Curriculum Overview

‘Content, therefore, is important, not as facts to be memorised…but because without it students cannot acquire concepts and, therefore, will not develop their understanding and progress in their learning.’ Young (2015)

Curriculum Intent

Our curriculum capitalises upon the wealth of talent in our richly diverse community. The intent is to buck the trend of underperformance, break cycles of underachievement and enable social mobility. All staff ensure pupils are relentless in achieving the highest aspirations for their future. Pupils are proud of themselves, their community and their school and recognise education is the key to improving their quality of life. The curriculum is underpinned by the aim to grow confident, motivated and fluent readers with sharp oracy. Literature and reading permeates all subjects so pupils can build skills and knowledge, and actively seek new information. Captivating texts and topics encourage pupils to be creative in their thinking, writing and their ability to problem solve.

At Knights Primary, we use, literature, audio and visual stimuli to expand our children’s minds and raise aspirations. A carefully selected range of high-quality texts reflects and celebrates the diversity in our community and beyond. We refer to British Values and teach our pupils to respect familiar and unfamiliar communities and cultures to ensure they are global citizens and have an interest in social justice. Knights Primary embraces the importance of exploring communities that are underrepresented therefore our character education is focused on growing-up in the modern world as well as self-care and wellbeing. We develop and nurture resilience, self-discipline and personal responsibility as these are traits integral to our pupil’s success.

Teaching is delivered using Rosenshine’s Principles of Learning. Staff ensure pupils are exposed to high quality models, guided practice and partner work to enable them to produce exemplary independent outcomes. Knowledge is revisited at regular intervals to check for understanding and is exemplified in a variety of ways, including written, project-based work, published work and presentations.

Our curriculum prepares pupils to aspire to higher education or a vocation of choice; pupils recognise that they too have what it takes to define and achieve success. At Knights Primary we are relentless in our message that all pupils can take control of their future irrespective of their current social-economic background.

SEND Curriculum

At Knights Primary we strive to ensure that all our pupils are able to access the curriculum, including those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. Strategies include:

Making adaptations to ensure that all pupils have access to the school curriculum and school activities.
Careful task design, that ensures pupils are challenged appropriately.
Flexible grouping for specific aspects of the curriculum in order to maximise the progress of all children.
Prioritising High Quality Teaching to ensure appropriate access to the curriculum is available to all pupils, in line with the SEND Code of Practice.
Access to additional resources and materials to support learning.
Designing an inclusive learning environment that meets the needs of all pupils.
Organising additional provision, or making adjustments as needed, to ensure pupils have access to a range of extra-curricular clubs and activities.
Supporting pupils to achieve their full potential despite any difficulty or disability they may have.
Ensuring that staff are aware of pupil’s individual needs and teach in a way that is appropriate for them.
Provide opportunities for pupils to develop confidence, self-esteem and resilience.

Schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010 requires all schools to produce an Accessibility Plan that identifies the action the school intends to take over a specified timescale to increase access for those with a disability. It must address:

(a) increasing the extent to which disabled pupils can participate in the school's curriculum

At Haberdashers’ Knights Primary we are committed to establishing equality for all pupils, their parents, staff and other users of the school. Please refer to our Accessibility Plan https://www.habsknightsprimary.org.uk/docs/policies/Knights_Primary_Accessibility_Audit_and_Plan_2022.pdf for information about how the school sets out to promote equality of opportunity for disabled people: pupils, staff, parents, carers and other people who use the school or may wish to through: -

- providing a curriculum offer that is accessible to all pupils improving the availability of accessible information relating to the school to parents, pupils, staff and visitor

- Through careful planning, the primary curriculum is adapted to ensure that all pupil groups have access to their learning within lessons and are able to make progress.

- Informed planning to utilise school passports.

Inclusion Principles

Haberdashers' Knights Primary believes that the entitlement to a broad, balanced, coherent and tailored curriculum is a right for all and should not be constrained by age, gender, faith, race, physical disability, special education needs, medical needs or vulnerability. This entitlement should be delivered by trained personnel, committed to maximum inclusion, who are able to provide a happy, sensitive, secure and developmental environment in which all individuals are encouraged and enabled to undertake self-development, self-advocacy, respect for self, respect for others and respect for the environment.

Equality of Opportunity, thoughtful and effective assessment and testing, parental involvement and tailored teaching that is appropriate to the needs of the individual and the subject matter should be integral to the planning of educational provision, for all pupils.

The school is committed to ensuring that every pupil who is in difficult circumstances gets the extra support that is needed, without stigma or prejudice. All pupils are equally valued. High standards of behaviour and moral values are set for all.

The Special Education Needs and Disability Code of Practice: 0 to 25 Years states:

High quality teaching that is differentiated and personalised will meet the individual needs of the majority of children and young people. Some children and young people need educational provision that is additional and different to this. This is special educations provision under Section 21 of the Children and Families Act 2014. Schools and college must use their best endeavours to ensure such provision is made for those who need it. Special education provision is underpinned by high quality teaching and is compromised by anything less.

· Haberdashers' Knights Primary are committed to meeting the individual needs of pupils and believe this is the responsibility of all staff in the academy.

· Staff development and training must be at the heart of effective provision for individual needs.

· All staff will accept personal responsibility for the education of all learners and this should be reflected in the professional development of all staff.

· We will put in place collaborative teaching and co-operative action-research and evaluation, vital for the development of effective provision which is in harmony with legislative requirements and progressive educational ideas.

· The school believes in the principle that each pupil should have a broad and balanced curriculum and that it is not enough for the curriculum to be on offer; it must be fully accessed by each individual student.