The Curriculum
Herons Dale Primary School’s curriculum is tailor-made to the needs of our pupils, based on the building blocks of:
- National Curriculum
- Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum
- Equals (a commercially produced curriculum devised for children with learning difficulties)
- ImPACTS (a curriculum to support those children who are working below subject specific study supporting the Engagement Model).
We have a curriculum team which oversee all aspects of teaching and learning. All staff plan cross-curricular topics together, delivering continuity and progression through exciting and engaging learning opportunities. We meet regularly to evaluate the curriculum on offer and to update our curriculums and policies accordingly. We maximise each child’s learning opportunities through termly progress and planning meetings for each child, reviewing their access to a broad and balanced curriculum, and making sure we are providing what they need. Learning is supported through our total communication approach which includes using Communicate in Print and Makaton, and through meaningful, hands-on learning opportunities. The constant plan – do – review cycle informed by observations and review of learning and progression informs everything we do.
We celebrate all achievement, no matter how small.
We organise our curriculum through termly cross-curricular topics, under the headings below. We love that our school community works on the whole school topic at the same time, linking our learning together and giving us opportunities for sharing these amazing learning experiences and skills. We have 4 cohorts at Herons Dale, and these are organised in the way our children learn. We have a formal cohort of learners, a semi-formal cohort of learners, an engaging cohort and our EYFS cohort. Each cohort within the school approaches the topic dependent on the needs of the children, with subject co-ordinators monitoring breadth and balance as we progress through our four-year cycle of learning.
