Curriculum and Vision

CURRICULUM AND VISION

Modern Foreign Language

To view the Badbury Park Curriculum Vision, please click here.

To view the Badbury Park Topic overview, please click here.

Our Aims (Intent)

Our school is a vibrant, friendly place where the children are at the heart of everything we do. We believe in teaching skills, sharing knowledge and building special memories that children will take with them through the rest of their lives. For this to be effective children must feel safe and have formed positive relationships.

We believe that through inspirational teaching, determination, love and laughter, the children in our school can achieve their greatest potential, regardless of their starting points in life. We aspire to do this through a creative, knowledge and skills led curriculum, with outdoor learning and play at it’s core, promoting confidence, collaboration and engaging curiosity. We believe in teaching, modelling values and preparing children for life in the 21st Century, giving them a solid foundation for their future.

We will teach the knowledge and skills of the National Curriculum and Early Years Framework with an additional focus on outdoor learning, Education for social responsibility and Forest School.

We will carefully follow our teaching and learning policy and embed learning behaviours and values through the school motto- the 4 B’s, our school rules and our behaviour policy ‘curious not furious’.

Be adventurous

• We encourage children to take risks in their learning.

• To have and go and use a ‘growth mindset’.

• We encourage them to try new things and provide experiences that help them develop these skills.

• We will provide Forest School session to develop new skills and opportunities to take risks to develop confidence and self esteem.

• Challenge all children to reach their potential with high expectations and bespoke planning

• Show their understanding of knowledge and skills by creatively applying learning to new situations.

Be ambitious
• We will provide opportunities for children to be the best version of themselves.

• To challenge themselves to work hard and strive for excellence.

• Challenge all children to reach their potential with high expectations and bespoke planning

• We will prepare them for their next stage of schooling and to be well rounded citizens in our world

Be curious

• We will develop opportunities for the children to question and explore things to deepen their knowledge and learning.

• We will provide open ended tasks and challenges alongside experiences that provoke imagination and a thirst for knowledge.

• We will ensure children build special memories and a curiosity for different cultures and learning styles so they can celebrate differences.

Be kind

• We will teach and embed British Values and provide opportunities for self reflection, and regulation and develop personal and social skills so children know how to be kind to themselves and each others ensuring inclusion.

• We will celebrate our diversity and heritage and support one another.

• We will teach understanding of the environment and empathy to key issues.

• We will have a carefully planned PSHE curriculum and opportunities for Emotional Literacy sessions to ensure all children are ready to learn.

SMSC

We recognise that the personal development of children, spiritually, morally, socially and culturally, plays a significant part in their ability to learn and achieve. We therefore aim to provide an education that gives children opportunities to explore and develop these areas. Children are encouraged to develop curiosity and creativity through an exciting and rich curriculum, which includes many visits and extra-curricular activities. These experiences help children to extend their interests further and become reflective, mindful young people.

British Values

British Values are promoted through our 4 B’s and subjects such as ESR, history, RE, Geography, PSHE and English, with some units of work having a very obvious impact. British Values –including how these relate to our recognition boards and celebration certificates are celebrated in the hall. In addition to this, valuing ourselves, our families and other relationships is seen through assemblies, PSHE lessons and our work towards being an Eco-school, in our wildlife areas and Forest school, this remains high profile. We ensure we have multi cultural books on our book shelves and proactively look for opportunities to celebrate cultural diversity. Children are encouraged to be aware of national and world news items, important sports competitions and anniversaries of major events.

Organisation and Planning (Implementation)

Our curriculum is a framework for setting out the aims and objectives of our programme of education, including the knowledge, skills and understanding to be gained during each year group or each stage (intent), is delivered over time and carefully planned to ensure that the content is matched to the needs of each class (implementation) and includes a clear programme of assessment used to evaluate what knowledge, skills and understanding children have gained against expectations (impact).

A Thematic and Outdoor approach

There is evidence that teaching subject knowledge and skills as part of a wider topic based curriculum allows pupils to make useful links between areas of learning, and consolidate skills. Children are also likely to be more engaged in their learning if it has a context and theme that runs through it. Our curriculum has been adapted so that children not only understand their place in the local community but also the wider world at large. Studies show that outdoor learning delivers many benefits…reducing stress, improving moods, boosting concentration, and increasing a child’s engagement in school. Exposure to natural settings appears to have an intrinsic effect on our emotional and cognitive functioning. We believe outdoor learning is essential as it gives children first hand experience of the world; a chance to become immersed in their environment.

The Forest School and Local Area (Be Adventurous, Be Curious, Be Ambitious, Be Kind)

Our own Forest School has been created by using a stretch of woodland at the back of the school’s grounds to enrich this culture. Every child will have the forest school experience; this improves their confidence, self-esteem, collaborative and enquiry skills. ‘Children who play in nature have more positive feelings about each other’ (Moore 1996). We will also utilise our school field for sports and PE lessons and dedicate an area for growing vegetables for cooking. Coate Water Country Park is right on the school’s doorstep and will be used as a teaching resource across the curriculum. A short walk from the school is the Richard Jefferies Museum, based on Swindon’s most famous author.

Badbury Park’s curriculum will have elements from his writing woven through it and we hope our children will be inspired by the same surroundings as he was. The children will also be able to enjoy frequent visits to his ‘hidden farmhouse’ on the edge of the park. ‘Natural environments stimulate social interaction between children’ (Bixler et al. 2002). Children learn a variety of skills including fire lighting and tool use and work towards Forest School Passports which ensure they get a variety of skills, knowledge and experiences throughout their time at Badbury Park. We also use ‘Alfresco Learning’ which is a bank of lesson plans encouraging outdoor learning.

Education for Social Responsibility (ESR)

At Badbury Park we provide our children with education for Social Responsibility; giving children the skills they need to look after the planet and it’s people. The children take part in primary citizenship and environmentalism preparing them for the future with lessons which give them the skills to care for the world they will inherit.

From climate change and fragile ecosystems to ethical trade, finite resources and living fulfilled lives, our ESR curriculum is designed to help children prepare for the future. The children will learn about many challenges the world is facing and we aim to give them the inspiration and passion to improve and preserve the future of our planet, and help them to live happy, healthier, kinder lives.

Social responsibility means thinking about the bigger picture and living your life in a way which benefits society at large – including those living in other parts of the world. Teaching children to be socially responsible is vital for ensuring they can live happy, healthy, safe lives in the future.

What does learning look like?

We encourage children to take responsibility for their own learning, to be involved as far as possible in reviewing the way they learn, reflecting on how they learn, identifying what helps them learn and what hinders learning, beginning to identify the next steps for future learning.

When observing good learning in a lesson we would expect to see the children engaged in some of the following:

· Feelings: Engaged, Enthusiasm, Energy, Enjoyment

· Behaviour: Good behaviour, Quick transitions, Managing distractions, Make own choices, Perseverance, Independence, Coping with mistakes positively

· Learning: Sense of purpose, Taking risks, Trying things out, Use imagination, Questioning, Respond to challenge, Sufficient level of challenge

• Collaboration: Good communicator, Responding to adults, Responding to children, Working with others, Answering questions,

• Linking: Solving problems, Using equipment effectively, Apply something out of context, Relating to past experience/learning, Reflective – self evaluating, Reasoning

‘When children are deeply engaged, their brain is developing and new synapses are forming i.e. they are making progress’. Anna Ephgrave

Our Teaching and Learning Policy is based on the Six Areas of Expert Teaching (Implementation)

1. Challenge- high expectations (but low threat)

2. Explanation- acquire new knowledge and skills

3. Modelling-how to apply knowledge and skills

4. Questioning- think hard with breadth, depth and accuracy

5. Feedback-to encourage further development of skills and knowledge

6. Scaffolding- supporting children to succeed

Retrieval and Deliberate Practice (Implementation)

Children need to retrieve and use information to commit it to their long term memory. Repeating things at our outer reaches of ability leads to mastery and fluency. Teachers will plan activities and time to promote retrieval of knowledge and deliberate practice of skills. Knowledge organisers may be used, presentations or opportunities to teach others, daily timetables or handwriting practice. Simple recap of knowledge and skills at the start of a lesson will also allow teachers to assess what has been learnt.

‘The aim of all instruction should be to improve the long term memory. If nothing has changed then nothing has been learnt’. C Sealy.

Teachers will plan opportunities for the children to use transferable skills and make links

or connections with other subjects therefore practicing skills.

Learning Environment

We believe that a stimulating learning environment sets the climate for learning and well designed classroom promotes independence skills and high quality work by the children. We aim for our classrooms to be welcoming by providing a peaceful and calm atmosphere enabling an enriched and challenging curriculum to be taught to all. All classrooms have good quality equipment and a well-stocked book corner. Each classroom also has an interactive white board.

We agree our learning environments should:

· be welcoming and inviting and filled with natural, authentic resources

· support and challenge learning through accessible resources and adults

· celebrate achievement and effort through our recognition boards

· be safe, warm, comfortable and clean and free from hazards

· encourage cooperation, collaboration and good working relationship

· well organised and unclutter to develop curiosity and wonder

· have consistent boundaries' clear expectations and routines

Early Years

Our Early Years provision at Badbury Park begins in our Nursery Class and is primarily focused on learning through play. We focus on child-led learning and follow the children’s interests to plan engaging activities that support the development of their next steps. Our classroom environment is designed to spark curiosity and wonder through authentic resources. We have created a safe, happy and inspiring place for children to learn, develop and take part in experiences that will develop a love of learning both inside and outside.

Activities are planned throughout the week, to ensure that children are given the opportunity to explore and develop across all areas of the non Statutory Development Matters as well as following their personal interests and knowledge specific to our catchment linked to Forest School and the Outdoor environment. The Characteristics of Learning (Playing and Exploring, Active Learning and Creating and Thinking) and The Prime Areas of learning are hugely valued in our setting and provide the foundation for everything we do. Communication and language are supported through play and quality adult interactions that develop children’s listening and speaking skills. Friendships and lifelong personal and social skills are also modelled and encouraged in the children’s play. We also assess the children’s executive function skills to help them develop good learning behaviours and skills.

To support early writing, children develop their gross motor skills through Dough Disco and Squiggle Wiggle sessions. Opportunities for mark making and maths are provided in all areas of the environment and children are challenged through adult interactions to develop their early skills.

Programmes of Study for each subject can be found on the left hand side. Please click on the subject to view it's content.

Maths - Skills Progression

Science - Skills Progression

Spoken Language - Skills Progression

Computing - Skills Progression

Design and Technology - Skills Progression

Geography - Skills Progression

Music - Skills Progression

PE - Skills Progression

RE - Skills Progression

To view our topic overview, please click here.

To view our whole school topic overview, please click here.