Our School Vision – The Curriculum

Brentside Primary Academy will work with everyone to create a happy, safe and stimulating setting where children are motivated to learn together. By maintaining high expectations of ourselves and each other, our children will be equipped to encounter opportunities and challenges with resilience and determination. We encourage a curiosity about the world and strive to ensure that our children will contribute positively to it, both now and in the future.

Academic achievement is only part of the vision for this school. We provide many opportunities for pupils to practice in and master the performing and visual arts, and develop their speaking and listening skills through whole school termly concerts, dance afternoons and musical shows. The school is characterised by its varied, creative and challenging curriculum- based on real, enquiry-based learning.

An important and distinctive feature of our school is the very positive relationships enjoyed by pupils, staff and parents. A central aim of BPA is to provide a rich and supportive, child-centred learning environment, which is age appropriate for the needs of all our pupils. In this we recognise that some pupils experience very heavy burdens and are vulnerable. We make it our mission to support these pupils by providing them with emotional support as well as ensuring the curriculum is based on consistent, child-centred, quality teaching and learning throughout the school.

Brentside Primary Academy is an inclusive school, intent on ensuring that all pupils reach their potential in a culture of success. As a team, we are passionate about preparing our pupils to be successful adults in an ever-changing, technologically advanced society. We encourage our pupils to aim high. We value their individuality and creativity, and equip them with the skills, self-discipline and confidence to succeed. Where there are barriers, we pride ourselves on embracing different approaches and seizing new opportunities to ensure high-quality learning.

Our whole school curriculum is underpinned by these 6 principles:

Kindness                         Learning

Respect                           Resilience

Responsibility                Creativity

Kindness and Respect- Children are taught and encouraged to show kindness and respect to the people around them. Our friends, our families, our teachers, staff and visitors to the school should all be treated with kindness and respect.

Learning and Creativity- Pupils learn key skills in a range of subjects and in a range of ways through a creative and varied, enquiry based curriculum. We give pupils the opportunity to experience a range of skills that they may not experience in their everyday lives. Through our curriculum, we support pupils to develop lifelong learning so that they feel prepared for the world around them.

Responsibility and Resilience- Pupils are taught to be leaders of their own learning through an enquiry based curriculum, which encourages collaboration between pupils. It is encouraged and modelled from Nursery through to Year 6 for pupils to take responsibility for their learning and support others. At BPA, pupils understand that, at times, learning and life can be hard but that they can develop the resilience to overcome these hardships and succeed.

Our School Motto - ‘Putting Children First’

Overall Curriculum Intent

The child is at the centre of what we do at BPA. Our curriculum is built on strong pedagogical principles, with every child encouraged to meet and achieve their potential. We make it our aim to discover what children are good at and use this to promote a positive attitude to learning. The diversity of our school population, comprised of over 25 different ethnicities, is reflected in the curriculum we deliver. It is broad and balanced, with opportunities for pupils to celebrate, share, and learn about their different cultural and spiritual beliefs.

The breadth of curriculum content allows pupils to explore through an enquiry based curriculum where there are no limits to learning and there is a clear development of skills. Pupils may not have access at home to the learning and experiences that pupils have access to at BPA.

The curriculum is about achievement, enjoyment and enrichment.

Curriculum Implementation

The curriculum is based on good quality resources. English is taught through quality whole class texts, and Maths is taught through Singapore Maths, with empirical mathematical props used every lesson. The rest of the curriculum is based around the Focus Learning Challenge curriculum, where enquiry-based learning features highly and every half-term and lesson are built around a key question. The school has adapted the curriculum to help reflect and represent the diversity of our pupils. Creativity and teacher expertise is woven into the curriculum with specialist teachers and outside agencies working with pupils and teachers, sharing good practice and ensuring that learners learn from the best.

Each subject area has a subject intent, whole school policy, and an annual action plan which outlines development opportunities and clearly links with the school development plan.

Curriculum Impact

The impact of the curriculum is monitored though triangulation of outcomes: pupil voice, test/data outcomes, planning, monitoring of books and displays, lesson learning walks, discussions with teaching staff, pupils and parents.

Pupils, parents and staff are consistently and regularly consulted about the curriculum and the impact that it makes.

The desired outcomes of the curriculum will ensure that pupils are well rounded students, ready to embark on high school education. They will be equipped with the foundations and skills to achieve success in later education. Pupils will have an understanding of what they are good at and have developed skills to face their challenges.