We aim to make education fun and engaging for our pupils, which is why in addition to the National Curriculum subjects we provide other creative options to extend the learning further. We ensure our curriculum is built on a progressive sequence of learning in each of the subject disciplines so that children develop a secure bank of knowledge and cores skills. Our curriculum is grounded in the National Curriculum, maximising and deepening learning, whilst building our pupil's capacity to apply their learning to the world in which they live.
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The Hope Community School, Sidcup Curriculum:
We consider our curriculum to be starting point of the life-long learning journey that children embark on when they begin their Primary School career with us. Our curriculum enables our children to access a wide range of experiences and is rooted in quality first teaching and learning for all children regardless of age, gender, circumstance or ability. Although we are a relatively new school, opening in 2013, our Christian Values underpin all that we do here – they are at the heart of everything we try to achieve for all pupils.
Curriculum Intent
Having carefully considered the needs of our community, we have selected Adventure, Creativity, Excellence and Openness as qualities to drive the children’s learning across all areas of the curriculum and prepare them for life in the 21st century.
Our curriculum enables children to acquire key skills and knowledge in each subject area. During each child's time at the school, knowledge is repeated in all subjects to ensure that it is securely embedded in the children’s long term memory. Age appropriate knowledge is clearly planned across each subject and in line with national curriculum expectations. Each curriculum subject is led by an expert who oversees the on-going development of their subject. Leaders ensure that subject specific knowledge is progressive and sequential.
Reading skills are a vital and integral part of the curriculum. A robust reading curriculum from reception to Year 6 broadens children's language and vocabulary. It gives our children access to all areas of the curriculum and promotes enjoyment and love of learning from the earliest age. The school operates a quality phonics programme as soon as children start school and this is built upon from Year 2 upwards as fluency and comprehension skills develop. Each year group learn from a carefully selected range of quality texts from a variety of genres which are selected to develop an inquisitive mind, vocabulary, inference and deduction.
All children achieving strong numeracy and literacy skills is a key objective for children in our school and we endeavour to achieve this through our creative curriculum approach.We have designed a curriculum based on our knowledge of our children and the community we serve, their cultural capital deficits and a clear understanding of the experiences that children need in order to prepare them for the future. Our aim is to provide a broad and balanced curriculum that is tailored to meet the specific needs to the children within our local community that our school serves.
Curriculum Drivers:
Adventure ~ Creativity ~ Excellence ~ Openness
Adventure
Adventure is a central part of the curriculum we offer at school. The curriculum encourages children to be adventurous and innovative in their learning. Our curriculum encourages children to be adventurous risk takers – being resilient when faced with challenge and never giving up. By being adventurous, we develop confidence and self-esteem in all of our pupils, ready for the 21st Century world. Regular educational visits locally and further afield develop widen the children’s understanding of the world around them in a meaningful context which extends their learning.
Creativity
Our curriculum offers all pupils opportunity to develop the skills required to be creative learners and nurtures the development of each child’s unique creativity within. Curriculum opportunities encourage children to make independent choices and connections in their learning for example looking back in history to better understand the present and future. We want children to understand that learning can take place not just within the walls of the classroom but outdoors in our community too.
Excellence
Our curriculum is driven by aiming for excellence and setting ourselves and our children high aspirations from the beginning of their learning journey. It offers opportunities for children to explore areas of interest and set achievable goals for long term success by exposing them to the great artists, musicians and sports people of the present and the past. Our curriculum offers the opportunity for children to interact with positive role models to enable them to build long term aspirations for themselves which go beyond the primary years. Our curriculum is designed to make the world an accessible place that children can explore. We want our curriculum to reflect that our own dreams and goals can be achieved through setting high expectations; demonstrating how we can achieve these through positive steps.
Openness
We want for all children at Hope Community school to access not just a broad and balanced curriculum but a diverse one which nurtures empathy and openness to the world around us. We want children in our community to celebrate the similarities and differences between themselves and others across the world – challenging stereotypes they might be exposed to. We want our curriculum to foster opportunities for children to appreciate, respect and celebrate the views, cultures, religions of others. Through carefully selected texts and learning opportunities we aim for our learners to be aware of what is happening around the world and the part they have to play it in. Our curriculum embraces a wide range of learning opportunities, with strong cross-curricular and community links, through effective local businesses partnerships.
Our curriculum embraces a wide range of learning opportunities, with strong cross-curricular and community links, through effective local businesses partnerships.