Curriculum  at Knowle Park

Curriculum Intent

At Knowle Park our curriculum is well planned to ensure each individual reaches and exceeds expectations, building on prior knowledge and preparing them for their next steps in learning. We want the children to know that their community of teachers, leaders and parents have high expectations for them, firmly believing that they can achieve their goals. They will know they are being challenged because they learn best from making mistakes as well as being resilient and that staff know what they are capable of.

Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development underpins our curriculum along with our PSHE programme from SCARF. Right across all subjects we have carefully planned coverage and opportunities to reflect our school values of Kindness, Inspiring, Together and Excelling.

We provide our children with an understanding of Knowle and of Bristol, using resources to acquire knowledge of their local heritage. Similarly, we want our children to discover the world outside of Bristol and gain a knowledge of current and past events including people who have shaped history and are contributing to present-day changes. This will help them to reflect on the kind of people they want to be – citizens of Knowle, Bristol and the World.

Implementation

The school’s inquiry-based approach to the curriculum allows for children’s curiosity and fosters a love of learning. Topics start with a question, have opportunities for writing and visits or visitors and have clear end points which we celebrate with parents and carers. Our curriculum exposes children to and creates experiences of people, places and artefacts which help them to understand and appreciate the world around them, both past and present.

We value collaborative planning of the curriculum and know that robust subject knowledge is essential to curriculum coverage and progression of skills. Therefore, our teachers plan together in year groups and are supported by the assistant head. Our staff also plan with other schools and organisations to gain insight into teaching and learning from outstanding settings.

We are proud that Knowle Park serves a diverse community. Therefore our priority for our Knowle Park curriculum is to encourage children to work together as a community, learning from each other regardless of background and postcode, and for all of our children to know they have a valid contribution to collaborative learning.

Impact

As a result of our curriculum development, children gain and build on knowledge and develop skills in a range of subjects. They can make links between facts and ideas and across subjects and use this to show mastery by sharing their understanding with others. They take pleasure and pride in their work with increasing quality across the curriculum. Children can enthusiastically articulate their learning and are ready for the next stage of their education.