Curriculum Information

At Holmgate Primary School and Nursery, we believe that the purpose of education is to bring about goodness: human flourishing. 

We believe that to do this, our curriculum should be broad and balanced; it should build knowledge, encourage independence, curiosity and creativity; produce collaborators, innovators, leaders and, above all, it should help our children to understand what it means to be human.

With this in mind, we have devised a curriculum that identifies philosophical concepts, that are drawn out and explored through individual subjects. This creates cohesion and ensures that our curriculum is tailored to serve our school community – we select and explore concepts that matter the most to our children.

Foundation Stage (FS1 and FS2)

The early years foundation stage (EYFS) covers the development and care of your child from birth to 5 years old.  In school, the first stage of foundation stage is nursery – foundation stage 1 (FS1), and the second stage is Reception - foundation stage 2 (FS2).  Teaching in foundation stage challenges children to become independent, motivated learners who are full of curiosity about the world around them. Within our fun, happy and secure environment, our children experience consistent teaching, engaging hands-on learning and a child-centred curriculum that ensures the consistent development of skills across all areas of learning. Children are encouraged to explore, take risks, and form positive relationships with their peers in a setting that celebrates the uniqueness of every child. 

To find out more about our foundation stage please explore the Nursery section of our website, or our Reception class page.

Primary Curriculum (KS1 and KS2)

Our curriculum is knowledge rich. All aspects of the curriculum have been designed with progression in mind; this ensures that children build on existing skills and knowledge, which, over time, enables them to know more, remember more and do more as a result.

Our curriculum is built around the objectives set out in the National Curriculum, which covers the core subjects: English, Mathematics and Science, and the foundation subjects: Computing, History, Geography, Art and Design, Design Technology, Music, Physical Education, Languages (French), Citizenship (including PSHE and RSE) and Religious Education.

 Our curriculum focuses significantly on the core areas of reading, writing, speaking and listening, maths and science.   These underpin all of our termly projects and are key to providing our children with the skills needed to access a wide range of learning.

Foundation subjects are delivered using a mastery model where children are able to explore content in increasing depth and complexity as they move through school.  Knowledge and skills are developed through termly projects that begin with a philosophical enquiry question.  These questions act as an anchor for learning throughout a project - each of which center around the concepts 'Discover, ‘Explore’ and ‘Create’. RE and PSHE remain central to understanding these concepts, with units from these individual frameworks carefully selected so that learning is relevant and purposeful. This approach allows us to make connections across the curriculum, whilst also developing the children’s understanding of what makes each subject distinct and unique.