Curriculum and Equality & Diversity Intent Statement
Wimborne First School and Nursery
Curriculum Intent Statement
2023-2024
‘We all root for each other and watch each other grow’
Our children will journey through Wimborne First School and Nursery as kind, courageous and curious citizens, with their passion for learning ignited and with their self-belief and well-being nurtured. Every child will have the chance to shine and will leave us prepared for a future of possibilities.
At Wimborne First School and Nursery, we believe that our curriculum is one that is broad and balanced and is ambitious for all. It is exciting, relevant and meaningful and responds to the needs of the individuals within our learning community, enabling them to shine academically and flourish socially, emotionally, morally and culturally.
At Wimborne First School and Nursery, we believe that our curriculum should be seen in its widest sense – as the entire planned learning experience, including formal learning opportunities as well as events, routines and enrichment activities that takes place outside the classroom. Also, permeating our curriculum are the rules of our school (Be Safe, Be Kind, Be Respectful), together with the British Values of Individual Liberty, Mutual Respect, Democracy and the Rule of Law.
Our curriculum at Wimborne First School and Nursery is designed to allow each one of our learners to:
- Achieve the best possible academic standards, whatever their ability
- Develop skills and personal qualities for lifelong learning, preparing children to make an active contribution to society
- Explore real world experiences, so that children can see the relevance their learning has in the real world
- Become mentally and emotionally happy and resilient citizens, ready for the challenges of the 21st Century.
We have designed our curriculum with the following in mind:
- How children learn and remember – we recognise that progress means knowing more and remembering more and so we want our children to know more and remember more as a result of their time with us at Wimborne First School and Nursery.
- What our children need to succeed in life – we want our learners to have the ‘cultural capital’ they need to make aspirational choices and experience success beyond their time at Wimborne First School and Nursery.
Our bespoke curriculum at Wimborne First School and Nursery has been designed to take account of the statutory requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum and the Primary National Curriculum. (These have been used as the basis for the content and the expectations of our own curriculum). Our curriculum does also incorporate other experiences and opportunities, which best meet the needs of the children in our school.
The full range of core and foundation subjects have been carefully mapped out across school in clear progression frameworks, so that knowledge, understanding, skills and concepts build over time. As a result of this, we hope that all children leave Wimborne First School and Nursery having mastered a wide range of concepts and skills and gained the knowledge that gives them a love of learning, prepares them for their next steps and develops an understanding of the world in which they live.
As part of our carefully mapped out curriculum, we also ensure we provide all children with opportunities for experiential learning, through things such as residential visits, trips, visitors to school, extra-curricular sports, arts, music clubs, music lessons in school, outdoor learning, cooking etc.
Our Curriculum Implementation
- Central to our curriculum design, is an expectation of well thought out quality first teaching and learning, delivered by all. Teaching staff use our curriculum progression document and planning format to ensure that learning is sequenced so that children build knowledge and skills over time – both building skills and knowledge within the year group curriculum, but also building on, and making connections with, prior knowledge from other years in school. Staff identify the ‘key knowledge’ that they want the children to learn during the course of the unit and then ensure there are plenty of opportunities for the children to practice and apply this knowledge in a range of different contexts, so that they achieve deep, long term learning.
- Strong learning behaviours are essential in order for children to be equipped to be successful in life. We have created a culture in school of children as ‘Wimborne Learners’ through our Learning Rangers and our six key learning behaviours thread through every learning experience in school. Children regularly reflect on how these learning behaviours enable them to be successful learners.
- In order for the children to acquire the key knowledge, we teach the foundation subjects as ‘units’ of work. This is discreet teaching of each subject and each unit lasts for a half term. Subjects taught in half termly units are History, Geography, Art, DT. Subjects taught weekly are PSHE (using Jigsaw Scheme), Science, R.E, Music, Computing and P.E. The children use Learning Journeys and teachers assess the children’s skills at the end of a unit using quizzes. The data is then recorded on subject assessment trackers.
- To engage, immerse and ‘hook’ the children in their learning experiences, every classroom learning environment reflects the unit that the children are learning about. This learning environment is not only used as a tool for engagement, but also to support and deepen the learning experiences taking place in the classroom.
- We endeavour to ensure that children see a relevance and a purpose to their learning, so plan for learning to build towards a purposeful outcome at the end of a unit. This is an opportunity for children to showcase their learning to a wider audience, for example through an exhibition to the school community and parents, or through the publication of a class text or similar.
- We want PSHE to lie at the heart of our curriculum we deliver, to closely meet the needs of our children. As a school, we follow the Jigsaw scheme to deliver this. This programme of learning covers the PSHE concepts that we wish our children to learn about and develop throughout their Wimborne First School and Nursery journey. It also includes the careful coverage of the new RHE curriculum. In addition to this we have also created our own Safety Curriculum which is progressive from Nursery to Year 4.
Quality texts are integral to our curriculum approach, as we recognise that fluency in reading enables children to have access to the full curriculum entitlement. We believe it is our role to ensure children leave us being able to articulate themselves clearly, and read and write confidently and effectively. Each Year group follows a carefully planned text map which ensures and rich and varied reading diet for all.
The Impact of our Curriculum
As a result of our well planned and implemented curriculum, we would expect the impact to be that:
- Our children show kindness, are safe and respectful
- Our children demonstrate a passion and thirst for learning
- Our children achieve well – all making good progress from their starting points and achieving at least the expected standard across the entire curriculum by the end of Year 4. They will have the knowledge, skills, understanding and vocabulary that empowers them as citizens in the 21st Century
- Our children have a rich and varied vocabulary that reflects the experiences and opportunities their learning has provided them
- Our children have access to a wide and varied curriculum, enabling each of them to excel as individuals and be the best they can be
- Our children have high aspirations for the future and know that these can be realised with hard work and determination
- Our children are mentally and emotionally happy and resilient learners
Our families work in partnership with us to ensure their child’s journey at Wimborne First school and Nursery is a positive one and prepares them to contribute positively to the world in which they live.
Equality and Diversity in the Curriculum
A commitment to equality runs through our Curriculum offer. We comply with our duties of the Equality Act 2010 and the Special Needs and Disability Regulations 2014 to ensure that the curriculum is accessible for those with disabilities and Special Educational Needs.
What are the main points of the Equality Act 2010?
The Act makes it unlawful to discriminate against someone on the grounds of any of these characteristics: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion/belief, sex (gender) and sexual orientation.
Equality and diversity competence: “the ability to function with awareness, knowledge and interpersonal skill when engaging people of different backgrounds, assumptions, beliefs, values and behaviours.” (Hogan 2007)
Inclusivity: “the ways in which pedagogy, curricula and assessment are designed and delivered to engage students in learning that is meaningful, relevant and accessible to all. It embraces a view of the individual and individual difference as the source of diversity that can enrich the lives and learning of others.” (Hockings 2010)
At Wimborne First School and Nursery we are committed to ensuring that our school and curriculum truly reflect the diversity within our community and the wider world. This is a journey and we are always looking to make things better so that equality truly becomes a reality. In addition we make sure our resources and teaching celebrate and acknowledge the variety of experiences, cultures and families that exist all around us.
Embedding equality and diversity in the curriculum is the creating of learning, teaching and assessment environments and experiences that proactively eliminate discrimination, promote equality of opportunity and foster good relations in a manner that values, preserves and responds to diversity.
This is done by:
- Fostering belonging and engagement:
• Create a safe and collaborative environment of mutual respect and honesty, conducive to pupils learning.
• Recognise and handle tension, strong emotions and/or controversy, acting sensitively to pupils’ feelings and beliefs.
• Recognise and manage potential and actual power differentials (e.g. between genders, races, classes etc.).
• Avoid sexist, racist, homophobic etc. language/humour.
• Use inclusive language to avoid stereotyping.
• Identify and plan to overcome barriers that prevent pupils from diverse backgrounds from learning.
• Provide opportunities for pupils to relate content and learning methods to their own experiences.
• Empower pupils to take responsibility for their own, and each other’s, learning.
• Provide opportunities for pupils to input on their learning journeys, acting as partners in their learning experience.
Enabling potential:
• Get to know our pupils before we start teaching through transition.
• Ensure teaching methods and assessments do not place pupils at a disadvantage by varying assessment methods as necessary.
• Ensure teaching environments do not place students at a disadvantage as well as putting necessary adjustments in place for specific disability or SEND needs.
• Vary teaching methods and learning activities to support diverse learning preferences and to encourage active participation of all pupils e.g. use of visual materials, coloured overlays, tsk planners and adapted tasks and support resources
• Adjust aspects of learning and teaching (content, learning activities, modes of learning etc.) based on pupil learning needs.
Practising interactivity, awareness and understanding:
• Provide opportunities for pupils to work with diverse and mixed groups.
• Use counter-stereotypical language.
• Provide content that covers contributions by people from multiple cultures.
• Provide content that covers multiple perspectives and theoretical standpoints.
• Integrate themes of equality, diversity and cultural relativity into material and activities, relating these to real world scenarios.
• Provide opportunities for the sharing of the diverse experiences, voices, and learning of pupils.
• Encourage the expression of diverse perspectives and interpretations.
• Develop learning outcomes that reflect engagement with equality and diversity.
• Develop student learning outcomes that reflect a development of equality and diversity competence.
Developing skills of self reflection:
• Explore own identity beliefs, cultural assumptions and unconscious biases as part of class preparation.
• Staff to address own potential biases about curriculum related material during class.
• Staff to be mindful of own personal teaching and learning preferences and their influence on curriculum construction.
Provide opportunities for reflection and understanding of cultural biases through learning
and teaching.
• Provide opportunities for pupils to reflect on their own approaches to equality and diversity.
• Provide opportunities for pupils to reflect on their own equality and diversity competence.