The aim of our curriculum 

The aim of our curriculum is to nurture every child so they can grow into the person they are meant to be — living life in all its fullness (John 10:10). Rooted in our Christian values and guided by the 4Bs – Believing, Being our Best, Being Creative, and Belonging – our curriculum is designed to develop the whole child: academically, spiritually, morally, socially, and emotionally.

We teach children about Christianity and its values, offering them opportunities to explore faith, reflect on their own beliefs, and develop a strong moral foundation. We encourage respectful curiosity about the beliefs of others and support every child in making their own informed choices about what they believe.

We aim to:

• Foster a sense of belief, purpose, and values, encouraging children to reflect on big questions and their place in the world.

• Provide a broad, balanced, and engaging education that challenges children to be their best in all they do.

• Promote creativity, curiosity, and a love of learning, helping children to think deeply and express themselves confidently.

• Build a strong sense of belonging, where every child feels safe, valued, included, and connected to their community.

Through this approach, we prepare children not only for academic success, but to live with compassion, integrity, and a sense of hope – ready to contribute positively to the world around them.

Our Curriculum Intent

At the heart of our curriculum is our Christian vision of "Life in all its Fullness" (John 10:10). We aim to nurture every child so they can flourish spiritually, academically, socially, and creatively, becoming confident and compassionate individuals who live life to the full.

Our curriculum is underpinned by our core Christian values, expressed through the 4Bs:

• Believing – We encourage children to grow in faith, hope and love, developing spiritual awareness and moral integrity. We value the unique worth of every child, helping them to believe in themselves, others, and the wider world.

• Being our Best – We foster a culture of high aspiration and perseverance, enabling each child to achieve their full potential. Through a rich and inclusive curriculum, we challenge pupils to strive for excellence in all areas of learning and character development.

• Being Creative – We celebrate imagination, curiosity, and expression across all subjects. Our curriculum encourages children to think deeply, ask big questions, and explore innovative solutions, reflecting the creativity of God and the wonder of the world around them.

• Belonging – We create a nurturing and inclusive community where every child feels valued, safe and connected. Through strong relationships, respect for diversity, and active citizenship, we promote a deep sense of belonging — to our school, our community, and God's wider world.

Together, these values shape a curriculum that develops the whole child — equipping them not only with knowledge and skills, but with the character, faith and resilience to make a positive difference in the world.

Our Curriculum Implementation

We implement our curriculum through high-quality teaching, strong relationships, and purposeful learning experiences that nurture the whole child. Here's how the 4Bs are woven into everyday practice:

• Believing
  Our curriculum supports children's spiritual development across all subjects. We create regular opportunities for reflection, prayer, worship, and open discussion of big ideas, encouraging pupils to explore faith, develop personal values, and respect the beliefs of others. Biblical teaching and Christian values are embedded across the curriculum and school life.

• Being our Best
  Teachers have high expectations for all learners. We offer a broad, balanced and ambitious curriculum that is carefully sequenced to ensure progression of knowledge and skills. Children are supported and challenged to achieve their full potential through targeted teaching, feedback, and interventions where necessary. Growth mindset, resilience and independence are explicitly taught and modelled.

• Being Creative
  Creativity is encouraged across the curriculum – not only in the arts but in how children approach problems, express ideas, and explore new concepts. Learning is made engaging and memorable through practical experiences, outdoor learning, cross-curricular links, and enrichment opportunities such as trips, visitors, and themed days. Pupils are given regular opportunities to think critically, ask questions, and take ownership of their learning.

• Belonging
  Our curriculum fosters a strong sense of community, inclusion and respect. PSHE (L4L), RE, and collective worship promote understanding, empathy, and positive relationships. We use collaborative learning, peer support and class discussions to develop social skills and a sense of shared responsibility. Every child is seen, known and valued, and diversity is celebrated across the curriculum. We also build connections with our local community and our partner school to promote active citizenship and social justice.

Staff work collaboratively to ensure consistency and coherence in curriculum delivery, supported by ongoing professional development and a reflective, evaluative culture. Our curriculum is inclusive by design and adapted to meet the needs of all learners, including those with SEND and those who are disadvantaged.

Through this intentional and values-led implementation, our curriculum enables children to grow academically, spiritually, socially, and morally — living and learning in the fullness of life.

Our Curriculum

English

At our school, we are committed to ensuring that all children become confident, fluent readers, enabling them to access the full curriculum and make the best possible progress. In line with our Christian vision of "Life in all its fullness", we foster a love of reading by exposing children to a wide range of high-quality literature. This not only builds essential reading skills but also enriches their cultural capital and broadens their understanding of the world. Our aim is for every child to leave us with a lifelong passion for reading — empowered to explore new ideas, deepen their learning, and grow into thoughtful, informed individuals who carry with them the values that matter in today’s society.

To foster a love of reading, all children take part in a daily 'Book Share' session, where staff read aloud stories from our carefully curated reading spine. This collection includes high-quality texts that reflect British values, celebrate a diverse range of cultures, and represent the richness of our school community. These shared reading experiences not only spark enjoyment but also promote meaningful discussion, develop comprehension skills, and deepen children’s connection with books and stories.

Phonics

The children in Reception and Key Stage 1 (and some in Key Stage 2) follow the Little Wandle Phonics Programme and our sequence of reading books is arranged in phonic phases to reflect the programme taught in school. If you would like to find out more about our phonics please click on the following link: https://www.littlewandle.org.uk/resources/for-parents/.

Reading

We use the Accelerated Reader programme to support and develop our children’s reading fluency, comprehension, and independence in Key Stage 2. After completing a short assessment to determine their reading level, children choose books from a carefully graded selection that match their ability and interests. Once they’ve finished reading a book, they complete an online quiz to check their understanding. This helps staff to monitor progress, celebrate success, and guide children towards further reading that will challenge and engage them. Accelerated Reader encourages a sense of achievement and helps foster a love of reading by giving children ownership of their reading journey.

https://uk.renaissance.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/AR-parents-guide-updated.pdf

Our aim is to ensure that all children become fluent, confident writers who develop stamina, creativity, and precision in their writing. We want children to take pride in their work, reflect on and improve their writing, and achieve the best possible outcomes. Aligned with our vision of "Life in all its fullness", we nurture children’s ability to express themselves clearly and effectively for a range of purposes and audiences.

We strive to:

• Foster a genuine passion for writing, where children enjoy playing with language and developing their own voice and style.

• Support children to articulate and express their thoughts clearly through writing.

• Enable children to write confidently across a wide range of genres, understanding the features and conventions of each.

• Encourage a love of words and rich vocabulary, empowering children to communicate with precision and flair.

• Develop a fluent, joined handwriting style and take pride in the presentation of their work.

• Build a strong understanding of spelling patterns, rules, and morphology to support accuracy and fluency.

• Enrich writing through our Talk for Writing approach, helping children build internalised language structures — their own ‘Living Libraries’ — to become more confident, independent writers.

Through high-quality teaching and a purposeful, engaging curriculum, we aim to equip every child with the tools, confidence, and passion to be successful, thoughtful writers both now and in the future.

Progression of Skills:

Writing

• English-Progression-of-Skills.docx

Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling

• GPS - Progression of Skills.docx

Spelling

• Spelling - Progression of Skills.docx

Geography

At our school, Geography is about understanding the world — from our local community to the wider global landscape. Through a carefully planned curriculum, children develop a growing knowledge of both physical and human geography, exploring the features of their immediate environment as well as learning about distant places and cultures.

Pupils learn to name and locate countries, capital cities, and major rivers within the British Isles, alongside studying the continents, oceans, and key countries of the world in greater detail. Topics such as weather and climate are embedded throughout the curriculum to help children make real-world connections.

Geographical skills are developed progressively, with children using maps, atlases, digital tools, and fieldwork to investigate and understand places. Educational visits and hands-on experiences further enrich their learning, enabling them to observe geography in action and explore their environment with curiosity and confidence.

History

At our school, we believe that History is the study of the past to understand the present and shape the future. In the early years and Key Stage 1, children begin by exploring the recent past — including topics such as homes long ago and the experiences of their grandparents. We use artefacts, storytelling, role play, and educational visits to help bring history to life and show the impact of the past on everyday life.

As children move into Key Stage 2, they begin a chronological journey through British and world history, starting with early humans in the Stone Age and continuing through to the Norman conquest in 1066 and  beyond. This approach helps pupils build a clear sense of historical time and understand how different periods connect and influence one another.

We place great importance on helping children understand the chronology of local, national, and international events, supported by enriching trips, workshops, and visitors that deepen their learning and bring historical contexts to life.

This year, some of the exciting history topics our pupils are exploring include:

• The Stone Age

• What is a Monarch?

• The Anglo-Saxons, Picts and Scots

• The Ancient Egyptians

• What Were Schools Like in the Past?

• The Romans

Through our history curriculum, children develop a strong sense of identity, curiosity about the world, and an appreciation for the people and events that have shaped our society.

Religious Education

Religious Education is a core and valued part of our curriculum. Rooted in our Christian foundation, it supports our mission to help every child flourish and live “life in all its fullness” (John 10:10). Through RE, children explore big questions about life, meaning, and faith — developing respect, empathy, and an understanding of how people live well together.

Our RE curriculum is primarily based on the SAT RE scheme, which provides a broad and balanced approach to exploring world faiths and beliefs. This is complemented by selected units from Understanding Christianity, enriching our provision by deepening pupils’ knowledge of Christian theology and biblical teaching.

At Birchanger, RE is taught through three distinct academic lenses — Theology, Philosophy, and Human/Social Sciences — which help children explore religion and belief from different perspectives:

• Theological Lens – "What do people believe about God?"
  Pupils explore beliefs, teachings, and practices within Christianity and other world faiths, examining sacred texts, symbols, rituals, and key concepts such as Creation, Incarnation, and Salvation.

• Philosophical Lens – "How do we know what is true?"
  Children engage with deep questions about truth, meaning, morality, and existence, learning to think critically, reason thoughtfully, and reflect on their own beliefs and values.

• Human/Social Science Lens – "How do people live out their beliefs?"
  This lens explores how faith and worldviews shape people’s daily lives, communities, and cultures — including traditions, celebrations, and moral choices.

Our RE curriculum is inclusive and thought-provoking, encouraging children to engage with a range of beliefs and worldviews while developing their own sense of identity, purpose, and belonging.

Music

As part of our commitment to Being Creative, we believe every child should have the opportunity to express themselves through singing, dancing, and music. Music is an integral part of our weekly curriculum lessons and features prominently in our Collective Worship through singing and listening to different genres of music.

We also offer 1:1 music lessons for those who wish to develop their skills further, alongside opportunities to perform in annual productions. Additionally, children can enjoy playing music during playtimes as part of our Outdoor Play and Learning Programme.

Our approach is carefully planned and continually developed — please see our Music Development Plan for more details.

Young Voices 2026
As part of enriching our music curriculum, our Year 5 and 6 children have the exciting opportunity to take part in Young Voices, a large-scale children’s choir experience in February 2026. This event allows them to sing alongside thousands of other young people, developing their vocal skills, confidence, and teamwork. Participating in Young Voices is a memorable and inspiring experience that deepens their love of music and supports their creative growth.