Curriculum Rationale

At Aston on Trent Primary School, staff have worked hard to develop a curriculum that promotes a love of learning and is underpinned by our school vision ‘Achieving Success for All’ and our school values of being ‘Ready, Respectful and Resilient’. We believe that the curriculum should be broad, balanced and relevant to the needs of our children, whatever their ability.

At Aston, we ensure that the children have a range of learning experiences that challenge, stimulate and promote learning. The curriculum meets the statutory requirements set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage Guidance (2024) and the National Curriculum (2014). We are continually reviewing and improving the curriculum we offer our children. We believe it should be adapted and allowed to evolve according to the changing needs of our children as well as the aspirations of our staff and community.

Intention

Ready:

We strive to provide a secure, happy and active learning environment to enable all our children to achieve success. We believe in children learning through experience and endeavour to ignite their curiosity through a tailored curriculum, enriching trips and learning in the outdoor environment. All that we achieve together at Aston prepares our pupils to be ready for the future. At Aston on Trent Primary School, our curriculum is designed to ensure that every child is ready for the challenges of the future. Our approach focuses on developing a solid academic foundation, while fostering the curiosity and love for learning that prepares children for life beyond primary school. By prioritising key skills, such as problem-solving, communication, and critical thinking, we ensure that our students are well-equipped for future educational and career pathways. Through our curriculum, we aim to inspire confidence, curiosity, and a sense of responsibility in every child, helping them understand their place in the world and their potential to make a positive contribution to society.

Respectful:

At Aston on Trent Primary School, respect is at the heart of everything we do. Our curriculum is designed to celebrate diversity, promote understanding, and encourage respect for others, both locally and globally. We strive to broaden our children’s perspectives, helping them understand their own community and how it connects to the wider world. Through topics like history, geography, and citizenship, our students explore different cultures, societies, and values, gaining empathy and respect for people from all walks of life. This holistic approach helps children develop not just academically, but also socially and emotionally, equipping our children with the social skills and cultural awareness needed to navigate a diverse world.

Resilient:

Building resilience is a key priority in our curriculum. We believe that children learn best when they are supported to tackle challenges and persist in the face of setbacks. Our curriculum encourages a growth mindset, where mistakes are seen as opportunities for learning and improvement. We provide a range of learning experiences that stretch and challenge children, allowing them to build resilience in both their academic and personal development. Through supportive teaching, collaborative work, and opportunities to reflect on their learning, children gain the confidence to persevere, try new things, and take responsibility for their own progress. By embedding resilience into our curriculum, we prepare children to face the future with determination and a positive attitude, ready to meet the challenges that lie ahead.

Implementation

Clear strategic planning and high expectations allows the curriculum to be challenging, dynamic and adaptable to the context of the school and the children’s needs. Subject-specific progression maps set out the sequence of knowledge and skills we want our children to learn at each stage of their education. Teachers set out the vocabulary and knowledge they want their pupils to know through their use of medium-term plans and knowledge organisers. We also make meaningful links, across subjects, to real-life experiences and to our local area.  We offer a variety of extra-curricular clubs for all ages, as well as residential trips for Year 6. 

We value the role of parents/carers and the wider school community in supporting the children’s learning and working in partnership with the school to further enhance learning. Year group long term plans are displayed on the school website alongside subject-specific progression maps, and half termly newsletters are made available to enable children to share their learning with their families, further enhancing our home/school relationships.  

Impact

We strategically monitor the success of our curriculum throughout the year to gauge the impact of our curriculum design. We regularly review learning to ensure the highest outcomes possible for all pupils, evaluate pupil voice, provide individual feedback to staff and pupils to move practice forward, celebrate positives and highlight areas of development. Our whole school team strengthen our vision and values as we work together to reflect upon our curriculum and share outcomes, driving school improvement. We recognise the wider impact of our curriculum and evaluate its success against high levels of attendance, pupil’s learning behaviours and encouraging healthy and active lifestyles.  

We are committed to increasing disabled pupil's participation in the school curriculum as part of our Accessibility Plan, which can be access here- AOT Accessibility Plan

Knowledge Organisers

National Assessments

The assessments that we set for children are as follows-
Reception - Baseline Assessment
Year 1- Phonics
Year 2 - Optional National Curriculum Assessment
Year 4 - Multiplication Check (MTC)
Year 6 - KS2 SATs