KS1 & KS2 Curriculum Intent and Organisation
At Viewley Hill Academy, our curriculum aims to inspire our children; to harness their natural curiosity and to use their own questions to drive learning which aims to expand their horizons.
Wider curriculum learning derives from key questions which prompt research and encourage children to consider the world around them. Communication is key in driving children’s progress and we promote discussion in the learning process. This helps to build confidence in Speaking and Listening through the development and accurate use of new vocabulary throughout the curriculum. Children arrive in school with very low levels of communication, so it is
imperative that we instil a sense of self-worth and esteem by providing the language skills they need to be productive citizens. The vocabulary within our curriculum gives children some of the tools they need to understand the world around them and to make themselves understood within it. We harness their wonder about the wider world and how it works through immersive, engaging learning in Science, Maths and technology which enables our pupils to embed
and contextualise their learning. Learners are encouraged to utilise their expanding vocabulary and increasingly sophisticated knowledge across the curriculum, making meaningful links between subjects, culminating in work which showcases their learning.
Alongside this, we believe that the development of reading is fundamental. At Viewley Hill Academy, early reading and phonics support children in becoming readers and they develop their skills in fluency and comprehension with bespoke Guided Reading and Whole Class Reading lessons. We encourage a love of reading and books through the use of key, high-quality texts to support and enhance learning throughout the curriculum.
Viewley Hill Academy serves an area of deprivation in Middlesbrough, characterised by poverty of aspiration. Therefore, facilitating experiences which provide stimulating starting points and enhance the pupils’ cultural capital are significant in our curriculum design.
For the pupils of the Academy, resilience in learning is a crucial skill they must develop. Through carefully planned sequences of learning, pupils learn how to reflect on, improve and refine their own work and also to identify and overcome challenges. We promote individual success and we celebrate the pupils’ successes with them. Our curriculum progression enables pupils to build on prior learning and develop and improve their competence. We understand that regular review supports sustained improvement. Therefore, lessons follow a clear structure which activates prior knowledge, builds new understanding and reviews new learning through quiz questions to help children remember their learning and apply their learning to do more.
Units of work have fixed outcomes, against which children’s understanding is measured regularly. In this way, children themselves can recognise the incremental steps which build to make them stronger learners. Success is celebrated in individual work and reflected in school displays. Children are reminded of their successes to embed confidence, build self-esteem and motivate further enquiry.
