At Westfield, we deliver a spiral curriculum that is ambitious for all, it is designed to shape and expand on our pupils’ previous experience and knowledge of the world. Within our inclusive, creative community, we value and encourage our children’s contributions and support them to build connections between the knowledge and skills they have developed in school, building firm foundations in reading, their own life experiences and their understanding of the world.

Wider Curriculum

At Westfield we offer our children lots of opportunities to further enrich their curriculum experience. Examples include but are not limited to:

• School trips and experiences
• Whole school assemblies
• ‘Show and Share’ parental engagement sessions
• Skills builder
• Community engagement
• Interschool competitions
• Forest school
• Opportunities for pupil leadership (School Council, House Captains, Reading Ambassadors)
• Career and Finance Education

“The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it away from you.” — B.B. King

Curriculum Principles

At Westfield, our curriculum is underpinned by our school commitment to develop the ‘whole child’ and teach children skills for life. It is built on the following principles:

Aspiration

Our curriculum is designed for all learners. Our subject leads have worked collaboratively to ensure that the curriculum is relevant and meaningful to our pupils. The curriculum at Westfield is accessible to all while remaining ambitious. We believe that all pupils can achieve their full potential and we are committed to nurturing their lifelong love of learning. We encourage our children to aim high, stay positive and develop a growth mind-set.

Creativity

Our curriculum is designed to encourage children to be inquisitive, creative thinkers. Across all subjects, we provide opportunities for problem solving which is one of our key skills. We promote active, hands-on learning, including the use of the outdoors, to support our pupils’ development throughout the primary phase from Reception right through to Year 6.

Curiosity

One of our key aims is to foster a love of learning. The fundamental principles of the characteristics of effective learning in Early Years are valued and promoted. Meaningful opportunities for explorative play are offered all the way through Reception and Year 1 and our aim is to mirror these principles across the school. We use memorable experiences to ‘hook’ children in and bring new learning to life. We encourage children to ask questions and seek answers, building their knowledge and skill set in different subject areas.

Oracy

‘Learning is rich and enjoyable when students bring their own voice and experiences to school life.’ (Voice 21)

Our aim is for our curriculum to be a vehicle for teaching children through talk and to talk. Our aim is for oracy to be the fundamental principle our curriculum is built on. We ensure that our pupils experience a range of rich opportunities to develop their knowledge and use of vocabulary. We believe in explicitly teaching children the skills to be effective communicators in order to prepare them for life beyond primary education. At Westfield every voice is valued.