Our "School Curriculum" comprises of the statutory elements of the National Curriculum?together with all other events, activities and visits that we organise to support the children’s learning in the areas that we refer to as our “Key Drivers”. These are areas of development and learning that we consider vital in helping our pupils to become responsible and well-rounded citizens of the 21st century. After much discussion, deliberation and consultation with staff, pupils, parents/carers we decided that our three Key Drivers would be The Arts, Knowledge and Understanding of the World and Personal Well-Being. Therefore, in addition to the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum, we plan learning opportunities to ensure our pupils develop skills, knowledge and understanding in these important areas.
Our Beech Green Curriculum is currently undergoing a period of very exciting change. In September 2019, we launched the first of our topics in a 2-year cycle, “Another Place and Time.” Each year group’s planning centres around a key question which the children will explore in the following weeks, and will encompass many different areas of the curriculum. Through this enquiry–led approach, we hope that our children will develop enquiring minds, a curiosity for the world around them now and the world that has gone before them, and a thirst for knowledge. We aim to provide challenge for all of our children, helping them to acquire and to retain key knowledge, which they will need throughout their lives. Our philosophy is that we teach the children less, but teach it well. We are currently developing the Key Concepts for our curriculum one subject area at a time, to ensure that they are properly embedded across the school.
In addition to providing our children with the knowledge they need, we also feel it is vital for everyone to have access to a wide range of experiences, from going on a bus to playing in a park, visiting local landmarks like Gloucester Docks and the Cathedral and going to the theatre. We want to develop the Cultural Capital of all of the children in our school by providing them with a curriculum that teaches them about local history and geography, as well as engaging and inspiring them.
Through careful monitoring of standards, we aim to ensure that all our children leave Beech Green School with a secure knowledge of our curriculum, to ensure that they are prepared for the next stage of their education and for life in modern Britain. Regular low stakes quizzes help us to understand what gaps our children have in their knowledge, and enable us to recap on what has been taught previously when needed.
If you would like to find out more information about our curriculum, please don't hesitate to contact me at school.
Mrs Poulson
Headteacher