Our Curriculum

Our experience of working in our school community tells us that our children are most engaged in their learning when it immerses them in meaningful, creative experiences which work towards an end goal. They are excited by working outdoors or on school visits where learning really comes to life. As teachers we know that particular focus should be on language development in all that we teach because we recognise that this is the key to closing the gap for our most disadvantaged pupils.

The curriculum we offer at Loseley Fields includes all the experiences we offer our children which meets and extends beyond the requirements outlined in the National Curriculum. We see the curriculum as a progression model which has suitable depth and breadth, building on prior experiences and learning to help make sense of new knowledge and skills. We teach using a topic-based approach but also ensure that we give sufficient focus on each subject discipline. The high-quality curriculum that we offer has been carefully crafted with a commitment to evidenced-based pedagogy. It has been designed to give consideration to the sequence of content necessary for children to make progress providing children with the knowledge they need for subsequent learning through for example, planned vocabulary development and enquiry led themes. We have ensured that our curriculum reflects the cultural diversity of the world that we live in, in our commitment to promote equality in all that we do.

It is important that the education we provide at Loseley Fields fully prepares our young people for a successful transition into secondary school and then on to be successful and contributing members of society. To achieve this aim, staff at Loseley Fields recognise that the curriculum needs to strongly support each child’s personal and pastoral development. We provide this through our taught PSHE, SMSC and citizenship curriculum but also through the tailored support we provide for children when they need it so that they are able to fully access classroom learning. This includes all the pastoral interventions offered by our Home School Link Worker and resident Eco-therapist. Through this work we develop the skills of resilience, curiosity, passion, flexibility, creativity, bravery, organisation, problem solving, empathy and tolerance.

We know that the success of the curriculum results from taking a considered approach to the planning of that curriculum both across the school and across the weeks in each class. Curriculum leaders have worked to produce medium term plans and progression of skills documents to aid the planning process in each year group. A quality staff training programme delivers weekly professional development of our staff so that we continue to refine our skills and expertise over time. We have a clear commitment to developing our pedagogical understanding and subject specific knowledge so that we achieve Quality First Teaching in every classroom.

The curriculum is delivered with regard given to each distinct subject discipline whilst also having a strong thematic topic-based approach. This learning is brought to life through our extensive range of visits and visitors we have across the school and by taking the learning into the outdoors when appropriate. We have strong threads of outdoors learning running throughout our curriculum offer.

We firmly believe in the right of every child to have equality of access to the curriculum and, as such, each teacher differentiates learning to meet the needs of all children in their class. Every teacher is an expert in the teaching of SEND. We support our SEND learners to ensure that the teaching and learning meets their needs so that they are able to learn alongside their peers. We achieve this by having a well-trained group of Teaching Assistants who work closely with the class teacher to provide support, scaffolds and resources to ensure that learning is accessible to the children they work with. Our TAs have developed specialisms in their practice so that they are able to support all learners through well-conceived keep up and catch-up interventions. We ensure that our Pupil Premium funds are effectively targeted to ensure that our most vulnerable learners have an equitable access to the wider curriculum offer and rich experiences equivalent to their non-disadvantaged peers. This extensive extra-curriculum offer, which is accessible to all, supports the learning in the classroom and gives our children many opportunities to experience activities that they may never have had the opportunity to take part in. This opens up the world to our children and allows them to shape their future aspirations.

As teachers we know that every interaction with a child gives us information about how well they are doing and how else we can support their development moving forward. Through skillful formative assessment of children, we are able to watch them at work, question their understanding and plan for next steps. By providing timely and effective feedback to our pupils, they are able to be actively involved in their own learning and development.

Class teachers undertake more formal assessments of the children each term in English and maths so that we can see how well our children can apply the knowledge and skills they have developed in classroom lessons. This information is used to track each child’s progress and attainment over time and look for gaps in learning which is then addressed by the planning and teaching.

Senior Leaders meet with each class teacher, each term, in Pupil Progress Meetings so that they can track each child’s progress and attainment over time. This allows the senior team to make strategic decisions and plan school priorities for development.

Assessment & feedback in science and the foundation subjects is about ensuring that the children know more and remember more. Planning will reflect our understanding of the 'forgetting curve' (as researched by Daisy Christodoulou) and that activities used to secure children moving knowledge and skills into their long-term memory also serve to inform the teacher about where the children are in their learning. To assess pupils' knowledge and skills, teachers will use progression documents to assess pupils upon entry to and exit from a unit of learning. The entry assessment will show what they know and have remembered, and the exit will assess what they have learnt. Teachers will also plan in interim 'hinge tasks' to assess children's learning in order to adapt planning to meet need. These assessments may take the form of a discussion, spoken task, written quiz or exit card, to name a few.