Curriculum

National Curriculum Purpose of study

Art, craft and design embody some of the highest forms of human creativity. A high-quality art and design education should engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design.

As pupils progress, they should be able to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of art and design. They should also know how art and design both reflect and shape history, and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of the nation.

National Curriculum - Aims

The national curriculum for art and design aims to ensure that all pupils: 

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

Willow Grove's Art Curriculum Intent Statement

The teaching of Art at Willow Grove focuses on a combination of art appreciation, knowledge about different artists’ and designers’ work and the development of key skills in artistic design. 

Sketchbooks are used in KS1 and KS2 to support the exploration and refinement of ideas in order to produce high quality art work across the school. Artist studies have been chosen for each year group to ensure that a range of styles and periods are considered. Pupils do not just learn facts about the life of the artist – they explore their artwork and style, creating their own work inspired by the study. Pupils experience working with a range of media, including pencil, pastel, poster paint, acrylic, watercolour, collage and clay. 

A clear progression document in Art details how children’s work becomes more refined and sophisticated as they move through the school and clear modelling by the teacher helps our students to master the required skills in Art. Teachers break down complex pieces in to a series of smaller steps, meaning that all children can produce work, which they are proud of. Children are encouraged to evaluate their own work as well as offering critiques of the artists’ work that they are studying. 

Involvement in initiatives, such as the Artsmark Award, Arts Awards and the Royal Opera House National Schools’ Programme supports pupils’ learning and helps to ensure that staff have the continued professional development needed to deliver high quality Art and Design lessons; children have access to visits from real artists and designers to support their learning further. The school’s annual participation in the Take One Picture Project, run by the National Gallery, gives children the opportunity to broaden their cultural capital further. Willow Grove is a member of Access Art, which is a subject association for Art.

National Curriculum Purpose of Study

A high-quality computing education equips pupils to use computational thinking and creativity to understand and change the world. Computing has deep links with mathematics, science and design and technology, and provides insights into both natural and artificial systems. 

The core of computing is computer science, in which pupils are taught the principles of information and computation, how digital systems work and how to put this knowledge to use through programming. Building on this knowledge and understanding, pupils are equipped to use information technology to create programs, systems and a range of content. 

Computing also ensures that pupils become digitally literate – able to use, and express themselves and develop their ideas through, information and communication technology – at a level suitable for the future workplace and as active participants in a digital world.

National Curriculum Aims

The national curriculum for computing aims to ensure that all pupils:

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

Willow Grove's Computing Curriculum Intent Statement

Willow Grove Primary School wants pupils to experience high quality teaching that equips them with computational thinking and problem-solving skills that helps them understand and approach a variety of contexts with confidence. The aim is for the children to understand how digital systems work, how to use a variety of hardware and software. In addition, the school aims to use these with purpose, including creating media, data handling and programming and for the children to become digitally literate, expressive, confident and creative users of technology.  

Computing at Willow Grove is sequenced to ensure that children have a range of skills and knowledge every year; including creating media, computer systems and networks, programming and data handling. The school has adopted the National Centre for Computing Education’s (NCCE) planning; a scheme of work that has been created by the NCCE, which is funded by the Department of Education and has been reviewed and praised for its skills and progression. The aim is to teach and equip the pupils with skills using a variety of different tools, so that they have the confidence to choose their own tools to complete a given task by the end of KS2. The progression document breaks down this progression from Year 1 to Year 6 clearly, giving clarity to the expectations at Willow Grove.  

Teachers will decompose (break down) programming steps alongside the children, but will also allow pupils to decompose and debug algorithms themselves, which in turn will develop their resilience and systematic thinking. Sharing documents, ideas and learning through group projects encourages discussion and creative thinking, reinforcing key concepts and vocabulary, whilst also allowing children to develop their communication and teamwork skills. Children are encouraged to reflect on each project and look for both successes and improvements, developing their critical thinking and evaluation skills.  

Pipils will be exposed to different pieces of hardware, including tablets, laptops, bee-bots and crumble controllers. They will be shown a variety of different software, which may include examples such as scratch jr, J2E, SeeSaw, and iMovie. Skills will be built on each year and will be secured by using them in different contexts and scenarios. Six unit types are taught each year to ensure skill progression and to ensure that there is a wide range of computing knowledge being taught. 

More information to follow.

National Curriculum Purpose of Study

Design and technology is an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject. Using creativity and imagination, pupils design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values. 

Pupils acquire a broad range of subject knowledge and draw on disciplines such as mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art. Pupils learn how to take risks, becoming resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens. 

Through the evaluation of past and present design and technology, they develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world. 

High-quality design and technology education makes an essential contribution to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of the nation.

National Curriculum Aims

The national curriculum for design and technology aims to ensure that all pupils:

• 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
• critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and the work of others
• understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook

Willow Grove's Design Technology Curriculum Intent Statement

Willow Grove wants pupils to be creative, innovative and inspired designers, who are not afraid to take risks and are confident to develop their understanding of progressive skills.

The school encourages the children to think creatively and become independent problem solvers within a range of contexts, so that they can develop their understanding of today's rapidly changing world. All Design and Technology projects include an element of design, making and evaluating products. The children will have a range of opportunities to design and make projects within structures, mechanisms, textiles, electronics and cooking.  

Willow Grove teachers will guide and support the children through the necessary stages of design, making and evaluating a product towards a result that they are proud of. A clear progression document shows how children’s work becomes more advanced as they move further up the school and builds upon the skills already learnt. Not only do the children learn practical skills, but they also learn the importance of aesthetic, social and environmental issues and industrial practices which enables them to evaluate the success of a product effectively. A balance of designer studies has also been incorporated into the Art and Design and Design and Technology curriculum to offer the children opportunities to see the real-life innovation that takes place in society. The school wants pupils to be inspired by the Design and Technology curriculum on offer to give them the confidence that one day they could be a designer of the future. 

More information to follow.

National Curriculum Purpose of Study

English has a pre-eminent place in education and in society. A high-quality education in English will teach pupils to speak and write fluently so that they can communicate their ideas and emotions to others, and through their reading and listening, others can communicate with them. Through reading in particular, pupils have a chance to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually. Literature, especially, plays a key role in such development. Reading also enables pupils both to acquire knowledge and to build on what they already know. All the skills of language are essential to participating fully as a member of society; pupils who do not learn to speak, read and write fluently and confidently are effectively disenfranchised.

National Curriculum Aims

The overarching aim for English in the national curriculum is to promote high standards of language and literacy by equipping pupils with a strong command of the spoken and written language, and to develop their love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment. The national curriculum for English aims to ensure that all pupils:

• read easily, fluently and with good understanding
• develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information
• acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language
• appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage
• write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences
• use discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas
• are competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate

Willow Grove's Reading Curriculum Intent Statement

More information to follow.

National Curriculum Purpose of Study

English has a pre-eminent place in education and in society. A high-quality education in English will teach pupils to speak and write fluently so that they can communicate their ideas and emotions to others, and through their reading and listening, others can communicate with them. Through reading in particular, pupils have a chance to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually. Literature, especially, plays a key role in such development. Reading also enables pupils both to acquire knowledge and to build on what they already know. All the skills of language are essential to participating fully as a member of society; pupils who do not learn to speak, read and write fluently and confidently are effectively disenfranchised.

National Curriculum Aims

The overarching aim for English in the national curriculum is to promote high standards of language and literacy by equipping pupils with a strong command of the spoken and written language, and to develop their love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment. The national curriculum for English aims to ensure that all pupils:

• read easily, fluently and with good understanding
• develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information
• acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language
• appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage
• write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences
• use discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas
• are competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate

Willow Grove's Writing Curriculum Intent Statement

More information to follow.

Willow Grove's EYFS Curriculum Intent

In line with Willow Grove school's motto ‘Be Creative. Be Authentic. Be Your Best.’, the principal curriculum driver is confidence that EVERY child has the opportunity to realise their full potential . This is coupled with putting relationships at the core of everything that is done. Children are nurtured in a safe inspirational environment that enables them to be curious and independent learners.

Curriculum Coverage

Reception children follow the ‘Statutory Framework for the Early Years and Foundation Stage’ using the key documents of Development Matters and Birth to Five to guide our broad and balanced curriculum. The skillful and experienced EYFS teaching team offer a creative curriculum that is underpinned by the three prime areas of learning: Communication and Language, Physical Development and Personal, Social and Emotional Development. These are then supplemented with teaching of the four specific areas of learning: literacy; mathematics; understanding of the world and expressive arts and design, as set out in the statutory framework.

Children at Willow Grove are taught to be independent and resilient learners, mistakes are necessary and children are confident to try new things and value the process. Time is given for the children to develop their learning through the environment and with well-planned resources that relate to the adult guided learning. This curiosity approach takes children outside and inside as they experiment with new ideas and develop their connections. Staff are immediately able to respond to each child’s emerging needs and interests, guiding their development through methods, such as discussion, modelling and direct and indirect teaching.

Communication is key and adults take pride in developing high quality interactions throughout the day. Diversity is cherished and time is taken to celebrate. The school recognises that children are unique and learn at different rates and in different styles.

National Curriculum Purpose of study

Learning a foreign language is a liberation from insularity and provides an opening to other cultures. A high-quality languages education should foster pupils’ curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world. 

The teaching should enable pupils to express their ideas and thoughts in another language and to understand and respond to its speakers, both in speech and in writing. It should also provide opportunities for them to communicate for practical purposes, learn new ways of thinking and read great literature in the original language. Language teaching should provide the foundation for learning further languages, equipping pupils to study and work in other countries.

National Curriculum Aims

The national curriculum for languages aims to ensure that all pupils:

• understand and respond to spoken and written language from a variety of authentic sources
• 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
• can write at varying length, for different purposes and audiences, using the variety of grammatical structures that they have learnt
• discover and develop an appreciation of a range of writing in the language studied.

Pupils should be taught to:

• listen attentively to spoken language and show understanding by joining in and responding
• explore the patterns and sounds of language through songs and rhymes and link the spelling, sound and meaning of words
• engage in conversations; ask and answer questions; express opinions and respond to those of others; seek clarification and help
• speak in sentences, using familiar vocabulary, phrases and basic language structures
• develop accurate pronunciation and intonation so that others understand when they are reading aloud or using familiar words and phrases
• present ideas and information orally to a range of audiences
• read carefully and show understanding of words, phrases and simple writing
• appreciate stories, songs, poems and rhymes in the language
• broaden their vocabulary and develop their ability to understand new words that are introduced into familiar written material, including through using a dictionary
• write phrases from memory, and adapt these to create new sentences, to express ideas clearly
• describe people, places, things and actions orally and in writing in KS2
• understand basic grammar appropriate to the language being studied, including (where relevant): feminine, masculine and neutral forms and the conjugation of high-frequency verbs; key features and patterns of the language; how to apply these, for instance, to build sentences; and how these differ from or are similar to English.

Willow Grove's Modern Foreign Languages Curriculum Intent Statement

Learning a foreign language increases a child’s understanding of their own language. The process of learning a foreign language reinforces fluency and understanding of grammar, syntax, sentence structure and verbal precision. It provides children with an opportunity to develop thought processes and communication skills that will build a foundation for becoming multi-lingual citizens. It promotes enjoyment, initiative, new ways of thinking, independent learning and encourages diversity within society. The aims and objectives of learning a modern foreign language at Willow Grove Primary School are to:

• Foster an interest in learning other languages
• Introduce young children to another language in a way that is enjoyable and fun
• Make young children aware that language has structure, and that the structure differs from one language to another
• Help children develop their awareness of cultural differences in other countries
• Develop their speaking and listening skills
• Provide children with the transferable skills to learn foreign languages in the future

Willow Grove believes that pupils learn more effectively if they are enjoying what they are doing. The teaching of French at Willow Grove Primary involves lots of interaction with visual, auditory and kinaesthetic prompts to support all styles of learning. The school use a variety of techniques to encourage the children to have an active engagement including games, role-play and songs (particularly action songs) and often uses mime to accompany new vocabulary in the foreign language, as this serves to demonstrate the foreign language, without the need for translation. Willow Grove emphasises listening and speaking skills over reading and writing skills and makes the lessons as entertaining and enjoyable as possible, as this approach serves to develop a positive attitude in the children to the learning of modern foreign languages. The school builds children’s confidence through constant praise for any contribution they make in the foreign language, however tentative.

Lessons are taught weekly across the whole of Key Stage 2, providing excellent modelling and correction, as well as continuity and overview of progression. During French lessons, children are given the opportunity to work as a class, as part of a group, in pairs and also as individuals. The choice of class organisation is determined by the learning task. Lessons generally follow the “present, practise, produce” model and allow pupils to develop skills in listening, speaking, reading, writing and grammar. In Upper Key Stage 2 more focus is given to reusing vocabulary taught in Lower Key Stage 2 in new contexts combined with grammar so that they can form their own sentences and questions with little support. 

Pupils in Key Stage 1 will be introduced to French language and culture through songs and rhymes, as well as taking part in ‘French Culture Days’ with KS2 pupils, where they will learn about aspects such as music, art and food. This introduction will prepare the younger pupils for the KS2 curriculum.

National Curriculum Purpose of study

A high-quality geography education should inspire in pupils a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. 

Teaching should equip pupils with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes. 

As pupils progress, their growing knowledge about the world should help them to deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes, and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments. 

Geographical knowledge, understanding and skills provide the framework and approaches that explain how the Earth’s features at different scales are shaped, interconnected and change over time.

National Curriculum Aims

The national curriculum for geography aims to ensure that all pupils:

• 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
• 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
• Interpret a range of sources of geographical information, including maps, diagrams, globes, aerial photographs and Geographical Information Systems (GIS)
• Communicate geographical information in a variety of ways, including through maps, numerical and quantitative skills and writing at length

Willow Grove's Geography Curriculum Intent Statement

Willow Grove wants pupils to become aware of the world, not only in terms of our location in the world, but also in what life is like in different countries through learning about a wide range of topics and using their imagination to investigate and delve into different parts of the world. The school wants pupils to inspire children to develop a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people. It's a time when children learn about their potential impact on the environment, the changes in landscapes, the different climate and also the changes in weather both across the globe and locally. As children progress through school and increase their geographical skills, their growing knowledge of the world will help them deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments. Throughout the school, both the physical and human features of geography are studied. Willow Grove strives to ensure that learning in lessons is inquiry based and promotes independence of learning. Children will explore the world around them through artefacts, maps and images and fieldwork studies. They will learn to describe places through the studying of the local area of Wixams/Bedford, the capital city of London, the continent of Europe, all the way to the depths of South and North America and even sub-continents in the Far East.

National Curriculum Purpose of Study

A high-quality history education will help pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. 

It should inspire pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past. Teaching should equip pupils to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement. 

History helps pupils to understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups, as well as their own identity and the challenges of their time.

National Curriculum Aims 

The national curriculum for history aims to ensure that all pupils:

• 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
• 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
• Gain and deploy a historically grounded understanding of abstract terms such as ‘empire’, ‘civilisation’, ‘parliament’ and ‘peasantry’
• 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
• 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
• 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-term and long-term timescales.

Willow Grove's History Curriculum Intent Statement

More information to follow.

National Curriculum Purpose of study

Mathematics is a creative and highly interconnected discipline that has been developed over centuries, providing the solution to some of history’s most intriguing problems. 

It is essential to everyday life, critical to science, technology and engineering, and necessary for financial literacy and most forms of employment. 

A high-quality mathematics education therefore provides a foundation for understanding the world, the ability to reason mathematically, an appreciation of the beauty and power of mathematics, and a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject.

National Curriculum Aims

The national curriculum for mathematics aims to ensure that all pupils:

• become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time, so that pupils develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately
• reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language
• can solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of routine and non-routine problems with increasing sophistication, including breaking down problems into a series of simpler steps and persevering in seeking solutions 

As mathematics is an interconnected subject in which pupils need to be able to move fluently between representations of mathematical ideas. The programmes of study are, by necessity, organised into apparently distinct domains, but pupils should make rich connections across mathematical ideas to develop fluency, mathematical reasoning and competence in solving increasingly sophisticated problems. 

They should also apply their mathematical knowledge to science and other subjects.

The expectation is that the majority of pupils will move through the programmes of study at broadly the same pace. However, decisions about when to progress should always be based on the security of pupils’ understanding and their readiness to progress to the next stage. Pupils who grasp concepts rapidly should be challenged through being offered rich and sophisticated problems before any acceleration through new content. Those who are not sufficiently fluent with earlier material should consolidate their understanding, including through additional practice, before moving on.

The national curriculum for mathematics reflects the importance of spoken language in pupils’ development across the whole curriculum – cognitively, socially and linguistically. The quality and variety of language that pupils hear and speak are key factors in developing their mathematical vocabulary and presenting a mathematical justification, argument or proof. They must be assisted in making their thinking clear to themselves as well as others, and teachers should ensure that pupils build secure foundations by using discussion to probe and remedy their misconceptions. 

Willow Grove's Mathematics Curriculum Intent Statement

More information to follow.

National Curriculum Purpose of study

Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. A high- quality music education should engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement. As pupils progress, they should develop a critical engagement with music, allowing them to compose, and to listen with discrimination to the best in the musical canon.

National Curriculum Aims

The national curriculum, for music, aims to ensure that all pupils: perform, listen to, appraise and compose music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions. Including the works of the great composers and musicians. Learn to sing and to use their voices, to create and compose music on their own and with others and have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument. Use technology appropriately and have the opportunity to progress to the next level of musical excellence. 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.

Willow Grove's Music Curriculum Intent Statement

The teaching of Music at Willow Grove focuses on a combination of music awareness and the development of key skills in artistic design. Music is a unique way of communicating that can inspire and motivate children. It is a vehicle for personal expression, and it can play an important part in their personal development. Music allows pupils to reflect and links closely with their spiritual development. Besides being a creative and enjoyable activity, music can also be a highly academic and demanding subject. Music reflects the culture and society we live in, and so the teaching and learning of music enables children to better understand the world they live in and develops curiosity for different cultures and ideas. It also plays an important part in helping children feel part of a community.

The school provides opportunities for all children to create; play; perform; develop skills; appreciate a wide variety of musical forms and to begin to make judgements about the quality of music. The Luton Music Service provides mastery experiences across the whole school, including experience of Music Technology, tuned and untuned percussion, djembe, ukuleles, keyboards and singing. Each year group will: play and perform; improvise and compose music; listen with attention to detail; recall sounds; use and understand other musical notation; appreciate and understand a wide range of live and recorded music and develop an understanding of the history of music.

Willow Grove's Outdoor Learning Curriculum Intent

At Willow Grove Primary School, outdoor learning provides the most memorable experiences and helps children to make sense of the world around them by putting their learning into a meaningful context. 

The school believes that every child should experience the world beyond the classroom as an essential part of learning and personal development.  

Willow Grove’s outdoor environment has massive potential for providing learning opportunities and pupils are extremely fortunate that the school is set in large grounds and surrounded by an environment rich in opportunities. The school will make full use of the local area, including the local lakes and countryside to enhance the educational provision.  

The outdoor environment offers motivating; exciting; different; relevant and easily accessible activities from Foundation Stage through to Year 6. Learning experiences are delivered through a combination of school-based outdoor learning, provided by a Forest School instructor and external visits.  

Learning outdoors is part of the school's wide range of practical approaches to developing skills and knowledge. Opportunities exist within and across all curriculum areas and help to develop personal and social skills, communication, problem solving, thinking skills and teamwork, as well as English, Mathematics and all other curriculum areas. 

These learning experiences are often remembered for a lifetime. Integrating learning and outdoor experiences, whether through play in the immediate grounds or adventures further afield, provides relevance and depth to the curriculum in ways that are difficult to achieve indoors. Learning outdoors can be enjoyable, creative, challenging and adventurous and helps children learn by experience and grow as confident and responsible citizens who value and appreciate the natural environment. 

National Curriculum Purpose of Study

A high-quality physical education curriculum inspires all pupils to succeed and excel in competitive sport and other physically demanding activities. It should provide opportunities for pupils to become physically confident in a way which supports their health and fitness. Opportunities to compete in sport and other activities build character and help to embed values such as fairness and respect.

National Curriculum Aims

The national curriculum for physical education aims to ensure that all pupils:

• Develop competence to excel in a broad range of physical activities
• Are physically active for sustained periods of time
• Develop cognitive and social skills
• Engage in competitive sports and activities
• Lead healthy and active lives

Willow Grove's Physical Education Curriculum Intent Statement

Willow Grove wants pupils to learn skills and knowledge for life that can then support them in their own pursuit of physical activity, sport and well-being. The P.E. curriculum aims to nurture and develop confident, resilient children who will strive for their personal best, learn skills that will impact their long-term memory, support well-being and develop a love of physical activity and sport.

The aim is to ensure that the school’s delivery of physical education allows all children to have the skills and mind-set to leave the primary with the capabilities to be successful in their sporting challenges and active lifestyles at secondary school and beyond. This is achieved through the clear progression that has been planned for in the P.E. curriculum and starts in EYFS with an emphasis on core skills and is then built upon throughout Key Stage 1 with increasing opportunities to use these skills in game situations. The Key Stage 2 curriculum enables pupils to progress and develop these skills further and deepen their understanding of key components, such as tactics, movement, teamwork, etc. A core component is the chance for pupils to constantly recap and revisit key skills to ensure progression and enabling students to know/remember/understand. The sequence ensures there is a broad and rich learning experience for all pupils. The school aids children in obtaining the values and skills to celebrate and respect the success of others, as well as modestly celebrating their own successes.

Planning has been developed to enable teachers to respond to and adapt tasks with clear differentiation to both support and challenge. Coherent planning and organisation are developed to aid and not add to teacher’s workload. Pupil’s experiences are further enriched through the opportunity to attend extra-curricular clubs and to represent the school in a variety of inter-school competitions and festivals. 

National Curriculum Purpose of Study

Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) is a school curriculum subject through which pupils develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to manage their lives, now and in the future. RSHE education helps pupils to stay healthy, safe and prepared for life – and work – in modern Britain. RSHE also helps pupils to achieve their academic potential. Pupils develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to thrive as individuals, family members and members of society. From making responsible decisions about alcohol to succeeding in their first job, RSHE education helps pupils to manage many of the most critical opportunities, challenges and responsibilities they will face growing up. 

At Willow Grove our Programme of Study provides an interleaving curriculum to develop knowledge, skills and attributes, where prior learning is revisited, reinforced and extended within the school year and in subsequent years. This is grounded in the established evidence base for effective practice in RSHE education, as well as research around embedding learning into long term memory. During our weekly RSHE lessons, the children have numerous opportunities to share their thoughts and opinions, present them in different ways, learn about others and develop the skills to help them become Middleton role models. 

National Curriculum Aims

RSHE education makes a significant contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development, their behaviour and safety and promoting pupils’ wellbeing. The aim for RSHE education is to provide pupils with:

• accurate, balanced and relevant knowledge
• opportunities to turn that knowledge into personal understanding
• opportunities to explore, clarify and if necessary challenge, their own and others’ values, attitudes, beliefs, rights and responsibilities
• the skills, language and strategies they need in order to live healthy, safe, fulfilling, responsible and balanced lives
• opportunities to develop positive personal attributes such as resilience, self-confidence, self-esteem, and empathy

Willow Grove's RSHE Curriculum Intent Statement

Willow Grove wants pupils to flourish into well-rounded citizens, emotionally prepared and able to deal with social, cultural, spiritual, physical and moral situations. 

The National Curriculum states that ‘all schools should make provision for personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE), drawing on good practice.’ According to the Education Act 2002 and the Academies Act 2010, the PSHE curriculum should be a balanced and broadly-based curriculum which ‘promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school and of society, and prepares pupils at the school for opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life.’ 

Willow Grove’s curriculum covers all the statutory 2020 guidance of Relationships and Sex Education, as well as supporting children on how to deal with social, cultural, spiritual, physical and moral issues. It is further underpinned by British values and includes special units relating to extremism and radicalisation, as well as substance related abuse, which are taught in an age-appropriate way.  

As pupils participate in a wide variety of activities ranging from: discussions/circle time; stories; videos; art; drama; visiting speakers; interactive games and organising events & social enterprise initiatives. They become aware of their skills and talents; develop their self-worth; learn to work as part of a team and take greater responsibility for their own learning, which enables them to make significant contributions to both life in school and within the wider community. Children cannot be withdrawn from these lessons. 

Sex education is not statutory in primary schools – an annual consultation for parents and stakeholders will take place to determine whether Willow Grove continues to teach this element within our school. 

National Curriculum Purpose of Study

In religious education (RE), pupils acquire and develop knowledge and understanding of Christianity and the principal religions represented in Britain. To fulfil this, pupils will be religiously educated and develop skills in RE relative to content.

The most significant religious tradition in Britain is Christianity. Christianity shapes Britain’s year, language and shared culture. It informs moral perspectives, and it is essential that pupils learn about and understand the place of Christianity within British culture and the impact that it has on the lives of individuals, communities and the nation. 

The principal religions in Britain, besides Christianity, have been regarded as Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism. Whilst the Jewish and Sikh communities nationally are very small they have played an important part in Britain for centuries.

Willow Grove's Religious Education Curriculum Intent Statement

Willow Grove Primary School teaches RE in line with the Bedford Agreed Syllabus.  

National Curriculum Purpose of Study

A high-quality science education provides the foundations for understanding the world through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics. 

Science has changed our lives and is vital to the world’s future prosperity, and all pupils should be taught essential aspects of the knowledge, methods, processes and uses of science. Through building up a body of key foundational knowledge and concepts, pupils should be encouraged to recognise the power of rational explanation and develop a sense of excitement and curiosity about natural phenomena. They should be encouraged to understand how science can be used to explain what is occurring, predict how things will behave, and analyse causes.

National Curriculum Aims

The national curriculum for science aims to ensure that all pupils:

• develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics
• develop 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
• are equipped with the scientific knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future

Willow Grove's Science Curriculum Intent Statement

Willow Grove wants pupils to develop a natural curiosity of the world around them and to develop their understanding through scientific enquiries.  

The teaching of Science at Willow Grove aims to support the inquisitive nature of pupils and to equip them with the scientific knowledge required to understand the world. The aim is to provide a high-quality curriculum that promotes the skills required for scientific enquiry in order to deepen children’s scientific knowledge. The scientific area of learning is concerned with increasing pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the world and with developing skills associated with science as a process of enquiry. Teaching develops the natural curiosity of the child, encourages respect for living organisms and the physical environment and provides opportunities for critical evaluation of evidence. Children acquire and develop the key knowledge that has been identified within each unit and across each year group, as well as the application of scientific skills. Engagement with the local environment ensures that children learn through varied and first-hand experiences of the world around them.

So much of science lends itself to outdoor learning, therefore the school provides children with opportunities to experience this. Through ‘hands on’ practical lessons children are encouraged to think about their own understanding of the world, to ask questions and to explore ways in which these questions can be answered through investigation. Children are taught how to make predictions; plan investigations; keep tests fair; use equipment safely; record results and draw conclusions. The school ensures that the ‘Working Scientifically’ skills are built-on and developed throughout the children’s time at the school, so that they can apply their knowledge of science when using equipment, conducting experiments and explaining concepts confidently.