Our Curriculum Intent

At Nene Valley we are: skilled readers, confident writers, mathematicians, scientists, historians, geographers, musicians, artists, linguists, theologists, athletes, digital nomads, designers and technologists, inclusive and diverse. We want our children to have no limits to what their ambitions are and want them to embody our core values.  Our curriculum is carefully designed, ensuring our children develop their academic, social and cultural capital.

Our curriculum promotes curiosity and a love and thirst for learning. It is ambitious and empowers our children to become independent and resilient. We strive for academic excellence and want our children to have high aspirations. 

We encourage our children to celebrate success and build on disappointment in order to develop resilience. We ensure what we teach goes beyond the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum, whilst preparing our children for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life.

Our Curriculum Implementation

Our curriculum has been carefully designed and the learning opportunities for each phase ensure progression and repetition to embedding key learning, knowledge and skills. Subject leaders have developed subject specific characteristics which we expect the children to demonstrate in each discrete subject area. 

Our five school values permeate all aspects of life; Community, Responsibility, Respect, Enthusiasm and Teamwork. Our SMSC lessons and assemblies are delivered in weekly themes related to our core values.

We empower our staff to organise their curriculum as they see fit to best suit the needs of the pupils in their care. They are best placed to make these judgements. Staff develop year group specific long-term curriculum maps which identify when the different subjects and topics will be taught across the academic year. Lessons are taught discretely, with staff making meaningful links across subjects to deepen children’s knowledge and understanding where appropriate.

We encourage staff to teach a weekly lesson for each of the foundation subjects and the core subject of science. This helps to ensure sufficient time is allocated to each subject area.

Our Curriculum Impact

We use both formative and summative assessment information every day, in every lesson. Staff use this information to inform their short-term planning and short-term interventions – including in the foundation subjects. This helps us provide the best possible support for all of our pupils, including the more able. Subject leaders progress maps ensure consolidation and progress of knowledge and skills, allowing all learners to know more and remember more.

Assessment information is analysed by Subject Leads, the Assessment Lead and Headteacher as part of our monitoring cycle. Pupil progress reviews are conducted termly. This process provides the SLT, Subject Leaders, teachers and teaching assistants an accurate and comprehensive understanding of the quality of education in our school.

We set out our monitoring cycle at the beginning of each academic year. This identifies when monitoring for all phases is undertaken in all subject areas. Monitoring includes: book monitoring, learning walks, pupil/parent and/or staff voice.

All of this information is gathered and reviewed. It is used to inform further curriculum developments and provision is adapted accordingly.