Curriculum intent
At Lightmoor, we ensure that our curriculum is real and meaningful and that it is as creative and practical as possible for our pupils. By making links through different subjects, we aim to bring learning to life as a strategy for helping our children embed their learning and to help them ‘know more and to remember more!’
Lightmoor Village Primary School follows the expectations of the National Curriculum and the belief that ‘knowledge matters’. We have created a curriculum that is ambitious and designed to give all learners, particularly the most disadvantaged and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), the knowledge and skills that they need to succeed in life and be ready for the next stages in their educational journey. Each subject area is carefully planned and taught in a logical sequence to build on pupils’ existing skills and knowledge, enabling them to progress well throughout their learning journey. Our curriculum is intended to raise aspiration, open up opportunities, ignite interest and value learning as a lifelong skill.
Curriculum Implementation
The curriculum at Lightmoor has been designed to help learners to remember the fundamental content they have been taught and to integrate new knowledge into larger concepts. We liken the curriculum to a spiral; knowledge and skills that overlap during the learning process. The overlapping nature of the spiral enables our teachers to revisit previous teaching and powerful knowledge at each stage, whilst also providing the children with regular practice for the retrieval of knowledge and to develop automaticity.
“Knowledge is taught to be remembered, not merely encountered”
Tom Sherrington 2018
The leadership team and teaching staff have a good knowledge of subjects being taught and have created a coherently planned curriculum, starting with EYFS and our youngest pupils, building up each year with what they should know and be able to do at each milestone. Teachers encourage discussion about what they are teaching and check learners’ understanding systematically, identify misconceptions accurately and provide clear, direct feedback. Teachers and leaders use a variety of assessment to help learners embed and use knowledge fluently, to check understanding and inform teaching.
A rigorous approach to the teaching of reading, early writing and maths develops learners’ confidence and enjoyment and prioritises strong foundations for building complexity.
Curriculum Impact
Learners at Lightmoor develop detailed knowledge and skills across the curriculum and, as a result, achieve well. This is reflected in results from national tests that meet government expectations and that promotes achievement for all. With a focus on developing reading, writing, oracy and mathematical skills, children apply this knowledge to other areas of the curriculum.
“Leadership prioritise inclusion and strong collaboration between reading and writing leads, with a reviewed curriculum that meets pupils’ needs and has improved writing standards over the past 18 months. Pupils can articulate their learning, demonstrating understanding of writer’s knowledge and the importance of vocabulary, spelling, and accurate punctuation. There is now a clear alignment between the revised writing framework and the curriculum offered by the school.”
