Outlined below are details of how we deliver this vision in each of the different subject areas:
History
At Coleridge, we believe that through the study of history, pupils come to understand their place in the world by learning about how and where they fit in with the long, fascinating story of human development. We want our pupils to make sense of the striking similarities and vast differences in human experiences across time and place, by bringing them into a rich dialogue with the past and with the traditions of historical enquiry. We have worked closely with the Haringey Education Partnership and follow a curriculum designed by Christine Counsell and Steven Mastin. It has been designed to ensure that:
- We provide opportunities for pupils to study aspects of the past in overview and in depth.
- Our teaching helps pupils to develop coherent historical narratives and organise frameworks for their knowledge of the past.
- Pupils are supported to learn new content through meaningful examples, and an understanding of the specific historical context, so that ideas and concepts more familiar.
- Specific opportunities are planned for pupils to develop their knowledge of some particularly important substantive concepts, such as government, taxes and religious beliefs.
- Pupils have opportunities to read or hear appropriately challenging texts.
- Our pupils progress in both their substantive and disciplinary knowledge.
- Our pupils learn about how historians study the past and construct accounts through specific examples.
- Our pupils consider historical thinking and explore questions related to cause and consequences, change and continuity, similarity and difference, and historical significance.
Our full curriculum map can be found here:
Geography
At Coleridge, we want to help our children make sense of the world and its people, learn about places and environments, and study the relationships and processes present in our natural world. Our children’s geographical education begins in the early years and builds year on year to develop pupils’ expertise, through a broad curriculum which shapes both the substantive and disciplinary knowledge of our children across key stages. Doing so ensures that they are able to draw on it throughout their time at Coleridge, and wherever they go to next in their secondary education.
We have worked closely with the Haringey Education Partnership and follow a curriculum designed by Christine Counsell and Steven Mastin. It has been designed to ensure that we develop knowledge in two forms:
The substantive knowledge of our curriculum is the content that is to be learned by our children. It will be present in:
- locational knowledge
- place knowledge
- human and physical processes
- geographical skills
The disciplinary knowledge we want our children to develop considers how geographical knowledge originates and is revised. It is through disciplinary knowledge that pupils learn the practices of geographers.
Our full curriculum map can be found here:
Religions and Worldviews
At Coleridge, we have a richly diverse community, made up of families with a range of different beliefs and cultural backgrounds. Our Religions and Worldviews education reflects and celebrates this diverse make up of our community, and develops children’s understanding in two distinct ways:
- What children can learn about religious and non-religious worldviews;
- What children can learn from religious and non-religious worldviews.
When learning about religion, the children gain a deep knowledge and understanding of the teachings, practices and life stories of different organised faiths, and reflect on their own beliefs and values.
When learning from religion, children consider how individuals develop a sense of identity and belonging through faith or belief. They also ponder some of the big questions in life and discuss how moral values, and a sense of obligation, can come from beliefs and experience.
All of our units of learning successfully balance these two strands, with equal emphasis placed on both. The principal religions that are studied and discussed during these sessions are Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism. Our full curriculum map can be found here:
Whole School RE Curriculum Map
Parental right to withdraw their child from RE
Parents have the right to choose whether or not to withdraw their child from RE, without influence from the school. The Headteacher will always seek to discuss this decision with parents, with a view to sharing the educational objectives and content of the RE syllabus. In this way, parents can make an informed decision.
Where parents have requested that their child is withdrawn, their right must be respected, and where RE is integrated in the curriculum, the school will need to discuss the arrangements with the parents to explore how the child’s withdrawal can be best accommodated. If pupils are withdrawn from RE, the school has a duty to supervise them, though not to provide additional teaching or to incur extra cost. Pupils will usually remain on school premises.
Latin
At Coleridge, we pride ourselves on our language curriculum, strongly believing that the learning of Latin supports the development of deep rooted language skills and builds a strong foundation for literacy and the learning of many other modern foreign languages. It also provides rich and diverse links to other curriculum areas, supporting children’s learning in history, geography, art, maths and English. Through Latin, children develop a greater understanding of grammar by exploring the Latin roots of English. As well as language learning, our Latin curriculum also studies Ancient Greek and Roman civilizations, and offers a different perspective on history and culture.
The national curriculum for languages aims to ensure that all pupils:
- Understand and respond to spoken and written language from a variety of authentic sources;
- Speak with increasing confidence, fluency and spontaneity, finding ways of communicating what they want to say, including through discussion and asking questions, and continually improving the accuracy of their pronunciation and intonation;
- Can write, at varying length, for different purposes and audiences, using the variety of grammatical structures that they have learnt;
- Discover and develop an appreciation of a range of writing in the language studied.
At Coleridge, we deliver on these aims through regular Latin lessons in Year 5 and 6. Lessons include language and vocabulary learning, alongside classics education. Using a combination of written and spoken language practise, children develop language learning skills, an increased understanding of grammar, and an appreciation of classical civilisations.
Our full curriculum can be found here:
We are really proud that our Year 5 and 6 children spend two years learning Latin. To hear more about its incredible benefits and to help you understand why we have decided to teach it here at Coleridge, please take a look at this short video.
Design and Technology
At Coleridge, we believe that Design & Technology is a great way to develop children’s creativity, one of our core values. The curriculum aims to:
- inspire our children to be innovative;
- develop and strengthen problem solving skills;
- encourage risk-taking;
- foster an openness to sharing new ideas;
- build an awareness of the impact of design and technology on our lives.
At Coleridge, we follow the Kapow Primary scheme of work. Children cover 4 key units:
- Structures
- Textiles
- Cooking and Nutrition
- Mechanisms / Mechanical systems
Each unit has a particular technical knowledge focus and follows this design process:
- Design
- Make
- Evaluate
Through a spiral curriculum, our children regularly revisit each of the units throughout their time at Coleridge. This enables understanding to be embedded, previous learning to be built on, and ensures that each unit is covered in greater complexity as children progress through the year groups.
Design and Technology is taught as curriculum days, so that children can become fully engrossed in their projects over one or two days.
You can access our curriculum map here: