Curriculum Intent

At Bank End Primary Academy, the curriculum is specifically tailored to meet the needs of all our children. We aim to offer our children the best educational experience possible in order to prepare them fully for the lives they are going to lead. All young people are individuals and our curriculum recognises that; we want our curriculum to be exciting, interesting, innovative and engaging so that children are curious, inspired and enjoy learning.

We believe that the curriculum we offer should fire children’s imaginations and be challenging, yet enable all children to feel success, no matter what their ability or interests. It should promote a self-belief and confidence in children which will enable them to reach their full potential.

Our curriculum extends beyond the formal requirements of the National Curriculum as we recognise that this is only part of what children require. Of paramount importance within our curriculum are the values, skills and abilities we feel our children will require to take their place in the world; these will enable our children to be compassionate and driven leaders of the future.

Our curriculum is designed to provide a rich and varied programme of activities and learning experiences to meet the needs, interests and aspirations of all learners, within and beyond the school day.

It is underpinned by a clear whole school vision within our mission statement and set of curriculum drivers. These characteristics define our curriculum and support the work we do. Our drivers are areas that we value as a school; they give focus to learning opportunities and are embedded throughout teaching and learning, developing the child as a whole.

Bank End Primary Academy curriculum drivers are based on our school’s six core values of:

• Creativity
• Enthusiasm
• Ambition
• Confidence
• Respect
• Determination

The core values are at the heart of all we do and are interwoven into all learning opportunities along with a strong emphasis on teamwork and cooperation.

We believe first in identifying the children’s needs; this is done by careful and thorough gap analysis at the end of each half term using children’s books and assessments. The gaps identified then feed directly into all future planned learning, and become a tool that is used to measure progress and performance.

Once the children’s needs have been established, teachers then create appropriate, imaginative and engaging learning opportunities to meet those needs.

Active learning is encouraged though exploration, enquiry, investigation and structured play using firsthand experiences wherever possible.

We provide children with a range of opportunities to develop, use and refine key knowledge. They will practice and apply their understanding and skills regularly in different contexts. We believe that it is important that children have a strong awareness of their local community, their locality, and where they fit in the world. We believe that successful learning depends on a positive partnership between home school and the wider community. We regularly raise money for local and national charities during the school year which gives children a sense of responsibility and moral purpose.

Each week, children learn about the achievements and life stories of inspirational people from Britain and the wider world. This gives them the opportunity to see what is possible, and learn that with hard work and determination, their dreams can be realised. Our list of celebrities is carefully chosen to represent a variety of roles in life and deliberately includes people from the local area as well.

Rosenshine Principles

We are committed to equality of opportunity and believe that every child deserves the best possible education. We incorporate the Rosenshine Principles into every lesson ensuring that learning is reviewed daily. Modelling and scaffolding for understanding and assessment is integral to teaching and learning.

We ensure that new materials are taught in small chunks, and there are opportunities to practice and master skills through retrieval practice.

Knowledge organisers, which clearly outline new and prior learning, are introduced to children at the start of a new topic.

Extra-Curricular Activities

Bank End Primary Academy has a wide variety of extra-curricular activities involving children from across the school. School makes a conscious effort to monitor attendance at these activities in order to ensure that children develop drive and persistence. Due to current guidelines and restrictions regarding Covid-19 these activities are significantly reduced at present.

We ensure that all our children are active participants in their learning. Children are taught that they will face barriers and challenges, but it is how they respond to these challenges that will build their character further, and help them achieve their goals.

Resilience is a large part of our everyday learning; we expect children to make mistakes and encourage them to use these as the next step of their journey.

This is further emphasised by termly learner conversations. These are dedicated 1-1 sessions where learning and targets are set between the child and their teacher with a clear focus on children’s skills, and what they need to do to improve.

We are committed to setting regular home learning appropriate to the age, needs and experiences of the child. Home learning is important at all stages in a child’s education and, when used properly, it extends the challenge for the pupil ensuring that teaching time is used to maximum effect.

The aims of Home Learning are to:

• support children’s learning opportunities via reinforcement and revision, particularly in Maths, Writing and Reading, Spelling and Grammar;
• provide opportunities for parents, pupils and teachers to work in partnership;
• share with parents the expectations school has regarding their child;
• provide opportunities for parents and pupils to work together to enjoy learning
• encourage the development of positive attitudes towards learning among children.