Curriculum Intent

At Ellistown Primary School we provide a dynamic and inspiring environment where children grow, flourish and thrive. 

​​ We are proud to be an Everyone's Welcome: No Outsiders school. We celebrate diversity, individuality and respect, enabling each child to fully develop their skills, talents and interests as well as a positive self image. 

Curriculum intent information.

At Ellistown Primary School we offer a broad academic curriculum that is underpinned by our four key aims. 

Our Curriculum Intent

Every child a reader: A reading-rich curriculum which enhances learning, supports the development of communication skills and results in the acquisition of knowledge which is retained, so that all pupils know more, remember more and learn more. 

• Being good citizens: A curriculum which celebrates difference, develops an understanding of right and wrong, promotes community cohesion and which ensures pupils develop a strong moral compass and are prepared for life as global citizens. 

• A love for learning and being curious: A curriculum that is exciting and engaging, which develops conceptual and disciplinary knowledge, challenges children to think, question, problem solve and reason and offers hands on experiences.​ 

• Learning behaviours for success: curriculum which nurtures learning behaviours that will help children to succeed. Supporting children to show: Resilience, Perseverance, Enthusiasm, Concentration, Kindness, Teamwork, Courage and Listening skills Our curriculum is divided into subjects, recognising the identity of the different disciplines and fostering a love for subject content as children move through the curriculum.  

Our curriculum provides children with the opportunity to think often and deeply. Most importantly, it provides children with the skills for learning that will continue for a lifetime. 

Within each unit we include the opportunity for an enrichment experience, this may be a trip, a visit or a special day in school. These provide the opportunity for pupils to immerse themselves in their learning, and also to apply their learning to a real life context. 

Below you will find out about each of the subjects we teach across Key Stages 1 and 2, and what the children will learn about each term. For Maths, we follow the White Rose Scheme and in English our work is all text based. For the wider curriculum we take on three approaches: 

Knowledge Driven: 

Science, History and Geography are all knowledge driven. This gives us the power to take pupils beyond their own experiences and give them a wider knowledge and understanding of the world and their place in it. The knowledge in our curriculum is carefully chosen and sequenced in a meaningful way that enables children to learn and remember more, and to make excellent progress over their time at Ellistown.​ 
 
Skills Driven: 
PE, Music, Art, DT, Computing and MFL are driven by the acquisition of skills. Skills can be acquired by doing, and the best way to master something is through regular practise or trial and error. Skill-based learning aims to build upon knowledge by developing practical expertise in a particular area. 

Discussion Driven: 
PHSE. RSE and RE are driven by discussion. Students are required to find new information together, talk, listen to others, and ultimately think for themselves. Discussion-based learning can lead to better practical knowledge and potentially improved long-term knowledge retention when compared to the more traditional format of lecture-based learning.  Good questions and answers can get children to think deeply and make connections. 

Subject Overviews 

Please look at the subject overviews below to see the skills and knowledge that our pupils will learn during their time at Ellistown: 
Subject Overviews Information