Intent

“Proud to be the best that I can, a seeker of knowledge, secure in a diverse and changing world”

At Eastcroft Park we view our curriculum in the widest sense. The curriculum is everything that we do and say inside and outside of the classroom from Breakfast Club in the morning through to after school activities each afternoon. It is more than just the subjects that we teach but a whole school commitment to promote and develop the skills and attributes which will enable us to fulfill the school vision and aims and the values of the Kirkby Child. We believe that this will develop children spiritually, morally, socially and culturally, therefore helping to prepare them for the next challenges and opportunities in their lives.

We strive to provide our children with a rich and broad curriculum within which all pupils can learn and achieve their best. We believe that children should experience excellent teaching and develop a deep love of learning in a safe, stimulating and caring environment.

Through our curriculum we aim to;

• Inspire children for their immediate and future aspirations.  The curriculum nurtures all the things our children hope to achieve. It guides attitudes for future learning, careers and opportunities. The curriculum encourages hobbies and interests through a range of clubs and enrichment activities.
• Develop cultural capital by exposing our children to the best that has been thought, said and achieved as well as exposure to new experiences and development of key skills.
• Ensure high achievement for all recognising all children as individuals and meeting their needs to ensure that they fulfil their potential, regardless of their background or circumstances.
• Provide a language rich curriculum which develops oracy, enabling children to articulate thinking and understanding confidently and expanding vocabulary which gives them the capacity to explore and understand new subjects.

Implementation

At Eastcroft Park we teach subjects discretely to ensure that children can be immersed in the subject specific vocabulary, knowledge, skills and understanding. Curriculum maps for each subject have been developed to ensure that the coverage and requirements of the National Curriculum are met. Curriculum milestones outline the knowledge, skills and understanding that children are expected to achieve by the end of each year and Key Stage. Curriculum progression maps for each subject outline the key learning within each unit of work. The curriculum is carefully sequenced to build learning and the important building blocks for each subject are regularly returned to and layered to secure and deepen understanding of key knowledge.

Although subjects are taught discretely we do promote links with other subjects and develop children’s ability to transfer skills across subjects e.g. measuring and weighing in maths is a key skill required within the Design and Technology curriculum.

Rising Stars schemes of work have been introduced to support teachers planning in History and Geography.

Throughout the year there are planned themed weeks which enable children to focus on projects within Design and Technology and Art and Design. ‘Big Bang’ week is dedicated to exciting practical activities and experiments in Science.

The Voice 21 Oracy programme is being introduced throughout the school and activities are used across all subjects.

Each half term the children will engage in activities relating to the Eastcroft Park S.P.E.A.K. curriculum and the Eastcroft Park cultural entitlement F.A.M.E. This outlines the minimum expectations of key skills, participation, experiences, achievements and knowledge and understanding which support cultural capital.

Impact

At Eastcroft Park, rigorous triangulated monitoring throughout the year is used to gauge the impact of the curriculum design. Curriculum subject leaders monitor individual subjects, reviewing learning, evaluating pupil voice and providing individual feedback. Good practice is shared and areas for improvement identified and swift action is taken.

Action plans for each subject, within the School Improvement Plan, drive the continual refinement of the curriculum to ensure that it meets the needs of all children at Eastcroft Park and maintains high expectations.

The progress of all children is carefully tracked and the impact of the curriculum for all groups of children in school is closely monitored.

The school leadership team and subject leaders have developed progress tracking systems for all subjects and curriculum milestones and progression maps ensure that knowledge and skills are progressive and build on the children’s previous learning.

Reception Yearly Overview 2023-24