Curriculum

CHOICE

Our ethos of CHOICE underpins all that we do at Borrow Wood with each thread interwoven throughout our curriculum.

• Challenge .... where we have a go, make mistakes and try again.
• Honesty .... where we always tell the truth.
• Ownership .... where we take responsibility for our learning, behaviours and environment.
• Inclusive .... where we accept and respect everyone.
• Care .... where we look after ourselves and others.
• Excellence .... where we bring out the best in ourselves. 

INTENT

Our curriculum is built on the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum and is further enhanced by content tailored to meet the needs of our children. We:

• Provide the highest possible standard of education so that every child leaves Borrow Wood having realised their full potential and is equipped for the next stage of learning.
• Offer a broad, balanced and challenging curriculum that develops children with the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed in life. 
• Ensure opportunities for children to revisit core learning so that they build long-term memory of an ambitious body of knowledge.
• Provide a safe environment, which promotes learning and curiosity, where children and staff are aspirational and feel confident to ‘have a go’ to develop themselves.
• Encourage every child to become socially mature, demonstrating essential life skills such as:  high levels of emotional intelligence including resilience, empathy, understanding, tolerance and respect so that they engage positively with society.

We want our children to:

• Progress well and reach their potential academically, physically and artistically
• Read easily, fluently and with good understanding
• Acquire a wide vocabulary and have a strong command of the written and spoken word
• Become fluent in the fundamentals of maths, reason mathematically and solve problems
• Develop resilience
• Focus on finding ways to resolve problems  
• Know how to keep themselves healthy and safe
• Respect diversity and promote inclusion
• Develop a mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths, beliefs and viewpoints 

We believe it is important that our children have a strong awareness of their community and the wider world and develop respect and empathy for others. Each year, time is dedicated to 'Our Global Family' project, which promotes understanding of difference, diversity and inclusion. We originally worked alongside The Derby Book Festival and Derby College as their partner school, to promote stories written by refugees who are now living in Derby. Since then our Our Global Family project has become an important part of our curriculum.

We also work closely with the Derbyshire Music Partnership and facilitate a programme of extra-curricular activities including a school choir, instrumental lessons for whole classes as well as bespoke music lessons for individuals and opportunities to experience playing with a professional orchestra. We recognise that music and learning an instrument can enrich lives and stay with that person throughout adulthood.

Through offering a range of enrichment activities, we enhance the curriculum further. Examples are below:

IMPLEMENTATION

Different starting points

Lessons are carefully planned taking children’s starting points and prior attainment into account. Stickers at the beginning of every piece of work indicate the Learning Objective, and steps to success are carefully broken down to support learning. An additional challenge is indicated too. Learning is scaffolded to support all children to achieve their best.

Memory Tasks

At the start of lessons memory tasks are used to enable children to retrieve prior knowledge.

Knowledge Organisers

Each half term, staff devise a Knowledge Organiser linked to the Science, History or Geography learning. The Knowledge Organisers set out the important knowledge we want every child to know by the end of the unit. Their purpose is to:

• Help children memorise important knowledge and have certain knowledge ‘at their finger tips’ and retain for the longer term 
• Make it really transparent for the children (and parents) in terms of what they are expected to learn
• Help children understand and use key vocabulary linked to a topic

All children take a copy of their Knowledge Organiser home and parents and children are encouraged to look through them regularly. Parents are given guidance about how they can support their child with learning key knowledge and new vocabulary. Click here to access Knowledge Organisers.

In class, staff regularly refer to Knowledge Organisers and build in regular retrieval practice through, for example, quizzes.

Mastery Questions

Towards the end of a unit of work in some subjects including Science, R.E. Geography and History, pupils are set a ‘Mastery Question’ to answer. These questions require children to think deeply and apply their knowledge. Often, as children progress further up the school, they need to use higher order skills such as making comparisons, citing evidence and summarising.

IMPACT

By the time children leave Borrow Wood they will:

• Have the courage and ability to try new things, challenge themselves and persevere.  
• Understand that honesty means that we are truthful in what we say and do and this means that people can rely on us.
• Take responsibility for their actions. 
• Demonstrate kindness and respect towards themselves and others. 
• Have a good understanding of how to stay safe, healthy and how to develop good relationships.  
• Have a belief in their own abilities and be able to manage their emotions.
• Have an appreciation of what it means to be a positive member of a diverse, multicultural society. 
• Have progressed well and reached their potential.
• Have long term memory of an ambitious body of knowledge.

CURRICULUM SUBJECTS

Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) - (Reception and Nursery)

In Reception and Nursery the children follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum. For more information click here.