What does your child learn at school each day? Find information about our curriculum subjects here.

“Inspiring Learning for Life”

Cropthorne with Charlton CE First School Curriculum Statement

“Inspiring Learning for Life” is our intent for learning at Cropthorne. We believe that the impact of our curriculum should help all pupils to:

• Develop inquisitive minds, a spirit of curiosity and a passion for learning and knowledge
• Be equipped with knowledge and skills to fully participate in our ever changing world
• Be respectful and productive members of the community
• Have high expectations and self-belief to enable them to fulfil their potential
• Develop self-reliance and the ability to learn independently
• Persevere and learn from their mistakes
• Develop an understanding and respect for themselves and the environment
• Have the courage and confidence to take calculated risks.

This is implemented through subject coverage which is based on the National Curriculum. In order to facilitate the above, and to promote and develop a love for learning we use a creative and thematic approach, enhanced by extra-curricular activities, a focus upon healthy child development and by providing the opportunities for children to learn through real life experiences which go beyond the scope of the National Curriculum. 

To deliver the curriculum, staff employ a variety of teaching methods and styles. Pupils are taught as a whole class, in small groups and as individuals depending on learning objectives. They are grouped by ability, age or mixed-ability. Pupils will annually take part in a theme week to enhance a particular subject area beyond the scope of the National Curriculum. For this, they are grouped into mixed age groups to enhance their personal development broaden their knowledge and understanding. 

You can find out more about current curriculum content by looking at our weekly class letters which give a detailed overview of current coverage. Individual subjects are developed strategically by leaders and teachers and are reviewed over time. If you wish to find out more about individual subjects, please see below.

Curriculum adaptations due to the disruption to education caused by of Covid-19:

We will ensure that pupils receive a high-quality education that promotes their development and prepares them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life.

Our curriculum remains broad and ambitious

All pupils continue to be taught a wide range of subjects.

We are teaching an ambitious and broad curriculum in all subjects, but we will need to continue to be flexible to create time to cover the most important missed content. We continue to prioritize the most important components within subjects for progression. We are using all subjects as opportunities to fill the gaps in core knowledge, for example through placing an even greater emphasis on reading.

We revised our curriculum for the academic years 2020 to 2022.

Substantial modification to the curriculum was required in the period since the school was only open to key workers and vulnerable pupils at the end of March, and throughout April & May 2020. When the rest of our pupils first began returning to school in June 2020, teaching time was prioritised to address significant gaps in pupils’ knowledge with the aim of returning to the school’s normal curriculum content as soon as possible. These significant gaps were identified as a priority within the curriculum throughout 2020/21 and also into 2021/22, due to the January/February 2021 period where only half of our pupils were attending school. The curriculum for each cohort was be adapted by each class teacher to meet the educational needs of learners they teach, whilst remaining as closely aligned as possible to the knowledge and skills which would normally be taught at this stage. 

Curriculum planning is informed by an assessment of pupils’ starting points and addressing the gaps in their knowledge and skills, in particular making effective use of regular formative assessment (for example, quizzes, observing pupils in class, talking to pupils to assess understanding, scrutiny of pupils’ work). 

When required we have integrated remote education into school curriculum planning. It can now blend fully with classroom learning at the point of closure. As closure points are not preplanned, content designed to be delivered in the classroom will be adapted by class teacher at point of closure to enable pupils to learn remotely. This will ensure any pupils educated at home for some of the time are given the support they need to master the curriculum and so make good progress. If needed, remote education is high-quality and safe, and aligns as closely as possible with in-school provision. We have built capability to educate pupils remotely, where this is needed.

We did not suspend any subjects for any pupils even in exceptional circumstances, but we did rearrange the order of content taught, for example directing more teaching time to internet safety earlier in the academic year in response to children spending more time on devices at home whilst restrictions remained in place.

Relationships and health education (RHE)  is now compulsory for primary aged pupils, and we  started teaching this at the start of the summer term 2021, in line with DFE guidance.