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Curriculum

Curriculum Intent Statement

The curriculum is underpinned by the Islamic values that inform both the ethos and vision of our school and is the means by which the school achieves its objective of educating children in the core knowledge, skills and understanding that they need to lead purposeful, fulfilling lives and become well educated and well-rounded British citizens. Stretching, exciting and stimulating lessons offering self-directed learning opportunities to all pupils including those with SEND, will expose them to the best that has been thought and said, helping to engender an appreciation of human creativity and achievement.

We set high expectations for our pupils, whom we desire will become confident, positive, articulate, responsible and highly achieving individuals who have a strong sense of identity and purpose; who are self-disciplined, morally upright, emotionally secure and spiritually intelligent; and who respectfully work with others from diverse backgrounds, for the common good.

The school’s broad and rich curriculum is rooted in the knowledge and skills that pupils need to take advantage of the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life, to address social disadvantage. By describing what pupils will need to be able to know and do, it makes demarcated end points that it is building towards clear. It is planned and sequenced so that new knowledge and skills build on what has been taught before, towards those end points. The school curriculum reflects the school’s local context by addressing typical gaps in pupils’ knowledge and skills in English due to a large proportion of residents with EAL.

 

Curriculum Development

The school started work last year to develop the curriculum to adopt a more thematic and enquiry led approach. This was in order to more clearly link children’s experience of the world to the Divine, in line with the school’s ethos and to ensure pupils have purpose and ownership to their learning as well as to teach them about sustainable lifestyles. An enquiry-based approach develops the ability of children to ask questions and find the answers to them through projects that are pursued across multiple subjects.

The thematic approach that we’ve adopted revolves around seven principles that are clearly observable in the world around us: Geometry, Cycles, Interdependence, Oneness, Diversity, Adaptation and Health. These principles are frequently referred to in the Qur’an where we are repeatedly instructed to contemplate the natural world, as such contemplation leads to recognition of its Creator and His rights over us. School staff are developing curricular planning that encourages pupils to contemplate a range of related aspects of Allah’s creation to foster Iman, in line with the school’s ethos and curriculum intent.

Each year group takes each principle each term and through an enquiry driver – a question to answer through the curriculum, reflects on the principle whilst exploring an answer to the question. The school’s existing long and medium terms plans, matched to the National Curriculum, are still delivered but purpose is given to the learning and value added beyond the the National Curriculum. Teachers are building plans half a term at a time across the year.

The principles are summarised below.

Geometry:

The patterns of nature, evidencing the beauty and precision of Allah’s creation, are everywhere. They can be seen around us and in us, and in forms beyond this world. They can be seen in patterns of circles and spirals and in the proportions of different living things.

Cycles:

Nature works in cycles. Within these cycles, there are periods of growth and abundance, and there are times of decline and decay, of restoration and regeneration. At its most obvious, we see it in the cycle of day to night – a cycle that guides our own routines and practices of our daily prayers.

Interdependence:

Everything is interconnected and every element within an ecosystem has a value and role to play and effects all other elements. Look at the system holistically because nothing works in isolation and is fundamentally dependant on Allah.

Diversity:

Allah made diverse ‘nations and tribes that we may know one another’. When we observe the natural world, we can see that its richness lies in its diversity. Diversity builds resilience, enriches life and is a great blessing from Allah.

Adaptation:

Allah’s adaptations ensure a match between animals and their environments. As a principle it is also about contextualising learning locally, valuing community, learning from the past and present and thinking about how to improve the locality. In addition, sustainable approaches to city living should localise how our needs are catered for.

Health:

Good health is a great blessing of Allah that He instructs us to take advantage of before we are deprived of it. Health also reminds us of the need for balance in all aspects of our lives and the link between our individual health and the health of the world around us.

Oneness:

Allah is One and built symmetry and unity in many aspects of the Universe.  The principle highlights that to appreciate fully the beauty and purpose of this world, we need to find our own sense of peace, of belonging and of place in it.

Curriculum Overview

Subject Content
EYFS

The EYFS Framework explains how and what your child will be learning to support their healthy development, our Reception classes curriculum is a topic based approach.

Your child will be learning skills, acquiring new knowledge and demonstrating their understanding through 7 areas of learning and development. Children should mostly develop the 3 prime areas first. These are:

▪ Communication and language;

▪ Physical development; and

▪ Personal, social and emotional development.

These prime areas are those most essential for your child’s healthy development and future learning. As children grow, the prime areas will help them to develop skills in 4 specific areas. These are:

▪ Literacy;

▪ Mathematics;

▪ Understanding the world; and

▪ Expressive arts and design.

These 7 areas are used to plan your child’s learning and activities. The professionals teaching and supporting your child will make sure that the activities are suited to your child’s unique needs. This is a little bit like a curriculum in primary and secondary schools, but it's suitable for very young children, and it's designed to be really flexible so that staff can follow your child's unique needs and interests. Children in the EYFS learn by playing and exploring, being active, and through creative and critical thinking which takes place both indoors and outside.

Three characteristics of effective teaching and learning are:

▪ playing and exploring - children investigate and experience things, and ‘have a go’; ▪ active learning - children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties, and enjoy achievements; and ▪ creating and thinking critically - children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things.

Phonics The programme of phonics used in KS1 and EYFS is Ruth Miskin RWI Phonics.
English The scheme of work used to deliver English is Wordsmith. 
Maths The scheme of work used to deliver Maths is Power Maths supplemented by White Rose Maths.
Science The scheme of work used to deliver Science is PlanBee.
Geography The scheme of work used to deliver Geography is PlanBee. Geographical enquiry; Skills to develop knowledge and understanding of places, patterns and processes; Environmental change and sustainable development.
History The scheme of work used to deliver History is PlanBee. Chronology, Range and depth of historical knowledge and understanding, Interpretations of history; Historical enquiry, organisation and communication.
Design & Technology The application of knowledge and understanding in using materials and components and developing ideas to plan processes to make and evaluate products.
Art & Design Exploring knowledge to develop understanding and ideas; Investigating and making art, craft and design; evaluating and developing work.
Computing The scheme of work used to deliver Computing is Switched on Computing. The computing curriculum is divided into three key areas, Digital Safety (DS), Information Technology (IT) and Computer Science (CS). 
PSCHE Promoting our children to live emotionally sound, healthy, independent lives, and to become informed active Muslim citizens.
Music/ Nasheed An in house bespoke programme of studies exploring and developing an understanding of instrumentation and elements of music/nasheed through learning tempo, pitch, dynamics, timbre, structure and applying to class nasheeds
Qur'an An in house bespoke programme of studies starting with Qaidah in EYFS and moving on to reading & tajweed, memorising, understanding of the Qur'an.
Islamic Studies An in house bespoke programme of studies exploring and developing understanding of Beliefs, Practices, Fiqh, Akhlaq, Seerah, stories of the Prophets and the Companions, developing character and the heart.
Arabic An in house bespoke programme of studies covering speaking and listening, reading comprehension and writing.

Further information regarding your child's learning and the curriculum can be discussed with the class teacher. 

Click on the links below to look at the curriculum for each year group.​​​​​​

Class Curriculum Maps

Please see the attachments below to view classes half term curriculum content schemata.