Our Aims

Our Curriculum is a skill and knowledge-based curriculum created around 3 key aims:

• Breadth of study – a range of studies across the whole of the Curriculum, giving children a wide and varied general knowledge as well as high academic performance in the core areas of Maths, English & Chumash.
• Depth of study – conceptual knowledge and understanding developed in key disciplines; being able to think like a scientist, a geographer or a historian.
• Cultural Capital – a sound knowledge and understanding of key people and places around the world and a celebration of significant people.

These 3 broad aims ensure children can build a secure understanding of the world around them and are also able to transfer this and to remember key information; knowledge is ‘sticky’ – the more we can connect the learning together, the more likely they will remember this throughout their lifelong learning journey. Children’s confidence, through more experience in key concepts, is built on year on year. We work on the principle that our brains can never be full! The richer vocabulary and knowledge and understanding of the world children are exposed to and taught, the more successful our learners will be.

Our Approach

At NRPS children learn through a skills and knowledge driven curriculum which considers the child’s interest as well as the requirements of our high level Curriculum. All themes begin with a question which children investigate.  While Maths is taught discretely, most learning takes place within the context of the theme and many of the children’s writing tasks are linked to this. There are many opportunities for History, Geography, Science, Art & Design, Design Technology, Music and Computing. Some subjects, or elements of subjects, need to be taught separately if they do not naturally fit into the area of research. These include: Mathematics, P.E. and R.E.

Knowledge

At NRPS, we believe that knowledge is the essential foundation needed for learning, and for skills to be built upon. We want children to have a powerful memory, as well as making memories. Each theme has a set of knowledge and key facts and information that we want our children to acquire over the course of the topic.  Our curriculum is designed so that the objectives are re-visited during a child’s primary school journey, in order to broaden and deepen knowledge.

Vocabulary

Teaching vocabulary is crucial to developing our children’s ability to access different areas of the curriculum. Providing subject specific vocabulary as well as continuously extending pupils word choices allows children to express themselves expertly. Teaching of vocabulary is not just about being able to spell new words in spelling tests – it is about children acquiring new skills, looking at the etymology of words and being able to decipher and use words in a range of contexts.