Our Curriculum

To find out more about the rationale behind our curriculum offer please click here.  

Every child is recognised as a unique individual. Different cultures, languages, and religions within our school community are celebrated and welcomed. The ability to learn is underpinned by the teaching of basic skills, knowledge, concepts, and values. Enhancement opportunities to engage learning are constantly provided and there is a belief that childhood should be a happy, investigative, and enquiring time where there are no limits to curiosity and there is a thirst for new experiences and knowledge.  Opportunities are sought to make links across the curriculum, to look at a topic from a range of subject perspectives, in order to relate to children as whole people. Staff strive to provide a range of ‘real life’ experiences in a vocabulary rich environment.

 

School leaders have invested a great deal of time and effort in ensuring the curriculum meets the needs of all pupils.  The curriculum is inclusive and can be fully accessed by all pupils; it addresses barriers to learning, promotes high expectations for all and inspires pupils to be the best they can be. The curriculum is designed to recognise children’s prior learning, provide first-hand learning experiences, allowing children to develop interpersonal skills, build resilience and become creative, critical thinkers. The curriculum takes pupils on a progressive journey as they move within and across academic years. The curriculum is broad and balanced, and all pupils receive their full curriculum entitlement in all subjects. The curriculum is underpinned by the school’s vision, i.e. high expectations in all subjects and content that has been specifically selected to inspire pupils. To ensure curriculum cohesion, the school has adopted an enquiry-based approach which encourages pupils to take greater ownership of their learning.  This underpins the whole curriculum offer, although in some subjects this approach is still to be embedded. 
 

The pedagogy at Mill Lane follows a metacognitive approach of, ‘I do, we do, you do,’ in order to build independent practice. Teachers and Teaching Assistants model their thinking which helps children understand how a problem is solved. Children become self-scaffolders, narrate their own thought processes and independently solve problems as staff prepare them to know what to do (to help themselves) when they don’t know what to do.

Personal development is a strength of the school and it links with the school’s vision. Key character traits are promoted. An inclusive culture has been established with pupils’ unique qualities valued and celebrated. Enrichment opportunities nurture pupils’ talents and interests.

Cultural Capital prepares pupils for secondary school, for later life and to contribute positively and confidently to society.

At Mill Lane Primary School, we want our curriculum to provide unlimited opportunity for children to develop skills that they can use now and in their futures. Our curriculum offers opportunities for the children to develop skills across the curriculum subjects that they can use now, and in their futures, whilst also imparting knowledge of who they are, where they come from and the world around them. At Mill Lane we have five characters that underpin everything that we do. Each one portrays a characteristic that we want to instill in all of our children that we hope give them the greatest opportunity to succeed. We call this LORIC, and our characters are Laura Leadership, Olly Organisation, Raj Resilience, Izzy Initiative and Charlie Communication. You can meet them below.

Every child at Mill Lane Primary School is entitled to memorable experiences.  Therefore, we embed cultural capital throughout their learning journey.  You can see our Cultural Capital Passport here:

Our EYFS Curriculum

Our Curriculum

Foundation Subjects

Accessibility

For details of how children with disabilities participate in the school’s curriculum, please see the School’s Accessibility Policy.