Curriculum Implementation - How?

At Sneinton C of E, in addition to at least meeting the National Curriculum requirements, we have identified four themes or 'big ideas' that are important for our school context. They support our children in connecting learning, building their knowledge schema as they travel through our school from Foundation Stage to Year 6 and later Year 7. These themes enable connections to be made in learning whilst meeting the contextual needs of our children: Journeys, Environment, Me and My Community and Evolving World.

Through our knowledge progression curriculum, we aim for children to develop an understanding of the world around them and their place in it. We encourage  courageous advocacy throughout school life, alongside character and spiritual education. These are underpinned by the British Values.

• History (developing a sense of time)
• Geography (developing a sense of space)
• Science (developing understanding, awe and wonder)

Our aim is that our children will develop their identity and sense of belonging. They will develop the wisdom, knowledge and skills to become lifelong learners, and become courageous advocates for change in order to flourish and experience life in all its fullness. 

‘What does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God’ (Micah 6:8)

We aim for our children to have developed a set of skills to achieve their very best (the Learning Tree) and a self-awareness of how they learn, which will ensure they become lifelong learners (the Learning Loop). 

Our models of learning refer to learners of all ages. Everyone in our school community is developing and through research, training, advances in technology and experimentation, we are all enabled to be passionate lifelong learners. 

Lessons are planned with both academic rigour and creativity; giving our children structure to build on previous learning, whilst ensuring they develop independence to learn from mistakes and build emotional and intellectual resilience. 

What will our children learn?

We have taken the National Curriculum and have broken each subject down into expectations for each year group. We have also worked with Subject Associations and experts in the field to create progression maps that ensure each subject's curriculum enables a progression from EYFS to Year 6. Staff use these progression maps to plan, assess and moderate. From this, we can ensure that children build on previous learning and create the foundations for the future.

What skills will they need?

We recognise that children need specific skills to become well-rounded, effective and lifelong learners. Our children take ownership of their learning through skills identified in our Learning Tree: remembering, creating, wondering, trying, checking and concentrating. 

These skills take into account key cognitive, metacognitive and self-regulation strategies, as well as children's motivation. We have created a progression framework to explore how these skills are developed as children progress through school (see linked documents below). 

How will we sequence learning?

Through our research into cognitive science (how we learn) and through our experiences of working with learners, we have recognised and named the learning process to ensure learning to a deep level. We have called this our Learning Loop and have identified key learning stages: hook, investigation, input, practice, feedback, application. These stages build towards synthesis. 

How will we connect the learning?

We have identified four themes or 'big ideas' that are important for our school and support our children in connecting learning, building their knowledge as they travel through our school from Foundation Stage to Year 6. These themes enable connections to be made in learning whilst meeting the contextual needs of our children: Journeys, Environment, Me and My Community and Evolving World.

Spiral Curriculum

When these four elements are woven together, learning develops momentum. Our children will develop in confidence and grow in knowledge as they grow in age. They will discover how they learn best and develop the skills they need to become lifelong learners. We call this our spiral curriculum.

In Summary: