Intent 

Our curriculum will develop pupils who ‘Aim for Excellence’…

Agility - Castle Hill pupils are creative, enterprising and are encouraged to take risks within their learning. Our pupils are open minded and use these skills to enquire about the world around them.  At Castle Hill, we encourage flexible thinking that equips pupils with the skills they need to extend their own learning and challenge themselves during their time with us, and beyond.

Hardworking attitudes –  We develop pupils who have high aspirations and are dedicated to achieving them. We encourage practice, perseverance and resilience to develop learners who are devoted to reaching their goals, and feel supported in doing so. 

Our curriculum will develop pupils who know that ‘Manners Matter’...

Empathy – Our motto ‘Manners Matter’ enables pupils to be listened to, valued, challenged and supported as individuals. They collaborate confidently to expand their own and others' learning. They are pupils who feel included and concerned for others within their community. This allows pupils to explore their emotional well-being and self-growth, and in doing so develop an understanding and empathy for the beliefs of others.

 

Implementation

Our curriculum is broad, balanced, ambitious and inclusive, with rich learning opportunities that allow our pupils to explore key concepts.

Progression documents for all subjects outline the substantive and disciplinary knowledge, skills and vocabulary our pupils will be taught across the primary phase. Subject progression is carefully planned so our pupils know and remember more.

Concepts are driven by topics in history, science and geography whilst building strong cross curricular links with other subjects.  These cross curricular links allow our pupils to make deeper connections in their learning, build on their prior knowledge to strengthen their understanding of new knowledge

Exciting concepts and cross curricular links are designed to build curiosity and engagement for all learners.

Our curriculum includes:

  • High quality learning journeys that are carefully planned, including hooks to stimulate pupils' interest and curiosity and ultimately pupil outcomes.

  • Learning journeys that are systematic, purposeful and build on skills and knowledge through carefully considered progression. 

  • A golden thread running through our learning journeys are underpinned by the behaviours of agility, hardworking attitudes and empathy.

  • Links that are further strengthened when broader learning opportunities are created such as visitors to the school, visits to other institutions e.g. religious centres, local and residential trips. These learning experiences are exciting, innovative and  allow our pupils to build memories and ensure deeper learning and stronger progress. 

  • An equity of provision through curriculum adaptation that allows all pupils to access their learning.

Our curriculum is child-centred and learner-focused: 

Rosenshine principles are embedded into how our teachers think, plan and teach.

  • Retrieval practice brings information to pupils' minds.  This strategy increases and boosts learning. Deliberately recalling information, encourages our pupils’ to pull their knowledge “out” and examine what they know.

  • New learning is chunked and scaffolded to reduce cognitive load and make learning more accessible for all pupils.

  • Questioning is specifically planned for and teachers use both open/closed questions to elicit pupils' understanding, prior learning and misconceptions.

  • Teacher modelling gives pupils worked examples to support their learning and enable them to solve problems faster. 

  • Guided practice is planned so that our pupils spend time repeating, discussing, and summarising new learning to embed in their long-term memory.

  • Assessment for Learning (AfL) is used to check for our pupils' understanding enabling pupils to learn the material with fewer errors. 

  • Teachers have strong subject knowledge

 

Impact

We measure impact using internal assessments such as Rising Stars (PUMA, PIRA GAPS) and SEND Toolkit documents and Vernon and Suffolk assessments.

We measure impact through external assessments including Early Years Foundation Stage Profile, Phonics Screening in Years 1 and 2, End of Key Stage Assessment in Years 2 and 6 and the Multiplication Timetable Check in Year 4.

We analyse and monitor these internal and external assessments using reports from databases such as Rising Stars, Sonar, Pupil Asset and SEND Toolkit. 

Our curriculum will be successful if our pupils:

  • Feel listened to and valued as learners and are understanding, tolerant and receptive to the ideas and beliefs of others. 

  • Develop empathy, understanding and tolerance towards people from different cultures, backgrounds and beliefs.

  • Are confident learners, who can work collaboratively and show resilience in their learning. 

  • Are aware of the importance of practice and perseverance in order to better their learning and prepare them for secondary school and beyond.