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Lakeside Primary School

Hatherley Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL51 6HR

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Proud to be part of the Lakeside Community  »  The Lakeside Curriculum


 

Our Curriculum Journey

We started our curriculum journey in the summer of 2019 with a detailed review of the curriculum at the time. We found that whilst the National Curriculum was being followed, the foundations for the curriculum were not based upon teaching that enabled the children to gain a deep body of knowledge through lessons and concepts that were sequenced.

We knew and felt strongly that reading had to be the 'golden thread' to learning. Our aspiration for our new approach was to therefore base our curriculum on high-quality texts. We would then use these texts and design a whole-school theme. This saw the evolution of our ‘Journeys’ theme for the summer term of 2019.

Year groups considered the expectations of the National Curriculum and linked these outcomes to chosen texts. The texts were used as the basis to deepen pupil’s understanding of concepts as well as promoting a love of reading. We found that this approach captured the pupil’s imagination, created interest and forged stronger links between subjects. Rather than seeing a series of isolated lessons, we could clearly see learning which was sequential and connected.

The success of this has given rise to our new curriculum approach which is underpinned by clear sequencing of learning, the development of a rich body of knowledge and the opportunity for pupils of all ages to begin to link their learning together. 
 


What do we want from our new curriculum?

  • Our curriculum is rooted in the development of the necessary building blocks (components) to develop a rich body of knowledge which can be used to complete more complex tasks and problems. It will also equip pupils with the necessary characteristics to take advantage of opportunities in later life – creativity, curiosity, problem-solving, independence, resilience, reflection, imagination, questioning, communicating and debating
 
  • Our curriculum will enable pupils to pose and answer ‘deep’ questions and draw links across time, place and context. They will be encouraged to consider, weigh up evidence and adapt learning to be wise, not just well-informed
 
  • Specific end points (composites) enable all pupils an opportunity to demonstrate and apply their knowledge at the end of a planned sequence of work in a real and meaningful way
 
  • Our curriculum enables pupils to make vertical, horizontal and diagonal links between subjects and concepts:



Over the course of the year, the children will encounter three core questions:
 

1. Who Am I? (Pupils are encouraged to develop an understanding of themselves, their beliefs, their qualities and begin to compare these to a different context e.g. Year 6 pupils gaining an understanding of what life is like to be a child in modern Britain and then comparing themselves to an evacuee during World War II)

 
2. Where Am I? (Pupils build on their understanding of themselves and use this to develop an understanding of the place in which they live – their local community, their country, the world in which they are part of)


3. Where Am I Going? (Pupils build on their understanding of themselves, their local environment and use this to develop an understanding of next steps – both for themselves in terms of moving on to a new chapter in their lives but also in terms of exploration and the future)



Where can I find out more about the curriculum for each year group?

A detailed overview of the curriculum by year group can be found in the 'Curriculum Overviews' section below. 

Information about your child's curriculum theme coverage can be found by accessing your child's year group page.

If you need more information please contact the Phase Leaders: 
EYFS & Key Stage 1 -  Mrs Whitmore & Miss Paddock
Key Stage 2 - Mrs Veli & Miss Twinning



 
Lakeside Primary School Curriculum Overviews By Year Group 2021-22

Please note that as our curriculum evolves across the 2021-22 academic year, year group overviews may be tweaked and changed. The current overviews also reflect the impact of the COVID pandemic in 2020-21.

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