Curriculum summary: Evenlode.

‘Being our best, for ourselves and for each other’

Evenlode ‘Hook and Book’ approach.

Having used research and experience to construct and continually refine our curriculum, we understand that children learn best when connections are made across the experiences they have. We also understand that we need to build in these links in a systematic and structural way.  

• ‘Material sits in the long term memory when it has been chunked or sorted into meaningful schemata or concepts’: Mary Myatt. 
• ‘The very bones of our curriculum across the years and across subjects need to link up in a highly well thought out way’: Clare Sealy.

Using this approach, we have thought carefully about key concepts and how learning is connected – through concepts developed over time through Areas of Learning and Experience. We have looked carefully at the requirements of the Curriculum for Wales and have used the Principles of Progression and What Matters Statements to inform the key concepts that we want children to explore across the Six Areas of Learning.

We have also considered the links across learning within a specific period of time (half term/ termly) through connecting the learning through our ‘hooks’.We have an overarching ‘hook’ for the children’s learning over a half term/ term which provides the context for all learning.  We also have a novel/ series of linked texts. The novel is the ‘pivot’ which links Areas of Learning and Experience together.  We are now developing our Big Questions, which enable children to have a framework to explore their own ideas aswell as the learning opportunities that are designed for the term/half term.

Literacy, Numeracy and Digital Competence skills are threaded through the design of the curriculum. The mandatory curriculum elements (Religion, values and ethics, Relationships and sexuality education (RSE),Welsh, English) are included in our curriculum design.

Our next steps are to ensure our curriculum is  developing our ‘Cynefin’ approach further: ensuring our canon of texts is rich in Welsh heritage and inclusive of all within our community. We will also be adopting the ‘Philosophy for Children’ approach  to embed ‘caring, collaborative, creative and critical thinkers’.

How are we fulfilling the Four Purposes?

The new Curriculum for Wales has been developed to fulfil four key purposes. It aims to produce children who are, or will become:

• Ambitious, capable learners
• Healthy, confident individuals
• Enterprising, creative contributors
• Ethical, informed citizens

At Evenlode, these four key purposes are threaded through children’s experiences by our values, which have been developed from the four purposes and decided by our community.

• As ethical informed citizens, we are respectful and compassionate
• As enterprising, creative contributors, we are determined and able to think ‘outside the box’
• As ambitious, capable learners, we are resilient and inquisitive
• As healthy and confident individuals, we are positive, kind and happy

We focus on our values through our assemblies and celebrations. Our next step is for our community to plan our ‘Evenlode 30’ : our children’s entitlement to 30 different experiences throughout their time at Evenlode which are matched to our values.

How do our aims and approaches of  curriculum ‘fit’ together?

How have we engaged our community in our curriculum?

All members of our community have been involved in the development of our vision and values, through meetings, discussions and surveys. Children in our Pupil Parliament have determined how values are expressed. Parents have been involved with surveys on vision, values and curriculum following presentations from leaders. Practitioners have developed curriculum through active research, co-construction and working with other colleagues in different settings and contexts through our local collaborative networks, our peer partnership network with colleagues in different localities and national links through our Erasmus partnerships. Governors are involved through professional discussions, meetings and pupil voice.

How are we ensuring learning progression and effective use of assessment?

Learning progression is mapped through our use of ‘milestones’. We use milestones to give more detail (skills and knowledge)  about the learning that will be covered across all Areas of Learning and Experience. Milestones are applied across a range of experiences in the two year cycle  to embed, deepen and develop learning. Milestones have been mapped against progression steps. This means that learning experiences are progressive and build on previous skills and knowledge.

Assessment is part of teaching and learning and teachers use a range of methods , including live marking, to assess children’s understanding, skills and application of knowledge and to ensure children are making the strong individual progress. Over time, we collate a range of assessment information to inform next steps for individuals, groups, classes and cohorts.

How is our curriculum kept under review?

We understand that curriculum design is never ‘complete’. Curriculum design and impact is reviewed regularly through a range of mechanisms. School self review has a focus on the impact of curriculum and we use professional discussions, pupil progress meetings, learning walks, book looks and pupil voice to evaluate and refine our curriculum. Areas of Learning and Experience are evaluated through AOLE teams and action plans and AOLE leaders and teams report termly to Governors.