Curriculum Intent
Curriculum Intent
We are a popular school in the heart of Gosforth, well supported by parents and the local community. We serve a changing population and strive to ensure that the needs of all pupils are met, both socially and academically. Our school community has high aspirations and expectations for the children we serve. We are committed to encouraging children’s understanding and acceptance of other faiths, beliefs and cultures while supporting them to develop their own place in the community, both locally and globally.
As a staff we passionately promote a love of reading; we recognise the pre-eminent importance of reading in giving our children the opportunity to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually. We believe in supporting children to develop their love of literature through widespread reading for pleasure. We build on this strong foundation to develop analytical reading skills across our curriculum.
We aim to develop resilient, confident and critical readers and thinkers who have the skills for lifelong learning. We believe that children should be exposed to rich creative experiences which celebrate diversity and develop cultural awareness. We promote their spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development in order to best prepare our pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life. We aim to nurture and foster the kindness and empathy our pupils will need as fulfilled, responsible and educated citizens of the world.
The following drivers are at the heart of our broad and balanced curriculum:
- Confidence
- Challenge
- Creativity
- Community
Confidence: We want our children to be determined, enthusiastic, motivated and adaptable. We nurture the natural curiosity of our children, enabling them to become independent in thought and actions and encouraging them to develop self-motivation and a life-long love of learning. We are passionate about the health and well-being of our children. We want them to be confident and healthy in both mind and body and encourage a wide range of physical activities.
We believe that children need to find their voice and that the development of pupils’ speaking and listening skills are integral for success in later life. Preparing children to be confident skilled communicators is an essential foundation for future success. We encourage talk in all areas of learning and encourage our children to be respectful of the voices and opinions of others, able to clearly articulate their own point of view and to have the confidence to challenge issues that they perceive as unjust. We give children a wide range of opportunities to think and discuss critically, by solving problems and making informed choices.
Challenge: We have high aspirations and expectations of all our children and support and challenge them to set high goals and be the best they can be. We have the privilege of working with some exceptionally bright children and we acknowledge the importance of challenging them further to deepen their understanding across the curriculum. Children cannot aspire to things they have never encountered, so we work to broaden our children’s horizons, expanding their knowledge and experience of a range of subjects. We aim to nurture their interests and challenge their engagement in all areas of the curriculum, giving them the confidence to be inquiring and curious.
Creativity: In our school, learning is exciting and meaningful through the provision of our richly creative and engaging curriculum. We believe that creativity is key in developing well rounded pupils who can imagine, enquire and become increasingly innovative, inventive and resourceful. Developing creative thinking skills helps all children to become lifelong learners. We give children opportunities to seek out new experiences and experiment with new ideas, encouraging them to ask questions and investigate to develop their imagination, critical thinking and problem solving skills.
Community: We are a welcoming and inclusive school. We want our children to be happy, honest, kind and tolerant. We believe in the power of our school community to change and enhance lives. Our aim is to develop an awareness of place in the community and build strong community partnerships to foster a sense of pride in belonging to our school and an understanding of the wider community. We provide a safe, caring and happy environment from which children can explore the world beyond their doorstep. We believe we have a duty to help our children develop an awareness of their responsibility towards the environment and the natural world. We provide opportunities for them to experience its richness and diversity and show they care about its management and sustainability.