Curriculum Intent

Whilst Barrowcliff School is in the most deprived area of North Yorkshire, our children are some of the most appreciative and respectful, despite many not having the opportunities of their peers throughout the county.  It is for this reason that the Curriculum Intent at Barrowcliff School is designed to:

• Offer breadth, not just in terms of coverage but in terms of the opportunities it provides. 
• Be truly relevant, in terms of teaching about what has happened in the past, as well as being preparing children for life in modern Britain and a culturally diverse society
• Be delivered in a creative but rigorous way in order to check that children are retaining the knowledge and demonstrating the skills that are needed not only for their next steps in education, but also in the world outside
• Instil a strong work ethic in our children and a desire to do the best they can, both personally and academically
• Raise ambitions amongst our children and their families, with a view to increasing social mobility
• Take account of the necessary cultural capital and fill the gaps that won’t be filled unless it happens in school
• Provide an offer to all groups and individuals that will counter the disadvantage some of our children experience
• Underpin key values such as strong relationships and working together, empathy, friendship, developing good mental health strategies and promoting mutual respect and personal responsibility across the whole school community. 

Curriculum Implementation

Beginning in our EYFS department, we provide children with a personalised curriculum built around not only the EYFS Curriculum, but the interests and needs of our children here at Barrowcliff School.  Independence and exploration is encouraged and is supported by a strong programme to develop phonetic knowledge, reading, writing and numberwork.  The use of outdoor space is part of the daily routine as is the support for relationship building and PSHCE.

Throughout the school, we offer a broad and balanced curriculum, however, at the heart of this is a clear emphasis on English, maths and PSHCE. Our curriculum is knowledge rich but provides opportunities to develop skills through the embedding of that knowledge and understanding.  We have mapped out our curriculum offer and this is implemented to cover all areas of the National Curriculum. These subjects are overseen by individual subject leads who support the development of each subject and offer support to colleagues to ensure the implementation is effective and relevant. 

Whilst the breadth of curriculum is clearly seen at Barrowcliff School, we also recognise the importance of teaching our children to speak clearly and articulately and to read and write effectively. Reading across all curriculum areas is a priority to extend and deepen pupils understanding and use of vocabulary. We want pupils to develop a love of reading during their time at with us and be exposed to a wide range of texts and reading material.  This is crucial to the implementation of our curriculum and to the future success of our children. 

Children are expected to work hard and demonstrate positive learning behaviours to both maximise their own individual learning potential as well as contribute to the school and wider community.    Woven into our curriculum implementation is a reward system that recognises both effort and excellence. Parents/carers are able and encouraged to engage in this system using Dojo as a platform for regular communication with staff.

We have high expectations of attendance, academic achievement and pupil behaviour. We are committed to working in partnership with parents as we believe that when home and school work closely together we get the best outcomes for our pupils. Our PSHCE curriculum is delivered across all classrooms and at the end of each unit, the whole school gather to celebrate the work done and progress achieved, recognising the journeys individuals and groups have been on.

Our pupils have access to a wide range of opportunities which promote personal responsibility and pupil voice with children being actively involved in whole school decision making through the School Council and many positions of responsibility. In order to raise aspirations and equip children with a real belief that they can achieve anything if they are prepared to work hard, it is imperative that we prioritise experiential learning within our curriculum.  We want children to know that Barrowcliff children can achieve and be successful, both in school and beyond, and that with hard work, commitment and guidance, anything is possible.  Visitors are regularly invited into school; educational and residential visits are chosen to deepen understanding and to develop skills and we make the most of our outdoor learning environment and coastal locality to enhance first-hand learning experiences.

Curriculum Impact

We look to evaluate the impact of our curriculum by asking this key question:

Does the curriculum at Barrowcliff School facilitate

• Statutory requirements of the National Curriculum?
• Independence, resilience and a thirst for learning in children?
• Children’s ability to form meaningful relationships based upon mutual respect and trust?
• Children recognising and celebrating difference, not only within the school community, but in the wider world?
• Access to a wide and varied curriculum, allowing each child to excel in areas of strength and to develop where they need to?
• Individuals to be the best they can be?
• Academic achievement so that progress is at least good and/or children have achieved the expected standard across the curriculum by the end of Key Stage Two?
• Good preparation for the emotional, organisational and academic challenges of secondary school?
• Aspirations for the future and know that these can be achieved with hard work and determination?
• The view that everyone is able to make a positive contribution to the world in which they live?