Our curriculum is underpinned by our Parkgate Learning Cogs which link together to drive Challenge, Resilience, Aspiration and Pride in our community.

It is our intent that Parkgate’s whole school curriculum is an engaging and exciting combination of the statutory National Curriculum requirements, together with additional areas that Parkgate as a school prioritise. Our curriculum reflects the requirements for academies to provide a broad and balanced curriculum as per the Academies Act 2010. It also reflects the requirements for inclusion and equality as set out in the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice 2014 and Equality Act 2010, and refers to curriculum-related expectations of governing boards set out in the Department for Education’s Governance Handbook. It complies with our funding agreement and articles of association. We aspire to ignite the children’s enthusiasm and love of learning and attempt to ensure we develop the child as an individual according to our Curriculum Vision – Inspirational, Responsive, Flexible, Experiential, Successful.

We aim for children to gain knowledge over time by embedding concepts in their long-term memory as they complete the steps of their Parkgate journey. Each National Curriculum subject is planned from Year 1 to Year 6 with reference to EYFS. The sequence and progression of knowledge to be gained is mapped out on a Progression Map. Please see Subject Information tab.

In each lesson, we have a children’s retrieval practice expectation which includes reminders at the beginning of each lesson of prior learning and knowledge gained last week and last lesson plus explicitly the learning and knowledge to be gained in that lesson. At the end of each week, with their main class teacher, a Friday Wrap Up revisits all of the key learning and knowledge of the week. Finally, at the end of a series of lessons, often a half-term, the children complete a pit stop activity, for example, a quiz or a pictorial representation.  

All of the above are supported by our pedagogical approach to teaching and learning as set out in the Parkgate Teaching and Learning Policy. Again, within this, we aspire to motivate children in their learning, ensure that they are fully participating and that they recognise the high standards expected from them in the presentation and quality of their work, so that they can be proud of their achievements.

In EYFS and in Key Stage 1, the class teachers deliver high quality lessons through half-term themes. In Key Stage 2, teachers become subject specialists, similar to a secondary school, where children move around to subject specific learning spaces. Each part of the curriculum is led by a team of teachers from Reception to Year 6, to ensure progression from one year group to the next.

We ensure learning is enjoyable and stimulating; delivered in a way that develops and challenges children and excites their imagination. In this way, children enjoy not just learning different things, but learning in many ways, from each other and from other adults as well as their teachers. Ultimately, we strive to provide a varied and memorable learning experience for our children.

Finally, we do continue to have high expectations in regard to outcomes in English and maths, the cornerstone of the primary curriculum.  We believe these demonstrate the impact of the implementation of our English and maths curriculum. We set aspirational targets and regularly monitor the children’s progress towards these.

Click on the newsletters below to find out what each year group is learning about in the Spring Term.

Year 1	Year 2	Year 3
Year 4	Year 5	Year 6