Curriculum
There are four drivers which underpin our curriculum at Highfield Community Primary School:
- Aspirations
- Community
- Culture
- Health
The aim of Highfield Community Primary School is to provide opportunities for children to develop as independent, confident, successful learners with high aspirations who know how to make a positive contribution to their community and the wider society. There is a high focus on developing children’s moral, emotional, social and cultural understanding. We also promote physical wellbeing and health to encourage children to be more aware of their own abilities inside and outside the classroom.
We aim for all learners to enjoy their education, make progress and achieve their potential. Those who are most able are challenged and supported through appropriate extension activities. Those who struggle are encouraged and given targeted support to embed skills, to develop at their own pace or simply to learn in a style that best suits their individual needs.
The school’s focus on curriculum development has been carefully designed to ensure coverage and progression. It provides pupils with memorable experiences, in addition to diverse and rich opportunities from which children can learn and develop a range of transferable skills. The children’s own community is frequently used as a starting point for engaging interest. In terms of progression from Autumn > Spring > Summer, the topics are planned so that they start in the UK (with a focus on Chorley where possible), then in Spring they move into a European context before finishing in an area outside of Europe. This means that children are able to understand the world around them but in a way which builds on the previous topic. In line with our cultural focus, we encourage children to learn about many places around the world from Chorley to Greece to South America, China and Baghdad. This helps them to appreciate (and be accepting of) people from all walks of life with different backgrounds.
A primary focus of our curriculum is to raise aspirations, engender a sense of personal pride in achievement, and provide a purpose and relevance for learning. As the school serves a community where there is a high percentage of disadvantaged pupils, we provide activities that children may not otherwise experience. We recognise that the children need both a sense of valuing themselves, and developing aspirations for their future and for their community.
Subject leaders play an important part in the success of the curriculum by leading a regular programme of monitoring, evaluation and review. They each collate evidence in subject leaders’ files and regularly hold pupil interviews in order to check on knowledge and skill acquisition. Subjects are planned to ensure progression of knowledge and skills across school. The curriculum design ensures that the needs of individual and small groups of children can be met within the environment of high quality first wave teaching, supported by targeted, proven interventions where appropriate. In this way it can be seen to impact in a very positive way on pupil outcomes. Enjoyment of the curriculum promotes achievement, confidence and good behaviour. High quality visits and visitors enhance the curriculum and provide opportunities for writing for a purpose.
To promote physical health and wellbeing, a range of extra-curricular clubs gives learners an opportunity to access a variety of sports clubs after school hours. Our PSHE scheme provides children with opportunities to discuss and learn about personal health, wellbeing, safety, relationships (including anti-bullying work), differences and aspirations. Values education is embedded into the school curriculum to inspire children and adults to adopt and live positive human values. The focus on ethical and emotional intelligence, deepened relationships, social cohesion and a strong values-culture give pupils skills and attitudes to succeed in school and throughout their lives. Our diversity work helps children to realise that everyone is special and unique and we should celebrate differences and different kinds of families.
In recognising the development of the whole child the pastoral support given to children so they can access the curriculum is very strong. Various programmes of support, such as an SEMH class, lego therapy, ELSA and access to a school counsellor, are provided for children where a need has been identified such as self-esteem, anger management and bereavement.
For The Orchard (SEN unit) curriculum intent statement see the separate SEN unit section here
