A new curriculum for a new school.

Writing a new curriculum was not something I decided to do lightly, in fact it’s true to say that I felt daunted and unequal to the task. But, having looked at the National Curriculum for children and understanding its impact on children I just couldn’t contemplate opening a school where children were made to learn in this way.

Before writing the curriculum, I looked at the curricula of other countries, revisited the philosophies of Reggio, in particular the poem, The 100 languages of the child, by Loris Malaguzzi and talked to other Early Years teachers.

I wanted to create a curriculum that was exciting to teach, provided freedom for the teacher to develop programmes of study to meet the very individual styles of the children and most importantly allowed children to learn through a wide range of resources, experiences and in a hands-on way.

The Prepatoria Curriculum, praised by Ofsted for its comprehensive and thorough inclusion of difficult topics, contains all the same subjects as the national curriculum but with much much more. The aim of the curriculum is to enable children to develop as fully rounded individuals not simply as academics but as people who can make a positive contribution to society.

Social, moral, spiritual and cultural awareness is a topic that will be embedded in all that we do. The opening of our school will present a perfect opportunity to begin this topic as children and teachers create together the code of conduct. They will learn to respect others as they come together as a new group for the first time, learning that others have a voice, values and lifestyles different to their own. Children will learn how to care for nature and the responsibility of humans to care for this planet and the impact of the decisions humans make on the world and the creatures in it.

Our Linguistic program of study has three important strands, these are oracy, reading and writing. This important topic begins by helping children to become confident in their use of language as a tool for communicating with others. A broad vocabulary, the confidence to speak and to ask questions are indicators of later success in life. At their own pace children will develop a phonic tool kit to support reading skills, using Kinetic letters they will develop, first, the skills to hold a pencil well and then techniques required to become fluent in writing skills. Listening to stories can be a magical experience for children and is one that ignites a love of literacy and reading. Therefore, our school day will end with children being read to by their teacher.

The Mathematics program will be delivered as both discreet and integrated classes. It’s so important that children can apply the knowledge and skills they learn to practical application. Children’s thought processes will be valued when presented orally, pictorially and in recognised mathematical formats. They will study time, analogue and digital, in traditional ways but also through history and science. They will learn to use money, add and subtract, estimate and complete simple tables and graphs.

Scientific, technological, human and social development provides us with such an exciting opportunity to explore, invent, create, hypothesis and experiment. This topic will include regular seasonal trips to a farm we have links with. Children will learn about bee keeping and the importance of bees for nature and for humans through our own bee hive. Growing, planting and care of our pets will help children to develop knowledge and skills for life.

A Physical development program will help children to develop physical skills needed to participate in sporting activities as a team and as an individual. Children will gain an understanding of how to stay fit and healthy and learn about the impact of an unhealthy diet on the body.

The Aesthetic and Creative program will provide opportunities for children to engage in a rich variety of different topics and media. This will include; designing, creating, singing, performing and playing and listening to music. This program will be taught as distinct and separate lessons when children are focussing on learning a new skill or technique but will also provide valuable opportunities for children to develop new knowledge and understanding in other topics. We believe that all other topics can be enhanced and delivered using a creative and aesthetic approach.

To learn more about our new curriculum for children please request a copy of our scheme of work or book a tour today.