Curriculum intent

We offer an ambitious, bespoke, holistic curriculum that goes above and beyond statutory obligations. It is the highly bespoke nature of our curriculum and its holistic design that continues to make our small school unique, by providing purposeful, engaging and inclusive learning opportunities that lead towards the achievement of richly creative collaborative projects. 

We aim to provide pupils with the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life. Our curriculum capitalises on the rich opportunities offered both within our local community and beyond. Projects allow children to work with local and national experts, skilled parents, professionals, and community members to help further learning in the classroom, providing deep learning opportunities and promoting mastery of a wide range of subjects, whilst also helping pupils to see the relevance of their education to wider life. By utilising available expertise, we stimulate pupils' curiosity and build on the interests and enjoyment of learners. 

We value expertise and encourage children to recognise that 'expertise' can be achieved through:

• Goal setting;
• Application and sustained effort;
• The development of resilience and the willingness to 'fail forwards';
• Problem-solving;
• Learning from and with others;
• Identifying how we can improve
• Celebrating small steps of success along the way. 

At Chadlington CE Primary School, we provide a rich, holistic 'first class' curriculum. Enquiry-based topics are designed to ignite pupils' curiosity. 

'Pupils of all ages are inspired to learn about science, technology, humanities and the arts through a programme of innovative ‘We are…’ projects', OFSTED. 

'We Are Miniaturists', Summer 2021:

'We Are Filmmakers', Summer 2021:

We run an in-house film production company, 'The Little Acorn Film Company' to encourage children to explore their curriculum interests further.

We encourage children to develop both autonomy and collaborative skills through their involvement with 'The Little Acorn Film Company'.

Curriculum Implementation

In order to develop pupils' aspirations and understanding of the relevance of their learning to the world that they live in and in preparation for later life, the curriculum consists of a sequence of job-related topics that encourage children to see themselves in a particular role and to develop an appreciation of the skills, knowledge and understanding that underpin expertise.

There are twenty-four topics in total, which are broadly grouped into three categories: STEM subjects, Arts subjects and Humanities. These groupings allow us to explore different areas of learning in greater depth at different times in order to allow children to develop mastery and make meaningful links. Depending on the focus of the term's topic, pupils might be engineers, animators or architects, for example. The topics are repeated with a different emphasis on learning after each four-year cycle. See below:

Chadlington Curriculum Plan 4-Year Cycle

Throughout each learning cycle we run a varied programme of ambitious projects, developing themes over consecutive topics and scaffolding learning, sometimes over several months. This allows pupils to develop skills and knowledge in a range of contexts, making connections between areas of learning and applying their understanding in new situations. To view the current programme of projects see below:

Chadlington Four Year Project Plan

Learning Schemes

The school uses a range of schemes to enhance curriculum coverage. These are appropriately adapted to meet individual needs. Chadlington schemes include: White Rose Maths; Read, Write Inc Phonics and Spelling Schemes; Nelson Handwriting, Language Angels, Sing Up and CNPS Sport & PE.

National Curriculum Subject overviews