National Curriculum

The national curriculum was introduced to schools in September 2014 and the framework sets the programmes of study for key stages 1 and 2 for all the national curriculum subjects that are taught at these key stages.

Pupils of compulsory school age in state schools must follow the national curriculum. The Academy follows the national curriculum and subjects are taught through ‘experiences’ to offer children real life opportunities to consolidate their learning.

The aims of each curriculum area, as set out in the National Curriculum framework are as follows:

Science:

Develops scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics.
Develops understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science through different types of science enquiries that help them to answer scientific questions about the world around them.
Ensures pupils are equipped with the scientific knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future.

Art and Design:

Pupils produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences.
Pupils will become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques.
Pupils will evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art, craft and design.
Pupils will know about great artists, craft makers, designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms.

Computing:

Pupils can understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of computer science, including abstraction, logic, algorithms and data representation.
Pupils can analyse problems in computational terms, and have repeated practical experience of writing computer programs in order to solve such problems.
Pupils can evaluate and apply information technology, including new or unfamiliar technologies, analytically to solve problems.
Pupils are responsible, competent, confident and creative users of information and communication technology.

Design and Technology:

Develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world.
Build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users.
To critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and work of others.
To understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook.

Geography:

To develop contextual knowledge of the location of globally significant places - both terrestrial and marine - including their defining physical and human characteristics and how these provide a geographical context for understanding the actions of processes.
To understand the processes that give rise to key physical and human geographical features of the world, how these are interdependent and how they bring about spatial variation and change over time.
Are competent in the geographical skills needed to collect, analyse and communicate with a range of data gathered through experiences of fieldwork that deepen their understanding of geographical processes.
Competent in interpreting a range of sources of geographical information, including maps, diagrams, globes, aerial photographs and Geographical Information Systems.
Be able to communicate geographical information in a variety of ways, including through maps, numerical and quantitative skills and writing at length.

History:

To know and understand the history of these islands as a coherent, chronological narrative, from the earliest times to the present day: how people’s lives have shaped this nation and how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world.
To know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations; the expansion and dissolution of empires; characteristic features of past non-European societies; achievements and follies of mankind.
To gain and deploy a historically grounded understanding of abstract terms such as ‘empire’, ‘civilisation’, ‘parliament’ and ‘peasantry’.
To understand historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance, and use them to make connections, draw contrasts, analyse trends, frame historically-valid questions and create their own structured accounts, including written narratives and analyses.
To understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims, and discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed.
To gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts, understanding the connections between local, regional, national and international history; between cultural, economic, military, political, religious, and social history; and between short- and long-term timescales.

Languages:

To understand and respond to spoken and written language from a variety of authentic sources.
To speak with increasing confidence, fluency and spontaneity, finding ways of communicating what they want to say, including through discussion and asking questions, and continually improving the accuracy of their pronunciation and intonation.
To write at varying length, for different purposes and audiences, using the variety of grammatical structures that they have learnt.
To discover and develop an appreciation of a range of writing in the language studied.

Music:

To perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians.
Learn to sing and use their voices, to create and compose music on their own and with others, have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, use technology appropriately and have the opportunity to progress to the next level of musical excellence.
To understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the inter-related dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations.

Physical Education:

To develop competence to excel in a broad range of physical activities.
Pupils are physically active for sustained periods of time.
Pupils engage in competitive sports and activities.
Pupils lead healthy, active lives.

Curriculum Maps

Our curriculum maps show how we have organised the curriculum within each class. These will give you some information about what your child is learning in each term.