Curriculum
At West Leigh Infant School we recognise that all pupils have an entitlement to an aspirational curriculum offering a broad range of exciting learning experiences which will allow them to develop the knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes necessary to enable them to become successful, confident and responsible citizens of the 21st Century.
In accordance with the National Curriculum and Early Years Foundation Stage the curriculum at West Leigh Infant School aims to provide exciting and creative opportunities in order for all our pupils to learn and achieve. We plan and teach our curriculum around whole school topics and the children's interests.
The West Leigh Infant curriculum contains skills and knowledge which will be planned through cross curricular links, discrete lessons, blocked units or continuous provision. We have a 'Free Friday' when the children have the opportunity to develop their topic learning.
Our curriculum is designed to help pupils form subject-specific schema within their long-term memories. Schema theory states that all knowledge is organised into units. A schema is, therefore, a conceptual system for understanding knowledge. Each schema is a way of organising a subject's semantic and procedural knowledge in a meaningful way; it is an appreciation of how facts are connected and the ways in which they are connected. It is distinct from information, which is just isolated facts that have no organisational basis or links.
Our curriculum encourages active participation from parents, carers and community leaders to allow all children to develop their creative potential in a variety of ways. We encourage pupils to use their own initiative to become actively engaged in making their environment a better place to play, work and live.
Our curriculum aims to provide equal opportunities for all pupils to learn and to achieve, irrespective of social background, culture, race, gender, differences in ability and disabilities. Our school recognises the opportunities and contributions which different pupils can make to the curriculum.
The West Leigh Infant curriculum stimulates engagement with, enjoyment of, and commitment to, learning as a means of encouraging the best possible progress and the highest attainment for all pupils, preparing them effectively for the next steps in their learning journey and to become positive members of the community.
Intent
The curriculum objectives at West Leigh Infant School:
- To provide all pupils with equal access to a rich, broad and balanced curriculum.
- To provide opportunities for children to develop as independent, resilient, confident and successful learners, with high aspirations, who know how to make a positive contribution to their community and the world beyond.
- To execute a curriculum that is creative, carefully planned and structured to ensure that learning is continuous and that pupils make good progress in the development of their learning of language and vocabulary at the core.
- To include the key elements of physical development, well-being and mental health to support the development of the whole child.
- To engage pupil’s interest by offering excellent opportunities to extend creative learning, challenge their imagination, value originality and to encourage and motivate them to want to learn.
- To open their eyes to the awe and wonder and cause them to marvel at the incredible world we live in.
- To celebrate the diversity and cultural wealth of the community while supporting the children’s spiritual, moral and social and cultural development.
- To provide children with a curriculum which enables them to develop their talents, skills and a love of learning.