Curriculum Statement

Learning Together Following Jesus

 
Christian values are the heartbeat of our school. Seeking to be respectful, responsible and empowering global citizens, we follow the words of St Paul, ‘Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart’ In this context, rejoicing in Jesus’ love and compassion for all, we pursue excellence as we celebrate everyone’s uniqueness in a broad, rich and balanced curriculum.
 

Curriculum Intent

At Adlington St Paul’s, we intend to motivate, inspire and engage learners with a bespoke curriculum designed to develop knowledge, skills and vocabulary that will equip our children for the future. Our school mission statement of ‘Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart’, and our Christian values and ethos are at the centre of our learning.
 

Our curriculum is ambitious in design and promotes high levels of achievement, as well as learners who are resilient and persevere. We believe that our children deserve to have wide ranging enrichment opportunities built into their curriculum in order for them to understand the visual, cultural, social, and environmental aspects of places in their local area and around the world. Furthermore, we want our children to understand the importance of investigation and how this has led to significant change in the world.

Curriculum Implementation

At Adlington St Paul’s, we proudly implement a topic based curriculum that meets the requirements of the National Curriculum. We have dedicated large amounts of staff meeting time to developing an exciting and engaging curriculum that matches the needs and interests of our pupils, plus the interests and subject specialisms of the adults in school, which we believe makes learning more purposeful.
 
Following the ‘Cornerstones’ model of ‘Engage, Develop, Innovate and Express’, practitioners begin every topic with a ‘hook’ lesson which is designed to inspire and engage every learner. This is followed by a series of lessons where children have opportunities to develop knowledge and skills from across the wider curriculum in tasks and activities based around their topic. These newly acquired skills are then applied to scenarios closely linked to the topic. Finally, children have the opportunity to reflect on their learning through discussions and shared evaluation. From here, they can identify their next steps. At the ‘Express’ stage of every topic, teachers plan sessions where parents and carers are invited into school to explore the learning that has taken place during the topic – this is often in the form of a showcase or exhibition of learning. These sessions promote a shared understanding of progress and achievement between children, school and home.
 
To further develop curriculum links between home and school, ‘Knowledge Organisers’ are sent home at the beginning of every topic to inform parents and carers of what their children will be studying during that topic. In addition, ‘Pick and Mix’ projects are sent home, which promote topic based learning projects outside of school. These are then brought into school and celebrated by adults and children.
 
Our curriculum is delivered through highly effective ‘quality first teaching’. It promotes children’s Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development, ensuring that they are reflective and responsible citizens. Fundamental British Values are actively promoted in order to prepare the children for life in Modern Britain.
 
Our curriculum is consistently refined to ensure that it meets the ever changing needs of the learners at Adlington St Paul’s.

Curriculum Impact

Through the breadth and depth that our curriculum offers, along with Christian values that are embedded throughout their learning, children achieve well and enjoy their learning at Adlington St Paul’s. Due to the ambitious nature of our curriculum, learners aspire to be the best that they can possibly be, building resilience and perseverance, which will equip them well for the future.