Our Curriculum

Curriculum intentions

At Sandown School we teach a curriculum which is broad, balanced and relevant enabling children to become creative, independent learners who are able to work collaboratively. While fulfilling the requirements of the National Curriculum, our carefully structured curriculum creates high quality learning experiences for our pupils whilst promoting flexibility and child led learning across all Key Stages. There is a clear progression of knowledge and skills throughout each subject area, allowing children to create links and build on previous knowledge as they grow. Children enjoy their education and become confident, successful learners with high aspirations. There is a high focus on developing children’s moral, spiritual, social and cultural understanding in addition to building resilience and emotional intelligence.

At Sandown School we set high expectations for all our pupils. We remove barriers to learning by ensuring that additional resources, adjustments and differentiation is in place to ensure that all pupils have the opportunity to fully engage and learn within the curriculum. All staff have completed relevant training to ensure that they have the expertise to support all of our children’s needs. Reasonable adjustments are made to ensure that all children can access the curriculum, including trips out of school. Children are not limited by SEND and we provide targeted support when needed.   

Creativity

Through our creatively designed curriculum children are given the opportunity to become immersed in new and exciting experiences such as discovering dinosaur eggs on the school field or gathering clues to solve mysteries. Through activities such as this children develop creative and critical thinking skills. This translates across all areas of the curriculum for example in History, Literacy and Science children arrive to a classroom transformed into a stone age cave and explore and investigate the properties of precious  rocks while writing descriptions of their findings. Children also used our Green zone to create stone age paintings, learn about making fire and cook up a stone age feast on the campfire.

Independence

Children are given the freedom throughout the curriculum to become independent and self motivated learners.  Children are encouraged to challenge their own thinking and develop their own strategies to solve problems thus enhancing their experiences. We place a great deal of emphasis on outdoor learning and promoting wellbeing ensuring the children have the opportunity to understand themselves and their never ending capabilities.    

Collaboration

We believe that as well as working independently, in order to succeed in today’s world, children need to embrace the need to work collaboratively.

Through working across year groups, Key stages, whole school and within the community children are able to develop and use the skills needed to work with others and both support others while extending their own learning.  Children enjoy having reading buddies across the school and sharing their learning or working with other year groups on similar topics. Children also have opportunities to work together termly in mixed age pupil voice groups.

 Below is an overview of the topics taught throughout the year.

 Click on the year groups to view the content of our school curriculum and please visit year group pages and curriculum pages for more information. For more information on individual skills, progression and knowledge please visit the curriculum subject pages. 

Year R

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Year 6