At the heart of our curriculum is the development of the whole child.  The curriculum we offer is ambitious and motivating, meeting and indeed going beyond the requirements of the National Curriculum.

We have carefully revised our curriculum offer based on current research to ensure it fits the needs of our children and our local context, providing pupils with tools to embed the knowledge they learn into in their long-term memory.

Thomas Telford Primary Free School will ensure that children develop a strong sense of moral purpose in addition to a respect and understanding of people who have different characteristics to themselves. A rigorous, well-planned curriculum, delivered by excellent staff in a nurturing environment, will enable all pupils to be well-rounded, empathetic young people who have a thirst for learning and respect for all around them.

The curriculum is driven by six half-termly values: respect, friendship, responsibility, empathy, honesty and independence, which were chosen by both children and staff. ‘A Valued Me’ emphasises the importance of these key beliefs that children and staff embody across the primary phase. It will encourage our children to be confident, independent learners, who are resourceful, think for themselves, and harness a strong sense of what’s right and wrong; and resilient learners who persevere when faced with challenge, who are not afraid to take risks; and are actively involved in their learning due to a desire to achieve their highest potential. By teaching our children these lifelong skills, we are preparing them for their next steps in education and beyond. Our values will be reviewed with our community once the school is open.

Our curriculum is a fusion of essential substantive and disciplinary knowledge, attitudes and values, which focuses on the well-being of the individual and entire community. Through this carefully planned program of learning, we will provide our children with the knowledge and skills to become accomplished citizens, both locally and globally, regardless of their starting points.

Vulnerable learners, including those who are pupil premium and/or SEND, are considered fully when delivering our curriculum starting with providing good outcomes for all pupils, so that we are narrowing achievement gaps, wherever they appear. The senior leadership team, DSLs and SENDCo will monitor the outcomes of these groups and use the information to further inform our curriculum intent. Our overarching ambition is that no child is left behind and that every child is supported to reach their full potential.

We created our curriculum through a culture of collaboration amongst staff, children and governors, where we are constantly identifying and sharing our best practice to allow for continuous growth and collective ownership of teaching and learning throughout the primary age range.

The curriculum promotes long-term learning, and we believe that progress means knowing more and remembering more. As pupils learn the content of the curriculum, they are making progress towards ambitious curricular end goals. We have developed a curriculum built on current research regarding how memory works, to ensure that children not only have access to ‘the best that has been thought and said’ but are taught this in a way that ensures children can remember the curriculum content in future years.

We understand that knowledge is ‘sticky’, in that the more pupils know, the easier it is for them to learn and know more. Our curriculum has been carefully sequenced with components which build on what has been learnt before. We carefully check and activate prior knowledge through retrieval practice activities to ensure our pupils are able to understand and remember new things they are learning.

We plan and deliver lessons in line with the National Curriculum, tailoring sessions to a child’s individual needs, and to inspire a love of learning. We ensure that no child is left behind and that all children have an opportunity to achieve curricular end goals. Teaching is adaptive to ensure that children remember key component knowledge, so they are successful in every task.

Throughout the academic year, the staff and governors will continue to review and improve the curriculum offered to our children. We set high expectations for achievement and aspire for all of our children to leave our primary schools ‘secondary ready’.

The impact of the school’s curriculum will be seen in the books children produce, the aspects of the curriculum which children are able to articulate through pupil voice discussions and the outcomes for all groups of pupils within the primary phase. The Senior Leadership Team and subject leaders will evaluate the school’s curriculum through monitoring lessons plans, moderating pupil work, and conducting learning walks which enable leaders to identify next steps for improvement.

Pupil progress will be completed through ongoing assessment and through three key assessment points during the year. Work will be planned to address misconceptions and gaps in learning identified through assessments, to ensure that the curriculum effectively meets the needs of all pupils.
We are for children to leave the primary phase with a love of learning; with a secure understanding of the academic content; with the understanding of how to be socially, morally, spiritually, and culturally responsible, and globally aware; how to make positive contributions to the local area; and how to endeavour to be the best that they can be.

Trips and Visitors

At Thomas Telford Primary Free School, we ensure that our curriculum and lessons are enhanced with planned in-school experiences and external trips and visits. We believe in providing meaningful first-hand experiences which build on prior knowledge and add depth to children’s learning.

Enrichment Weeks

We enhance our excellent curriculum offer by holding a variety of enrichment weeks throughout the academic year.  The themes and concepts covered during these weeks are interwoven with the curriculum, however, we aim to have dedicated weeks for each theme to ensure that they are brought to the fore, take prominence in our thinking and lead to greater meaning for the children within our school.

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