Queen Eleanor’s Curriculum Rationale
Our Curriculum Vision
Our school curriculum aims to challenge each pupil and inspire a love of learning. It will encourage creative thinking and risk-taking to build confidence and self-belief.
To enable this, our curriculum will make the most of the school environment, including outdoor learning, with an emphasis on practical skills and pupils’ progression during their time in school, all with a clear purpose for learning.
Christian values, PHSE and SMSC will all be embedded throughout the curriculum along with our School Vision, celebrating the diversity within our school and valuing the whole person.
Introduction to our Curriculum
In order to achieve our vision, we have developed a structured progressive curriculum based on a shared understanding of what we want for our children and how we are going to achieve it. In 2019, Subject Leadership and the curriculum became a priority on the SDP- ‘To develop subject leadership to support high quality provision and pupil achievement across the curriculum.’; ‘To further enhance the wider curriculum in order to ensure that pupils are inspired to achieve well in the wider curriculum as much as they are in English and Mathematics’ . Since then, we have revamped the whole curriculum to make it more challenging, inspiring and more relevant to children’s interests. Subject leaders have worked to ensure content and skills and knowledge are progressive across the four year groups. In addition, we have worked to ensure our children have a secure understanding of chronology. Each classroom has a large, visual timeline of all periods of history which we study. These are referred to during lessons.
Curriculum Intent
The aim of our curriculum is for pupils to have the essential skills to be successful, independent and motivated learners in readiness for their next stage of education as well as preparing them for the wider world. Our curriculum considers the development of the whole child; we strive to challenge and engage all children regardless of their background.
Our children learn and retain a range of knowledge and understanding in all areas of the curriculum to support their wider understanding of the world in subject specific areas connected both within knowledge organisers and to prior learning. We teach the children that they have a voice and support them to have the ability and confidence to express themselves, their feelings and their opinions effectively in a wide range of situations. Early reading is at the heart of our curriculum; children are provided with opportunities to read high quality and broad texts across the wider curriculum.
Curriculum Implementation
Knowledge underpins and enables the application of skill. We endeavour for children to learn new skills alongside knowledge, ensuring that both are explicitly developed. Teachers at Queen Eleanor’s recognise that knowledge and skills are intertwined, ensuring teaching and learning is relevant and meaningful.
Our Curriculum takes a broad and balanced skills-based approach. Teachers plan units and lessons around the skills required for that year group from our skills of progression document. Subject leaders have spent time ensuring this is progressive across the school. In addition, subject leaders have ensured content is progressive and relevant in each year group.
As a school, we are working towards the Heritage Schools Award. Before researching into this award and adopting the approach at Queen Eleanor’s, we asked ourselves three questions: How can we tailor our curriculum to meet the needs of our pupils in the context of where we live? How can we ensure our curriculum is relevant and engaging for our children? How can we continuously improve our curriculum and enhance its effectiveness? As a Heritage School, our children will develop a sense of pride in where they live; understand their local heritage and have a more purposeful curriculum. In order to obtain the award, we are planning visits, workshops, community links and hands on experiences to enhance the children’s learning.
Curriculum Impact
The impact and measure of our curriculum is to ensure children not only acquire the appropriate age-related knowledge linked to the curriculum but also skills, which equip them to progress from their starting points. In shaping our curriculum this way, progress is measured and evidenced for all children, regardless of their starting points or specific needs.
Each subject’s intent, implementation and impact are in line with our curriculum vision and detail the journey of the learning our children experience during their time at Queen Eleanor’s. Subject leaders have developed assessment tools in their subjects which teachers use across the school. These show the progress that all children make throughout the year. Each subject has a clear vision and is part of a monitoring schedule.
Teachers provide opportunities for pupils to have the skills to be successful, motivated and independent learners. We believe that when our children leave us for secondary school, they have a range of skills developed during their time at Queen Eleanor’s in an inclusive and nurturing environment. We promote a love of learning which we believe prepares our children to become life-long learners.
Our Curriculum
The table below includes each of the units that we will be teaching in the humanities (history and geography). As the units are taught, a curriculum map will appear giving you a snap shot of what’s taught in that unit.
Year Group Curriculum Skills Overview
The links below are to our year group Curriculum Overview with the skills covered in each unit of work.
Curriculum Skills Overview Year 3 2023-2024
Curriculum Skills Overview Year 4 2023-2024
Curriculum Skills Overview Year 5 2023-2024
Curriculum Skills Overview Year 6 2023-2024
School Development Plan Priorities 2023-2024
Strategic Priority 1: To further develop the effectiveness of the Humanities Curriculum (History and Geography)
Strategic Priority 2: To continue to improve our use of the school grounds and local environment for all areas of the curriculum. To continue to develop relevant, challenging learning experiences in our outdoor spaces and the wider community.
Strategic Priority 3: To continue to maintain high standards of writing across the school
Strategic Priority 4: To introduce and monitor the effectiveness of the new RE Curriculum. To ensure the school is meeting SIAMs expectations.