Curriculum Vision & Principles

Vision

The curriculum is at the heart of a school's purpose and our curriculum reflects our school motto - 'A.I.M. High at Whitby Heath - Aspiration. Inspiration. Motivation.'

At Whitby Heath Primary School, we recognise that improving educational outcomes is the biggest way we can positively impact our students’ futures. We take the term ‘educational’ in its most broad sense: this means more than just a set of results. It includes a child’s academic development, social and emotional development and citizenship.

Our vision is for Whitby Heath children to dream big, believe in themselves and have high aspirations for their future. Our school curriculum and school values aim to inspireand motivatechildren to be the best they can be, setting firm foundations for their future. In summary:

  • Pupils to ASPIRE to be the best they can be.

  • INSPIRE pupils through highest quality teaching and learning experiences and language enrichment.

  • MOTIVATE pupils to holistically develop and make a positive contribution to the community.

Principles

We apply the principles of cognitive science and evidence-informed research to deliver the National Curriculum subjects, ensuring children learn and remember more. We use a variety of well-chosen curriculum schemes as supporting documents which are adapted in line with our curriculum principles, as outlined here:

  • A well sequenced curriculum to ensure new learning can build on existing schema.

  • High quality and efficient feedback that moves learning forward.

  • Retrieval and activation of prior learning.

  • Thorough subject knowledge.

  • Clear and concise explanations that consider cognitive load and small steps modelling.

  • Effective questioning that ensures pupils are thinking about the learning matter and that informs the teacher how well the learning is understood. Strategies such as 'thinking time', 'rehearsal time' and 'cold calling' ensure all children are engaged and have the best opportunities to express their understanding. 

  • Scaffolding and adapting tasks to support all learners.

  • Tasks and extended practice that embed new learning.

  • Language development through:

    • High quality speech and language support

    • Exposure to a rich vocabulary throughout the curriculum

    • The development of children’s oracy through structured talk throughout the curriculum