Curriculum overview

BEING THE BEST THAT WE CAN BE

It is our intent that every child will leave our school able to read and write and have secure mathematical skills. Through engagement with our broad curriculum pupils will be curious and engaged with a love for learning. Children will acquire and retain knowledge through a rich curriculum which is diverse, thought provoking, inspirational and immersed in memorable moments. Our curriculum celebrates children’s achievements whilst challenging them to aim high and be the best they can be in all they do. We embed the RIDGE values, which promote a growth mindset and underpin teaching, learning and the school’s ethos and culture.

• To foster a life-long love of learning by equipping the children with the knowledge and skills to ask questions about the world around them.
• Build upon existing knowledge and understanding of events that have shaped our lives both today and in the past.
• Use the local environment to inspire and enthuse an inquisitive mind, enabling children to learn from first-hand experience and from the community in which they live.
• Develop an ability to make decisions and work collaboratively with others.
• Equip the children with the breadth of knowledge and skills needed to make them ‘life-ready’.
• To provide a wide range of enrichment activities so everyone realises their full potential and talents.
• To provide a happy, safe and secure learning environment.

Our children will be secure in the knowledge of who they are and where they come from and confident in looking to where they will go next.

At Ark Little Ridge, we follow an 'enquiry based approach' to our curriculum. This means that wherever possible we group our subjects around a central theme which is driven by a ‘key question’. Whilst most of our curriculum is delivered through this key question approach, some subjects such as PHSE, maths and music are usually taught separately, although links are made when appropriate. The school has adopted a collaborative learning model, where children teach and learn from each other, promoting a deeper understanding of the knowledge they acquire.

Teachers use a range of assessment tools to ensure pupils make strong progress through the curriculum. Our core approach is 'formative assessment', which we use to inform daily teaching and learning. This includes knowledge quizzes, live marking and feedback and end of unit assessments.