The Slimbridge Take Flight Curriculum
Introducing the Take Flight Curriculum: Embarking on a Journey of Boundless Learning
At Slimbridge Primary School, we believe that education is a transformative voyage, and every child has the potential to soar to great heights.
We are thrilled to present our bespoke Take Flight Curriculum, designed to ignite a passion for learning, foster intellectual curiosity, and propel our students towards a future of limitless possibilities.
The Take Flight Curriculum is not just a set of subjects and guidelines; it is an innovative approach to education that embraces the concept of ‘a spiral curriculum of challenge.’ Built upon the foundations of creativity, critical thinking, and holistic development, this curriculum empowers our students to embark on a learning journey that continually expands their knowledge, skills, and abilities.
The term “spiral curriculum” refers to a dynamic and cyclical learning process, where concepts are revisited and explored in greater depth as students progress through each grade level. By revisiting and building upon previously covered topics, the Take Flight Curriculum ensures a strong and comprehensive understanding of essential knowledge, while simultaneously encouraging the exploration of advanced concepts. This spiral approach fosters a deep appreciation for the interconnectedness of different subjects and cultivates a lifelong love for learning.
Central to our curriculum is the element of challenge. We firmly believe that growth occurs when children are encouraged to step out of their comfort zones and tackle new and exciting difficulties. By incorporating progressively challenging tasks and projects, our curriculum provides opportunities for pupils to develop resilience, perseverance, and problem-solving skills. As they overcome obstacles and push the boundaries of their capabilities, our children gain confidence and a sense of achievement that propels them even further.
Click the image above to explore our curriculum.
Intent
Learning and the curriculum
At Slimbridge Primary, we believe in providing a broad and balanced curriculum that recognises the unique abilities of every child and prepares them for their future.
We are committed to maintaining high-quality learning and supporting all children in achieving their best. We work in partnership with families to foster ambition and encourage success in all our children.
We are an innovative and outward-facing school, constantly striving to enhance the learning experiences of our students. Our aim is to deliver the best possible opportunities in the classroom. To achieve this, we are dedicated to offering high-quality continuous professional development (CPD) to our staff. By being reflective and forward-thinking, we continually evaluate and improve our practices to ensure we provide the most effective educational approaches.
Slimbridge Primary has designed a bespoke knowledge-based curriculum, ‘Take Flight’, that aligns with the high-expectations of the National Curriculum. We enhance our curriculum by creating exciting and meaningful learning contexts for children, both within school and beyond the classroom. We also develop our children’s ability to think, reason and ask the big questions in life through our RE and PSHCE curriculum.
Implementation
Curriculum design
At Slimbridge Primary, we adopt a creative and knowledge-based curriculum approach that enables our children to acquire essential knowledge and apply it across various subjects, fostering a deeper understanding of their learning.
This approach encourages students to make connections and see the interrelationships between different areas of study. In mathematics, we follow a mastery approach to learning, supported by the Glow Maths Hub, which enhances students’ mathematical understanding.
This approach is implemented across all core and foundation subjects, ensuring that learning is broken down into manageable steps to facilitate better retention. We also enrich learning experiences through the involvement of guest speakers, field trips, and utilisation of our local environment.
Our aim is to provide all children with a wealth of educational opportunities, fostering their independence and preparing them for future challenges. We emphasise the importance of active community engagement and encourage students to fully participate in their local community.
Our teachers plan lessons that build upon one another, progressing from individual components to more complex tasks. Throughout these lessons, our golden threads and key drivers remain integral to the curriculum, guiding students’ learning journey.
Personal Development, and Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development
At Slimbridge Primary, our aim is to ensure that each child under our care comprehends how to lead a positive life and develop as responsible citizens in modern Britain. We achieve this through subjects such as Religious Education (RE), Personal, Social, Health, and Citizenship Education (PSHCE), and Relationships and Sex Education (RSE). These subjects provide our pupils with the opportunity to celebrate diversity, embrace differences, and cultivate tolerance and respect for others.
We encourage all of our students to ask meaningful questions and recognise the importance of actively participating in their community, both within and beyond the school setting. Our values-based education, supported by our core values, plays a significant role in shaping our students’ behaviour and responses.
By instilling these values, we prepare our children to face the challenges of contemporary life in Britain. We offer various avenues for skill development, such as leadership opportunities through the School Council, Librarians, Eco-Council, and sports representation.
These experiences not only develop decision-making abilities but also support personal growth, making our community ethos a tangible reality. We are dedicated to fostering an inclusive environment where tolerance and respect for others are integral to our daily lives.
Impact
Achievement
At Slimbridge Primary, we set high standards across all subjects throughout the school, aiming to meet or exceed national benchmarks. Our primary focus is on supporting every student to aspire and achieve, enabling them to reach their full potential and become the best version of themselves.
Our students are expected to acquire essential knowledge in each subject within the wider curriculum. To monitor their progress, we utilize class-specific “100% sheets of sticky knowledge” that record what has been learned and highlight any areas that require further attention. This approach not only allows students to deepen their understanding and expand their knowledge but also enables them to make connections with prior learning, facilitating future academic growth.
Next steps in learning
At Slimbridge Primary, our curriculum is designed to equip students with the necessary skills and knowledge to thrive in their educational journey and prepare them for the next stage of their schooling. We uphold our vision of “With love and faith, we aspire and achieve,” fostering a sense of determination and ambition within our students as they progress through their education and into their future lives.
All non-core subjects are planned from the National Curriculum and our Local Curriculum, the Topics taught can be seen in the ‘Class Plans’ page. We look carefully at what we expect the children to learn and how we teach this. We identify the skills, knowledge and values that can be taught within a topic, build in repetition to embed learning and assessment of what the children have learnt. Importantly, we look at ways to revisit skills and knowledge for those children who have not embedded the learning.