Curriculum
Our Academic Vision
At Exwick Heights Primary School, we aim to provide an exceptional education that enables every pupil to achieve academic excellence while becoming kind, curious and determined young people.
Our ambitious, broad and balanced curriculum is deliberately sequenced so that new learning builds securely on prior knowledge and key concepts are revisited with increasing sophistication. This enables pupils to make meaningful connections across subjects, think with increasing precision and apply their learning with confidence.
Grounded in the strongest available evidence about how children learn, our curriculum draws upon cognitive science and is underpinned by our Learning Model. Teaching is designed to ensure that essential knowledge is remembered, misconceptions are addressed and pupils secure foundational knowledge before progressing towards greater depth, independence and expert application.
The impact is evident in pupils who know more, remember more and can do more. They articulate their thinking with confidence, draw upon knowledge with accuracy and tackle increasingly complex challenges with resilience and intellectual curiosity. We want every child to leave Exwick Heights with the academic knowledge, confidence and character to thrive at the next stage of their education and beyond.
Our Curriculum Principles
At Exwick Heights, seven curriculum principles underpin every curriculum decision we make – from curriculum design to classroom practice.
Knowledge - Rich
Intent: We prioritise the substantive and disciplinary knowledge that enables pupils to think deeply and develop expertise within each subject discipline.
Implementation: Essential knowledge is explicitly taught, modelled and revisited through retrieval flashback. Learning is planned so that pupils understand not only what they are learning but why it matters within the discipline.
Impact: Pupils build secure, connected knowledge that they can explain, reason, analyse and apply their understanding with increasing sophistication. They leave Exwick with the strong knowledge needed for future study and lifelong learning.
Intelligently - Sequenced
Intent: Learning is deliberately sequenced from the Early Years to Year 6 so that knowledge builds cumulatively towards ambitious end points. Subject leaders plan backwards from the expertise pupils should ultimately develop.
Implementation: New learning is explicitly connected to prior learning. Core concepts – our "golden threads" – are revisited in different contexts and from different perspectives.
Impact: Pupils remember more, make meaningful connections and develop increasingly sophisticated understanding.
Inclusive for All
Intent: Every pupil is entitled to an ambitious curriculum.
Implementation: Our curriculum is inclusive by design through adaptive teaching, scaffolds, purposeful questioning and a curriculum that reflects both our community and the wider world.
Impact: All pupils participate successfully in ambitious learning, experience a genuine sense of belonging and leave primary school equipped with the knowledge, confidence and aspirations to succeed.
Expertly Taught
Intent: Exceptional curriculum design only becomes exceptional learning through expert teaching.
Implementation: Teachers draw upon secure subject knowledge, evidence-informed pedagogy and the Exwick Heights Principles of Great Teaching. Lessons are characterised by explicit instruction, live modelling, independent practice and responsive assessment which informs future planning.
Impact: Pupils think hard, practise successfully and secure knowledge and skills.
Engaging and Inspiring
Intent: We cultivate curiosity, believing that pupils learn best when they are intellectually challenged and enthralled in the subject.
Implementation: Rich texts, enquiry, discussion, practical experiences, educational visits and guest speakers all bring learning to life.
Impact: Pupils develop curiosity, resilience and a genuine, sustained enthusiasm for learning, taking pride in their work and developing lasting interests beyond the classroom.
Personally Empowering
Intent: We prepare pupils for successful, fulfilling lives beyond the classroom.
Implementation: Oracy, collaboration, leadership and critical thinking are woven throughout the curriculum alongside our values of kindness, curiosity and determination.
Impact: Pupils leave Exwick as articulate, confident and compassionate young people who are ready to contribute positively to modern Britain and beyond.
Purposefully Assessed
Intent: Assessment exists to improve learning, not simply to measure it.
Implementation: Teachers use ongoing formative assessment including hinge questions, Show Me Boards and the Gather and Advance approach to address misconceptions and adapt teaching in real time. Summative assessment is used thoughtfully to evaluate learning, refine curriculum planning and identify future priorities.
Impact: Gaps are addressed swiftly, essential knowledge is secured and learning builds confidently over time.
Our Curriculum Entitlement
Every pupil at Exwick Heights is entitled to a curriculum that enables them to:
- develop awe, wonder and a lifelong love of learning;
- be curious, motivated and excited to learn;
- know more, remember more and apply their learning with confidence;
- think deeply, ask questions and solve problems;
- embrace challenge, persevere through difficulty and learn from mistakes;
- become resilient, resourceful and reflective learners;
- collaborate effectively and learn from others;
- communicate their ideas clearly and listen respectfully to different viewpoints;
- develop a strong understanding of Britain's values and contribute positively to modern society;
- value their own identity while developing respect for the cultures, beliefs and experiences of others;
- experience a rich programme of visits, visitors and opportunities that broaden horizons and raise aspirations;
- leave primary school academically prepared, personally empowered and ready to flourish in the next stage of education and throughout life.
Extra-Curricular Activities
Extra-curricular activities are recognised as important aspects of school life giving children the opportunity to extend their experience in new areas and develop skills and particular talents.
Staff are involved in activities and this gives them the opportunity to work with children from other classes. This extends the relationship that exists between children and staff and contributes towards the family ethos of the school.