Curriculum Intent, Implementation and Impact 

Intent 

We believe that all our children, irrespective of educational or socio-economic barriers, deserve a curriculum that enables then to master the knowledge and skills specific to each year group. Our curriculum clearly identifies these and the sequence by which they should be introduced, revisited and developed. Our intent is for our children to become lifelong learners.

We have written our curriculum specifically for our children at Great Totham. As a starting point it incorporates the requirements of the EYFS Curriculum, National Curriculum, ExploRE, (the Essex agreed RE syllabus) and promotes British values.

Our intent is that our curriculum is exciting, rigorous but adaptable. We believe that a successful curriculum must be flexible so that we can respond effectively to cohort, group or individual children’s needs, to remove barriers to learning.

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Implementation 

Our approach is centred upon our understanding of brain development and knowledge of working memory. In addition, we are a Trauma Perceptive Practice (TPP) aware school that believes in compassion, hope and connection.

Our curriculum is taught through a combination of topics and discrete subjects. Developed from our subject specific overviews, our medium term plans identify the key prior knowledge that forms the foundation for new learning. These documents are constantly under review as year teams make adaptations for specific needs.

We refer to our plans as spirals which build upon new knowledge while revisiting and applying prior learning (the ‘bubbling pot’ analogy). Some of the strategies we use in lessons include scaffolding, modelling, chunking and fluency development through consolidation, as we work with children on their journey from novice to expert learners.

Assessment is used to adapt plans and form an overall picture of children’s progress and attainment against our curriculum.  Assessment data is used to track individuals, groups and cohorts as part of our data cycle that informs future curriculum developments, planned interventions and resource deployment.

To support mastery, we have a tool kit of ordinarily available strategies staff use to make reasonable adjustments so all children are able to access learning opportunities.

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Impact 

The intended impact of our curriculum is that children leave us as confident, rounded learners with the skills and attributes to continue to be successful on their learning journey.

Some of the ways in which we evidence this are:

• National tests show that attainment is above national standards

• Internal summative assessment shows the majority of children achieve age related expectations as they move through the school

• Disadvantaged children’s attainment at the end of KS2 2025 is above the national target of 56.4% for 2028

• Children with SEND make good progress against their individual targets

• Nationally our attendance is within the first decile, reflecting both the positive attitude our approach to learning fosters and the effectiveness of pastoral support

• Subject team monitoring shows children making good progress across the whole curriculum

• We receive many positive comments about our children during and following off site visits

• Our excellent sports provision has been recognised by the Gold School Games Kite Mark

• Our tracking shows the majority of children participate in extra-curricular provision

• Our children enjoy their learning and sharing their achievements

• Feedback from the many secondary schools our children move on to is that they join them very well prepared and easily identified as ‘Totham’ learners