Our Curriculum

At Abbotsweld, we passionately believe that all children deserve access to an education that will provide them with life-fulfilling opportunities and the freedom to make choices about their future. The curriculum at Abbotsweld Primary Academy sets out the body of knowledge and skills that our pupils will gain at each stage of their time at school, whilst supporting and promoting our core school values. The curriculum supports our mission and structures that encompass a proactive development of the whole child.

Through focusing on three intrinsically linked key drivers: academic success, physical development and positive wellbeing, children are given the opportunity to thrive in fundamental areas, preparing them to be not just ‘next stage ready’, but ‘life ready as global citizens’.

Through a carefully sequenced core curriculum, alongside an inspiring wider curriculum, children at Abbotsweld will leave with:

• The ability to read fluently, and a love for reading, allowing them to make sense and understand the world
• A rich vocabulary enabling them to communicate successfully, challenge and debate
• A wealth of character defining and memorable childhood experiences (largely mapped out within our ’50 things’ and Sense of SELF programme) to develop cultural capital
• An understanding of the world around them that they are fully equipped to compete in
• An acceptance and appreciation of others differences
• Tools and strategies to ensure positive wellbeing and happiness
• The ability to think metacognitively and self-regulate, allowing them to feel in control of their learning

Curriculum Implementation:

Using the National Curriculum to underpin our curriculum, subjects are carefully planned and sequenced, mapping out the key knowledge and subject specific skills children need to master at each stage. For most subjects, the school has developed its own sequential and progressive curriculum to ensure the school’s local context is reflected. For others, the school has adopted, and then adapted, external schemes of work. 

Each unit has essential learning questions outlined that children explore, as well as key subject skills children need to develop from early years to year 6. The knowledge and skills are both progressive and support the development of key concepts and schemas. Key vocabulary is highlighted and taught explicitly to the children throughout all lessons, in line with the school’s teaching and learning policy. Exposure to high quality texts is consistent across the curriculum, ensuring reading and vocabulary opportunities are maximised.

Wider Curriculum

We strongly believe it is essential that primary schools are proactive in their approaches towards wellbeing and this is at the heart of Abbotsweld’s wider curriculum. A structured, purposeful whole school approach and mission helps to support pupils in developing lifelong positive wellbeing and can strengthen any additional support pupils may have for mental health and wellbeing.

Abbotsweld’s mission- ‘Where everyone find a Sense of SELF’ is the basis of our approach to supporting pupils at each stage:

 To be ‘life-ready’ socially pupils should know who they are themselves, in the community and in the world.  

 To be ‘life-ready’ pupils should have appropriate exposure to make choices based on their own context, in  their communities context and the world. 

 To be ‘life-ready’ with appropriate life-skills pupils should know how they can look after themselves, in their own lives, in the community and in the world. 

 To be ‘life-ready’ pupils should be fascinated about their own lives, their community and the world. 

It facilitates the development of positive wellbeing, whilst supporting an acknowledgement that physical development helps to enhance a healthy mindset. In turn, this enables the creation of a positive and proactive zone for wellbeing thus enabling those who are more vulnerable every chance to grow more resilient and positive in mindset. Some of our ‘Sense of SELF’ experiences include:

How do we teach our curriculum?

Our teaching and learning policy highlights our consistent pedagogical approach across all subjects:

Key teaching intentions:

• Teachers have secure subject knowledge
• Prior knowledge is explored, recapped and built upon
• Retrieval opportunities are provided across all subjects
• Knowledge and skills are progressive
• Learning questions and steps to being successful are made explicit
• Oracy is built into all lessons
• Vocabulary is explicitly taught in all lessons, focusing on tier 2 and tier 3 words
• A range of formative assessment strategies are used
• Scaffolded planned activities ensure expectations remain high and all learners can be successful
• Metacognitive skills are developed and promoted across all areas of learning
• Plenaries allow learning to be consolidated and moved forward. Learning behaviours linked to the school’s values and subject specific skills are consistently reflected upon

Curriculum Impact

The purpose and aim of our curriculum is for high achievement and success for all pupils, despite their backgrounds or starting points. Children’s success can be demonstrated in these three key areas (our curriculum drivers).

Curriculum Subjects

 You can explore our curriculum further, by clicking on the icons below:   

• Abbotsweld English LTP
• Abbotsweld mathematics LTP
• Abbotsweld Music Development Plan
• Abbotsweld Science and Non Core LTP

 If you would like to find out more about our curriculum please contact the school office on 01279 630120 and ask to speak to the Head of School.