curriculum
Scroll down to view a summary of our creative and inspiring curriculum.
Futura Curriculum
Curriculum
We inspire our children’s learning through a creative curriculum, ensuring our pupils experience a wide breadth of study and have, by the end of each key stage, long-term memory of an ambitious body of procedural and semantic knowledge. Our progressive curriculum, from 2-19 years, ensures that children have the requisite knowledge to proceed to their next year of study, including transition to secondary school.
Our curriculum is ambitious for all, meeting and often exceeding the national curriculum, and strives to address inclusion and disadvantage in its intent and implementation. For more information of the intent, implementation and impact of each curriculum area, please read the Futura Curriculum (PDF). The Futura curriculum principles (PDF) shows how our curriculum benefits from being part of the Futura Learning Partnership and integrates with the Futura values.
1. EYFS
The period from age three to the end of the Reception year is described as the Early Years Foundation Stage.
It is a distinct stage and important both in its own right and in preparing children for later schooling.
We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum where learning encourages children to develop into independent, happy and confident children who have a desire to learn and play.
Our EYFS curriculum ensures we are able to meet the individual needs of every child within our school. The principles that guide the work in the EYFS are grouped into four themes:
- A unique child
- Positive relationships
- Enabling environments
- Learning and development
We use the EYFS curriculum to identify the Characteristics of Effective Learning. This shows us how each child engages with other people and their environment, how they play and explore, if they are active learners and if they are creating and thinking critically. We have a balance of adult initiated and adult directed tasks as part of our curriculum offer to ensure that children make the best progress. We also use the Leuven Scale to help us to gain a deep understanding of children’s emotional wellbeing and involvement. The Leuven Scale is a five-point scale that allows childcare practitioners to measure children’s ‘emotional well-being’ and ‘involvement’ – two vital components of learning, development and progress in children. This is particularly useful when children first start school but is also used throughout the year.
We make observations of children’s learning which enable us to move learning forward in a way which is appropriate to each child’s stage in their development.
We record observations using the online assessment tool Seesaw which captures these precious and valuable moments and allows the adults to link these to the stages of development in Development Matters. This non-statutory guidance material supports adults in the EYFS in implementing the statutory requirements of the EYFS. Parents and carers are able to access Seesaw at home to respond to learning that has been put on there and also to document home experiences.
2. Art and design
The Futura Learning Partnership intent for art and design is that learners will explore a diverse range of traditional and contemporary artists, crafts people and designers, fostering their curiosity and understanding of the world around them.
Learners’ experiences will enable them to develop an appreciation of their own and other cultures and how artistic styles have been influenced over time. Through high-quality art lessons, learners will become reflective critical thinkers with the abilities to express themselves creatively.
They will learn to evaluate their own work and the work of others. A well-sequenced art curriculum allows learners to make continued progression through the refinement of skills and building on prior knowledge.
Learners will have the opportunity to apply their skills and knowledge in a range of contexts. Learners will be exposed to art in the local community, galleries and museums to inspire and inform their creative practice.
For more information, please see the Futura curriculum art and design (Pdf).
3. British values
Our school reflects British values in all that we do. We nurture our pupils on their journey through life so they grow in to caring, responsible and tolerant adults who make a positive difference to British society and to the wider world.
We encourage them to be creative, unique, open-minded and independent individuals who are respectful of themselves and others in our school, our local community and beyond.
We actively promote British values in the following ways:
Democracy
Pupils are encouraged to debate topics of interest, express their views and make a meaningful contribution to the running of the school.
Rule of Law
We have a clear positive behaviour policy which helps pupils to make good choices about their behaviour. Pupils are helped to distinguish right from wrong in the classroom, during assemblies and in the playground. This is supported by a restorative approach.
Individual Liberty
At school, pupils are encouraged and given the freedom to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment e.g. challenging themselves in their learning. They are supported to develop self-knowledge and self-confidence in all areas of school life. Pupils are taught to understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms in a safe way e.g. within Jigsaw lessons.
Mutual Respect and Tolerance of Those with Different Faiths and Beliefs
Respect is one of our Trust values. Pupils understand that respect is shown to everyone, both adults and children. We help them to develop an understanding of, and respect for, their own and other cultures. Staff and pupils are encouraged to challenge prejudicial or discriminatory behaviour. Through the PSHE and RE curriculum, pupils are encouraged to discuss and respect differences and similarities between people. We offer a culturally rich and diverse curriculum in which all major religions are studied.
4. Computing
The Futura Learning Partnership intent for Computing is that an exciting and rigorous Computing education will ensure children are immersed in engaging, technology-rich learning experiences.
he Futura Learning Partnership intent for Computing is that an exciting and rigorous Computing education will ensure children are immersed in engaging, technology-rich learning experiences, allowing them to learn deeply and embed core computing skills, think independently and problem solve in an ever-evolving digital world.
Regardless of changes within technology and the world we live in, our children will possess the core skills and behaviours required to safely and confidently access new technology to enhance their wider learning, access the curriculum throughout their school journey and inspire a future where technology is used to innovate and make positive change.
We believe that learning about Computing provides an important context for the development of pupils’ key learning skills, particularly problem-solving, creative and critical thinking and resourcefulness.
Futura recognise that social context plays a vital role in children’s education and as such we aim to provide opportunities for children to experience Computing in ways that are unique to their local and wider community.
For more information, please see the Futura Curriculum Computing (Pdf)
5. Design and technology (DT)
Our DT curriculum aims to equip pupils with the knowledge, skills and attitudes they need to become successful, innovative young designers and makers.
By building on prior experience, pupils progressively develop technical skills and practical expertise. They are encouraged to think creatively, imaginatively and be ambitious in their design ideas.
They are given opportunities to solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values. They learn to recognise the importance of design and technology in the real world and its relevance in everyday life.
They are given opportunities to learn about and be inspired by designs and designers past and present who have impacted on life across the world. Through the design, make, evaluate process, pupils are guided to develop skills of teamwork, communication, resilience and reflectiveness through problem solving.
They learn to use knowledge and understanding from other curriculum areas including mathematical, scientific, computing and art skills, applying them in relevant and practical contexts. In this way, we aspire for our pupils to become articulate, dynamic thinkers able to approach new challenges with confidence and enthusiasm.
For more information, please see the Futura Curriculum Design and Technology (Pdf)
6. English
The Futura Learning Partnership intent for English is that a high-quality education will inspire children to become creative and critical thinkers.
We believe that it is the right of every child to become a competent and confident user of the English language, able to live, work and succeed in the literate world. Children will be able to communicate fluently and confidently, using a wide vocabulary accurately and effectively. They will be able to critique a range of fiction and non-fiction texts, appreciating a rich and varied literary heritage.
Children will be inspired to become imaginative writers who can write coherently with a high level of accuracy in spelling, punctuation and grammar; children will be able to adapt their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences. English provides the fundamental building blocks for pupils to succeed in all subjects; a high level of literacy provides the vehicle needed to unpick key concepts across the curriculum. This, alongside carefully selected texts appropriate to our contexts, develops the cultural capital needed to succeed in life. Crucially, we aim to foster a love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment.
Phonics
The school uses the Little Wandle scheme of work, in Reception and Years 1 and 2, to teach children to read accurately and fluently with good comprehension. They also learn to form each letter, spell correctly, and compose their ideas step-by-step.
For more information, please see the Futura Curriculum English (Pdf)
7. Geography
The purpose of the Futura Learning Partnership geography intent is to provide a framework for high quality geography education across phases to inspire in pupils a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives.
The aim is to ensure that pupils are equipped with knowledge about a diverse range of places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the earth’s key physical and human processes.
Pupils should make sense of the complex world around them and be confident to investigate some of the major issues, challenges and opportunities that the world faces today. The aim is to ensure that pupils will develop greater competence in using geographical knowledge, approaches, concepts and skills in analysing and interpreting a wide range of different geographical information. In this way, pupils will enrich their locational knowledge and spatial and environmental understanding as well as acquire the geographical cultural capital needed to be confident and successful global citizens.
For more information, please see the Futura Curriculum Geography (Pdf)
8. History
The Futura Learning Partnership intent for history is that a high-quality history education will inspire children to have a curiosity and fascination about the local area and Britain’s past and that of the wider world as well.
Children will be able to think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments and develop perspective and judgement. The children’s deep learning of history and its related information gathering skills will enable them to have an understanding of where we have come from and how this has been influenced by the wider world and different cultural heritages. This in turn will enable us to learn from the past, model the future and understand society and the child’s place within it. Furthermore, it gives us a view of other cultures and their development through time.
We believe that learning about historical events provides an important context for the development of pupils’ key learning skills, particularly communication, working with others, problem solving and critical thinking skills and that this will be done not just through experiences in the classroom but also through educational visits.
For more information, please see the Futura Curriculum History (Pdf)
9. Languages
Learning a foreign language is a liberation from insularity and provides an opening to other cultures. At the Futura Learning Partnership, we aim to foster pupils’ curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world.
We strongly believe that languages are a skill for life, and something that pupils should enjoy and find rewarding. Through learning foreign language, pupils also develop literacy and oracy in their own language as well as resilience and problem-solving skills. Language learning should provide the foundation for learning further languages.
We hope to expand pupils’ cultural knowledge whilst developing their language skills. Through language learning, pupils gain a sound understanding of the structure of their own language, leading to effective communication in the foreign language. Pupils of all abilities can benefit from learning a foreign language, supporting and enhancing their literacy learning across the curriculum.
The Languages curriculum caters for pupils with varied previous language learning. It enables pupils to build upon prior knowledge or language learning skills. Pupils are well-prepared at the end of each key stage to tackle the next steps in language learning but equally, should they choose not to continue their formal language learning, they are equipped with the skills and knowledge to use in the workplace or for leisure or to further their learning.
We learn French.
For more information, please see the Futura Curriculum Languages (Pdf)
10. Maths
Our long-term aim is to produce an ambitious, engaging, connected curriculum accessible to all pupils in the Futura Learning Partnership.
Pupils will make rich connections across mathematical ideas to develop fluency, mathematical reasoning and competence in solving increasingly sophisticated problems. The intent of our mathematics curriculum is to design a curriculum which is accessible to all and will maximise the development of every child’s ability and academic achievement and preparation for their journey into the wider world. We aim to deliver lessons that are creative and engaging. We intend for our pupils to be able to apply their mathematical knowledge across the curriculum. Pupils who grasp concepts rapidly should be challenged through being offered rich and sophisticated problems before any acceleration through new content.
For more information, please see the Futura Curriculum for Maths (Pdf)
Multiplication Challenge – TTRS
We use Times Table Rockstars, a whole-school times table challenge, to encourage children to learn their multiplication facts by heart.
Children complete fun and exciting games/activities according to their ability. Once they have improved their time taken to answer the questions, their Rock Star Avatar changes. Can you aim to become a Rock legend? Further to this, the more frequently they play, the more points they gain to spend on their Avatar.
Understanding that fluency in times tables is an essential foundation for our pupils, in addition to TTRS, we have twice daily multiplication sessions.
11. Music
In the Futura Learning Partnership, our intention is that children develop a life-long love of music.
Through the musical experiences and opportunities offered to them throughout their education, each child will develop a musical identity which is personal to them. This may be in the form of a performer, composer and/or as an active listener who, in the future, will become a participator in the cultural life of the UK.
In EYFS, KS1 and KS2, music acts as an integral part of the school day, be that singing whilst packing up or listening to a new piece of music whilst walking into assembly. Our music curriculum plan, guided by the EYFS framework and National Curriculum, ensures that all children from EYFS to Year 9 experience a stimulating, practical and holistic curriculum which explores music through singing, performing, composing and listening. Every pupil in the trust will have been taught the substantive and disciplinary knowledge required for GCSE Music, and therefore possibly A-Level, should they wish to study Music at KS4 and KS5.
Alongside this, we encourage all pupils to develop their musicianship in a variety of extra-curricular activities both in and outside school. Inevitably, the cultural capital of each pupil will be developed throughout their musical education within the trust, yet each individual school also aims to meet the cultural interests, and needs, of the community in which our schools are based – all musical cultures are welcomed and embraced.
We strive to ensure all pupils find Music an engaging and fulfilling subject in which they embrace the discipline of practice, the challenge of analysis and the excitement of creating and finding their own musical voice.
More information
- Music development plan (Pdf)
- Futura Curriculum Music (Pdf)
12. Personal, social and physical health (PSHE)
The purpose of the Futura Learning Partnership PSHE intent is to provide a framework for high quality PSHE education across phases which is accessible to all and ensures that each of our pupils will develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to keep themselves healthy, safe and prepared for life and work.
The aim is to ensure our pupils understand how to play a positive and successful role within our society, both as a child and as an adult within the future. It should have an impact on both academic and non-academic outcomes for pupils, particularly the most vulnerable and disadvantaged.
The aim is for a holistic PSHE learning journey spanning the pupil’s school career, with a progressive, spiral curriculum that addresses real needs in a rapidly changing world. Our curriculum is ambitious for all and strives to address inclusion and disadvantage in its intent and implementation.
For more information, please see the Futura Curriculum PSHE (Pdf)
Relationships and sex education (RSE) information policies can be found on our policies page.
• DfE guidance for parents
13. Physical education (PE)
The purpose of the Futura Learning Partnership cross-phase Physical Education curriculum is to foster a life-long love for a variety of physical activities and sporting opportunities.
Through this engaging curriculum, pupils will develop a range of transferrable skills, language, knowledge and understanding which can be used in multiple settings. A pupil will be provided with many opportunities to develop wider personal, social and moral skills which could include resilience, communication, teamwork, independence, leadership, analysis and evaluation.
Our pupils will develop their understanding of what engenders a healthy lifestyle both physically and the contribution this has on good mental health and well-being. Opportunities will be provided to experience a broad range of different sports safely, through participation and observations, in both the curricular and extra-curricular provision. Community links are established and advertised to encourage our pupils to have further opportunities for continuing participation through school extra-curricular activities and local clubs and sports.
Our relevant, engaging and challenging curriculum means that pupils who have studied PE at a Futura school will continue to enjoy learning about Physical Education, physical activity and a variety of sports throughout their lives
Where activities have been suggested, an alternative can be taught in schools where this better suits the local context. An example of this could be, when gymnastics has been suggested, trampolining could be used instead if the school has the provision for this.
For more information, please see the Futura Curriculum PE (Pdf).
14. Religious education (RE)
The Futura intent for Religious Education is that all children develop an awareness of major world religions and world views, including their impact on society and culture.
Our pupils should be able to appreciate and respect faiths and beliefs which may be different to their own, which will equip them for their adult life, employment as well as lifelong learning.
Through lessons, children will be able to engage with challenging questions of meaning and purpose, which will equip them to continue their studies of Religion and World Views in secondary school where they will deepen their understanding of different world faiths as well as more general philosophical and ethical questions. Our pupils will be given the opportunity to develop their own religious, spiritual and philosophical beliefs in a safe environment.
Children will be able to reflect, consider, analyse, interpret and evaluate different issues which are prevalent in our society, whilst also promoting mutual respect and tolerance in line with British Values. Our curriculum is ambitious for all and strives to address inclusion and disadvantage in its intent and implementation.
For more information, please see the Futura Curriculum RE (Pdf).
Managing the right to withdraw
The current Education Act makes provision for pupils and staff to withdraw from Religion and Worldviews lessons. Staff and parents of pupils wishing to exercise this right will be asked to express their wish in writing to the Headteacher.
15. Remote Education
When the school provides remote education, this will be through our online learning platform Seesaw and via email.
16. Science
The purpose of the Futura Learning Partnership cross-phase Science curriculum is to help students understand and question the world around them.
It gives them the scientific knowledge and skills that they need in order to be successful in their future lives and make a contribution to the wider community.
Pupils are empowered with a strong knowledge base that they can then use to evaluate important issues, analyse evidence and problem solve. They develop the confidence to form their own opinions and articulate themselves effectively.
Our engaging and challenging curriculum means that pupils who have studied Science at a Futura school will continue to enjoy learning about Science and how the world works throughout their lives.
For more information, please see the Futura Curriculum Science (Pdf).
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