The curriculum at Bidbury

Curriculum intent

At Bidbury Junior School we aim to make every day full of wonder, excitement, challenge and fun, equipping today’s children for tomorrow’s world.

Every child at Bidbury is recognised and valued as a unique individual. We celebrate and welcome differences within our school community. The ability to learn is underpinned by the teaching of basic skills, knowledge, concepts and making connections. We constantly provide opportunities for the children to develop as independent, confident, successful learners with high aspirations who know how to make a positive contribution to their community and the wider society. There is a high focus on developing children’s moral, spiritual, social and cultural understanding (including British Values) alongside physical development, wellbeing and mental health. The school provides a highly inclusive environment where learners enjoy their education and pupils, at all levels, are helped to achieve their potential.

The school’s curriculum development is carefully designed to ensure coverage and progression. It provides pupils with memorable experiences, in addition to diverse and rich opportunities from which children can learn and develop a range of transferable skills. The children's own community, its heritage and traditions are frequently used as a starting point for engaging interest. A primary focus of our curriculum is to raise aspirations, engender a sense of personal pride in achievement, and provide a purpose and relevance for learning. Community interaction is an essential part of our curriculum and values the chance to involve and be involved. Children are given a wide range of opportunities to take an active role in events throughout the year including sporting and artistic activities. Children leave the school with a sense of belonging to a tightly-knit community where they have the confidence and skills to make decisions, learn from mistakes, self-evaluate, make connections and become lifelong learners.

Our School Values of resilience, respect, focus, boundaries, independence and self-regulation aim to help each child to become a better person and a better learner and are embedded into our curriculum. We place emphasis on the basic skills of reading, writing and maths to provide children with the knowledge, skills and understanding they require to access the broad and balanced curriculum we offer. Alongside this we constantly provide opportunities for the children to develop as independent, confident, successful learners with high aspirations who know how to make a positive contribution to their community and the wider society. 

Our curriculum aims to ensure that children are given the best opportunities for their future learning, whether that is later today, tomorrow, next year or well into the future.

The implementation of our curriculum

Our curriculum is implemented through the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum and as well as other exciting experiences and opportunities which best meet the learning and developmental needs of the children in our school. Our curriculum is carefully planned, regularly reviewed and developed to engage all children in exciting ways. We provide a curriculum which has been carefully designed to ensure coverage and progression which will enable our children to learn, develop a range of transferrable skills, build on prior learning and make connections to embed their learning. Each subject is timetabled to ensure coverage and progression in a all curriculum areas. We recognise that children begin school with a wealth of skills and knowledge which we aim to build upon. Our learning journeys are exciting, enjoyable and motivating and they inspire our children to want to find out more. 

For children to thrive in school, it is essential they feel happy, safe and secure in order for them then to get the most from their school experiences. Children learn in different ways and have different strengths and skills, progressing at different rates. The school takes pride in providing a highly inclusive environment, where all learners enjoy their education and are supported to make good progress in all areas of learning. We ensure that our exciting, motivating and highly enjoyable curriculum adapts to the children’s needs as required. Our most able are challenged and supported through extension activities and those who struggle are encouraged and given targeted support to embed key skills and develop at their own rate of learning in a style that best suits their individual needs.

Our curriculum celebrates the diversity and utilises the skills, knowledge and cultural wealth of our community while supporting the children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, ensuring that children are well prepared for life in modern Britain. The children’s own community is frequently used as a point for learning, and engagement within it enriches their learning experiences; whether visiting the local church, park or library or carrying out surveys within the local area. We talk about national events that are affecting different countries, which are often raised by the children.

We aim to provide learning experiences that the children will remember beyond their school days. Our curriculum is enriched through a range of educational visits, performing arts companies, use of the local community, visiting professionals and external workshops for children. We believe that high quality visits and visitors to the school enhance the curriculum and provide opportunities for purposeful learning. Enjoyment of the curriculum encourages the children to try new things and promotes achievement, confidence, good behaviour and high attendance.

The impact of our curriculum

"When considering impact, the question that needs to be asked is whether our pupils have learnt what they have been taught and how do we know?"

Mary Myatt (2024) 'Thinking about curriculum impact', https://www.marymyatt.com/blog/thinking-about-curriculum-impact, March 2024 

At Bidbury, we believe that a well-constructed, well-taught curriculum will lead to good results because those results will reflect what pupils have learned. We use a range of evidence to help evaluate whether the work that our pupils do over time reflects the intended curriculum, whether pupils know more and can do more, and whether the knowledge and skills they have learned are well sequenced and have developed incrementally. These sources of evidence include looking at children's work; talking to children about what they have learnt; talking to teachers and subject leaders about how children are getting on; and learning walks to observe classroom practice. Alongside this, we use school formative and summative assessments and review the outcomes of national assessments (such as the Year 4 multiplication check and end of key stage 2 tests) to inform and refine our curriculum and teaching.

Curriculum Subjects

Year Group Curriculum Maps