William Gilpin Curriculum Design

At William Gilpin, we believe children should receive an engaging, rigorous and innovative education.

Engaging

“Where my reason, imagination or interest were not engaged, I would not or could not learn.”

Sir Winston Churchill

When approaching teaching, staff proactively identify tasks that will engage children, so they are active participants in their learning. Lessons across a half term or term are often linked through an overarching topic, selected based on what we know will engage our children – with topics frequently relating to our unique local area or an age-relevant theme. Pupils’ learning is also enhanced through special days, visits or visitors, and children are given further opportunities to become engaged in learning through other activities, such as enrichment, forest school or cluster events.

Rigorous

“Learning is not attained by chance; it must be sought for with ardour and diligence.”

Abigail Adams

We value the academic nature of all areas of the National Curriculum. Our curriculum ensures that children leave primary school with the breadth of knowledge and skills they need, to achieve in the next steps of their educational lives. Teachers have a clear understanding of the key knowledge and skills that will be learned in each term, with learning and assessment based on these.  Throughout the school, children have the opportunities to complete this learning in a recursive and systematic manner, in order to embed learning into their long-term memory.

Innovative

“Creativity is a wild mind and a disciplined eye.”

Dorothy Parker

Our curriculum is designed creatively by teachers, so that we achieve an effective balance between knowledge and skills, making sure both are deeply learnt. As a team, we maintain an up to date knowledge of the different subjects and teaching approaches so we can be innovative; teachers are actively encouraged to explore topics in a new and an original manner. We identify where we can make purposeful links between subjects that will enhance the learning in each.