Curriculum Statement

Intent 

Our curriculum is driven by a shared ambition to raise aspirations, ignite a passion for learning, and unlock the limitless potential in every child. Rooted in our ASPIRE values and guided by our vision to empower pupils to thrive, lead and shape a brighter future, we provide a broad, balanced, and inclusive curriculum that nurtures ambition, resilience, and curiosity. 

Our Aspire Curriculum aims to bring learning to life through carefully sequenced, interconnected projects that enable children to build and deepen knowledge over time. These projects are underpinned by themes or Big Ideas which provide a coherent framework for exploring the world and understanding their place within it. These concepts are deliberately interwoven across subjects, supporting pupils to think critically, make meaningful connections, and develop a deeper understanding of key ideas across time and disciplines. 

Big Ideas

Our curriculum follows a four-stage pedagogy cycle: Engage, Develop, Innovate, Express.  This ensures that learning is memorable, purposeful and exciting. We prioritise the development of language, oracy, and cultural capital, and provide opportunities for all pupils to express themselves, solve problems, and work collaboratively and independently. 

Through this curriculum, every child is encouraged to value themselves and others, celebrate diversity, and contribute positively to their community and the wider world. We prepare children not just to succeed academically, but to flourish as confident, creative, and compassionate individuals ready to thrive in an ever-changing global society.  

Implementation

Our Aspire curriculum builds progressively from the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), ensuring continuity, depth, and breadth of learning as pupils move through EYFS, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. 

In EYFS, the curriculum is rooted in play, exploration and meaningful experiences. Children are introduced to early historical concepts, understanding past and present, and basic scientific classification. There is a strong focus on developing communication, language, and early literacy and numeracy through direct teaching and continuous provision. Carefully planned themes, core texts and vocabulary lay the foundations for subject learning in KS1. 

In KS1, pupils transition into more structured learning while retaining creativity and curiosity. Projects such as Childhood (History) introduce pupils to historical enquiry through investigating toys and life in the past, while Bright Lights, Big City (Geography/History) supports children in comparing places and exploring significant national events like the Great Fire of London. 

Each subject area has clearly identified key knowledge and subject-specific skills. For example: 

• In Science, through projects like Seasonal Changes and Plants, pupils learn to ask simple questions, observe closely, perform tests, and record their findings. 

• In Art and Design, pupils explore line, shape and colour in Mix It and learn to evaluate their work using subject-specific vocabulary. 

• In Geography, they use maps and simple fieldwork skills in Coastline to investigate human and physical features of the seaside. 

Every project follows the Engage, Develop, Innovate, Express model, ensuring pupils are immersed in new learning, supported to develop secure knowledge, given opportunities to apply skills creatively, and reflect meaningfully on their outcomes. 

In KS2, pupils revisit and deepen core concepts through increasingly complex content. For example: 

• In Lower KS2, pupils explore Through the Ages (History), comparing life from the Stone Age to the Iron Age, and Rocks, Relics and Rumbles (Geography/Science), where they study natural disasters and Earth's structure. 

• In Upper KS2, projects such as Maafa (History and Citizenship) explore the impact of transatlantic slavery, while Frozen Kingdoms (Geography/Science) combines climate zones, polar exploration, and environmental responsibility. 

Across KS2, subject-specific skills are taught and revisited in meaningful contexts: 

• In History, pupils use a range of sources to ask and answer historically valid questions, identify causes and consequences, and develop chronologically secure knowledge. 

• In Science, pupils conduct comparative tests, use data loggers and construct scientific explanations through projects like Properties and Changes of Materials and Forces and Mechanisms. 

• In Design and Technology, they apply knowledge of structures, electrical systems and food technology in projects such as Make Do and Mend and Eat the Seasons. 

Across all Key Stages, key vocabulary is explicitly taught and embedded in each subject. Regular knowledge retrieval and quizzing ensure long-term memory development and deepen understanding. Cross-curricular links are purposeful, helping children connect learning and apply knowledge in varied contexts.

Impact 

The impact of our curriculum is reflected in the confident, articulate, and knowledgeable learners we nurture—pupils who are well-prepared for the next stage of their education and for life beyond primary school. Through our coherent and progressive curriculum, rooted in the National Curriculum and our ASPIRE values, children develop secure subject knowledge, transferable skills, and a love of learning. 

Pupils demonstrate high levels of engagement, curiosity, and independence in their learning. They are able to make meaningful connections across subjects through the Big Ideas and apply their learning with increasing depth and sophistication. Regular opportunities for retrieval, reflection, and application ensure knowledge is embedded in long-term memory. 

We assess the impact of our curriculum through: 

• Pupil outcomes in national assessments. 

• Ongoing formative and summative assessments linked to key knowledge and skills. 

• Pupil voice and engagement. 

• Work scrutiny and evidence of progression across subjects. 

• Subject leader monitoring and evaluation. 

• Feedback from parents and carers. 

Pupils leave our school as well-rounded individuals with strong foundations in reading, writing, mathematics, and the wider curriculum. They are critical thinkers, problem-solvers, and effective communicators who show resilience, creativity, and integrity. Importantly, they understand their place in the world, value diversity, and are empowered to contribute positively to society. 

Our curriculum impact is not only measured in academic success, but in the development of happy, responsible, and ambitious learners ready to thrive in an ever-changing world.