Curriculum Intent
At Burstow Primary School, we are dedicated to delivering a curriculum that not only aligns with the national standards and expectations set by educational authorities but also exceeds the requirements of the National Curriculum. Our foremost goal is to enable increasing proportions of our learners to make significant progress across all year groups and attain at least Age-Related Expectations (ARE) combined in Reading, Writing, and Mathematics (RWM) by the end of Key Stage 2 (KS2).
In our school, children encounter a broad and balanced education that values the importance of reading, writing, and mathematics (r, w, and m). Our curriculum is carefully structured so that children access an inclusive range of learning opportunities in all subjects that progressively develop knowledge, vocabulary, understanding and skills across all subjects. We ensure that the learning journeys are inclusive of all children’s learning needs and are sequenced to allow children to connect with and build on what they've learned already. We emphasise the importance of cultivating a growth mindset among our children and building children’s learning power, developing their determination, resilience and adaptability to challenges using our strap-line Ready, Respectful, Safe.
At Burstow, we foster a sense of curiosity and a love for learning in our children. We are deeply committed to nurturing an environment built on love, trust, and respect, which underpins all our learning from an individual level, throughout our school community and our global citizenship.
Everything we do at Burstow is underpinned by equity and diversity. Therefore we are pleased to promote fundamental British Values through the children’s educational journey.
Our approach to teaching is grounded in evidence-based teaching techniques that include reviewing material, asking questions, explaining concepts and providing examples to support and stretch learning. We endeavour to make learning memorable so that knowledge ‘sticks’ and believe it is essential to give children plenty of time to practice what they have learned, ask questions and receive support when needed.
At Burstow, we recognise the importance of tailoring our curriculum to cater to the unique needs of our diverse group of learners and their families within our school community. Hence, we place significant focus on:
- Continuous development of personal and social life-long skills and qualities: this includes fostering independence, empathy, cooperation, resilience, honesty, inquisitiveness, kindness, positivity, self-awareness and teaching children how and where to find help and solutions
- Learner voice: children being heard, valued and respected
- Intentionally planned opportunities for active, hands-on, outside, inquiry-based learning: we encourage children to ask questions, explore topics and conduct investigations to construct their understanding of various subjects
- Vocabulary broadening and enrichment: we prioritise expanding and enriching children's vocabulary
- Opportunities for student involvement: we provide various opportunities for children to actively participate in their learning and school activities
- A diverse range of experiences: we expose our children to a wide array of experiences to broaden their horizons and enhance their overall development
- Tracking progress: we provide opportunities for children to monitor and celebrate their own progress, fostering a sense of achievement and motivation
- Enhanced parent/carer involvement: we actively seek and promote greater involvement from parents and carers in their children's educational journey, recognising that a strong partnership between home and school is vital for a child's holistic development and success
