At Edward Pauling Primary School, we believe that children thrive in an environment in which they are happy, challenged and secure. By providing this environment, we support every child to achieve the best outcomes possible and, by “Learning to Succeed Together”, be part of a strong community of life-long learners. Our school rules (“Show respect and good manners at all times”, “Care for everyone and everything” and “Follow instructions with thought and care”) guide all members of the school community to work together to attain the outcomes that we seek and to develop learners that are active, critical thinkers, resilient, independent, creative and proud of what they have achieved.

Our curriculum has been developed with a clear intent to:

 - provide a broad and balanced curriculum that meets the needs of all our pupils, setting high expectations for all groups to achieve.

 - instil a love of learning inspired by quality teaching, nurturing and developing individual strengths and talents.

 - cultivate a passion for reading for enjoyment in our pupils.

 - ensure that all pupils have learned and are able to apply the fundamental skills of reading, writing and mathematics across all areas of learning.

 - provide opportunities for pupils to develop their creativity, critical thinking skills and imagination.

 - promote positive behaviour and safety for all pupils.

 - support pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development so that they become responsible and caring members of the community.

 - encourage understanding of the importance of being active and healthy both physically and mentally.

 - develop pupils’ independent learning skills and develop resilience, to equip them for their next stage of learning.

A skills-based curriculum

To support these aims, the curriculum in each year group is taught through an engaging half-termly topic. The curriculum for pupils in the Early Years follows the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage with an emphasis on developing the characteristics of effective learning through a combination of direct teaching and purposeful play. Pupils in Years 1 - 6 follow the aims of the National Curriculum.

Our curriculum has been sequenced so that concepts and skills are introduced progressively, built on over time and revisited to ensure that, when they leave us, all pupils will be equipped to succeed in the next stage of learning. No matter what their starting point, pupils are supported to make progress in learning. We define this as pupils knowing more and remembering more in terms of both knowledge and skills as we believe that learning is a change to the long-term memory.

Curriculum drivers

We have identified key drivers that are at the heart of our curriculum design and which drive learning tailored for our pupils. These offer opportunities for them to make links to both their prior learning, and also across all subjects and these are:

- Power of Reading texts – to broaden pupils’ knowledge and understanding of vocabulary as well as the core skills of reading and comprehending quality texts.

- Real life experiences – to make learning memorable and to develop cultural capital for all groups of pupils.

- Community – to develop pupils’ understanding of the positive nature of individual and group differences.

We believe that these drivers not only ensure that the learning of basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics is effective, but can be used to enrich the curriculum for all groups of pupils, including those pupils who speak English as an additional language, have a special educational need or who are disadvantaged, and foster a love of learning. The importance and significance of British Values and the social, moral, social and cultural development of our pupils are woven through the curriculum to give pupils the knowledge and skills to become citizens making a positive contribution to society today.

Our pedagogical approach

Teaching and Learning at Edward Pauling Primary School is based on the principles of SOLO Taxonomy, which stands for Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes. SOLO Taxonomy is also used as a planning tool to ensure that pupils are provided with a cohesive curriculum. which promotes in-depth understanding of concepts and supports a holistic development of knowledge and skills.

Pupils progress through the five stages of SOLO in turn:

- Pre-structural – where pupils require support to approach a concept.

- Uni-structural – where pupils’ initial ideas about a concept begin.

- Multi-structural – where pupils are taught basic skills and have the opportunity to practise these skills in a variety of ways.

- Relational – where pupils have the opportunity to apply what they have learnt.

- Extended Abstract – where pupils apply skills fluently across the curriculum.

In the classroom, SOLO Taxonomy becomes a powerful mental model for pupils who use its structure to develop their metacognition. Pupils understand that learning outcomes are the result of effort and the use of effective strategies rather than luck or fixed abilities. They are able and motivated to plan a strategy, monitor their own progress in learning tasks and to make smart decisions on their next steps. In addition, pupils use SOLO taxonomy to give or receive feedback and reflect on the outcomes of their learning. This approach enables pupils to become independent learners and increases their engagement with learning and the world around them.

We have summarised our Curriculum Intent into 'School Bag' - please see the document below.