Alkborough School’s Statement of intent

Our aim is to provide our children with an exciting and engaging curriculum that prepares them academically, physically and mentally for learning and life today and for their future in modern Britain.

Alkborough Primary School is a small, rural school with an evolving curriculum that responds to the academic and emotional needs of our pupils. Our curriculum is planned over a two year rolling programme and has been designed taking into account the existing knowledge, skills and understanding of pupils and as set out in the National Curriculum; it focuses on developing individual and collaborative learning experiences, a positive growth mind-set and responds to the needs of our learners and their interests.    

Every child at Alkborough School is recognised as a special and unique individual and we celebrate and welcome differences and diversity. For those children who have individual needs, we recognise the importance of identifying their needs at an early stage. As a result of this, the staff and SENDCO are able to work with parents, pupils and other outside agencies to provide an individualised and differentiated curriculum and relevant support, where appropriate.

We offer a highly inclusive environment where all learners enjoy their learning experiences. The ability to learn and achieve their very best is underpinned by the teaching of basic skills, knowledge, concepts and values with a vision to prepare pupils for life beyond Alkborough Primary school. 

Being a small village school, our curriculum is designed to raise awareness, knowledge and understanding of our local area  and, importantly, is also outward looking in order to develop an understanding of both the national and global picture.  In this way, we are teaching children to engage in learning about themselves and have an understanding about their local area and the wider world in which they belong.

As a small school, we promote and consider all of our school community as belonging to our ‘Alkborough School family’, where all staff provide a caring and nurturing environment that ensures that pupils feel a sense of belonging, a sense of pride and a sense of feeling valued. Staff know all of our children and their families well, and as a result of this we are able to work very closely together to ensure that the needs of our children are met, including those children who have individual academic and/or emotional needs.

Our curriculum, at age appropriate levels,  promotes the opportunity for pupils to feel and develop ownership and involvement of their own learning and progress. Regardless of ability or starting points, our curriculum aims for pupils to be challenged in their learning and to be good role models amongst their peers, as well as to other pupils in school.

The Curriculum at Alkborough Primary School is a curriculum that considers:

• what pupils’ starting points are and recognises and builds on children’s prior learning
• provides exciting first hand learning experiences
• allows the children to develop interpersonal and social skills
• develops creative and questioning learner
• provides pupils with the opportunities to increase their self-esteem, motivation and aspirations.
• how we are going to make and measure our own progress
• who we are and how we live and where we fit into the wider world
• self-identity and well-being
• resilience
• celebration of differences
• relationship skills
• listening skills, empathy and teamwork
• a creative curriculum which is meaningful and encourages curiosity and imagination

We believe that our children need to have a positive and self-motivated attitude, believe in themselves and their individual capabilities, display resilience, develop life skills and knowledge to be an effective learner and be prepared for their next stage in learning. 

The school follows the National Curriculum, is broad and balanced, ambitious and designed to give all learners, particularly the most disadvantaged and those with special educational needs, the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life.

The school’s curriculum is coherently planned and sequenced towards cumulatively sufficient knowledge and skills for future learning. The school provides many enrichment opportunities for pupils, which in turn engage, interest and motivate them in their learning, as well as developing their life skills, confidence and resilience. 

As a small rural school, our curriculum particularly aims to engage pupils and provide experiences for our children that they would not otherwise get to experience.

Our curriculum also makes use of the local area for learning experiences, as well as engaging pupils learning and broadening their real life experiences through the effective use of:

• the school’s own outdoor learning spaces, such as the EYFS outdoor area and the school garden and field
• trips
• visitors
• themed days
• enrichment opportunities

The school’s curriculum is planned effectively to support positive teaching & learning opportunities for pupils’ personal development, welfare, behaviour and safeguarding. We believe that all learning should be relevant to our pupils, fun and exciting and should inspire questions, provoke conversations and develop enquiring minds.  There should be no limits to curiosity and a thirst and desire for new experiences and knowledge.  

At Alkborough Primary School we promote physical health and wellbeing through a variety of initiatives and embedded practices including enrichment days, Sports Ambassadors, Anti-Bullying Ambassadors, themed days, Big Talk, Cycling Proficiency, 1st aid training, active playtimes and the use of the school garden.  

Community involvement is an integral part of our curriculum.  We welcome family members, visitors and the local community to support the learning of new skills, such as listening to readers, supporting outdoor learning in the school garden and being involved in school trips or events held in school.  We enjoy sharing our pupil’s achievements and learning through events such as assemblies and on class Dojo.  We also actively support community events through the involvement of the display of our artwork and handwriting at a local event, support local and national fundraising events  and celebrate the creativity of our pupils.

Children leave Alkborough Primary School with a sense of pride in belonging to the local community, with the skills to prepare them for their next stage in learning and with the self-confidence and life skills to make well informed decisions, be reflective, make relationships and become lifelong learners.