Curriculum at Steam Mills

Steam Mills Curriculum
 

Key Drivers

Aspiration, Communication and Knowledge of the World

 

Our drivers underpin what we work towards for our children. We want them to aspire to achieve their potential and understand the opportunities available to them. Communication starts from EYFS and creates the foundation for our children to become successful members of the community; we want to provide children with opportunities to do this effectively in a range of ways. Knowledge is power and we want our children to have a rich knowledge of the world around them so that they able to draw upon this within school and beyond.

 

Ofsted Feb 2022: 

"The school's curriculum is broad and ambitious. It aims to prepare children for their futures. The key drivers of aspiration, communication, knowledge about the world help to focus the work of the school and to keep expectations high." 

Our Curriculum Intent

UNICEF Rights of a Child Article 29

Education must develop every child’s personality, talents and abilities to the full. It must encourage the child’s respect for human rights, as well as respect for their parents, their own and other cultures and environments.

 

At Steam Mills Primary we have developed a curriculum which is broad, balanced and academically rigorous. We want our children to leave our school able to make a positive contribution to their communities and to understand the world and their place within it. Our curriculum is based on the National Curriculum designed to expose the children to the world outside of their immediate experiences. With knowledge and skills as its core and a focus on developing the vocabulary of every child and this links to our Key Drivers – Aspiration, Communication and Knowledge of the World.

 

We are refining our curriculum based on research about the memory and how it works so that not only do children learn 'the best that has been thought and said' but are taught in a way that ensures children remember their learning and take it with them as they move on.  We make use of knowledge organisers (which are sent home regularly) to ensure children know exactly which information is expected to be learned during a particular theme.  We place particular emphasis on children knowing by heart and building rich webs of knowledge as they progress through the curriculum and parents can support this by quizzing the children on the contents of the knowledge organisers sent home (Y1-6).

Class Yearly Overviews 2024-25
 
"Teachers assess how pupils learn the curriculum, adapting learning as needed. As a result, pupils achieve well." Ofsted, Feb 2022
Knowledge Organisers
 
"The curriculum helps pupils to learn new knowledge which builds on previous learning... Learning summaries for each subject provide useful support for pupils... These 'knowledge organisers' set out key learning facts and vocabulary needed for each learning theme." Ofsted, Feb 2022
Spring 2025 
Subject Overviews
 
"Leaders create a curriculum that is ambitious and relevant. Learning through the different subjects is well thought out and interesting." Ofsted, Feb 2022
 
Please find subject specific information in our Policy and Subject Overviews, listed below.