Aims and Ethos
At Simon de Senlis Primary School, our children are immersed in a curriculum that is broad, balanced and rigorous. Our teaching staff are committed to an innovative and reflective approach to teaching, which provides challenge for all and enables every individual to be a successful learner.
All schools have their own unique identity and we believe that, at Simon de Senlis Primary School, we have created a friendly, caring and supportive environment that encourages all pupils to fulfil their true potential. We take pride in the fact that our children are nurtured in a safe, enjoyable and respectful learning environment. We talk about being driven and determined to achieve the best we can, whilst remembering that we have a growth mindset and so will need to use perseverance at times. We each learn at our own pace and children want to achieve the best they can, being guided and supported by exceptional teachers and support staff to do this.
The National Curriculum
Reception
In Reception, we follow the Early Years Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. This Framework specifies the requirement for learning and development in the Early Years and provides specific areas of learning we must cover in our curriculum.
Years 1 to 6
We follow the National Curriculum which is a set of subjects and standards used by most schools in England. It covers what subjects are taught and the standards children should reach in each subject.
To view our curriculum maps, please click on the Year Group Curriculum Information link and select the year group you wish to view.
In collaboration with Northampton Primary Academy Trust, we have developed our wider curriculum to be the best it can be for our children. Our aims and principles for the whole curriculum are deeply rooted in the aims and values of the trust.
The Importance of Knowledge
Our curriculum has a clear focus on the acquisition of knowledge content. It is constructed as a narrative over time with clearly planned vertical, horizontal and diagonal links that, over time, will develop the children’s wider understanding of the world. It is based on National Curriculum content. The curriculum is rooted in research about Cognitive Science; its sequencing, coherence and intentional development of pupils’ schema. High quality professional learning opportunities for teachers to develop appropriate subject knowledge will augment the implemented curriculum materials. ‘The vast, accumulated wealth of human knowledge, and what we choose to pass on to the next generation through teaching in our schools (the curriculum), must be at the heart of education. ’Amanda Spielman (HMCI).
Values within the curriculum
Simon de Senlis Primary School shares NPAT’s values of aspiration, collaboration, integrity, community and a genuine commitment to sport and the arts. These values, alongside our school values, permeate school life and are a central part of the planned and enacted curriculum. Throughout the curriculum, children meet and learn about the 'British values' of democracy, the rule of law, liberty, respect and tolerance both explicitly and implicitly.