Our Curriculum
At Whipman Woods FHA, our curriculum is carefully constructed and is underpinned by current research, the Early Years Framework and the National Curriculum. It provides children with an ambitious, high-quality education and ensures that children are supported to be well rounded, compassionate people who have a genuine love of learning. Children develop a strong sense of moral purpose, in addition to a respect for and understanding of people. It is broad and balanced, rich and varied and provides our children with experiences and opportunities that are relevant. We are committed to ensuring that our children are not only ready for the next stage in their education but are also prepared to take their place in a truly global society.
Fluency in the core subjects, with reading at the heart, enables access to the full curriculum and is therefore integral to our approach. The curriculum is carefully designed through enquiry drivers (History, Geography and Arts), enhancer subjects and discrete subjects to ensure the coverage, progression and retention of key knowledge.
In order to achieve our vision our curriculum is underpinned by the following principles:
Belonging
Excellence
Empowerment
Curriculum Approach
We follow an enquiry approach where each enquiry is led by a 'Driving Subject'. Each termly enquiry has a different subject driver:
Autumn Term - History Driver
Spring Term - Geography Drive
Summer Term - Arts Driver
Other subjects are taught as 'Enhancers' (whereby the subject will add something to the enquiry) or are taught discretely.
We have created long term plans which cover the content and knowledge taught starting in EYFS. We strongly believe that the Early Years curriculum is an essential part of the whole school curriculum and therefore have ensured it is incorporated into the whole learning journey instead of it being treated as a separate entity. In foundation stage, we follow the new Early Years Framework, incorporating our own ideas and values as well as adapting where necessary to meet the needs of our own pupils.
Discrete Teaching of Subjects
For many of our discrete subjects, we use published schemes to help support the way in which we deliver these lessons to meet the needs of the children in our school.
These discrete schemes are:
Computing: Purple Mash and Teach Computing
Music: BBC Ten Pieces and Charanga
French: Language Angels
PSHE: Jigsaw
PE: Complete PE
Phonics: No Nonsense Phonics
Maths: White Rose
RE: Religious Education for All (Nottinghamshire agreed syllabus)
Below are copies of the FHP Key Knowledge Progression Documents that we have implemented throughout school. These have been used to map out our curriculum to ensure knowledge is taught in a sequential manner to allow children to revisit knowledge over their journey throughout Whipman Woods. This has an ultimate aim that the children will know and remember more over time.
You will notice that each progression document starts with Nursery and ends with Year 7. We are very keen to ensure our work aligns as closely as possible to the curriculum of our local secondary schools.