Curriculum

At Park, we have designed our curriculum to:

• Meet the requirements of the National Curriculum and Early Years Framework

• Be rich in knowledge that is meaningfully connected to what children already know

• Build a strong understanding of big ideas such as leadership and power over their time at Park

• Develop empathetic citizens of now and the future, equipped and empowered to make a difference in an ever-changing world

All subject are taught as separate subjects at Park. Each subject is led by a subject leader who plans the knowledge and vocabulary that is taught in that subject from F1 through to Y6, so that your child’s knowledge builds year on year in a logical sequence. They carefully consider a progression of knowledge with key concepts returned to over and over again, allowing your child to consolidate their understanding and deepen it through exploring a new aspect of it. You can see examples of these on the subject webpages.

We priorities developing the core skills of reading, writing and maths, and dedicate time to embedding these skills that are essential for success. We are also passionate about the value of a humanities-rich curriculum that gives children a deep understanding and care for their world, inspiring them to be bothered about core issues and wanting to make a difference. For this reason, the subjects of history, geography, art and DT are taught in three 10-week themes. Each theme has a separate enquiry question and sequence of learning for each of these subjects, but the links between them help to build your child’s understanding and makes it easier to remember. Themes 1 to 3 are designed to meet the requirements of the National Curriculum.

Theme 4 then extends beyond the National Curriculum to the needs of children at Park here and now, aiming to develop empathetic citizens of now and the future, equipped and empowered to make a difference in an ever-changing world. We focus on current issues that we believe could make a lasting difference to make our world a better place. In 21/22 we learned about the environmental impact of plastics; in 22/23 diversity and the value and challenges faced by people with a range of protected characteristics. This year, we will learn about being a multicultural society, celebrating the richness and diversity this can bring.

To be sure that our curriculum is working for your child, we regularly check whether they have gained the knowledge set out in curriculum.  We plan up short activities within lessons to check what they have understood and remembered.  If a child or group show they’ve not mastered something, we will make adaptations for them within the lesson and change our planning for future lessons to address this and help them remember more. We also use theme 4 to return to ideas and fill any gaps in your child’s knowledge.

We make a summary judgements in all subjects to check whether children are making progress through out curriculum. We will communicate this with you in the end of year report and will give you regular opportunities to come into school to see what your child has learned and discuss this with their teacher. We also pass this onto your child’s next teacher so that planning can continue to be crafted to meet your child’s needs

We regularly check what children know and remember at Park, by looking at your child’s books, visiting their lessons and end of theme celebrations and most importantly by talking to your child. We use this to reflect on what has been taught, how it has been taught and make further improvements to our curriculum.