Our curriculum has been designed to enable children to develop a deep understanding of the different areas of the National Curriculum. It is designed to ensure there is clear and cohesive progression, not only within subjects but also between subjects, so that children develop transferable skills and knowledge. These skills and knowledge are built upon throughout the school allowing children to revisit and recap key concepts before delving deeper. The spiral effect of the curriculum enables children to go back to look at the previous core learning to ensure children add new detail and depth to previous knowledge. Our spiral design also allows for children to make connections between subjects and themes.
We deliver a coherent and comprehensive curriculum that goes beyond simple coverage of objectives and which develops a true sense of engagement through the use of an enriched, interactive environment, visitors into school, visits off site and the use of hook days.
Our environments are exciting, immersive and interactive and support children in taking ownership of their own learning. At the start of each new topic, staff work to create engaging hook days providing learning experiences in a context which prepares and enthuses children for their learning journey. They also reveal the links and overlap between different subjects to ensure future learning makes sense for children. The curriculum provides children with rich opportunities to apply the key skills taught in English and maths. It allows them to see how knowledge and skills from different subjects overlap and support learning across the curriculum. This is further enriched by outdoor learning.
Developing children as responsible citizens is also a key priority for us here at Alphington, to support this, children follow the Jigsaw programme and have regular PSHE lessons linked to a key topic or area of interest. Children are encouraged to share their opinions and listen to and respect the views of others. This is further developed by our Behaviour Curriculum and underpinned by The Alphington Way.
