Curriculum Intent & Implementation Statement
Our curriculum provides a broad range of experiences for our pupils:
At Aldersbrook we are passionate about creating a place of learning which is populated with curious, confident, involved and independent learners for life. We believe that when learners are curious they ask questions about the world around them and learning becomes a part of their whole life; beyond the walls of the classroom and the school gate. Curiosity builds a love of learning and a drive to discover answers for themselves. We believe that when children are confident they maintain a voice, they articulately and respectfully speak out; ensuring their opinions are heard and they are thereby increasingly instrumental in their own learning. We believe that when pupils are involved they ask questions about what they are learning and why, they learn to mix and work alongside a wide range of people and they see their role and responsibilities in the bigger picture of their local community as well as their world! We know that when learners are independent they have a greater understanding of what helps them to learn and how they can find strategies to improve. Our Montessori approach to learning in our Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 builds these skills, which are reinforced as children travel through the school. Our curriculum strives to foster all of these skills in our pupils, starting with our Montessori approach to learning in Early Years and Key Stage 1 and incorporating our innovative curriculum offer including Forest School, the termly ‘Big Question’, ‘Green Fingers’ learning on our school allotment and our termly ‘Curiosity Shop’ options. In addition to our core values of curiosity, confidence, involvement and independence we also place a high priority on British Values which we value as our own. We offer an engaging range of experiences that support our culture: pupils enjoy a ‘full spectrum’ of academic, physical, spiritual, moral, social and cultural activities that enrich their lives. This enables all of our children to have the confidence and skills they need to be happy, life-long learners.
Our curriculum provides appropriate balance:
At Aldersbrook Primary School we believe in providing a safe and stimulating environment which enables every child to achieve their best through varied learning experiences so that they can be confident children who feel the accomplishments of their achievements. This is our school’s vision, and we believe that a positive partnership between teachers, parents and carers and children will help us to achieve our vision. Our curriculum therefore gives pupils an excellent mix of academic and personal development; it gives equal importance to core and foundation subjects; physical wellbeing and mental wellbeing are both valued, understood and prioritised by our careful consideration of curriculum design. The philosophy of our curriculum is underpinned through a balance between knowledge based provisions that builds on pupils being able to apply lifelong learning skills. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, along with a well-planned and structured programme of personal development, underpins all of our work, is embedded within our curriculum and is monitored as closely as academic subjects. We carefully balance the requirement for pupils to reach national expectations in core subjects with our wider curriculum aims of providing a full spectrum of thoughtful and enriching experiences to develop the ‘whole’ child. As a result our pupils thrive.