Our Curriculum

Only the Best – An Ambitious Curriculum for Every Child

At Mab Lane Primary School, our curriculum reflects the ambition we have for every child.

Our motto, “Only the Best,” underpins everything we do. We believe all children, regardless of their starting points or individual needs, are entitled to a broad, balanced and ambitious curriculum that gives them the knowledge, skills, experiences and confidence they need to succeed.

Our curriculum has been developed with our children and community in mind. It provides strong academic foundations while encouraging curiosity, independence, creativity and a genuine love of learning.

Our six school values – Honesty, Respect, Happiness, Positivity, Kindness and Perseverance – are woven throughout school life and support the personal development of our children alongside their academic learning.

Curriculum Intent

Our curriculum is designed to ensure that children know more, remember more and are able to do more as they progress through school.

We aim to:

• provide an ambitious curriculum with high expectations for every child

• develop secure knowledge, skills and vocabulary across all areas of the curriculum

• ensure learning is carefully sequenced so that new knowledge builds upon what children already know

• develop confident, independent and resilient learners who are not afraid to make mistakes or embrace challenge

• inspire curiosity and a lifelong love of learning

• provide meaningful, memorable and first-hand experiences that bring learning to life

• make relevant connections between learning, children's lives and the wider world

• broaden children's horizons and raise aspirations for their futures

• celebrate diversity and help children understand their place within their local community and the wider world

• ensure children with additional needs are supported to access, participate in and succeed within our curriculum

• work in partnership with parents and carers to support children's learning and development.

We want children to leave Mab Lane with strong academic foundations, but our ambitions extend far beyond this. We want them to be happy, confident, knowledgeable and compassionate young people who believe in themselves and are excited about their futures.

Curriculum Implementation

We use the National Curriculum as the statutory foundation for our curriculum and build upon it to create learning that is ambitious, engaging and relevant to the children of Mab Lane.

Learning is carefully planned and sequenced so that children build their knowledge and skills over time. Teachers regularly revisit previous learning, introduce and develop subject-specific vocabulary and make meaningful connections between new knowledge and what children have learned before.

High-quality teaching is central to our curriculum. We invest in the professional development of our staff so that teachers have strong subject knowledge and the confidence and expertise to deliver each area of the curriculum effectively.

We recognise that every child is different. Teaching is adapted appropriately to enable children with different starting points and additional needs to access ambitious learning and experience success, while maintaining high expectations for all.

Learning Beyond the Classroom

We believe some of the most powerful learning happens through experience.

Trips, visitors, workshops, performances, sporting opportunities, outdoor learning and other first-hand experiences enrich our curriculum and give children opportunities to apply their learning in meaningful contexts.

Our 50 Ultimate Activities further enhance children's experiences at Mab Lane. They provide opportunities to explore, discover, take risks, develop independence and create memories that we hope will remain with our children long after they leave us.

We also make links with our local community and the wider world, helping children understand how their learning connects to real life and opening their eyes to the possibilities available to them in the future.

Working with Families

Parents and carers are important partners in children's education.

Throughout the year, we provide opportunities for families to engage with school life, celebrate children's achievements and develop their understanding of what and how their children are learning.

We believe that strong relationships between school, children and families help children to thrive.

Curriculum Impact

The impact of our curriculum can be seen in what our children know, remember, understand and can do.

We want our children to make strong progress from their individual starting points and achieve highly across the curriculum.

However, successful learning at Mab Lane is about more than attainment.

We want our children to:

• develop secure knowledge and skills that prepare them for their next stage of education

• remember and confidently apply what they have learned

• communicate effectively and use an increasingly rich vocabulary

• think critically, ask questions and solve problems

• become increasingly independent and resilient

• demonstrate our school values through their choices and relationships

• appreciate and respect people, cultures and beliefs that may be different from their own

• have high aspirations and believe in what they can achieve

• leave Mab Lane with happy memories and a genuine enthusiasm for learning.

Teachers continually assess children's understanding through their everyday teaching as well as more formal assessment where appropriate. This information helps us identify what children have understood, where further teaching may be needed and how future learning should be planned.

Subject leaders and senior leaders regularly review the curriculum and its impact to ensure it continues to meet the needs of our children and maintains the high expectations we have for them.

Our curriculum is never considered 'finished'. We continually reflect, develop and improve what we offer because our ambition remains the same:

Only the Best – because every child deserves nothing less.

If you would like further information about our curriculum, please speak to your child's class teacher or contact our Curriculum Leader, Miss Flynn, through the school office.