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West Didsbury CE Primary School

West Didsbury CE Primary School

Curriculum

‘To grow a diverse and creative educational community where we encourage belonging and nurture believing: together becoming fulfilled and responsible members of God’s world.’

Our curriculum at West Didsbury CE has been built around our Christian vision of Belonging, Believing, Becoming. This vision is rooted in the Parable of the Mustard Seed which shows us how great things grow from small beginnings (Mark 4: 30-32). We are passionate about combining high standards with a broad, creative and fulfilling curriculum so everyone has the opportunity to grow and discover their own unique talents. All of the subjects and opportunities available to our children are guided by these principles.

Belonging

We belong to each other in mutual support, respect and trust. Our children work collaboratively, sharing the best of their ideas and inspiring each other to realise their potential. We also belong to our local community; our curriculum is enriched through our involvement with local artists, authors, theatres, sports groups, businesses, charities and places of worship. Our children are also inspired by frequent visits to the world-class media and cultural spaces that our city offers. These experiences are purposeful and link to our termly topics; exposing our children to the best ideas, achievements and creations in our community helps us to set high standards and encourages the children to aspire. Whilst rooted in our local community, our curriculum spans every continent. This breadth of learning and knowledge encourages a sense of belonging to, and care for, the whole of creation, regardless of race, religion or background.

Believing

We believe in the value and potential of every child. Staff work in and across year group teams to plan a comprehensive, cohesive curriculum which is designed to challenge the most able and those with special educational needs. Children will have the opportunity to imagine, question, reason, choose, observe, experience, explain, test, estimate, problem-solve, deduce, hypothesise, evaluate and record. Our expectation is that pupils will make significant progress in all subjects but also develop a passion for learning, discovering their own unique strengths and talents through the opportunities that we provide. In addition to this, we make time to regularly discuss important and topical issues. In every classroom, we encourage open discussion, critical thinking and independent thought. We value the beliefs of every child and we allow them the time and space to explore and reflect on those beliefs.

Becoming

Our curriculum has been designed to develop pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural wellbeing, and promote a sound understanding of the human/British values of democracy, government, rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs. We believe that the impact of our curriculum can be seen in the responsible, pro-active and well-rounded children who make up our school. Our curriculum aims to equip our children with the skills, attributes and values they need not only to flourish, but to become a force for good in society.

This vision underpins the teaching of every subject at West Didsbury CE. To further ensure continuity and progression across our curriculum, we have ‘key concepts’ which are specific to each subject. Our key concepts have been designed to ensure a high level of challenge and engagement in every stage of a child’s learning.  These are introduced from the EYFS and developed year-on-year through to Year 6. These progressive themes ensure children can activate prior knowledge whilst also acquiring a mastery of new skills as they realise how new concepts relate to larger themes.

Our vision of Belonging, Believing, Becoming shines through in our curriculum, our assemblies and all of our interactions in school. We want to ensure that our pupils develop tolerance, respect, courtesy and consideration for others regardless of their age, gender, disability, culture or belief and are fully prepared for modern life. It is important for our curriculum to adapt to the needs and abilities of our children but it is, and will always be, anchored in our vision of Belonging, Believing, Becoming.