Wider Curriculum Vision Statement and Subject Statements
Curriculum Vision Statement
‘The job of a good curriculum is to inspire teachers, not to instruct them’
Russell Hobby
Our curriculum has been designed with the pupils’ learning at the centre. We have taken into account the needs and uniqueness of our community. The majority of our pupils are bilingual: 52 different languages are spoken within our community. Our curriculum has been developed by the staff, with the views of pupils and parents taken into account. We have also consulted parents on certain aspects. We have purposefully planned a language rich curriculum, that is full of first hand and memorable experiences that our pupils may not otherwise get.
We acknowledge that our pupils are individuals and ensure our curriculum provides them with opportunities to grow, as caring, confident, resilient citizens, as well as learners with a thirst and passion for knowledge. We aim to prepare them for their future lives in a manner that inspires, enthuses, motivates, engages and also challenges them. At Thornton Primary School we deliver an inclusive, broad, rich and creative curriculum. We place a strong emphasis on the arts and the humanities as we believe they are just as important for our pupils as English and Mathematics.
Our curriculum aims to identify opportunities for all pupils to apply their core knowledge and skills across the whole curriculum. Our cross curricular topics are planned around a theme which has been carefully selected to offer a wide range of experiences which are relevant to our pupils. We also encourage our pupils to engage in a range of extra-curricular activities, in particular sport, and are proud of our pupils' participation.
We aim to prepare our pupils for life in modern British society by fostering in them attitudes and qualities which will enable them to become confident, caring, respectful and responsible citizens. Through the UNICEF Rights Respecting School Award, we are empowering all of our pupils to know their rights and the rights of others. Thornton pupils are given a voice and involved in planning and decision making through school council. They are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning in a variety of ways such as peer and independent learning opportunities. In doing so, we intend to foster a lifelong love of learning in them all.
At the heart of our new curriculum is the commitment to prepare children for their future life chances, giving them the confidence and skills that is their social and cultural capital. This has resulted in increasingly purposeful links for our pupils, enabling them to better understand the world around them, their place within it and current topical world issues.
Please take a look at our Whole School Curriculum Map that outlines our curriculum coverage as a school.
Class teachers send out Knowledge Organisers that contain information regarding the curriculum at the beginning of each topic. Further information can be found on the school website under the 'Children' tab. Select the year group they are in and you will find an outline of their topic, CREATIVE homework and relevant Knowledge Organisers.
In the subject statements below our curriculum leaders have tried to capture the key aspects of each subject area.