Please see below for indivual Subject Intent Statements.

Art

A high-quality art education across the Rural Primary Schools helps pupils gain a wide understanding and knowledge of art mediums and styles coupled with a study of a variety of different artists. High quality teaching equips children with the skills and concepts necessary for them to express their creative responses to ideas and experiences in a visual or tactile form. The Rural Primary Art Curriculum challenges children and encourages them to experiment. This curriculum allows children to feel inspired to be boundlessly creative with their art and demonstrate courageous optimism when producing work. Children will understand that art takes time and practise and will develop an appreciation for this. Whilst art is a practical subject, opportunities are given for the children to reflect and develop their ability to make critical responses, with increasing sensitivity, to their own work and that of others. As they experience their school journey, children in our Rural Primary Schools, will have an understanding of how art contributes to their history, their everyday lives and their wider community, building on an appreciation and enjoyment of visual art from around the world.

Computing

The Rural Primary Computing Curriculum, which uses the Rising Stars scheme, ensures that pupils are equipped to use a range of computational thinking skills and creativity in order to understand the way that technology is used throughout the world. Well-planned and inspiring lessons lead to boundless creativity within the way technology is used and shared by the pupils. Teaching across the Rural Primaries equips children to be able to use the internet and other technology safely and compassionately, use a range of programmes with confidence and apply their skills in order to analyse and solve problems. Children will approach tasks with courageous optimism, building upon the skills they have learnt year by year, ensuring they are ready to use these in the wider world as well as coping with the way that technology is constantly evolving.

Design Technology

Our design and technology curriculum inspires children through a broad range of practical experiences to create innovative designs, which solve real and relevant problems within a variety of different contexts. Throughout the Rural Primary Curriculum, well-planned lessons lead to boundless creativity within the way children bring their ideas to life, taking time to design, make and evaluate their work thoroughly. Teaching throughout their school journey will equip children to be able to use a range of tools and materials safely within the given brief. Children will approach tasks with courageous optimism; building upon the skills they have learnt year by year. In all of the Rural Primary Schools, opportunities are provided for children to evaluate key events and individuals who have helped shape the world, showing the real impact of design and technology on the wider environment and helping to inspire children to become the next generation of innovators, as well as links to our local, small-school environments.

English

Speaking and Listening/Drama

The Rural Primary drama education helps pupils gain a coherent knowledge of spoken language, listening, communication and performance skills. Our curriculum allows our children the opportunity to explore feelings, emotions, knowledge and understanding which leads to a deeper understanding of different texts. Using the Power of Reading, high quality and inspiring texts should lead to boundlessly creative performances and interpretations where children are not afraid to express themselves and share their ideas. Teaching across the Rural Primaries equips our children to be confident to perform a range of styles in front of their peers and adults, with clear pronunciation and appropriate expression.  All pupils should be given opportunities to improvise, devise and script drama for a range of audiences in a variety of settings including our local environments and local communities. Rural Primary teachers give children the chance to rehearse, refine and respond to various drama and theatre performances. Teachers should therefore ensure the continual development of pupils’ confidence and competence in spoken language and listening skills. The Rural Primary Curriculum allows children to approach drama tasks with courageous optimism, which along with spoken language, are vital skills that they will need to master in order to be successful in life.

Reading

Reading is a main priority across the Rural Primary Schools and is one of the eight key Curriculum Principles of LIFE Education Trust. The Rural Primary Reading Curriculum will help pupils to be able to read fluently and to be courageously optimistic in their comprehension of a text.  Pupils will have a good knowledge of phonics through a systematic approach and apply this within their reading skills. Age-appropriate books engage all children across the schools and the texts inspire them to want to read or be read to. Carefully selected texts lead to boundlessly creative learning and should teach children morals, empathy and heartfelt compassion. Teaching across the Rural Primaries equips children to learn vocabulary, read for meaning, scan, paraphrase, summarise, predict, infer, compare, generalise, navigate and skim a text. These skills will prepare children for the future and give them the tools they need to be able to read successfully. Children will have access to a range of text types and genres in order to promote an enjoyment of reading. 

Writing

The Rural Primary English Writing Curriculum ensures our pupils gain a coherent knowledge of spelling and grammar, as well a clear understanding of writing for a range of purposes. High quality and inspiring texts, which are selected from the CLPE Power of Reading Scheme, lead to boundlessly creative writing where our children are not afraid to express themselves and share their ideas. Our children will link their writing tasks to the high quality texts provided as well as writing using their own personal experiences and creative flair. All Rural Primary teachers should equip children to be able to form letters correctly, to spell age appropriate words, to use correct punctuation and grammar, to understand and use new vocabulary and to write using their own imaginations. Our children will approach writing tasks with courageous optimism, which will be a vital skill that they will need to master in order to be successful in life.  

EYFS

The Rural Primary EYFS curriculum is designed to encourage independent, inquisitive and happy learners where the children will learn through exploration which will further develop their curiosity and imagination.  Every child is an exceptional individual and we celebrate and respect differences within our diverse school communities. The children are taught through a curriculum that maximises cross-curricular links and builds strong foundations for their future.  We inspire our children to become accomplished, happy individuals, ready to reach their full potential in an ever-changing world.  We recognise that children have a thirst for new experiences and knowledge, and should be provided with opportunities to engage their inquisitive minds. Therefore, an enabling indoor and outdoor continuous provision is provided, that gives children opportunities to follow their own interests and re-visit, develop and embed skills learnt. Along with enhancements to promote curiosity. The Rural Primary Curriculum is designed to provide foundational skills and knowledge that will later be enhanced and built upon in Key Stage 1. We also aim to promote a smooth transition from EYFS to Key Stage 1 by providing children with the knowledge, skills and attitudes they need to succeed throughout their education by supporting them in developing habits for learning through the Characteristics of effective teaching and learning – play and exploration, active learning and creative and critical thinking.

French

Our Rural Primary French Curriculum is designed to foster and encourage pupils’ curiosity and deepen their understanding of languages and cultures. The teaching enables pupils to express their ideas and thoughts in French and to understand and respond to its speakers, both in speech and in writing. It also provides opportunities for them to communicate for practical purposes, learn new ways of thinking and have an awareness of where French is spoken in the world. It encourages heartfelt compassion as children are taught to be empathetic to other cultures in a boundlessly creative way. At the Rural Primary Schools, we aim for our pupils to be courageously optimistic and feel they are able to speak with increasing confidence, fluency and spontaneity, through discussion and asking questions. Our curriculum intention is to allow students to maximise their potential in a foreign language, culture and tradition, so that they are ready to move onto secondary school with a good basic knowledge of French.

Geography

Our geography education will inspire pupils to have a curiosity and fascination about the world, and its people, that will remain with them for the rest of their lives ensuring they truly understand heartfelt compassion. Teaching across the Rural Primary Schools ensures pupils develop knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes. As pupils progress through the Rural Primary Curriculum, their growing knowledge about the world should help them to deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes, and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments. Challenging concepts are explained carefully so children develop a courageous optimism when learning about new ideas and places. We aim to provide them with the skills and language to communicate geographically. Our curriculum will provide opportunities for children to engage in field work and geographical enquiries and develop their critical thinking. Geographical knowledge, understanding and skills provide the frameworks and approaches that explain how the Earth’s features, at different scales, are shaped, interconnected and change over time.

History

The Rural Primary History Curriculum helps pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. Our History Curriculum will inspire pupils’ boundless curiosity to know more about the past. Teaching across the Rural Primaries encourages pupils to ask perceptive questions, think critically and empathetically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement. History helps pupils to understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups, as well as their own identity and the challenges of their time. Our curriculum will develop the following key skills and concepts; historical interpretations; historical investigations; chronological understanding; knowledge and understanding of events, people and changes in the past; presenting, organising and communicating. At our schools, the History Curriculum will help children to gain a knowledge of local history in order to help them understand their place in the world; as well as a broader understanding of all history, how this has led to the world as it is today and how they can use the past to gain the courage to change the world for the better.

Maths

The Rural Primary Maths Curriculum allows our children to learn in small, concise steps, enabling them to achieve fluency and understanding using the Shanghai method. All children are given the opportunities and support to become confident and successful mathematicians. Skills covered within their learning encourages children to achieve more within the next stage(s) of their education. We consider our curriculum to be kinaesthetic; the children are given boundless opportunities to explore creatively, using concrete and practical equipment and we use high quality resources such as White Rose Maths, Maths No Problem and Target Your Maths to support high quality teaching. We ensure pupils progress together; tasks are designed to allow for extension by deepening understanding of concepts and procedures, and daily intervention is used to support those needing extra tuition. The Rural Primary Curriculum enables our children to make progress using carefully designed tasks and skilful questioning. Our curriculum allows our children to be optimistic with challenges and work compassionately together to achieve to the best of their abilities.

Music

Our Music Curriculum ensures that pupils experience a broad range of musical styles to engage and inspire them to develop their appreciation and passion for the art. Well-planned lessons lead to boundless creativity within the way children develop their critical evaluation of music; whilst broadening their listening and analysis skills, which in turn will aid their ability to compose. Children will use courageous optimism, expanding their self-confidence and expression through performance using a wide range of instruments and their voices. At the Rural Primary Schools, we are passionate about children developing the understanding of heartfelt compassion in this inclusive subject by creating a love of music within all our children, no matter what their ability. The children will also have the chance to acquire the maximum cultural capital through having enriching opportunities to experience and explore music and musical performances outside of their normal classroom setting.

Physical Education

A rigorous physical education is vital to a child’s overall physical and mental wellbeing and this belief has guided our Rural Primary PE Curriculum. It supports their physical, social, emotional and cognitive development. Our physical education provides pupils with increasing self- confidence through an ability to manage themselves successfully in a variety of situations. Teaching enables all pupils to tackle challenges with courageous optimism. Sporting opportunities within and outside of the Rural Primaries’ settings underpin and embed a range of important compassionate values, such as teamwork, fairness and respect. Pupils need to be physically and emotionally confident to support their overall health and fitness. Our creative physical education provides all children with opportunities to enjoy, work on and discover their individual and team abilities. Through an experience of dance in our curriculum we aim for all children to be confident in their bodies, to move and express themselves in a variety of ways. By providing a balance of skills progression, sport, individual and competitive activities, pupil’s individual needs and abilities are catered for. We aim is to provide a lifelong understanding of health and exercise.

PSHE (including RSE)

Within our Rural Primary Schools, we believe every child must be provided with the opportunity to succeed and to develop personally and socially enabling them to cope with life and live safely and happily in the modern world.  Our Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) and Relationships Education (RSE) are a fundamental aspect of this and underpins all learning.  Through our curriculum, our schools’ environments and the different ethos’ of our schools, we promote pupils’ self-esteem and emotional well-being, leading to boundless creativity whereby our children will confidently bring ideas to life and approach all tasks with courageous optimism.  Through the teaching of PSHE and RSE, our children will form and maintain worthwhile and satisfying relationships, based on respect for themselves and for others, at home, at school and in the local community. Please also see the LIFE Education Trust RSE Policy.

Religious Education

Being Church of England schools, RE is of great importance within our Rural Primary Curriculum. In line with Section 2 79 (1) School Standards and Framework Act, our RE Curriculum ‘promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils and of society, and prepares pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life’. The curriculum offers our pupils broad and rich topic coverage, spanning over several of the main world religions whilst also allowing them the opportunity to learn that there are those who do not hold religious beliefs. The Rural Primary RE Curriculum provides opportunities for pupils to develop positive attitudes and values and to reflect and relate their learning in RE to their own experience. Through each unit, children will learn about and understand a range of religions and world views. They will learn through theological, philosophical and human and social science approaches. The children will study religions via in-depth studies and encounters, regularly applying their knowledge to current affairs and real-world issues. Overall, our curriculum aims to enable our children to hold balanced and well-informed conversations about religion and worldviews.

Science

Our Rural Primary Science Curriculum allows our pupils explore their natural curiosity by asking questions and finding the answers. High quality science teaching across the schools supports children with the skills and concepts to question things for themselves; we will encourage our children from an early age to ask ‘what if….’, ‘how..’ and ‘why….’ in their response to scientific  themes and concepts. As children progress through our schools, we will use their questions and curiosity to develop their scientific skills in terms of predicting, investigating, recording findings and evaluating. Children feel inspired to be boundlessly creative with their ideas and show courageous optimism that their ideas will work as they investigate a range of scientific themes. Our children will have an understanding of how science contributes to the world in which they live and how it affects our everyday life preparing them for the increasingly scientific and technological world that they are growing up in.