Our Core Curriculum Drivers
At Northbrook Primary Academy, our curriculum aims to embody our core curriculum drivers. These drivers are the elements that are central to our school vision and ethos. They help to drive and shape the curriculum and are incorporated across all subjects and themes.
Our Drivers are:
- Our HEART Values – Happiness, Empathy, Aspiration, Respect and Teamwork
- Literacy and Language – encouraging a wide vocabulary and sentence structure to help children learn to articulate their understanding of the world.
- Community and Cultural Diversity- We aim to make links with the wider school and local community to help children understand every subject’s importance and their place in the locality.
- Global Citizenship - by providing opportunities for our learning to be based in real-life contexts we engage the children’s curiosity and make them want to explore patterns; formulate ideas and create connections about the world.
To read about our curriculum drivers in more detail see below.
A Knowledge based approach
Our curriculum is designed in every subject to create a progression of small steps that helps the children acquire knowledge as they progress through their educational journey. This knowledge will enable them to know and remember more, giving them a solid understanding of the subject allowing them to be ready for the next phase of their education.
Children learn three key knowledge aspects in every subject
Substantive – Key facts, figures
Procedural – development of skills that help them present and apply their learning
Disciplinary – The knowledge they need to apply higher order concepts and build schemas of learning. Knowledge related to a specific subject as a means of enquiry e.g. Being a scientist
At Northbrook, our subject leaders carefully plan the CRITICAL CONTENT for each subject ensuring that it creates a clear progression of learning in children’s education through EYFS to Year 6. Each unit starts with a BIG question and the sequence of learning is broken down into a series of smaller questions that builds children’s knowledge towards the answer. Teachers then assess children’s knowledge and understanding of the subject to ensure children know, understand and remember more.
(Whole School overview/Medium term examples/Knowledge organisers?)
We also have mapped out the KEY VOCABULARY CONCEPTS in each unit that enrich the children’s understanding in each subject, supports their oracy development and, over time, allows them to form SCHEMA which deepens their learning.
(Whole School vocabulary documents links)
In our school, we know our children need to see a purpose to the knowledge they are learning and we want to enable every child to articulate their understanding of subjects, and see the value and place that knowledge holds in the global community.
Essential Enrichments
We believe that engagement and making learning relevant is key to ensuring our children retain the Knowledge and content of our curriculum in a meaningful way. Children don’t understand what they have never seen or experiences. We want our curriculum to truly come alive by providing well planned, sequenced experiences that enable children to truly EXPERIENCE their learning.
You can find out more about the delivery of each subject on our subject pages. If you would like to know more about our curriculum offer please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Morris (Assistant Headteacher - Key Stage 2 Leader) at school on enquiries@northbrookpa.org or by phoning the school on 01772 421599.
