Relevant – We are proud that our curriculum is personal to the children and community in which they live. It is relevant, meaningful and takes into consideration current issues happening both within and beyond Mexborough.

Challenging – Our pupils access a curriculum which deepens and enhances their thinking and understanding. We provide opportunities for all children to apply fundamental reading, writing, mathematics and speaking & listening skills across the curriculum, fully embedding learning and preparing them for their futures beyond the school gates.  

Vocabulary Rich – We ensure our children are exposed to a wide range of tier 2 vocabulary to aid their understanding of their learning as well as the world around them.

Hands-on – First hand experiences; visits, visitors and outdoor learning, are woven throughout our curriculum providing children with exciting and meaningful memories that enhance their learning journeys and time in school.

Fully Inclusive – Our curriculum and provision is tailored for all groups of learners regardless of age, gender or background. We ensure that any barriers to learning are removed in order that all children achieve their potential and beyond!

Engaging – Developing a lifelong love of learning is a key element in our curriculum. We aim to make learning memorable and to make learning stick. The curriculum excites and inspires our children.

Child-led – Children play an active role in continually developing and enhancing our curriculum. We are led by children’s interests and value their input and ideas.

Flying High for Excellence

Our curriculum promotes the intellectual, personal, social and physical development of all of our pupils. The National Curriculum and the EYFS documentation are important elements within the school's curriculum, which has a focus on the development of pupil’s knowledge, understand and key skills.

Please see our Curriculum Maps (below) for more detailed information on each subject. 

The Structure of our Curriculum

Foundation Stage:

The Foundation Stage curriculum has been developed in collaboration with the Early Excellence Centre and aims to provide a wide range of experiences and learning opportunities through effective continuous provision. This provision is enhanced regularly and is ever-changing as we strive to develop and focus on children's interests to help engage and inspire both indoors and outdoors. The curriculum meets all of the standards of the Early Years Foundation Framework and is used alongside the Development Matters documentation to provide a secure foundation for all children for good progress through school and life.

Key Stage 1 and 2:

Topics are taught on a two year rolling programme across the Key Stages, with vertical and horizontal links between subjects carefully woven through the curriculum to ensure pupil learning is purposeful, progressive and deep. Children's interests are at the centre of our planning to ensure that pupils are keen to learn and progress, and there is an emphasis on skills and knowledge based learning to give children solid foundations for their ongoing development, meeting the individual learning styles of each child.

Each key stage curriculum overview sets out what should be taught. We use a thematic approach where children are supported and encouraged to make link across subjects in order to broaden their general knowledge and understanding of the world around them.

Learning is progressive and carefully mapped out by curriculum leaders. Schemes of work for each year group ensures teaching builds on pupil’s prior learning, the carefully considered authentic links between subjects are clear, and opportunities to develop pupil’s basic skills (reading, writing, number, and speaking and listening) are well-planned. High quality texts linked to topics help to further strengthen children’s knowledge and understanding.

Vocabulary development in context is a key driver for our curriculum. We want our pupils to understand language and be able to communicate in a range of settings and situations. Language will be ‘taught’ throughout all areas of learning in order to close the attainment gap for all our pupils.

Progressive assessment statements for all curriculum areas ensure that we can assess our leaners accurately and provide personalised programmes of learning in order to maximise progress from their starting points.

Underpinning our curriculum are the Windhill Positive Learning Behaviours. We aim to ensure all our pupils gain a greater understanding of how they learn and the skills of motivation, resilience, reflection, interdependence, creativity and inquisitiveness.

Subjects taught in Key Stage 1 and 2 are as follows:

English, Mathematics, Science, Religious Education (using the Doncaster Agreed Syllabus), Computing, History, Geography, Music, Design Technology, Art, PE, PHSCE (Personal, Health, Social Citizenship Education) and MFL in all Key Stage 2 year groups (Spanish).

We ensure that our curriculum is inclusive for all and complies with the Equality Act 2010 and the SEND regulations 2014, making sure our curriculum is accessible for those with disabilities or special educational needs (for further information click on the link below)

Reading & Phonics Schemes

In Reception and Key Stage 1, phonics is taught using Essential Letters and Sounds programme. This is supported by a range of levelled decodable reading books used in guided reading sessions and for individual readers. The school reading scheme, chosen to compliment this, is Collins Big Cat and is supplemented with a wide range of Oxford Reading Tree titles. All pupils have opportunities to read with an adult as well as independently in school, and are also given time to read for pleasure. We also encourage all children to read at home, independently and with adults. Little and often is best.