Curriculum Intent

What we learn with pleasure, we never forget – Alfred Mercier

Our Vision

At Castlefort, we endeavour to make learning exciting and enjoyable to enable our pupils to reach their full potential. We provide a nurturing environment in which children thrive so that ultimately, they make a positive contribution to our diverse world.

Our Values

1. Be respectful
2. Be kind
3. Be ambitious
4. Be courageous
5. Be the best that you can be!

At Castlefort JMI School, the curriculum is designed to:

• provide a curriculum which is enriched and challenging where all pupils have opportunities to learn in a wide range of contexts

Castlefort has achieved ‘Flagship’ status for Inclusion (National Quality Mark) – Through highly structured experiential learning within well-resourced, rich learning environments, all children, including vulnerable groups and those with SEND, make very good progress and have excellent added value outcomes (October 2021)

• provide opportunities for all pupils to develop high levels of literacy and numeracy required for success in adult life
• broaden pupils’ horizons through a range of spiritual, moral, social and cultural opportunities
• ensure that all pupils are able to thrive and develop as healthy individuals and understand how to stay safe
• develop a strength of character and resilience that will help pupils to overcome the challenges they are likely to encounter in adult life
• allow pupils to become creative and critical thinkers
• provide an appropriate range of opportunities and experiences to allow pupils to succeed in the next stage in their education

Through our teaching, we aim to:

• enable pupils to become confident, resourceful, enquiring and independent learners
• foster pupil's self-esteem, and help them to build positive relationships with other people

• develop pupil's self-respect, encourage them to understand the ideas, attitudes and values of others, and teach them to respect other people's feelings
• show respect for a diverse range of cultures and, in so doing, to promote positive attitudes towards other people
• enable pupils to understand their local community, and help them feel valued as part of it
• help pupils grow into reliable, independent and positive citizens

Learning opportunities and lessons adopt the following principles:

• the teaching should build on previous learning
• it should give pupils the 'big picture' of the lesson
• the teacher should explain the learning challenges, and why the lesson is important
• the lesson should be presented in a range of styles;
• it should allow opportunities for pupils to build up their own understanding through various activities
• it should allow opportunities for pupils to review what has been learnt
• it should have built-in opportunities for feedback to pupils, celebrating success and reviewing learning strategies
• the teaching should indicate what the next step in the learning will be

Pupils are given opportunities to learn in different ways - these include:

• investigation and problem-solving
• research and discovery
• collaborative partner/group work
• independent work
• whole-class work
• asking and answering questions
• use of ICT
• fieldwork and visits to places of educational interest
• creative activities
• watching video/film clips and responding to musical or recorded material
• debates, role-plays and oral presentations

We actively encourage pupils to develop positive attitudes to learning through our Little Learners (EYFS), Learning Champions (KS1) and Learning Ambassadors (KS2) programme.

If parents, carers or other members of the public would like to find out more about the curriculum which our school follows, please feel free to speak to your child's class teacher or organise a meeting with a member of the senior leadership team through the school office. Further information on the aims and objectives can be found on the National Curriculum website.