Curriculum Overview

Our curriculum puts the child at the centre of our caring and high-achieving school. Positive relationships, based on mutual trust and respect, are at the heart of everything we do. Our ambitious curriculum has been designed to take account of the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum and the Primary National Curriculum and is representative of the school community.  It exposes our children to enriching experiences, immersing them in progressive knowledge and skills. It fosters in each child the personal characteristics needed to succeed in life. The creative and performing arts are pivotal to our curriculum delivery , allowing each child to express themselves as an individual. The key principles behind the design of our curriculum are for each child to: 

• be confident, independent and resilient;
• have a thirst for learning; 
• be kind, show empathy and compassion, and value diversity; 
• achieve academically across the entire curriculum, meeting at least the national expectation by the end of their primary education; 
• be culturally knowledgeable about our country and our world; 
• have aspirations for the future and know that these aspirations can be achieved through hard work and determination; 
• be well-prepared for the challenges of the secondary school curriculum. 

We want all our children to be the best they can be, having been given the tools and opportunities they need to make a positive contribution to the world they live in. 

Each child is expected to work hard and demonstrate positive learning behaviours to both maximise their own individual learning potential and contribute to the school and wider community. Our school House System allows us to reward the behaviours we strive to foster in each child. We have high expectations of attendance, academic achievement and pupil behaviour. We are committed to working in partnership with parents and carers as we believe that when home and school work closely together we get the best outcomes for our pupils. 

Personal, social and health education (PSHE) lies at the heart of the curriculum we deliver to closely meet the needs of our pupils. Our bespoke PSHE framework, focused on well-being, positive self-awareness, relationships and the wider world, was written after extensive consultation with the whole school community. Our pupils have access to a wide range of opportunities which promote personal safety and pupil engagement; all children are actively involved in whole school decision making through the School Council and associated positions of responsibility. Our curriculum recognises the importance of pupils’ physical and mental well-being in shaping their long-term life-style choices. 

Our primary task is to teach each child to speak clearly and articulately and to read and write effectively. Across all curriculum areas reading skills are a priority. By prioritising reading in this way, we aim to extend and deepen children’s understanding and use of vocabulary. We want pupils to develop a love of reading during their time at Sir Thomas Abney and to be exposed to a range of classic and contemporary literature. The use of the school library and class shared texts are key to this end.

We pride ourselves on providing access to experiential learning within our curriculum. This style of learning raises aspirations and equips children with a real belief that they can achieve anything if they are prepared to work hard. Examples of this approach include regular visitors to run workshops and clubs, educational and residential visits carefully chosen to deepen understanding, and hands-on learning experiences in our beautiful outdoor learning environment. 

Children from across the school have access to a wide range of extra-curricular activities in sport, music, and the creative and performing arts. Continuing Professional Development for all staff is a priority to ensure they have the necessary skills and knowledge to deliver the highest standards across the entire curriculum. Music, modern foreign language and sports specialists work alongside teaching staff to enhance curriculum delivery. Subject leaders have the necessary expertise to engage in both the design and delivery of their subject area and ensure a clear progression of both skills and knowledge across all year groups. The latter aspect of the subject leader’s role is underpinned by a robust assessment system. Subject leaders can confidently articulate how learning is re-visited and developed year-on-year, ensuring depth of learning across the school. 

By the time our children leave our school:

• Our children demonstrate confidence, independence, resilience and a thirst for learning. 
• Our children are able to form meaningful relationships based upon mutual respect and trust.
• Our children are able to recognise and celebrate differences, not only within the school community, but in the wider world as well. 
• Our children have access to a wide and varied curriculum, allowing each of them to excel as individuals and be the best they can be. 
• Our children achieve at least the expected standard across the entire curriculum by the end of Key Stage Two. 
• Our children are well prepared to access the challenges of the secondary school curriculum. 
• Our children have aspirations for the future and know that these can be realised with hard work and determination. 
• Our children grow up being able to make a positive contribution to the world in which they live.
• Our children feel confident to stand up against injustices.