Curriculum at Stratford Upon Avon Primary

At Stratford Upon Avon Primary we have an exciting localised curriculum which is developed with our vision firmly at the centre. 
 
'To create a happy place, where children and adults learn and flourish in a creative, rewarding atmosphere and are given as many opportunities and experiences to increase their life chances and careers. ' 
 
Our children receive the full offer of The National Curriculum which is strengthened through a range of inspiring texts and themes embedded through Curriculum Maestro. Curriculum enhancements reflect our proud local links to Stratford and beyond. 
 
The intent of our curriculum is to give our pupils an enhanced breadth of experiences through: 
 
  • A variety of visits and visitors which develops fieldwork, historical skills and cultural awareness
  • Outdoor learning experiences in The Heart of England forest, Stonehenge, York, Stratford butterfly gardens, our own green space The Paddock, The River Avon and more. 
  • Communities (local, global and cultural perspective) - through our connections with The Royal Shakespeare Company, links to businesses, other schools, care homes, Stratford library - we develop pupils as global citizens. 
  • Healthy Living and Sport - we love sport at Stratford and develop pupils as sports leaders so they can learn to develop our curriculum. We link with local schools, invite visitors in to teach us about healthy living and ensure our children's mental health is at the forefront of our decision making. Year 6 lead on healthy tuckshop. 
  • Wider curriculum pathways which ensure the children have many opportunities to showcase their skills and knowledge e.g. entering competitions, learning about county lines through the police, developing their own sense of road safety
  • Strong cultural links that reflect our town's pride of Shakespeare and ensures children develop through creative arts. We participate in Stratford Literary Festival, Shakespeare' birthday celebrations, perform at The RSC, sing at The Royal Albert Hall, stand with our town during Remembrance, invite visitors in to share skills, participate in Escape Arts workshops and hold the Gold Artsmark.
  • We have high expectations and academic standards which are key to our curriculum development. We are consistently above national average in all statutory tests. We teach the children that they can achieve whatever they want to achieve. We help them to develop their skills and knowledge in all areas. 
This is implemented through the teaching of National Curriculum subjects by planning a progressive sequence of learning aimed to improve the children’s ability to: ask questions, investigate, interrogate information, present and argue whilst securing a substantive knowledge in each subject. It is further enhanced through key texts and localised opportunities. Our Curriculum is designed to revisit prior knowledge and build upon this to support retention.  For each subject, a progression in substantive and disciplinary knowledge, and vocabulary is carefully planned and this is reviewed regularly to ensure that our curriculum design meets the needs of all learners.
 

At Stratford upon Avon Primary our children experience a broad, balanced and extensively developed curriculum enabling them to grow and learn in an environment without prejudice or inequality.  We help children develop a sense of identity, promoting fundamental shared values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. We want our children to accept responsibility for their behaviour, show respect and understand how they can contribute positively to society. Children will be given the opportunity to learn the benefits of physically and emotionally healthy lifestyles, by participating in personal, social and health education.  

We are always considering different ways to make learning memorable and rich, we enable children to explore their interests and abilities through developing and appreciation of the arts, taking part in a wide range of physical activities, developing a sense of self in a supportive environment, experience music through performing, singing and playing instruments and by experiencing social, moral, spiritual and cultural education which broadens children’s awareness and understanding of the world and their place within it.

Impact

Our curriculum is high quality and carefully sequenced to meet the needs of our children. Themes and key texts are chosen to inspire the children to want to learn more, exceed the expectations of the national curriculum and ensure progression across all subjects.

We measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods: speaking to pupils about their learning; evidence in books and from practical work; termly teacher assessment and lesson visits.

By the time children leave Stratford upon Avon Primary School they will be equipped with the knowledge and learning skills for their futures in a rapidly changing world, recognising the importance of technology, science and communication.  Children leave our care secondary ready and excited about the next stage of education. Our results are consistently above the national average and all of our children are fully included in our school.