The Curriculum at Merley First School

Growing together to build our future

At Merley First school, we believe that we are all lifelong learners. Through our teaching we equip children with the skills, knowledge and understanding necessary to be able to grow, develop and lead happy and rewarding lives now and in the future. 

We want our curriculum to enable children to leave us with a rich and detailed understanding of the world and their place within it. We want them to develop a sense of ownership and belonging in the world, which they can contribute to. 

What do we want our children to learn?

Our curriculum is designed to be knowledge-rich, high-reaching, inspiring and purposeful and is one that meets the needs of all pupils. It is designed to promote learning and personal growth and development. It includes not only the formal requirements of the National Curriculum and the statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage, but also the additional elements that we provide to enrich their learning experiences.

The curriculum allows children to develop effective interpersonal skills, build resilience and become creative, critical thinkers. It provides opportunities for children to develop as confident and successful learners, with high aspirations and a sense of personal responsibility. Our behaviours for learning underpin all that we do in school, fostering curiosity and resilience. We have high expectations in speech, language and communication to strengthen children’s ability to learn at a deeper level, allowing them to articulate their learning; demonstrate quality thinking and application of skills and knowledge.

Physical and mental wellbeing are prioritised within our curriculum allowing children opportunities to develop their spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding, thus preparing them to make a positive contribution to their community and the wider society. Every child is recognised as a unique individual, and we celebrate and welcome differences within our school community.

Our curriculum enables teachers to be ambitious for our learners  and together we ensure that they are well-prepared for the next stage in their educational journey and can build their future. The curriculum is cohesive and progressive, where both knowledge and skills are built upon year-on-year. We provide an engaging learning experience for all our pupils and believe that childhood should be a happy, investigative and enquiring time in our lives.

How do we facilitate their learning?

The curriculum covers the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum and other experiences and opportunities which best meet the learning and developmental needs of the children in our school, allowing them to flourish. Our curriculum is one where knowledge is built over time, and where children develop their understanding of concepts through the inter-connection of ideas and skills. The curriculum provides children with memorable experiences and opportunities from which they can learn, develop and apply a range of transferable skills.   

The curriculum exposes the children to the key concepts of democracy, rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.  It is constructed with deliberate layering of cumulative knowledge as the children progress through the school, with past learning revisited  in order to build their understanding.  

The curriculum has high expectations to combine transferable skills, demonstrate a breadth of vocabulary and develop strong, meaningful cross-curricular links. Inviting classroom environments stimulate learners and engage them in quality thinking and reasoning. 

The school takes pride in providing a highly inclusive environment, where learners of all abilities demonstrate high levels of enjoyment in their education and most make very good progress in most subjects and areas of learning. Children at all levels are helped to achieve their potential. Those who are most able are challenged and supported through being offered tasks which provide opportunities for greater depth and those who present with a barrier to learning are encouraged and given targeted support to embed skills, to develop at their own pace or simply to learn in a style that best suits their individual needs.

What difference does learning at Merley make?

Our children are well-prepared for each stage of their learning journey. The curriculum design provides a structured path for children to develop their knowledge and understanding over time, connecting ideas and taking opportunities to develop their own thoughts and ideas about the world they live in, and to see the world in a new way. The curriculum enables the children to question and challenge ideas, to voice their thoughts and opinions in an articulate way and to participate confidently in discussion.

Enjoyment of the curriculum promotes achievement, self-confidence and good behaviour. Children feel safe to try new things and present excellent behaviour for learning. High quality visits and visitors to the school enhance the curriculum and provide opportunities for broadening horizons. Our incredible school environment enriches our learning experiences.

The needs of individual and small groups of children can be met within the high quality, adaptive classroom teaching, supported by targeted, proven interventions where appropriate.