Curriculum Overview

Our aim is to provide a quality education for all of children through a broad, rich and balanced curriculum. We aim to inspire our children to enthusiastically achieve their best and enjoy becoming lifelong learners. 

At Owler Brook, careful analysis and discussion about our pupils’ backgrounds, life experiences and culture has helped us to design a curriculum which builds knowledge from year to year, encourages curiosity and creativity, helps our children understand the world in which they live and provide learning for life. 

We have designed and planned our curriculum to offer a range of experiences which contribute to every child receiving a full and rich curriculum. The range of experiences we offer support and champion our culture and ensure that our children benefit from the full range of academic, spiritual, moral, social and cultural activities.  

We are proud that our curriculum gives our children the skills of resilience, reciprocity, reflection and resourcefulness and it encourages them to aim high and work hard towards their goals and aspirations. 

At Owler Brook, we place high priority on ensuring children’s physical and mental wellbeing are met. We understand that children will not be successful learners unless they are emotionally secure. Therefore we carefully design the curriculum and adopt a flexible approach to timetabling to ensure that we can meet and respond to any issues that may arise. Children’s physical and mental wellbeing are as valued and important as academic development. 

Our balanced approach to the curriculum is not at the expense of high standards in core subject areas. High standards and enabling children to reach national expectations and above is of vital importance if they are to succeed in the next stage of their education. 

Our curriculum is organised to allow for learning to be progressive, built upon and revisited. 

We design, organise and plan our curriculum to ensure our children are not merely covering content but achieving a depth to their learning which enables them to use their skills and knowledge in all areas of the curriculum. In each school year, the curriculum is designed to build on the learning from the previous years. Where relevant, they will be explicitly taught substantive and disciplinary knowledge and given opportunities to revisit and build upon this learning.

Early years 

From the start of their journey through education, we want our pupils to be excited by the world around them and explore their cultural identity which they can share and celebrate with others. We promote a deep understanding of tolerance, respect and empathy. Children in the early years should be given the opportunity to learn and develop basic life skills such as interacting and building relationships with others, taking turns in conversation, active listening and fundamental basic skills in reading, writing & maths. 

We aim to work collaboratively with parents to encourage independent and enthusiastic learners who can reach their full potential regardless of their background, circumstance or needs. 

We recognise that children thrive on new experiences and believe they should be provided with first hand experiences to engage their inquisitive minds, broaden their horizons and promote awe and wonder about the world around them. We provide vibrant continuous indoor and outdoor provision to support learners in investigating, creative thinking and problem solving. 

Every child has access to a broad, balanced and enriching curriculum and our goals are adaptable to each individual in the setting. 

KS1 and KS2 

Our curriculum is based on building knowledge and skills. Each subject has been developed by subject leaders and the SLT team with progression in mind; this ensures that children build on existing skills and knowledge, which, over time, enables them to know more and remember more.  They are given opportunities to revisit previous learning from previous lessons, previous terms and previous school years.  

The basis of our curriculum is provided by the national curriculum. This is then used to create our own progressive curriculum to meet the needs of all our children.   

Foundation subjects such as Geography and History are theme based. Learning is organised into three themes for each year group, each lasting a full school term. Each theme is introduced through a broad philosophical question that enables children to see links between the different areas of the curriculum whilst developing a wider understanding of their place in the world. Learning builds towards a final outcome at the end of each term, in which children have a chance to showcase their learning in as authentic a way as possible.  

Through each theme, children have many enrichment opportunities such as half termly visits and visitors to school that provide excitement and a real sense of purpose for their learning. Children then learn and develop the necessary skills and knowledge relevant to them in order to answer the big question and prepare their outcome. This enables children to lead their own learning, experience the wider world and develop skills needed in later life. Each term has one (or more) ‘driver subject’ to ensure that coverage of all subjects across the year is well balanced. Our current subject drivers are: History (Autumn term), Geography and Art (Spring term) and Science (Summer term). Most of the coverage for these subjects is taught during these terms, with the exception of Science and Art, which are taught throughout the year. Other foundation subjects which are not theme drivers are also taught throughout the year and are linked to the theme where appropriate.

“Our vision is to provide an excellent primary education that gives our children the very best chance of succeeding in life.”

Cascade MAT