Curriculum Overview

The Bluebell Federation, formed of Horsted Infant and Junior School, Swingate Primary School and Burnt Oak Primary School, are committed to working collaboratively in order to achieve the best for our children. We communicate regularly within and between schools with a determined focus on our mission and values in order to promote a love of life-long learning. We are never complacent in driving forward our educational values and our curriculum will always be flexible and adaptable so that it can keep pace with the ever-changing world. Our shared mission and values underpin our curriculum offer that is shaped by a range of different learning experiences that we recognise are not limited to the experiences within a classroom but extend beyond this.

Our curriculum is formed from a number of different experiences.

• Children will learn primarily through a range of different lessons in classrooms be they discrete learning experiences or continual/blended experiences with a driving question.
• They will have access to a range of different assemblies that will develop their understanding of our schools’ character values, the world and cultural events.
• Playtimes and lunchtimes will form key times for the children to engage in social and less structured physical activity.
• Children will have special theme days and will engage with significant events in British history.
• There will be access to a range of different clubs/trips to supplement learning and provide a range of life experiences.
• Homework will focus on basic skills.
• After school provision will promote physical and emotional excellence.

Our Intent:

At the Bluebell Federation, we want the best for our children and everything is driven by our shared mission statement:

We all flourish from a wealth of learning experiences that positively impact on academic, physical and emotional success.

Academic Success

Academic success is important for our children who will grow up into a world of increasing technological demands and a diversifying workforce. Academic success boosts self-esteem and impacts positively on behaviours and social interactions within peer groups and with others. Children who are successful academically are more likely to be well-rounded and self-sufficient individuals and will have a wider range of opportunities during their life.

We ensure that children will be academically successful by taking account of an individual’s starting point and helping them to make excellent progress through our curriculum offer. We acknowledge that academic success will look different for every child and will celebrate all progress in order to develop intrinsic self-motivation; to do well for the sake of wanting to do well. We will be driven by our understanding to make choices that will only benefit the children’s academic success.

Physical Success

Physical success is important so that children are able to grow up to be healthy citizens who can make good choices about their lifestyle. Being physically successful helps your brain to work better allowing you to think more clearly, boosts your memory and enhances your concentration and focus. Being physically successful is also important because it has a positive impact on mental health, improving your ability to do everyday activities and adapt and overcome problems or difficulties.

We ensure that children are physically successful through:

• PE lessons
• Secondary School PE links
• Sports clubs
• Sports leaders at break
• Play/lunch sessions
• A range of other activities
• Being physically proactive in a lesson
• Being ready to learn

Emotional Success

Emotional success is important because it is a key aspect of having a healthy lifestyle. Being self-aware is an important part of being able to work with others successfully and helps us to form meaningful relationships based on an understanding of give and take. Nourishing our social relationships can lead to more success and happiness. Emotional intelligence can help to improve communication and problem solving. It helps to develop empathetic individuals who are able to build relationships based on mutual trust.

We ensure that children are emotionally successful by:

• Well established RSHE curriculum
• Promoting the understanding of how an individual can allow themselves and others to flourish
• Encouraging independent and collaborative relationships
• Appreciating diversity
• Maintaining high expectations of behaviour and manners
• Teaching children how to listen to others and respect their viewpoints

How we judge the success of our curriculum

We define academic success as:

• Children achieving excellent progress from their starting points
• Children with positive attitudes towards learning
• Children who are driven and motivated to do well
• Having the ability to transfer and apply skills and knowledge between disciplines

We define physical success as:

• Everyone is ready to participate in learning
• Having the knowledge to make informed choices about healthy diet
• Being able to participate in a healthy lifestyle
• Being aware of the barriers to a healthy lifestyle and knowing how to overcome them.

We define emotional success as:

• Recognition and appreciation of diversity
• Supporting themselves and others to flourish
• Becoming independently and collaborative learners
• Having resilience in the face of adversity