Our School

Introduction

At Dorney School, we define the “curriculum” as the totality of pupils’ experiences throughout their time at the school. We intend to provide ambition, awe, wonder and curiosity which will enable our pupils to see themselves in the wider world, challenge themselves and open their eyes to possibilities. We aim to teach them of their rights, their responsibilities and the value of Respect; to themselves, their community and as citizens of the world. Our curriculum also aims to celebrate the vibrant, diverse community we serve, ensuring that it is inclusive and dynamic, responding to local, national and global issues and events. We promote equality, equity and ensure that our children learn how to challenge racial inequalities and discrimination. 

Curriculum Intent 

Dorney School celebrates each unique pupil who attends our school and we provide a curriculum which encourages all children to aim high and dream big. Our curriculum is a platform to discover the world, and discover yourself within that world. 

Our school curriculum fully delivers the content of the National Curriculum, and has also been designed, through curriculum maps, to excite, motivate, and encourage our pupils to explore the local, national and wider world around them. We want our pupils to be curious, bold, adventurous, and innovative, whilst upholding the values of our community. 

Our curriculum is underpinned by our core values of respect, collaborate and grow. 

Through a range of activities embedded into school life, it will teach our pupils to: 

Respect – value themselves, our school community, the environment and the wider world outside our school gates. 

Collaborate – to work together and help each other, empowering and improving themselves to become engaged citizens of our community, and our world. 

Grow – in every single sense of the word. Our children will grow in confidence, resilience, emotional intelligence, character and spirit. This growth will enable personal development, and academic excellence. 

Our curriculum has been designed with the following principles:  

• it will match the needs of our pupils by supporting and challenging them appropriately so that they develop resilience and self-belief 
• it will reflect and enhance the life experiences of pupils; giving them opportunities to experience and explore life not only in their local area, but nationally and globally too  
• it will provide pupils with opportunities to connect with local, national and international organisations so that they see themselves as part of a wider network and as agents of change 
• it will be inclusive and celebrate diversity. The school will be a place where all races, ethnicities, cultures, faiths and backgrounds are valued and will also be a place to explore communities beyond our local area 
• it will celebrate effort, determination, resilience, persistence and the use of a Growth Mind-Set through a coaching culture. We will encourage pupils to reflect on the steps and reasons why they have been successful 

Our ambition is to further enhance the curriculum so that learning is not limited to the ordinary. We encourage all pupils to aim high and dream big. 

The key aims of our curriculum are for pupils to: 

• Learn to read and develop a love for reading, experiencing a wide range of different books and materials by diverse authors 
• Be confident writers, able to express themselves clearly in their written work for a range of situations 
• Express themselves verbally and with confidence; articulate their thoughts through the process of reason, explanation, justification and clear arguments, tailoring this to their audience 
• Develop a love for maths and become confident mathematicians and problem solvers; with the knowledge and skills that can be applied in different contexts  
• Understand the country they live in and the wider world, including the world from the past 
• Learn how to understand themselves and manage their emotions, developing the ability and responsibility to empathise with, and help support others  
• Appreciate, experience, enjoy and immerse themselves in the creative arts so that they are able to be inspired and create for themselves unique artefacts and performances such as paintings, sculptures, dance and drama  
• Engage and participate in a range of sports and physical activities during and after school hours including extracurricular clubs such as athletics, football, cricket and tag rugby. Be active, compete in individual and team competitions, learning how to be a humble winner and developing the resilience in defeat  
• Understand that we are part of a wider local, national and global community, valuing and celebrating other cultures, beliefs and languages 
• Learn about sustainable living, understanding local, national and global environmental issues and how we can be the catalyst for change 
• Use their democratic voices to challenge inequity, promote equality and empower themselves and others to work towards improving our society and the wider world 

Our curriculum is organised and delivered through: 

• Engaging and exciting units of lessons that are planned carefully to encourage independence, problem solving, critical thinking and challenge 
• Being focussed on personal, spiritual, moral, social, cultural, health and emotional wellbeing of all pupils  
• Enrichment opportunities including links to local/national charities and organisations, visits by experts and other professionals, a range of sport, art, music, culture and interest clubs, residential trips and school visits