The Curriculum
Nurture, Aspire, Achieve
The OFSTED framework for September 2019 places an important focus on the broad and balanced curriculum:
At the heart of the EIF is the new ‘quality of education’ judgement, the purpose of which is to put a single conversation about education at the centre of inspection. This conversation draws together curriculum, teaching, assessment and standards. In doing this, we draw heavily on the working definition of the curriculum that Ofsted has used over the last couple of years. This definition uses the concepts of ‘intent’, ‘implementation’ and ‘impact’ to recognise that the curriculum passes through different states: it is conceived, taught and experienced. Leaders and teachers design, structure and sequence a curriculum, which is then implemented through classroom teaching. The end result of a good, well-taught curriculum is that pupils know more and are able to do more. The positive results of pupils’ learning can then be seen in the standards they achieve.
Inspecting the curriculum - May 2019
As a school, we follow the current statutory National Curriculum. It covers what subjects are taught and the standards children should reach in each subject.
The aim of our curriculum is to support children to be successful learners, confident individuals and responsible citizens through a broad and balanced curriculum that can be accessed by all children. As a school, we believe that all children excel in something - and this may not be literacy and/or Mathematics. Our aim is to give every child a chance to shine in some aspect of their school life and perhaps nurture a passion for the future.
At the heart of our curriculum is ‘Nurture’ – we firmly believe that if children are not happy and safe and that their wellbeing is not high on the agenda, then children will not learn to the best of their ability. That is why PSHE (Personal, Social and Health Education), SMSC (Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural) as well as developing a positive growth mindset, are the main drivers for our curriculum. They are embedded into all aspects.
The curriculum is centered around carefully chosen themes which link with the class novel. Although staff teach through a cross-curricular approach, we do not make tenuous links between subjects. Therefore, some subjects are taught discretely.
The topic themes are be based around a question / a line of enquiry that will support the children to reach their own conclusions based on evidence gathered during the topic. This then supports oracy and writing.
THE GILDERSOME CURRICULUM
The Gildersome Curriculum - Topic Questions 2025-26
For more detailed information, please see the individual class Knowledge Organisers which cane be found under "Key Information" on the top bar.
Please click on the links below to see how we have organised our curriculum:
NURSERY |
RECEPTION |
YEAR 1 |
YEAR 2 |
YEAR 3 AND 4 |
YEAR 5 |
YEAR 6 |
Firm emphasis on Reading, Writing and Mathematics
Our topics are carefully designed to support the children's learning in Literacy as a main focus. Constructive links to other subjects are made throughout.
An example of how the focus of a topic can enrich writing can be seen in the Year 2 topic, 'Castles'. Here pupils learn about 'Traditional Tales'. Many of these are set around castles, thus providing good opportunities to compliment the learning in both History and English.
Phonics
In Key Stage 1 we use the Essential Letters and Sounds (ELS) phonics programme. For more information on phonics, click here.
Providing Challenge
In order to reach their full potential children should be challenged. We build this into our curriculum by beginning each topic with a challenge. The challenge provides our pupils not only with motivation, but also adds a sense of purpose to their work.
In many cases the challenge involves entering a local or national competition, such as submitting a film to the Leeds Young Person's Film Festival. In other topics the challenges might include performing dramas, or holding exhibitions for parents.
50 Things to do before you leave gildersome primary school
We recognise that learning is more than just the National Curriculum and that in order for children to get the best out of life, we have to consider how Cultural capital impacts on children's life long learning skills. With this in mind, we have created '50 things to do before you leave Gildersome Primary School. We hope this list helps to promote positive play, outdoor experiences, life skills and enjoyment. There are so many experiences that contribute to a child’s education, many of which are free and on our doorstep.
In 2012 a report by the National Trust entitled ‘Natural Childhood’ highlighted how today’s children are losing touch with the natural world and the long-term effect this can have on a child’s education and health. It found that fewer than 1 in 10 children play regularly outdoors and that time spent playing in parks, woods, and fields has reduced dramatically due to digital technology, lack of time, green spaces, and parental fears.
In February 2016, a two-year study funded by the government found 1 in 9 children in England have not set foot in a park or forest, on a beach or any other natural environment for at least 12 months. We are so fortunate to live in an area in which parks and forests are so close by. Beaches are a little further away, but certainly not inaccessible
The list of ‘50 Things to do Before you Leave Gildersome Primary School’ will be sent home at the beginning of each school year as a reminder to you and your child about what fun you could be having in the school holidays. We have worked hard as a staff to identify where these activities can be used to enhance your children’s learning in and around school, linked to our topics from Nursery to Year 6 (hence the ticks so far). We encourage you to add to our ticks every time you enjoy these experiences with your child- as you can see, they are not one-offs and most of them cost very little (or nothing).
You can see the list here
Enjoy!
Learning with Families and Our Community
Parental support plays a vital role in children’s progress. To strengthen this partnership, opportunities for parents to engage with their child’s learning are identified at the start of each topic and shared via Knowledge Organisers.
The Learning Blogs showcase school life, giving parents a clear insight into what their children are learning, how to support this at home, and ways to become involved in school activities. Homework is an important part of learning, helping to reinforce and extend classroom work. Your support with homework tasks is greatly appreciated and contributes significantly to your child’s success.
Each term, we hold an Open Session where parents and carers are invited into school to experience our curriculum in action. These sessions have focused on topics such as Numicon, anti-bullying, maths and art activities. Feedback has always been overwhelmingly positive, with more than 100 parents and carers typically attending each event.
We also host a Parent and Carer Forum each term, where we share current school priorities and invite feedback — including comments, compliments, and concerns. Members of the Governing Body also attend these sessions to support open communication between the school and families.
Learning Outside the Classroom
Children love learning outdoors. Each topic in our curriculum includes opportunities to explore and learn outside the classroom. To make this possible, our building has been designed with several outdoor features to enhance our learning environment:
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Direct external access from each classroom
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Secure, fenced outdoor gardens and learning areas for the Foundation Stage
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Newly created habitat areas
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Refurbished quad area, funded by the PTA
Further information
More information about the National Curriculum can be found on the government website by clicking here.
Curriculum subjects
Our curriculum pages can be accessed here.