Curriculum

‘The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets the standards that all early years providers must meet to ensure that children learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe. It promotes teaching and learning to ensure children’s ‘school readiness’ and gives children the broad range of knowledge and skills that provide the right foundation for good future progress through school and life.’ (EYFS Statutory Framework).

‘The National Curriculum provides pupils with an introduction to the essential knowledge they need to be educated citizens. It introduces pupils to the best that has been thought and said, and helps engender an appreciation of human creativity and achievement. The National Curriculum provides an outline of core knowledge around which teachers can develop exciting and stimulating lessons to promote the development of pupils’ knowledge, understanding and skills as part of the wider school curriculum.’  (National Curriculum Aims)

The Statutory EYFS Framework and the content of the National Curriculum Programmes of Study (Key Stages 1 and 2) form the roots of Windmill L.E.A.D Academy’s curriculum. From this statutory national documentation, Windmill L.E.A.D Academy’s curriculum has been devised, developed and personalised to our school community, having evolved from our values, vision and mission statement.   

We ensure all children have a curriculum that:

• Is personalised, broad and thematic, equipping pupils for life and fostering a love of life-long learning;
• Enables children to acquire sequential knowledge, understanding, vocabulary and skills, which are based on prior learning and secured through application over time and in different contexts in order to develop understanding (change in long term memory), cultural capital and mastery;
• Is both progressive and based on consolidating and revisiting content over time, to secure learning in the long-term memory;
• Is engaging, interesting and relevant to Windmill’s diverse community, allowing children to seek meaning in their learning  and achieve personal growth;
• Draws on and builds an awareness of the wider world, fostering an appreciation of this, and taking children beyond their own experiences;
• Facilitates exploration beyond the classroom and connects learning between subjects and the wider world;
• Gives the opportunity to embed English, mathematical and computing skills across subjects, and allows for the interleaving of concepts and subjects within a mastery approach;
• Provides opportunities to explore and learn about the environment, aspirations, health and diversity;
• Helps children to develop the tools to keep themselves safe, through PSHE and RSE;
• Communicates the highest expectations;
• Utilises pedagogical approaches which are underpinned by contemporary educational research;
• Clearly communicates the learning journey, which children are fully immersed in and encouraged to take ownership of and responsibility for;
• Takes place within an engaging, safe and stimulating environment, which communicates the highest of standards, where children are courageous leaders in their learning;
• Encompasses role models to communicate, interact and collaborate with;
• Provides opportunities to explore and experience ambitions for the future where children are inspired to be successful individuals: authors, mathematicians, innovators, scientists, historians, geographers, artists, musicians, sportspeople and positive citizens;
• Includes a comprehensive approach to well-being, encompassing diet, exercise and mental health;
• Promotes the core values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance, with regard to the current Equalities Act.

All children share a common entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum that meets their learning needs. Through effective staff training; expert support from Windmill’s SENDCO; support from our Language Specialist Teacher; individual subject leaders’ expertise; outside agencies and differentiated All, Most and Some End of Year Expectations, teachers differentiate each learning experience to ensure every child can access their learning and make progress, based on their readiness and ability specific to each learning scenario (Equality Act 2010 and SEND Regulations 2014).

Please follow the links below for subject-specific curriculum information.

If you would like to know more about the curriculum, please ask at the school office to speak with Ruth Pickering, our Deputy Headteacher, who leads curriculum development.