Curriculum

Find out more about our curriculum and teaching approach

This is one of the UK’s finest primary schools and I encourage anyone interested in curriculum and scholarly learning to visit.

Jan Hilary, National Leader in Education

Exceptional Education

Our Curriculum

Our aim at Princecroft is to provide an exceptional education for all our children so they develop a love of learning and are well prepared for success in future life. We believe that children are entitled to an outstanding curriculum, not just in English and mathematics, but in all subjects so they develop a knowledge, understanding and enthusiasm for learning in the arts, humanities, science, languages and sport.

Here at Princecroft, we are justifiably proud of our curriculum which we have designed with a genuine passion for what we believe our young learners need to know.

The children are taught reading, writing, phonics and maths lessons every day, and PE and sports lessons every week. We teach other curriculum topics in blocks so children can focus on one subject discipline at a time, as each subject area is unique and has a specific knowledge and skill set. We want our children to be able to immerse themselves in a topic, in order to get the most out of it. Our blocks of learning in subjects such as history, geography and science last approximately 3-4 weeks and are comprised of about 12 lessons, culminating in each child writing a high-level cross curricular essay upon completion.

High Quality Teaching

Knowledge-Rich Learning

We believe it is important that children remember and recall a broad range of curriculum knowledge to support their learning. For example, we want our children to be able to quickly identify key works of art; to locate countries on a map; and to recall key features of historical periods. We provide children with knowledge organisers, detailing the most important information they need to know. Children are quizzed on these in low-stakes, fun recall sessions to embed the learning of key facts and concepts in their long-term memories.

Our curriculum is supported by a range of exciting extra-curricular visits and activities that are part of our ‘11 by 11’, 11 experiences every child will have completed by the time they are 11 years old. These include visiting key historical sites, singing at the 02 in London, visiting key art galleries and performing in a theatre production.

We provide training for other teachers and school leaders to support them in developing a high quality curriculum in their own schools.

11 by 11

11 by 11

We strongly believe that every child has an entitlement to see and experience ‘the best that has been thought and said’ through rich and meaningful activities and school visits. To support this, we have identified 11 key experiences that every child will enjoy by the age of 11 – our 11 by 11. These are not experiences for a few, but an entitlement to every child who comes to Princecroft. The experiences are carefully woven into the curriculum where there are rich learning links to the rest of their studies, making it memorable as well as developing their knowledge and understanding.

11 things the Princecroft children will have experienced by the age of 11:

1.

As readers:

To read and study at least 40 classic and contemporary high-quality texts through the school’s reading spine.

2.

As writers:

To develop a writer voice to engage the reader and to have opportunities for their writing to be published in a real book.

3.

As scientists:

To have developed a love of nature and the natural world through visits to Kew Gardens, stargazing and observing chicks as they hatch and grow.

4.

As engineers:

To invent a new product to solve a problem, and participate in the national ‘If you were an engineer, what would you do?’ competition.

5.

As historians:

To visit historical sites of national/international importance including Stonehenge and the SS Great Britain.

6.

As geographers:

To visit key geographical features and locations including going fossil hunting on the Jurassic Coast.

7.

As artists:

To experience the arts at key national venues including Young Voices at the O2 Arena, the Tate Britain art gallery and a theatre production. Year 6 children work towards their bronze Arts Award through Trinity College, London.

8.

As athletes:

To watch a live sporting event, represent the school in the Dance Festival and have opportunities to compete against other schools.

9.

As theologists:

To have learnt about the six main religions and associated festivals, with visits to sites of religious interest.

10.

As citizens:

To understand the importance of the democratic process within the school council and visits to the Houses of Parliament and the Magna Carta.

11.

As philanthropists:

To take part in charitable events and act with kindness to make a difference to others, such as ‘make a difference day’.

Our Teaching Approach

Anning Class

Year 2

Newton Class

Year 3

Churchill Class

Year 4

Gandhi Class

Year 5

Pankhurst Class

Year 6

View the attributions catalogue of symbols we have used in our curriculum materials, which can be found at thenounproject.com

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