Curriculum

Curriculum lead: Mr Ellison

g.ellison@holdenclough.tameside.sch.uk

Our aim is to provide all of our pupils with a progressive curriculum that is focused, highly engaging and purposefully active that will really make a difference to their outlook and views.

“A family of independent life-long learners that reach for the stars.”

Curriculum Intent and Rationale

Introduction

Holden Clough is a two-form entry school, situated in Ashton-Under-Lyne. There are currently 359 pupils on roll in single year group classes. The school serves a very mixed catchment area which means the needs of the children are extremely varied. The school has a wide range of ethnicities, with 28.4% EAL pupils. Holden Clough is set in large grounds with a modern-looking building and a newly-updated outdoor area, including an all-weather pitch, a woodland area and allotments.

Intent

At Holden Clough, providing our children with opportunities for success in their learning, leading to their growth and development as educated citizens who are valued members of society, is our top priority. This includes designing and implementing a curriculum that is best suited to their needs. We want to provide them with a progressive curriculum that is focused, highly engaging and purposefully active that will really make a difference to their outlook and views. We aim to offer a wide range of investigative, knowledge-enhancing learning experiences, developing cultural capital through planned activities, such as residential and day trips.

We want the pupils to develop independence and resilience, tapping into their strengths, such as curiosity, enthusiasm and eagerness to learn.
 

Rationale for Implementation

Our Vision Statement is:-

At Holden Clough we have ‘star’ quality

S - We enjoy change and challenge, demonstrating STICKABILITY in everything we do.

T - We love learning and laugh a lot TOGETHER.

A - We strive for excellence and ACHIEVEMENT in everything that we do.

R - We value and RESPECT each other as friends and celebrate our differences.

We want our curriculum to be underpinned by our values:-

Respect, Patience, Compassion, Love, Forgiveness, Empathy, Responsibility and Courage

We use Dimensions ‘Learning Means the World’ Curriculum as the vehicle for this.

This curriculum is underpinned by four highly relevant world issues, known as the four Cs:-

• Culture
• Communication
• Conflict
• Conservation

 Culture

As a school that represents a wide variety of ethnic groups, we want our pupils to fully appreciate and embrace cultural diversity, learning about and experiencing a range of different cultural and faith heritages.

We want them to value diversity as a whole, understanding the roots and importance of cultural heritage and to behave in a respectful and accepting way towards others, regardless of faith, ethnicity or background. We actively promote cross-cultural friendship, respect, tolerance and understanding through ‘Learning Means the World’.

 Communication

We believe that communication is vital to learning as the key to success. We want our pupils to develop as excellent communicators across all forms of expression, showing confidence, for example, in being able to stand up and present to others. We want our pupils to develop language skills that mean they are articulate and able to socially interact well, using their vocabulary in context. We use the ‘Dr CAGON’ approach to learning which encourages teamwork in literacy lessons, with an UKS2 focus on reading comprehension and reading together in unison. In the Early Years, communication is encouraged through story-telling and maths activities, include opportunities for oral discussion.

 Conflict

We believe that life skills should be taught throughout the curriculum and an understanding of responsible, respectful behaviour is an important aspect of learning. We believe that having a developed understanding of sources of conflict and the importance of appreciating others’ opinions will make a difference to their own choices as they learn more about conflict resolution. We want our pupils to be self-managing and resilient. We also want them to be able to put into action conflict resolution and modify their own behaviour to help them disagree in a constructive manner.

 Conservation

We want our pupils to be much more informed about conservation issues and for these to be taught through a relevant curriculum where these issues are embedded. We feel they will do this best through the ‘Learning Means the World’ curriculum, which employs a structured approach to developing environmental awareness and appreciation, not just at local, but also national and global levels. We want our pupils to be good stewards and develop their knowledge, so they are much more informed about sustainability. We want them to care passionately about our world and their local area and to engage actively and get involved in using the outdoor space we are so fortunate to have.

Additional Units to Ensure National Curriculum Full Coverage

Other pages