The curriculum at Astwood Bank Primary School is derived from a precise understanding of our children’s needs. We want to provide a centre for learning and opportunity; a place where all the children in our care can thrive. We cherish our children and want them to look back with treasured memories, stepping forward with passion and skills to be life-long learners. We have designed a curriculum to provide a breadth of exciting, purposeful learning experiences to ensure a rapid development of knowledge, skills, independence and confidence. The aim is for our children to develop life skills needed for them to become positive, aspirational and moral citizens with an understanding of global issues and a tolerant voice to support understanding and change.

Our curriculum intent includes planned opportunities to:

• Ensure a love and desire to learn
• Enrich and challenge all learners
• Develop the skills to prepare children for life in the world we live in
• Become resilient, positive, aspirational learners
• Develop ‘pupil voice’ and children as leaders in their learning
• Close all learning gaps
• Develop ambitious vocabulary choices
• Learn in a stimulating environment both inside and outside the classroom
• Engage in purposeful learning, opportunities including: visits, visitors, workshops, theme days, outdoor learning and cookery.
• Engage families in providing the skills and understanding to support as partners in learning
• Develop mastery skills by planning for breadth and depth
• Appreciate the world they live in and understand our local and global community
• Develop a voice to promote change and a confidence to speak out about issues that are important to us.
• Develop the social, moral, spiritual and cultural development of all our learners.
• Learn how to lead a healthy life
• Experiences to aspire and learn about different career opportunities

Children leave our school as able, independent, caring, confident, respectful learners ready to find their place in the world.

Approaches to learning

• Underpinned with core values 
• Promotion of learning independence
• Instilling a passion for learning    
• Promoting effective communication and teamwork
• High expectation of all pupils               
• Personalised support for all pupils
• Consistent approaches to teaching and learning                
• Exciting cross-curricular themes
• High quality resources and learning environment  

Learning Drivers:

RESILIENCE means not giving up/persisting; having a positive view of oneself as a learner, managing distractions 
RESOURCEFULNESS means using your initiative and a range of strategies; being independent 
REFLECTION means thinking about your own learning; planning your work; assessing your own work 
RELATIONSHIPS means you can learn effectively in a group; know when to work in a pair, group or alone                  

Further information about the curriculum

Our Curriculum is based around the 2014 National Curriculum for KS1 and KS2 and the Early Years framework for EYFS.  It is designed to provide our learners with a range of different learning experiences that meet the needs and interests of all pupils.  We plan and organise activities to promote learning and personal growth and development. It includes, not only the formal requirements of the National Curriculum, but also the range of extra-curricular activities, visits and visitors that the school organises in order to enrich the experiences of our children. 

We aim to teach children how to grow into positive, responsible people, who are tolerant of others and can work and co-operate together whilst developing knowledge, skills and attitudes to learning, in order for them to become life-long learners.

Cultural Capital is important to us, our curriculum promotes respect for the views of each individual child, as well as for different cultures and religious beliefs. We value the spiritual and moral development of each person, as well as their intellectual and physical growth.

We organise our curriculum so that we promote co-operation and understanding between all members of our community. We are fortunate to have a spacious learning environment; this is respected and used throughout lessons by all in school. 

We aim, through our curriculum, to teach respect for our world, and how we should care for it for future generations, as well as our own.