School Curriculum
“Being kind to ourselves,
each other and our world.”
Pupils live the school vision through their curriculum. Everything we teach aims to ensure that our pupils possess the body of knowledge and the set of skills to live the vision as they move through the school and beyond.
The curriculum is developed specifically with Bluebell pupils in mind because we are experts in the community we serve and understand their needs. Using the national curriculum as a framework, we have developed – and are constantly refining – the Bluebell curriculum. Beginning in Nursery and Reception, it is carefully mapped out to build on knowledge as they progress through the school.
Teachers enact the planned curriculum into exciting, engaging and knowledge-rich lessons through teacher-led enquiry learning with the message of kindness at its core.
Click on the links below for the yearly plans and half-termly knowledge organisers.
| Yearly Plans | Aut 1 | Aut 2 | Spr 1 | Spr 2 | Sum 1 | Sum 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| History | Science | History | Geography | Science | Geog/History | |
| N & R | All about me | Night and Day | Around the World | Transport | Minibeasts | At the Seaside |
| Year 1 | Castles | Seasons and Festivals | My Family Tree and Me | United Kingdom | Growing | Norwich & the Norfolk Coast |
| Year 2 | Nurses | Keeping Healthy | Great Fire of London | Kenya | Living Things | Significant People |
| Year 3 | Stone Age | Volcanoes | Roman Empire | Hawaii | Fighting Fit | Norwich Market |
| Year 4 | Anglo Saxons | States of Matter and Sound | Ancient Egypt | Australia | Electricity | Norfolk Broads |
| Year 5 | Vikings | Earth and Space | Early Islamic Empire | Brazil | Changes | Norfolk’s Tudor Rebellion |
| Year 6 | Ancient Greece | Electricity and Energy | Crime and Punishment | Italy | Evolution | Arrivals to Norfolk |
Reading is at the heart of the curriculum. We believe that the best way to ensure that pupils do well academically is to ensure that they become life-long engaged readers. We promote high standards of language and literacy by equipping pupils with a strong command of the spoken and written word and develop their love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment.
Children begin their reading journey using the Read Write Inc phonics scheme which gives them the skills necessary to develop a passion for reading.
Our enquiry-based learning approach is heavily tied to the English curriculum and particularly writing. Children are given opportunities to write for a purpose on topics that they are passionate about.
Inspired by great texts and a wide variety of authors, children will not only develop competency in communicating but flair and the ability to inspire others with their writing.
We are committed to ensuring that children are able to recognise the importance of maths in the wider world and that they are able to use their mathematical skills and knowledge confidently in their lives. We want all children to enjoy mathematics and to experience success in the subject, and have the ability to reason mathematically. We aim to develop children’s curiosity, as well as an appreciation of the beauty and power of mathematics.
Our School believes that science aims to teach children an understanding of natural phenomena and promote curiosity of finding out why things happen in a particular way. Science is a subject where new knowledge and innovation occurs daily around the world. Through their teaching, children are shown that they too are lifelong learners. Creative thought is stimulated through methods of enquiry and children begin to ask scientific questions, which promotes their investigative skills of how science can affect their day to day lives. It is about exploring and investigating the world about us and how we can be kinder to it.
We aim to engage pupils’ interest and enthusiasm for science and where possible it will be taught from an enquiry point of view, maximizing firsthand experience, visual stimuli and hands-on practical investigation using teamwork in most aspects and including everyone in our discoveries. Children are taught to be respectful and welcoming to all new ideas. It is important that our children are encouraged to be curious about the world around them and given opportunities to explore the local community to develop this. This will enable them to be proud of their locality and use their scientific learning to support it.
Outdoor learning is strongly encouraged and promoted for our children across the whole school to enable them develop their respect and enjoyment of the natural world. In addition, we recognise that our children are growing up in an ever changing world and we endeavour to promote the challenges that are facing future generations such as climate change and promoting diversity and culture to ensure they are able to be kinder to their world and others in it.
We promote the acceptance and understanding of ourselves and others through their learning about their body and how amazing it is. Our Science curriculum builds links with the RSE curriculum where the teaching of reproduction and about the human body are taught in the school and continues to promote the same ethos and approach in these lessons as outlined in the RSE policy.
Art is a form of expression where a child’s individuality is nurtured and trained.
At our school we encourage the children to translate what they see around them and capture their interpretations using different media.
Children will learn about great artists, architects and designers and develop their critical analysis of their works so that their personal aesthetic understanding improves.
The Bluebell computing curriculum develops children who will be constructive digital citizens of the future making the world a better place online and in person.
They will learn to be safe, be kind and be ready in all areas of digital life. The curriculum teaches children to be safe online and how to spread kindness to others but also teaches them to problem solve, code programs for a purpose and use IT to enhance their education and career.
Our message of kindness is at the heart of our work on internet safety creating a generation of positive users of the internet and technology.
Children at Bluebell will develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks, confidently.
They will learn to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world.
They will build and apply their growing knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users. Children will look at reusing resources and giving them a new purpose.
When making moving objects they will find eco-friendly ways to power it. Eg Boat with sail
They will critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and the work of others’ with kindness.
Children will understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook.
Cooking for purpose, working together to achieve an end goal for the community.
Our geography curriculum aims to create excitement, compassion, and deep thinking about the world we live in.
We want to inspire pupils to become global citizens by first exploring their own place in the world, their values and responsibilities to other people, to the environment and to the sustainability of the planet.
Using geographical enquiry skills we teach carefully chosen content through three ‘Big Ideas’: Places, Space and Environment. Children explore the changing world around them and tackle major global issues aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Through engaging topics, children learn to think critically about some of the most important periods of time. This will provide them with opportunities to find patterns and communicate meaning; to separate truth from lies; to appreciate historical diversity and make sense of the world today.
The carefully chosen historical content visits repeating themes such as legacy, impact and culture. Historical skills are used to teach key historical concepts: Chronology; Interpretation; Continuity and change; Cause and consequence; Similarity and Difference; and, Significance.
We capitalise on the rich history of the local area and also of the community we serve. For example, rather than learning about Romans and Celts, Tudors and non-european civilisations. Children learn about Boudica, Kett’s rebellion and the Early Islamic civilisation of Baghdad.
We celebrate all languages and cultures in our school and around the world and are fortunate to have a wide range spoken at the school. In KS2 we focus on French and work on phonics, vocabulary and grammar in a fun and interactive way.
We believe ensuring competence in another language enables children to interpret, create and exchange meaning within and across cultures, helping children develop their awareness of cultural similarities and differences around the world.
Pupils will develop deep musical knowledge and have rich musical experiences during their time with us.
Pupils will have knowledge of a range of different musical genres, composers and music from different traditions and how music has developed throughout history. They will be able to talk about different elements that identifies a piece of music to a genre.
Pupils will be able to listen to music with attention to detail and recall sounds with increasing aural memory. They will talk about how the music sounds and how it makes them feel.
Children should be given an opportunity to develop a lifelong interest in sport, fitness and PE. Their understanding of the health benefits of physical activity will allow them to make informed decisions about healthy living in the future.
Children are encouraged to improve their fitness levels during PE lessons, including muscular and cardiovascular endurance, strength and flexibility.
As well as the knowledge and skills associated with PE, children are also taught: communication, collaboration, resilience, honesty, respect, leadership and perseverance.
We offer a comprehensive bespoke programme for PSHE, in a spiral, progressive curriculum. We give children relevant learning experiences to help them navigate their world and to develop positive relationships with themselves and others. With strong emphasis on emotional literacy, building resilience and nurturing mental and physical health, our curriculum properly equips schools to deliver engaging and relevant PSHE within a whole-school approach. Lessons also include mindfulness allowing children to advance their emotional awareness, concentration and focus. As with all our curriculum, PSHE is developed through the key strands of being kind to ourselves, each other and our world.
We will engage, challenge, encourage and develop pupils’ understanding of their own and others religious beliefs.
Through an enquiry-led approach, we aim to deliver a curriculum which is accessible to all and will equip pupils with the knowledge, experiences and skills required for adult life, employment and life-long learning in our multicultural society.
We want them to know how religious education promotes tolerance, compassion, equality and enables pupils to combat prejudice.
Our school prides itself on delivering effective, age-appropriate relationships and sex education (RSE) that meets the needs of all our pupils within an inclusive and supportive learning environment; using non-biased resources.
All pupils have a right to receive effective, inclusive and relevant RSE that directly meets their needs, taught through accessible resources and non-judgemental approaches. Our curriculum has been tailor-made to meet the needs of all pupils, irrespective of their academic abilities, personal beliefs or lived experiences. We have adapted the Norfolk model curriculum and integrated it with our PSHE curriculum that focuses on being kind to ourselves, each other and our world.
At Bluebell we are committed to providing an excellent education for all, regardless of need. We work hard to overcome barriers to learning in order to support every child to succeed academically, socially and emotionally to become a well-rounded individual.
