Curriculum Overview
At Horsenden Primary School, learning is exciting! We have carefully crafted a bespoke curriculum that celebrates our wider school community whilst also challenging our pupils to learn about new places and the world around them in engaging ways.
Our curriculum uses an oracy approach; using dialogic teaching and talk strategies throughout all subjects to empower pupils to discuss concepts, knowledge, their ideas and opinions in thoughtful, reflective ways. The curriculum is thematic where possible and this allows pupils to make links across subjects and develop a greater depth of understanding. Pupils do this whilst still developing subject-specific knowledge and skills.
Key vocabulary is carefully selected and explicitly taught for all subjects. The thematic approach encourages this vocabulary to be revisited over time and across lessons from different subjects, and this allows new language to become absorbed, embedded and comprehended.
Where possible, we deliver the curriculum through an experiential learning model. This allows pupils to have first-hand experiences that allow them to reflect on their learning, think critically about it and put it into practice. This also allows pupils to commit their leaning to long term memory, as their memorable experiences allow them to process and recall learning more effectively.
Alongside and throughout the curriculum, our school's Personal Development provision builds pupils' cultural capital, establishing the essential knowledge and experiences that pupils need to become educated, forward-thinking and empowered global citizens.
At the heart of our curriculum provision are three golden threads, which intertwine to enable our wider school vision:
- Social action and the environment
- Communication and identity
- Empowerment through leadership
A clear sequence and a progression of skills and concepts from Early Years through to Year 6 ensures that our curriculum is effectively built upon year after year. This results in Year 6 pupils who are confident to move onto their next stage of education with a thorough understanding of each subject discipline and the skills needed to succeed, and a sound grasp of the links and connections between them.
An overview of the Humanities units for each year group can be viewed below, as this forms the heart of the thematic curriculum. For more details on the specific learning covered within each subject, please visit the subject-specific curriculum pages under the 'Learning' tab above. On these pages you will find the whole school curriculum map for each subject, a progression of skills and additional information such as curriculum in action pages, or how we extend that curriculum area. Please ensure you also visit our Curriculum Enrichment page which highlights our creative curriculum days.
If you would like to find out more about our curriculum please email Miss Thompson or Mr Reid at admin@horsenden.ealing.sch.uk