Barnwell Academy

Curriculum

Our curriculum intention

At Barnwell Academy understanding our pupil’s backgrounds, life experiences and culture has supported us in developing a curriculum with three key priorities underpinning each subject area. We believe that by focusing on the key priorities our children will develop into successful learners, achieve their full potential and be ready to continue their lifelong learning journey.

 Our curriculum priorities are:

  • Aspirations- we aim to provide a curriculum that is ambitious for all pupils developing their knowledge and skills and providing experiences in which pupils develop a strong desire to achieve and understand the possibilities for their future.
  • Inclusion-we aim to offer a curriculum that is successfully adapted, designed and developed for all pupils to enable them to become independent and successful learners.
  • Holistic - we aim to provide a curriculum that is coherently planned and sequenced and which helps our pupils understand links between curriculum subjects.

At Barnwell Academy we place high priority on ensuring children’s well-being is met. We understand to be a successful learner children need resilience, persistence and optimism and children need to be emotionally secure. We, therefore, design our curriculum which values and supports not only academic development but also children’s physical and mental well-being. It is our underlying belief that all children should experience success at school both academically and personally.

Our curriculum implementation

Our curriculum encompasses our 6 school values:  respect, responsibility, compassion, positivity, perseverance and teamwork. The experiences we offer champions our school ethos and ensure that our children benefit from a range of academic, spiritual, moral, social and cultural activities.

We have designed, organised and planned our curriculum to ensure every child receives an appropriate mix of academic and personal development. In practice our curriculum secures knowledge and skills in reading, writing and maths but also provides importance and commitment to teaching and learning in science, computing and foundation subjects.  

Each curriculum subject is led by a designated subject lead teacher. The subject lead teacher supports the management of the subject throughout the school including the development of a well-planned progressive curriculum.    

Our curriculum teaches the core knowledge set out in the National Curriculum. It is enhanced further with subject topics of interest to ensure full coverage and develop the depth of knowledge of pupils learn. Subjects are taught discretely ensuring the development of individual subject knowledge and skills. Where relevant they are linked through an overarching topic to provide a holistic approach and enable pupils to make conceptual links and apply learnt knowledge and skills.  

We achieve depth of learning through planning and delivering a wide range of opportunities that ensures children are fluent in basic skills. Opportunities to revisit previous learning and apply their basic reading, writing and mathematical skills in other subjects ensures children gradually develop a deeper understanding of the skills and processes in each subject, at their own pace and for some children personalised.

At Barnwell Academy we provide a highly inclusive environment where all learners can enjoy their education.  All pupils are well supported to achieve their full potential through equal access. A wide range of teaching methods are used to achieve this. Pupils who are most able are challenged and encouraged to develop higher order deep level of understanding in subjects.  For those with additional needs the curriculum is adapted to learn in a style that best suits their individual needs.

In Key Stage 2 (Year 3 –Year 6) Spanish is taught as our chosen Modern Foreign Language.  Learning a foreign language provides a valuable educational, social and cultural experience for our pupils and to ensure teaching and learning is of a high standard it is taught weekly by a specialist teacher. The teaching of music is also enhanced through the use of specialist teachers where all pupils have the opportunity to learn to play a musical instrument.

Physical development has a real focus at Barnwell Academy. Pupils engage in high quality PE lessons, primary cluster sports festivals and primary league team sports. To enhance the curriculum offer further opportunities are provided including the Daily Mile, active lunchtime activities and a wide range of extended provision sports activities and clubs.

We carefully monitor children’s attainment and progress across the curriculum through formative and summative assessment methods. Our well planned and thoughtful approach to SMSC helps to ensure that every child is well cared for and supported.

 

 Please click on a subject icon below for more subject information:

 

 

 

English

Maths

Science

Geography

History

     
Design & Tech Art PSHE RE MFL
     
Computing Music PE

Our curriculum impact

At Barnwell Academy our full and rich curriculum, with its excellent range of opportunities and experiences, and our firm commitment to an extended curriculum ensures that every child can achieve success.

Our high expectations will ensure our broad and balanced curriculum approach secures high standards in core subjects: enabling children to reach or exceed national standards.

Pupils will be confident readers and writers and have the mathematical knowledge and skills to continue their learning into secondary school and beyond. They will be able to apply their basic skills and develop real interests in sciences, humanities, arts, physical or technological subjects.

Pupils will embody our core values and will acquire the essential knowledge, skills and cultural capital required to become educated citizens and responsible, caring members of the community.

Curriculum Staff 

 

Staff member Specialism
Mrs A Emmerson Curriculum Manager
Mr K Sadler  Curriculum Lead, Maths, DT and MFL 
Mrs R Vu EYFS Lead and History  
Mr H Procter SEND Lead and ICT 
Mr S Lig Science and Geography 
Miss E Brown P.E and P.S.H.E 
Miss R Trueman R.E and Mental Health Lead
Mr J Longstaff English and Music 
Mr A Frier Art 

 

 Curriculum Overview 

 

Please click on the below links for each subject curriculum overview:

                             Year 2

                            Year 3

                            Year 4

                            Year 5

                            Year 6

 

Curriculum Guides

 

 

For further information on the curriculum please arrange an appointment with the Deputy Headteacher- Mr K Sadler.