KILLINGHALL CE PRIMARY SCHOOL AREA BASED CURRICULUM 2014

The school curriculum in England - Sept 2014 Every state-funded school must offer a curriculum which is balanced and broadly based and which: promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school and of society, and prepares pupils at the school for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life. The school curriculum comprises all learning and other experiences that each school plans for its pupils. The national curriculum forms one part of the school curriculum. Maintained schools in England are legally required to follow the statutory national curriculum which sets out in programmes of study, on the basis of key stages, subject content for those subjects that should be taught to all pupils. All schools must publish their school curriculum by subject and academic year online. All schools should make provision for personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE), drawing on good practice. Schools are also free to include other subjects or topics of their choice in planning and designing their own programme of education.

Aims of the new National Curriculum The national curriculum provides pupils with an introduction to the essential knowledge that they need to be educated citizens. It introduces pupils to the best that has been thought and said; and helps engender an appreciation of human creativity and achievement. The national curriculum is just one element in the education of every child. There is time and space in the school day and in each week, term and year to range beyond the national curriculum specifications. The national curriculum provides an outline of core knowledge around which teachers can develop exciting and stimulating lessons to promote the development of pupils’ knowledge, understanding and skills as part of the wider school curriculum. What we don’t want is……..

At Killinghall CE Primary School we want to create a joined up approach to the curriculum that develops the right learning pathways for the children of our school and our locality. We want to fire aspirations to develop the global citizens of the future by creating a community that nurtures ambitions, builds resilience and enables children to seize opportunities to learn. We want to give children the knowledge and competencies to thrive within a locally generated curriculum. We want to engage in major curriculum innovation that takes advantage of the flexibility of Curriculum 2014 whilst also meeting statutory requirements that ensure the national entitlement for every child. What skills/attributes/qualities do we want our aspirational learners to gain?

Co-operation Resilience Empathy Depth of knowledge Resourceful Respectful Flexible Motivated Inspired Love learning Independence Organised Reflective Happy Good communicator Confident Considerate Compassionate Aspirational Forward thinking Risk taker Self awareness Inquisitive Team work

We see Curriculum 2014 as an opportunity to create positive change and develop the first steps towards a collaborative community approach to school improvement.

We are looking for: A transformational approach to the way we design our curriculum that engages all stakeholders A collective moral purpose where good quality relationships are developed involving high levels of trust, honesty and mutual respect. A partnership that creates space and opportunities that enable innovative working that promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school, and prepares our children for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life. A curriculum that gives access to the right opportunities, experiences and support to ensure that children achieve. An area based curriculum that places Killinghall at the centre of learning to create an ‘enabling environment’ where local collaboration with local businesses, heritage and cultural organisations, voluntary groups, faith communities and parents can flourish for the benefit of our children.

An Area Based Curriculum is one that is: about a place: making use of local context and resources to frame learning by a place: designed by schools in partnership with other local stakeholders for a place: meeting the specific needs of children and local communities Its objectives are to: Create learning experiences that are engaging for children from all backgrounds Increase children’s understanding of and attachment to the place where they live Embed schools more deeply within their communities and localities

“The aim of an ‘area-based curriculum’ seems elegant in its simplicity: to enhance the educational experiences of young people “by creating rich connections with the communities, cities and cultures that surround them and by distributing the education effort across the people, organisations and institutions of a local area.” Facer (2009) “This distinction between the National Curriculum and the school curriculum is vital – and it’s been lost. The National Curriculum is that which is stated in law. The school curriculum – what actually happens in a specific school with specific pupils – falls within the autonomy of the school and is critical in delivering public and personal benefits, providing a safe environment where intensive learning can take place, and giving wide experience.” Tim Oates, Chair of the Expert Panel for the National Curriculum review (NAHT, 2011)

What is the nature of the communities served by our school. Think about faith backgrounds, parental occupations, languages spoken, countries of origin, type of housing and anything else you know. An Area Based Curriculum will draw on diverse stakeholders (including the children) in our local area to develop a curriculum through which all children can critically engaged in the realities and richness of the local area. We hope this model will empower pupils and parents as well as other local representatives from outside the school, drawing on local resources to support the curriculum and school.

We are taking ‘area’ to mean a geographically bounded location, the people contained within it, and the subjective ideas of place that are constructed in and about that area by those people. An area can contain lots of ‘places’ and many ‘communities’ and we do not want to limit interpretation, or assume what or who might ‘count’ in this regard. So what is our area?? Do we stick to Killinghall or extend to Harrogate, Nidderdale, Yorkshire?

KILLINGHALL Harrogate United Kingdom GlobalYorkshire KILLINGHALL Community groups Businesses Families Churches & Diocese Museums, galleries, exhibitions

The aim of an Area Based Curriculum is to engage a wide range of people and organisations in a local area in providing young people with a curriculum that is meaningful and challenging; that recognises and values their neighbourhoods, communities, families, cultures and wider locality; and equips them to shape their own futures and that of their local area for the better. The aim is not to reduce learning to the local, but rather to diversify the kinds of knowledge that are valued by schools, ensuring that the resources provided by local areas of all kinds are recognised, valued, and engaged in young people’s learning.

Art and artists, including architects and designers in history. D&T – Research, build and design structures and purposeful, innovative products. Cooking & nutrition Key physical features – beach, cliff, coast, forest, hill, mountain, sea, river, valley, season, climate zones, Key human features – city, town, village, factory, farm, house, port, economic activity linked to features, natural resources including energy. Maps, atlases and globes. Compass directions Fieldwork – geography of the school, its grounds and the locality. Location knowledge – Worlds countries & continents. Cities of the UK, rivers, mountains etc. Changes in living memory & outside memory. Lives of significant people, comparisons of different historical periods and ways of life. Significant events. Local history Changes in Britain – stone age to Iron age Roman Empire and its impact on Britain. Anglo Saxons The Vikings Chronology of events Ancient Greece, Egypt. Non European societies. Significant turning points in history. Develop an understanding of the history of music including significant composers.

Discuss & record everything you think could be an important resource for curriculum development locally – history, geography, social, religious, arts etc. Use your knowledge of the local area, people and places. River Nidd Jennyfields development Kennel Hall Quarry Domesday Book War memorial St. Thomas Church Methodist Chapel

Once we have put our new curriculum together we will hold another meeting to explain it all. If you have any more ideas or if you think you know of anyone else who can help us following this meeting, please let us know.