The Waterfield Curriculum

Waterfield Primary’s curriculum is designed to engage learners through a wide breadth of study; developing fluent and semantic knowledge that enables all children to be confident learners, ready for their next stage of education and who will ultimately take their place in society as successful global citizens of tomorrow.

Curriculum Aim – Our Intent 

Through consultation with our school community the aims of children undertaking the Waterfield Curriculum journey includes for them:

  • To become enquiring learners, who obtain the knowledge and skills they require to access the next stages of education both in school and in later life.
  • To find happiness and joy in their learning, understanding that learning occurs through a wide variety of experiences and contexts, which require dedication, growing independence and resilience.
  • To become productive British, global and digital citizens who understand the world around them, who celebrate differences and who embrace the world’s ever evolving culture.
  • To be safe in the knowledge that as part of The Collegiate Trust we will all work together to deliver exceptional education where our high expectations are exemplified through the ‘Waterfield Community Values’ of showing kindness, respect and a hardworking attitude.

 

Curriculum Design 

Waterfield’s curriculum has been coherently planned to sequence concepts in all curriculum areas that enable children to progress through ‘Milestones’. Taking root from Chris Quigley Education (Essentials Curriculum),  children access key concepts and skills to develop their knowledge, skills and understanding as historians, geographers, artists, scientists etc.

Waterfield Primary’s ambitious curriculum has been specifically designed to enable children to re-visit and embed skills, knowledge and themes throughout their time at our school. The sequentially planned learning journey from Years 1 to 6 allows children to apply what they have remembered into to the next stage of their learning, deepening their understanding and strengthening learning skills to support children to become life-long learners.

Each individual learning episode and experience intertwines and knits together to form knowledge… as this knowledge is learnt and remembered it can then be applied, thus building the process of ‘Learning’.

Clear end-points have been set at each year level to ensure that all children are able to progress and demonstrate their understanding, allowing for them to be ready for the next stage of learning.

Infographic to summarise the formation of our Vehicles for Learning

Curriculum Breadth – Waterfield Vehicles for Learning

Underpinned by progressive knowledge, skills and understanding in reading, writing and mathematics, Waterfield has taken an ambitious approach to creating interesting and relevant ‘Vehicles for Learning’. Our ‘Vehicles for Learning’, often titled with a ‘Big Question’, comprise of the British National Curriculum subjects, high quality texts, classroom behaviours, environments and encompass all the wider opportunities the children experience each term. This allows teachers and children to realise the learning opportunities in every interaction, experience and aspect of the school day the children encounter.

Drawing upon our unique locality near the Millpond and Gatwick, Waterfield children explore themes, ideas and questions that build upon their cultural capital and embrace a global outlook. Revisiting these key themes, children deepen their learning through advancing vocabulary, knowledge retrieval and a broadening understanding of the world in the past, present and future. Waterfield has worked hard to ensure that our curriculum is personal and responsive to the needs of our children, in their own context, drawing on our locality and reflecting the world of today.

Our Vehicles for Learning include a wide range of subjects and disciplines, with effort made to ensure high quality literary texts and key facts underpin the children’s journey at every stage. Each Vehicle for Learning enables the children to experience an engaging ‘launch activity’ and work towards a final showcase to be shared with parents and carers. Central academic subjects are supported through an emphasis on the Arts, which are used to broaden children’s experiences and to inspire them.

Please further explore our Curriculum Menu  that gives more details about the Vehicles for Learning and their content for each year group throughout each Term.

Overviews of subject content can be found under the Curriculum Subjects Section.

Whilst Waterfield utilises the ‘Milestones’ in the Essential Curriculum and have highly personalised our learning contexts we adhere to and follow the English National Curriculum – more information about which can be found here.

Underpinning Waterfield’s curriculum is our firm belief in everybody ‘Aiming high and Achieving their Best’ through showing kindness, respect and applying a hardworking attitude.