Overview
Curriculum Rationale, Intent, Implementation and Impact
At Woodloes Primary School, we provide an ambitious, inclusive and coherently planned curriculum that is designed to give all pupils, including those with SEND and disadvantaged backgrounds, the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life. All subjects are valued equally and contribute to pupils’ academic, physical, social, emotional and creative development. Our curriculum is carefully sequenced to ensure that pupils build secure knowledge, skills and vocabulary over time, enabling them to make progress and achieve well.
Our curriculum is rooted in the school’s shared vision and values, developed in consultation with pupils and the wider school community. At Woodloes, we strive for everyone to be the best version of themselves. We foster a growth mindset through resilience, perseverance and responsibility, while promoting curiosity, kindness and integrity. These principles are reflected through our PRIDE values: Perseverance, Respect, Integrity, Diversity and Excellence, and underpin daily practice across the school.
Using the Cornerstones Maestro approach, our curriculum is designed as a coherently planned sequence of learning through carefully structured driver and companion projects. Knowledge is deliberately selected, ordered and revisited to ensure pupils remember more over time and are able to apply learning confidently in new contexts. Clear progression within and across subjects ensures pupils are prepared for the next stage of their education.
Curriculum Intent
Our curriculum meets the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum and the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and goes beyond these expectations to provide pupils with rich, meaningful learning experiences. We aim to create a learning environment where pupils are encouraged to ask questions, think deeply, take academic risks and learn from mistakes.
The curriculum is ambitious for all pupils and designed to remove barriers to learning through high expectations, appropriate challenge and effective scaffolding. It is responsive to the local community and the wider world, while promoting fundamental British values, including democracy, mutual respect, tolerance and individual liberty.
Our curriculum intends to:
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Ensure pupils acquire secure, cumulative knowledge and skills.
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Develop confident, articulate learners with a love of learning.
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Support pupils’ spiritual, moral, social, cultural, physical and emotional development.
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Promote positive attitudes to learning and strong learning behaviours.
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Provide equality of access and opportunity for all pupils.
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Enable pupils to apply learning across subjects and in real-life contexts.
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Enrich learning through visits, visitors, Forest School and residential experiences.
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Give pupils a meaningful voice in shaping their learning.
Curriculum Implementation
Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
In the EYFS, learning is driven through carefully planned Cornerstones topics that provide a coherent and engaging context for learning across all areas of the EYFS framework. Learning builds strong foundations in communication and language, personal, social and emotional development, physical development and early academic skills, while allowing children to explore, investigate and learn through purposeful play.
Early reading is prioritised through daily, systematic phonics teaching using Supersonic Phonics, ensuring a consistent, structured and multi-sensory approach that enables children to develop secure early reading skills quickly. Phonics teaching is supported by high-quality, fully decodable texts that closely match pupils’ phonics knowledge.
Early mathematical development is supported through the Mastering in Number programme, alongside White Rose Maths, developing a deep understanding of number, subitising and numerical relationships through structured, daily sessions. This ensures children develop strong foundations in number sense before progressing into more formal mathematics learning.
Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2
From Year 1 to Year 6, learning is organised around half-termly Cornerstones Maestro driver projects, which provide meaningful contexts for learning and enable pupils to make connections across subjects. Projects are supported by high-quality texts that enrich learning and inspire pupils.
The English curriculum is delivered through Literacy Tree, which uses rich, high-quality texts to develop reading, writing and spoken language skills through a clearly sequenced and progressive approach. Reading is prioritised across the school through daily opportunities to read, structured guided reading sessions and regular independent reading.
Mathematics is taught using White Rose Maths, following a mastery approach that emphasises depth of understanding, fluency and reasoning. Lessons are carefully sequenced, with regular opportunities to revisit prior learning to support retention and secure application.
Science and foundation subjects are delivered primarily through Cornerstones Maestro projects, ensuring full coverage of the National Curriculum and a clear progression of substantive knowledge, disciplinary skills and subject-specific vocabulary. Pupils are supported to apply their learning, think critically and develop curiosity through carefully planned, enquiry-based approaches.
PSHE is taught through the myHappymind programme, with Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) delivered through Jigsaw. Physical Education is taught using Complete PE, Music through Charanga, and Computing through Teach Computing. These well-chosen, high-quality schemes ensure consistency, progression and full curriculum coverage, while supporting pupils’ personal development, physical health, digital literacy, wellbeing and understanding of positive relationships, and promoting respect for diversity and life in modern Britain.
Curriculum Impact
The impact of the curriculum at Woodloes Primary School is evident in pupils who are confident, engaged and articulate learners. Pupils demonstrate strong subject knowledge, positive learning behaviours and the ability to make meaningful connections across their learning.
Impact is evaluated through a range of proportionate and purposeful monitoring activities, including pupil voice, work scrutiny, lesson visits, learning walks and assessment information. Teachers use assessment effectively to identify gaps in learning and adapt teaching to ensure all pupils make progress.
By the time pupils leave Woodloes Primary School, they are well prepared for the next stage of their education, equipped with secure knowledge, strong literacy and numeracy skills, and the personal qualities needed to succeed in a rapidly changing world.