Curriculum Intent Statement

Our intention is to provide a stimulating and meaningful education that challenges children to think critically, and promotes a lifelong love of learning. Our curriculum will help children discover the knowledge necessary to understand the world they live in, and the skills to process this knowledge effectively. We want to develop their talents, passions, and curiosity, preparing them both for their next steps in learning, and for their lives in the modern world.

Our curriculum enables our children to know their rights and responsibilities in school, in our community and in a global society. We want the children to understand how diverse our world is and to be respectful of everyone, no matter their background or circumstances.

We foster critical thinking skills and a growth mindset by:

• developing children’s inquisitiveness, resilience and risk-taking;
• promoting their willingness to make mistakes and their determination to improve;
• developing their oracy to question and develop their understanding;
• enabling them to be proactive in reflecting on, and improving their own work.

We focus on the whole-child’s development not just their academic achievements. We believe it is important that they develop healthy lifestyles, positive attitudes, thoughtful dispositions, and ways of thinking that will promote their sense of well-being, self-belief, empathy and happiness.

Our curriculum offers a rich variety of learning opportunities beyond the statutory obligations of the Early Years Foundation Stage and the National Curriculum. We offer children as many practical and first-hand experiences as possible to keep their learning fresh and exciting. This includes: inviting visitors into school; learning activities outside the classroom and in the local community; residential visits; special events (plays, concerts, sporting events); and home learning opportunities. We run a wide variety of lunchtime and after school activities, aiming to enable all children to pursue further learning beyond the classroom walls and the end of the school day.

The curriculum in all subjects builds progressively year-by-year through the school. It makes links to children’s prior learning, and it provides a foundation for next steps in understanding. Where possible and helpful, the curriculum makes cross-curricular links between subjects, although this is not forced and some subjects are taught discretely if that is most appropriate. We ensure that there is a balance of history and geography across the year.

We are constantly reviewing, evaluating and monitoring our curriculum and its delivery to ensure it has maximum impact. We get feedback from the children individually and via the school council; from parents/carers via our annual surveys and parent meetings; and from staff. We analyse our data carefully and compare it with other schools. Regular monitoring activities include subject leader evaluations and governor monitoring visits.

Please refer to the individual subject intent statements for detail about the drive behind each subject. The topic overviews and timetables provide current curriculum information for each year group. If you would like paper copies of any of these please contact the school office at admin@guildhallfeoffment.suffolk.sch.uk.