At the Doveshell Federation we provide a broad and balanced curriculum which supports our children to develop a life-long love of learning. We ensure that our children receive an education which develops the skills they need for each stage of their learning in our schools and beyond.
Our Curriculum:
- Enable pupils to develop knowledge, understand concepts and acquire skills, and be able to choose and apply these in relevant situations
- Support pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development
- Support pupils’ physical development and responsibility for their own health, and enable them to be active
- Promote a positive attitude towards learning
- Ensure equal access to learning for all pupils, with high expectations for every pupil and appropriate levels of challenge and support
- Have a high academic ambition for all pupils
- Equip pupils with the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life
- Promote the learning and development of our youngest children and ensure they are ready for Key Stage 1
What Does Our Curriculum Look Like?
Our foundation subject curriculum is built around the principle of greater learner involvement in their work. It requires deep thinking and encourages learners to enquire and research, using a question as the starting point.
- In designing the curriculum which is made of three termly topics per year group, teachers use a prime learning challenge, expressed as a question, as the starting point. Using the information gained from the school’s context along with our knowledge progression document a series of subsidiary challenges are then planned. Each subsidiary learning challenge is also expressed as a question.
- Weekly Philosophy for Children enquiries take place. These support the facilitation of our PSHE curriculum with the first half of each term devoted to this programme of study. Enquiries during the second half of each term will be based on current affairs with the stimulus taken from CBBC Newsround. This is aligned to our current Curriculum intent – our pupils need increased general knowledge and awareness of current affairs.
- In addition, there is an expectation that teachers apply English, Mathematics, Science and digital literacy skills where it is appropriate to do so.
The three termly topics ensure coverage of:
- Geography (45 minutes per week)
- History ( 45 minutes per week)
- Art is focussed in a 14 hour block across one week of each term. An artist in residence supports the facilitation of this.
- Design and Technology is focussed in a 14 hour block across one week of each term. This is planned to ensure that process and skills of designing, making and evaluating are experienced.