Curriculum
Please see information about our Curriculum below. For further information, please contact the school or see our specific subject pages.
Curriculum overview.
What is the curriculum?
At Greenhill, the term curriculum refers to the lessons and academic content taught in our school and in our programme of study (i.e. our Curriculum Map which guides our Long Term and Medium Term Plans). We use the term curriculum to refer to the knowledge, skills and understanding students are expected to learn, which includes the learning standards (or subject progression), the content and coverage of each subject area and the learning objectives they are expected to meet. It also includes the lessons that teachers teach; the learning tasks or projects given to pupils; the books, materials, videos, presentations, and any reading used in the programme of study and the assessment methods used to evaluate student learning. The Greenhill Curriculum begins when children enter our Reception class and progresses through KS1 and KS2, building on the foundations laid down in previous year groups.
It is the ambition of all at Greenhill that every child, regardless of background or learning need, has the same opportunities to be successful and to access the curriculum. It is the expectation that staff use their expertise to scaffold learning in such a way that all children have access to the curriculum, at the appropriate level and that barriers are overcome wherever possible. For example, a child with dyslexia may struggle with aspects of reading and writing, but this should not inhibit their ability to access the learning and acquire the skills and knowledge that their peers are in history or science or DT, for example. It is the responsibility of the teacher, with support from the SENDCO, to remove the barriers for the child to learn e.g. the use of a C-PEN reader and speech to text app.
Aims
Education is mainly concerned with two interdependent aims:
- developing knowledge, understanding and skills and
- establishing and promoting attitudes, values and beliefs
To promote education in these two areas the school has clear and well-defined aims. These aims provide a focal point and broad framework in which learning processes can be established and against which effectiveness can be judged.
The key features that support the achievement of these aims are set out as follows:
Education should aim to provide opportunities for all pupils and students to learn and achieve by:
- Planning and delivering teaching that ensures the best possible progress for all pupils, building on previous learning and setting the foundations for the learning to come;
- adapting the curriculum and pedagogy to ensure children with SEND are able to access the curriculum;
- overcoming potential barriers to learning and assessment through and appropriate and effective use of funds (e.g. PPG), resources, planning, scaffolding and outside agencies etc;
- building on strengths, interests and experiences;
- encouraging enjoyment and commitment to learning;
- helping the development of lively enquiring minds capable of creative, independent and critical thought in a wide range of contexts;
- aiding the acquisition of knowledge, understanding and skills, attitudes and values from a variety of sources;
- helping pupils to appreciate human aspirations and achievements and promote a personal response to experiences and ideas, and
- developing a sense of identity through knowledge and understanding of the spiritual, moral, social and cultural heritages of Britain’s diverse society and the global dimensions in their lives.
Education should aim to promote spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and prepare all pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life by:
- Developing principles for distinguishing right from wrong, understanding and adhering to the rule of law;
- respecting democratic process;
- passing on enduring values including the promotion of equal opportunities;
- avoiding and challenging stereotypes;
- developing their knowledge, understanding and respect of their own and different beliefs and cultures;
- promoting self-esteem and emotional wellbeing;
- encouraging worthwhile and satisfying relationships engendering respect for themselves and others and
- helping them to respond positively to opportunities, challenges and responsibilities and to make informed judgements.
These two broad aims reinforce each other in creating an effective learning environment essential to raising standards of attainment for all.
Our Approach and Curriculum Structure
For most children they begin their journey with us when they enter our Reception class in the EYFS. In the EYFS we follow the DfE Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework supported by the Development Matters guidance and Early Years Outcomes.
We use the EYFS guidance to design a bespoke curriculum. We aim to build on the foundations of learning our children have developed from their previous Early Years settings to ensure the best start for our pupils at Greenhill.
We believe that all children have the right to access a well-designed and appropriate Early Years Curriculum. This is based upon the presenting needs of pupils and considers what they already know and can do. Children are therefore assessed to baseline their competencies across a range of areas within the first few weeks of starting school. This is used to help staff plan for appropriate next steps and future learning.
Once the children leave Reception and enter Year 1 our Curriculum is designed to meet and exceed the requirements of the National Curriculum, building on the learning and experiences that have taken place in the Early Years, ensuring our curriculum is progressive form our children’s earliest experiences to when they leave Year 6. .
We feel it is important for children to learn about the topics and subject matters in depth and detail and therefore we take the approach of teaching deeper and with greater understanding.
Equally, we feel it is vital that children know what subject they are learning and what the learning they are doing that day builds upon, where it going to lead to and why it is relevant to them, here in Bury. This gives the learning meaning and applies context for the children, allowing them to make links and enhance their Cultural Capital. To support children with this, at the start of each unit, in each subject, the children are given a Knowledge Organiser containing key vocabulary, key learning, the knowledge they are building upon and other relevant details, such as timelines in History. These give children a point of reference and allows them to understand the progression of their learning.
Where relevant and naturally occurring, our teachers will plan cross curricular links e.g. The development of Greater Manchester during the Industrial Revolution in History and the distribution of natural resources in Geography, but where these links do not naturally occur we do not force them and will teach subjects discretely. This ensures that learning is purposeful and that children know what they are learning and what skills they will need. To further embed what the children are learning about and the learning journey taking place, each Learning Intention that is shared with the children states the curriculum area being studied e.g. As a historian/geographer/scientist etc. I am learning to…
Some subject areas are taught through published schemes and others through the teachers planning their own units with the guidance and support of Curriculum Leaders. Where a published scheme has been chosen this is because an extensive period of research has taken place and that scheme deemed the most appropriate way of teaching our children.