Curriculum

Wensum School – Curriculum Intent Statement

Curriculum Rationale

At Wensum Junior School, our curriculum is intentionally designed to provide coherence, progression, and equity, ensuring all pupils access a rich and empowering education.

Our subject choices reflect a commitment to evidence-informed practice, drawing on research into cognitive science and curriculum design. We have curated a set of high-quality, structured schemes which collectively support knowledge acquisition, vocabulary development, and high expectations across the curriculum.

Our purpose

The purpose of our curriculum is simple: to build secure foundations, broaden horizons, and unlock the potential in every child. Our curriculum choices are not just practical — they are principled. They enable staff to teach with confidence and coherence and enable pupils to thrive across disciplines, developing not only academic knowledge but also creativity, resilience, and a love of learning.

Curriculum designed for all

Our curriculum is not only knowledge-rich but also inclusive. We have chosen resources and structures that allow adaptation and scaffolding so that all pupils, including those with SEND and EAL, can succeed. The teachers adapt lessons from the scheme, through the use of resources, to ensure the needs of their children are met. We ensure fidelity to key schemes to reduce cognitive load on staff and to enable consistency of experience for pupils.

Anchored in evidence: why our curriculum works

The EEF’s tiered approach to school improvement is embedded within our curriculum thinking:

High-quality teaching is supported by structured schemes.
Targeted support is enabled through consistent diagnostics and intervention structures.
Wider strategies such as social and emotional learning are embedded through our PSHE scheme (SCARF).

Equity in the curriculum

Equity is not the same as equality.

Equality gives every pupil the same support.

Equity gives every pupil the right support — recognising that some children need more, or different, help to reach the same end point.

In curriculum terms, equity means ensuring that all children, regardless of their background, need or starting point, have access to the knowledge, experiences and support they need to succeed.

Curriculum Statement

Here at Wensum Junior School we offer a curriculum which is broad and balanced and which builds on the knowledge, understanding and skills of all children, whatever their starting points, as they progress through each year group. The curriculum incorporates the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum 2014 and other experiences and opportunities which best meet the learning and developmental needs of the pupils in our school. The aim of our curriculum is for pupils to have the requisite skills to be successful, independent and motivated learners in readiness for their next stage of education. It is important that the curriculum considers the development of the whole child as well as concentrating on academic success. Cultural capital gives our pupils key knowledge that they need to become successful students and then later in life, valued members of our community.

Implementation

Our curriculum

Our curriculum is mapped to the 2014 primary national curriculum to ensure comprehensive coverage of national expectations. Each subject has an overview that provides a rigorous skills and knowledge framework that outlines the end of year expectations for all year groups. These skills and knowledge are tied to age related activities so that staff can track children’s progress and identify their individual learning needs.

Higher attainers are challenged further in their learning to deepen their knowledge and understanding and children who find aspects of their learning more difficult are appropriately supported so that they too are enabled to experience success. National requirements and school requirements are mapped out as a whole school and then individual year groups plan the curriculum for their pupils accordingly. The curriculum is underpinned by the school’s Core Values, of honesty, kindness and respect. There is a focus on these values over the course of the school year where these are taught in other areas of the curriculum, including assemblies. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of our pupils and their understanding of the core values of our society are woven through the curriculum.

Theme weeks, whole school activities and opportunities within and outside school develop the children’s learning. After school clubs and events extend these opportunities further.

Impact

Aside from maths and English which are taught daily, other subjects are taught weekly and in some cases through a themed week. Attainment and progress are assessed over the academic year. Ongoing assessment in maths and English ensures teachers are able to identify where children are achieving or exceeding expectations, where further support is required for individuals and also to inform future planning.

Lesson observations, learning walks and book scrutinies are used to see if each stage of learning matches the age-related expectations. Summative assessments are completed termly and at the end of KS2 (SATS).