curriculum
Curriculum Principles
At Alkrington Primary School, we strive to give all our children the best possible foundations from which they can reach their full potential. Our curriculum is underpinned by the Essentials Curriculum by Chris Quigley and has been carefully designed and sequenced to allow all children to become confident and fluent with powerful knowledge and vocabulary. Our curriculum aims to nurture independence, respect, resilience, self-belief and collaboration, these traits, we believe, will better equip our children for a successful future and happier life.
Our curriculum aims to ensure that all pupils experience a broad and balanced curriculum where key curriculum concepts are embedded into long-term memory. Children build up their Cultural Capital by gaining knowledge that is of use to them for the rest of their lives and curriculum enrichment ensures that all children are provided with a wealth of experiences. At Alkrington Primary School, we develop successful learners with high aspirations who are challenged and know how to make a positive contribution to their community and the wider society. Our curriculum development is based on academic research and the cognitive science of how children learn and is designed using our teacher’s experience and knowledge to meet the needs of all our pupils.
A reading and genre spine provides purposeful opportunities for Reading and Writing. Threshold concepts organised into milestones provide children with a broad, balanced, sequential and ambitious curriculum. Our curriculum goes beyond the National Curriculum by including learning that is relevant to our own locality and the children’s own experiences. All other areas of the curriculum such as: Mathematics, Computing, Music, Religious Education and Physical Education are taught discreetly and are interwoven where appropriate.
By focusing on Cultural Capital, we provide children with knowledge that will be of use to them for the rest of their lives and close the divisions in society. Cultural Capital teaches children to understand and live British Values and learn more about the best that has been thought and said over centuries. Cultural Capital, enrichment opportunities and subject topics ensure children are experiencing curriculum breadth.
Threshold concepts are thread through all year groups and ensure that children revisit these concepts over and over, building conceptual understanding and knowledge each year. Subject concepts provide a clear progression model and supports the planning, delivery and assessment of children in the wider curriculum; ensuring that learning is a change to long-term memory.
A clearly sequenced curriculum allows children to make connections, build on prior knowledge and their experiences and ensures there is challenge and a clear journey within and across year groups. The wider curriculum provides opportunities for children to build their academic and subject specific vocabulary, write across a range of subjects and apply mathematical skills in other areas of the curriculum.
We believe in providing a well rounded curriculum and we are passionate about developing the children's character. Working with our Governors, staff, children and parents we have developed 5 key Characteristics & Qualities that we feel are fundamental in the children's futures. These Characteristics and Qualities are explored and developed across our curriculum.
