Curriculum Intent
Our curriculum at AHPS aims to engage and inspire our children through themed and discreet subject teaching. We have designed our curriculum to build year on year to end of key stage outcomes in line with the national curriculum and the foundation stage curriculum. As children at AHPS progress through each key stage they will do so with secure knowledge and procedural skills to allow them to further develop their learning with confidence. We have high expectations for and of our children's learning. This learning builds on secure prior learning to ensure our children have strong subject knowledge and to avoid cumulative dysfluency. Where gaps in learning are identified interventions are used to support this. Children with special educational needs are given time to refine and practice the learning that they need. Bespoke plans and interventions ensure that all of our children make progress.
Clear sequences of learning that build on knowledge and understanding are used across all subjects. The children’s learning is underpinned by making clear links to prior learning. All teachers are aware of the knowledge and skills children will gain in each year group and stage of their education. We assess the children’s curriculum knowledge and plan meaningful sequences of learning tailored to this.
We have procedural knowledge which is taught in every year group. This ‘deliberate practice’ supports children in gaining a greater understanding that has meaning and depth. We cover this in areas such as ‘mapping skills’ in Geography and ‘chronology’ in History. This skill is repeated in every year group but the context is different.
Cognitive science tells us that working memory is limited and that cognitive load is too high if students are rushed through content. This limits the acquisition of long-term memory. Cognitive science also tells us that for students to become creative thinkers or have a greater depth of understanding they must first master the basics, which takes time. We value practice and revision of learning to support long term learning, our homework opportunities support this.
Assessments that focus on learning links help students to relate their learning to form strong, meaningful schema. In themed learning children are expected to reflect upon their curriculum learning and then present this independently. They demonstrate and exemplify their learning through linked knowledge harvests.
Cultural capital gives our students the vital background knowledge required to be informed and thoughtful members of our community who understand and believe in British values. Our curriculum reflects this. An example of this is our ‘skills for life’ curriculum where children are exposed to learning and experiences outside of the national curriculum to prepare them for life in modern Britain.
Our core values support our curriculum provision. We promote children having a positive attitude towards their learning, being helpful caring people, being able to persevere when learning is challenging, valuing the power of ‘yet’ and being able to celebrate their own success and the success of others around them.
Ultimately it is our aim that our curriculum supports and challenges all children of all abilities. We understand that every child is unique, and we have high expectations for all. Our curriculum will enable all children to make progress to reach their full potential and to be proud of themselves and their success.
Basic Principles
- Learning is a change to long-term memory.
- Our aims are to ensure that our students experience a wide breadth of study and have, by the end of each key stage, long-term memory of an ambitious body of knowledge.
- We aim to create resilient, caring and confident citizens of the future
- We will promote a ‘love’ of learning