Lydden Primary School Curriculum

Our dynamic curriculum combined with high quality teaching ensures that children are supported to be well- rounded, empathetic young people who are keen to learn and build on what they have achieved. Our school values mean that children develop a strong sense of moral purpose and a respect for and understanding of people.

The curriculum includes all the planned activities that promote learning and personal growth and development. It includes the requirements of the National Curriculum, but extends more broadly to include the ‘hidden curriculum’, or what children learn from the culture and ethos of our school – the way they are treated and expected to behave. We provide opportunities for children to voice their ideas and explore their own interests through taking responsibilities, involvement in wider aspect of school life as well as in making decisions about their learning in the classroom.

The purpose of our curriculum is to ensure a well-rounded education, one which ensures that children gain knowledge, understand the purpose of their learning, why it is relevant and how it may be useful to them. This understanding transforms the ‘doing’ or completion of tasks as isolated activities, which are quickly forgotten, in to learning which connects thinking and ideas, which becomes deeper and which is useful to the child now and for building future learning.

At Lydden Primary School we believe that all children are entitled to a broad and balanced curriculum which is interesting, engaging and provides a range of learning opportunities. Our curriculum is designed to enable children to see the purpose of their learning as it is set in a genuine context; they know the relevance of what they are learning and why it is important.

We use a curriculum resource to help us ensure we develop our topics which meet the needs of our children and the expectations of the national curriculum.

What is the Cornerstones?

Cornerstones  is a creative and thematic approach to learning that is mapped to the 2014 primary national curriculum to ensure comprehensive coverage of national expectations. It is based on a  child-centred pedagogy called The Four Cornerstones and is delivered through Imaginative Learning Projects (ILPs) which provide a rich menu of exciting and motivating learning activities that make creative links between all aspects of children’s learning.

We believe children learn better when they are encouraged to use their imagination and apply their learning to engaging contexts. Our curriculum provides many learning challenges throughout the academic year that require children to solve problems, apply themselves creatively and express their knowledge and understanding effectively.

         Engage   

• Hook learners in with a memorable experience.
• Set the scene and provide the context for learning.
• Ask questions to find out children's interests.
• Spark children's curiosity using interesting starting points.

           Develop

• Teach facts and information for deeper understanding and knowledge.
• Demonstrate new skills and allow time for consolidation.
• Provide creative opportunities for making and doing.
• Deliver reading, writing and talking across the curriculum.

      Innovate

• Provide imaginative scenarios that encourage creative thinking.
• Enable children to apply previously learned skills.
• Encourage enterprise and independent thinking.
• Provide opportunities for collaborative working and problem solving.

     Reflect

• Provide environments for reflective talk.
• Create opportunities for shared evaluation.
• Celebrate and share children's success.
• Identify next steps for learning.