Curriculum Rationale and Vision
At Woodlands Primary Academy, our children 'Enjoy, Thrive and Aspire'. Through our whole school approach, all children are encouraged to fulfil their potential, regardless of economic status, background or need. Our carefully designed curriculum exposes children to enriching experiences, immersing them in progressive knowledge and skills; equipping them with personal characteristics required to succeed in life.
Curriculum Intent
At Woodlands, our curriculum is underpinned by four specific drivers;
Curriculum Drivers
- Mental Health & Wellbeing
Children at Woodlands need a curriculum that equips them with the skills and knowledge needed to navigate adolescence and adulthood with positive mental health and wellbeing, equalising their life chances and ensuring they fulfil their potential - Rights Respecting Schools
Our curriculum is underpinned by the UNCRC, empowering our children with both awareness and ownership of their own voice, ensuring they are heard - Community Engagement
We strive to ensure are children are responsible citizens who have a positive impact on our local community and beyond. We aim to engage parents and wider community groups across our curriculum through both our core and enriched offers - Inclusion
We ensure our curriculum is accessible to all learners, regardless of SEND, socio-economic status or background. Our curriculum is designed to build unquestionable acceptance and resilience in our children
First and foremost, children at Woodlands are safe. By placing high value on a curriculum that is designed to ensure children have the skills and knowledge needed to maintain positive wellbeing, we ensure that our children learn to use their voices to effectively challenge discrimination and promote diversity.
We are a gold accredited RRS school and as such, our curriculum is built upon foundations driven by Articles within the United Nations Children’s Rights Charter (UNCRC).
By applying both a Rights Respecting philosophy and placing high value on the Mental Health and Wellbeing threads within our curriculum, we prepare our children to become active citizens who make positive contributions to the local and wider community.
In line with our Academy Aims, we have developed a curriculum that provides opportunity for all children, regardless of economic status or additional need, to make good progress because they are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage in their education. The curriculum we have developed provides learning, opportunities and experiences that equalize the life chances of our children. As a wholly inclusive school, our curriculum is designed to meet the needs of all learners as stated in the Equality Act 2010 and the Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014.
An emphasis on the development of basic skills in communication, literacy and numeracy at all stages is central in the teaching of all subjects at Woodlands. This ensures we can effectively ‘catch up’ children quickly and address the achievement deficit which remains evident on entry to school for the majority of our learners. By securing success in the core subjects, access to the wider curriculum is enhanced and outcomes for children are improved.
Curriculum Implementation
At Woodlands Primary Academy, there is a Pupil Admissions Number (PAN) of 45. Children are split into mixed classes in KS1, LKS2 and UKS2. Class profiles are decided via a range of factors including child voice and peer relationships. There are no streamed classes at Woodlands.
Core subjects and PSHCE are taught in pure age groups across the Academy. This ensures that all children are taught objectives that are pertinent to the age of the children, allowing for sequencing and progression of knowledge to become secure.
Foundation subjects are taught in classes. Expectations from the National Curriculum are split into Cycle A or Cycle B termly topics and are taught over a 2-year cycle allowing for the knowledge, skills and vocabulary to be taught progressively, revisited and embedded across the phase. Adaptations are made to the curriculum to meet the needs of individuals in the class allowing for children to be challenged appropriately.
Impact
| Mental Health & Wellbeing | Rights Respecting Schools | Community Engagement | Inclusion |
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Children leave Woodlands with an awareness of their own strengths and a range of strategies to tackle the new challenges faced by a KS3 curriculum
Life chances for our children are Children at Woodlands are equalised
Children leave Woodlands “Secondary ready” with the skills, knowledge & resilience needed maintain a positive mental health into adolescence. |
Our children have a voice and can articulate their rights
Children leave Woodlands with the courage to advocate for others
Children value education and place importance on the role of school in their lives, this ensures they attend well and have the desire to retain knowledge across a range of curriculum subjects
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Our children leave Woodlands as responsible citizens
Children have a direct, positive impact on our local community through engagement with projects and agencies outside of school.
Children are exposed to a cultural capital that broadens their ambitions, giving the insight into life beyond Oldham |
All children, regardless of their starting points, make good progress across the curriculum through engagement in an inclusive offer which ensures access to high quality teaching and learning where teachers follow a sequenced, coherently planned curriculum to embed knowledge and skills across a broad and balanced curriculum All children are well prepared for the challenges of KS3 and know their personalised next steps to ensure they continue a positive trajectory into Secondary education |
More Information
Subject leaders have designed a coverage overview and corresponding unit plans which sets out expectations within their curriculum subject across the Academy. These can be found within specific subject pages via the links on the right hand side of this page.
You are welcome to contact us in school to discuss our curriculum offer with either the Principal, Mrs Sharpe, or Curriculum Lead, Miss Humble. Please speak to the main office to make an appointment