Curriculum
Intent
Our aim is to provide a learning curriculum that ensures every pupil, regardless of need or background, reaches their full potential and has a successful transition to their secondary setting as a well informed, globally aware young person. At Dartford Primary Academy our curriculum uses the philosophy of the IB as the framework to underpin a breadth and depth of coverage to ensure it:
- provides access for all,
- promotes a positive attitude to learning,
- encourages international-mindedness in our pupils,
- challenges pupils to solve problems, show creativity and resourcefulness, and participate actively in our community;
- supports the development of communication skills to encourage enquiry, understanding and to allow pupil reflection and expression;
- emphasises, through the learner profile, the development of the whole pupil – physically, intellectually, emotionally and ethically.
Our Curriculum has been carefully designed to enable the depth and breadth of the national curriculum to be explored through the transdisciplinary themes of the IB framework. A key focus through our curriculum intent is to enrich all pupils learning with co-curricular opportunities to enrich their cultural capital and life chances.
Implementation
We offer the Primary Years Programme (PYP) across all phases. Our personalised curriculum provides the challenge that encourages pupils to embrace and understand the connections between foundation subjects and the real world, and become critical and reflective thinkers. It also promotes a positive attitude to learning by encouraging pupils to solve problems, show creativity and resourcefulness, and participate actively in their local communities and within the academy. Our EYFS, Key stage 1 and 2 curriculum is planned collaboratively within our phase teams, with collaboration across other Trust primary academies. Each key stage has mapped their appropriate curriculum frameworks (Development Matters and the Primary National Curriculum) looking for vertical, horizontal and diagonal learning pathways. This allows for the transdisciplinary themes to be planned with rigour ensuring the depth and breadth is covered whilst promoting pupil advocacy within the themes of the PYP programme. The themes are selected for their relevance to the real world. They are described as transdisciplinary because they focus on issues that go across subject areas
These are:
- Who we are
- Where we are in place and time
- How we express ourselves
- How the world works
- How we organize ourselves
- Sharing the planet
Assessment is planned at regular milestone points to ensure a depth of understanding in all foundation subjects in addition to reading, writing and maths. Assessment will be in the form of teacher assessment, real time pupil conferencing where appropriate. This allows staff to support pupils to build their knowledge and to apply that knowledge as skills. The sequence and design of the curriculum will allow for longer term learning and recall.
Teaching and learning is consistently applied using the academy policy across all key stages. Students are aware of how to progress from immediate feedback.
Impact
At Dartford Primary Academy we aim to use teachers’ expert assessment, diagnostic assessments and effective real time feedback to provide the opportunity for every pupil, regardless of need or background, to reach their full potential.
Through thorough curriculum coverage review and pupils’ skill development we will ensure the breadth and depth of knowledge is embedded for all pupils to develop knowledge and skills needed to be successful in life. Positive engagement in cultural capital activities and seeing a vibrant global community within the academy will show depth of impact of our curriculum intent and effective implementation.
