We follow the National Curriculum programmes of study for Key Stages 1 and 2. We have developed our curriculum using six areas of learning which originally built upon those nurtured in the Early Years Foundation Stage and are used across the full age range of the school:

How does it all work?

Our classes

Worstead is a small school with four mixed-age classes. Because of the uneven numbers of children in each cohort (a single year group of children) and the different ways that we organise our classes and spaces from year to year, we have developed a two-year rolling programme of learning. Everything learnt is dependent on previous learning, therefore we carefully track each cohort and ensure that they have fully covered every aspect of the National Curriculum programmes of study without repetition but with the capability to add in elements where necessary. Our long term plans give suggested topics which we know 'work' with our school, and extend beyond the current academic year, but they are subject to change, and reviewed by staff annually. As a result of this built-in flexibility, varying pupil numbers and class structures do not have an adverse impact on curriculum delivery and structure in subsequent years. The core National Curriculum standards in knowledge and skills are always at the fore. 

Curricular progression

Our system ensures that during their seven years at Worstead, all our children study every thematic unit with key human concepts underlying each, and revisited in subsequent years. This is important, because progression in learning from year to year can be both built in, and built upon, with no areas of the curriculum missed. For example, before learning about (and visiting) London, children must know what the city of Norwich and be able to explain how it is different from Worstead. They cannot understand the Anglo-Saxons until they know that they were many people that came to Britain through the ages, and who settled in different ways. You can't hope to teach about the solar system in a meaningful way until children recognise the patterns of the seasons, and wonder about how day becomes night. Curriculum leaders regularly monitor and advise on their subject areas, and are clear about the expectations for each cohort. During their time in each class, children are taught appropriate to their capacity for learning so as to maximise what they achieve, and curricular objectives are altered several ways to fit the range of ages and abilities within the class. This process of differentiation is standard practice in all schools, because the children in every classroom are individuals. Children with Special Educational Needs each have an Individual Learning Plan which supports classroom staff to cater for their specific challenges. For example, a child with diagnosed dyslexia would find reading for information an unfair obstacle in historical study. 

Learning from start to finish

A record of learning achieved for each cohort is constantly updated, then passed on at the end of the year from one teacher to the next, through the three or four classes each child may be part of. This ensures that as far as possible gaps in learning do not arise. One of the strengths of our small school is that every child is known to every staff member, because all our teachers and teaching assistants get together to discuss every child’s progress, every term. Generally children at Worstead stay with their class teacher for two years, except early on in their school career where they either spend two years in Robins and one year in Swifts or vice versa. Robins and Swifts’ are a combined teaching team who currently work closely together in a three-year cycle to make sure every child gets the best possible learning experience. These systems and routines are under constant review to ensure we are doing the best job of supporting progress from class to class. 

Our Curriculum Overview (reviewed annually):

Highlighted learning themes are supported by the CUSP curriculum to ensure that critical knowledge and skills are prioritised. Others are resourced and planned to the same high standard. 

For more detailed information about what your child will be learning, please see the class pages!