Intent, Implementation & Impact

Our Curriculum Intent

As a school we base our learning on a broad and balanced curriculum and strive to deliver a wide and varied learning experience. We are fully committed to developing each child’s unique potential within a secure and caring environment. We use a range of sources to meet the needs of the curriculum and provide an exciting and enlightening learning experience for our children, maximizing the opportunities of our school building and wonderful grounds.

We believe that our children should not only reach their best academically, but also develop a thirst for knowledge, foster a love of learning and leave our school with exceptional independent learning skills and experiences which set them up for the next stages in their learning. The children of Woodheys School are happy learners who work hard to reach the challenges set by their teachers. Excellent teaching and learning give children opportunities to be successful in a creative, safe, calm environment where classrooms and other learning spaces promote creativity and high aspirations.

Our values help children and staff articulate how we want our place of learning to be:

Together we achieve more
Challenging ourselves to grow and flourish
Happy and passionate to learn
Caring for and respecting others

Our Curriculum Implementation

The curriculum consists of many planned experiences in school and out: engaging lessons, topic days, smart school council, music assemblies, cooking and nutrition classes, mindfulness and yoga classes, forest schools, art and science clubs, numerous sports .Trips and visits, workshops, residential camps, fund raising, and community work . Outcomes may be designed to meet the requirements of the new National Curriculum but also to develop the skills needed for learning and for life. Our vibrant and rich curriculum is designed, sequenced and allows the children to progress. In order to ensure that progression and balance is maintained, the programmes of study have been carefully mapped out by our teachers so that the children will have ‘sticky knowledge’ (knowledge which sticks with them for life!) Teachers assess constantly to ensure children progress to be the best version of themselves and through tailored learning we meet the needs of all our pupils. School leaders and Governors regularly check that the curriculum is relevant and suitable for the children in our school and subject leaders have the opportunities through CPD to develop their understanding and expertise in their curriculum area

We also offer many opportunities for performance and public speaking which is developed through: School Choir; music instrumental assemblies, class assemblies and year group productions, UKS2 Stars in their eyes (eclectic talent show), Year 5’s Wider opportunities project with Trafford Music Service where all pupils learn a tuned instrument and perform with other pupils across Trafford and a professional orchestra.

We encourage volunteering and charitable giving through supporting Comic Relief / Sport Relief, Children in Need, other charities chosen by each year group.

We observe national events such as: Remembrance Day, Safer Internet Day, Anti-bullying Week, Mental Health Week, Downs Syndrome Awareness, Autism Awareness, World Book Day and Pancake Olympics!

From EYFS to KS2, specialist teaching occurs in Music, Forest Schools and PE and in KS2 we also have a trained Cooking and Nutrition teacher as well as a Foreign Language specialist teacher delivering Spanish. Teachers usually teach all subjects to their own classes but sometimes may be timetabled to share a specialism with other classes - we even use Zoom calls across parallel Y5 classes for art expert tuition and demonstrations of specialist techniques - we try and utilise and celebrate specialist knowledge and interests from teachers to share with the children.

Disadvantaged Pupils

Many disadvantaged pupils typically start school with a language deficit. Developing children’s vocabulary and reading is essential if these pupils are to achieve as other pupils. Teachers are right to emphasise the acquisition of vocabulary and the skill of reading for disadvantaged pupils. This is best achieved by a rich and broad curriculum. Where interventions are deemed appropriate, consideration is given to the impact on the wider curriculum and we try to ensure that this is not compromised.

Offsite educational trips and visitors to school

Offsite educational visits and visitors to school, linked to the curriculum, play a significant part in the development of children. Visits and visitors enhance and bring to life the teaching of the National Curriculum and Foundation Stage through first-hand experiences which enrich the understanding of, empathy with and enjoyment of the curriculum.

Each class aims to have two offsite visits per year. Visitors, such as artists, musicians, wildlife enthusiasts and historians are organised by individual teachers and the school as required. Year 5 and 6 enjoy an outward bounds and problem solving residential trip.

Extra-Curricular Activities

A wide range of extra-curricular clubs are offered before, during and after school to further enhance our broad curricular offering (see school website for current clubs).

Our Curriculum Impact

We believe that our distinctive, inclusive ethos and school systems nurture and grow confident pupils who exhibit excellent learning behaviours: they experience quality relationships, care and guidance; work well in teams; readily take on leadership roles and work well independently demonstrating good character and resilience.

Pupils apply their English, communication, mathematical and computing skills in a variety of contexts as a result of the cross-curricular approach to teaching and learning. Our children are articulate and demonstrate excellent vocabulary.

Children experience a progressive curriculum which allows all pupil groups to build knowledge, behaviours and skills that they can access to demonstrate cultural competence.

Our children are reflective, being able to debate points and reflect on their own learning well, demonstrating good communication skills.

The school’s broad curriculum with a strong tradition of performance both at school and in the community; achievements in the arts and sport means all pupils feel valued, and achieve excellence in a variety of disciplines.

At Woodheys we pride ourselves on educating the whole child. We offer and give our children a wide range of opportunities to find something they are really good at and enjoy. We succeed in meeting and exceeding national expectations in Reading, Writing and Maths but we also acknowledge that our curriculum helps teachers and children discover who the artist, the musician, the sports leader, the best Quidditch player, the cook, the writer, the problem solver, the eco warrior are. We obviously measure impact on data and results but also on the enjoyment of children during their time at our school, on their willingness to take risks and to try new things. We endeavour to ensure that children are ready for the next stages in learning and are supported to become the best they can be.

Curriculum inquiries

For any parents that would like to find our more about our curriculum please either review our class links pages where you will find year group specific curriculum overviews or you can contact the school office on admin@woodheysprimaryschool.co.uk where your inquiry will be passed on to the relevant person.