Our Curriculum Intent here at WCPS
‘We always try our best and if we can’t do something, we just can’t do it yet!’
This statement sits at the heart of our WCPS curriculum.
WCPS is an academically high achieving school and we pride ourselves on our progressive and diverse curriculum which is clear, carefully considered and connected to the world around us. Our curriculum is designed to build a robust and secure academic foundation which cultivates children’s natural curiosity and desire to learn. This approach to curriculum design ensures that our children develop key knowledge and skills in a fun, interactive and inspiring way so that they are well-prepared for the next stage of their educational journey.
Resilience and independence are embedded through our school’s ambitious expectations for all children to succeed their full potential, whilst developing a life-long love for learning. By working in partnership with parents and carers, our vision of excellence is achieved while also considering all child’s individual starting points and pastoral needs.
Our Curriculum
Here at WCPS we are very lucky to be free from the control imposed by the National Curriculum. We are able to devise our own programme of learning and teaching that is best suited to our children’s interests, learning styles and abilities. The children are taught by their class teacher for the majority of their subjects, but we have specialist teachers for French, Music, and Sport.
Our aim is to allow our children to achieve their highest academic goals. In order to achieve this, we work at an academically accelerated pace. Our yearly curriculum is a hybrid creation which not only covers the key requirements of the National Curriculum but also expands and deepens the children’s knowledge and understanding.
EYFS (Reception) and Key Stage 1 (Year 1 & 2)
Our teachers and staff are dedicated to the learning journey of all the children. We are a nurturing environment and take the time to get to know your child well so that we can tailor their learning journey, allowing them to achieve and become the best that they can be before leaving us at the end of Year 2.
All our classes have a class teacher and teaching assistant. Our small class sizes enable us to really know your children as learners and treat them as the unique individual they are. We are able to utilise and celebrate strengths while also progressing their skills and supporting learning where needed through a personalised approach. Remember ‘We always try our best and if we can’t do something, we just can’t do it yet!’
We know that happy, engaged children learn best. Our Early Years embeds a cleverly calculated mixture of learning through play and adult supported learning to aid to development of the fundamental skills and knowledge the children will need to access and thrive in Key Stage 1. Please read our Early Years page for further details.
Our Year 1 and Year 2 offer a more structured learning environment. A strong sense of ownership, curiosity and discovery are maintained throughout these year groups. We allow the children to create, question, challenge and learn from their mistakes seeing them only as a wonderful learning opportunity. With our dedicated, passionate team of staff there is no goal that the children can’t overcome with hard work, perseverance and determination. It may take the children some time to achieve their desired goal, but it’s just that they haven’t got there yet.
Please take a look below at our current curriculum overview for each year group in the right column.
Assessment
Each child’s learning performance and progression is closely monitored by their class teacher and Mrs Cadle (the Deputy Head of Academics and Assessment). We track their learning closely during their time here at WCPS and use this information to provide us with invaluable evidence and information of your child’s development. We utilise this information in our planning and ensure that each individual’s learning is challenged and progressed. We regularly share this information alongside our classroom and playground observations with parents both formally and informally, allowing families to be a part of their child’s learning journey.
7+ Examinations
Here at WCPS, are we incredibly proud of our excellent track record of gaining places at the top schools in the country. Thanks to the fact that we know each individual learner very well, we are very successful at matching our learners to a school that best suits their academics needs, aptitude and personal characteristics.
We are aware that all of our children will need to sit 7+ assessments. We are conscious of this while planning our learning but we do not allow it to dictate our process. We are able to achieve high academic standards while still allowing learning curiosity. We work closely in partnership with parents and carers during this time and process. We want to work in partnership with our families and help guide you along the way. We operate an open door policy and have a clear timetable for share key information. Families are not in this alone, we are a team and are dedicated to finding your child a school where they are happy and will academically thrive. We know the 7+ system and examinations very well and cover all areas assessed multiple times in school. This is not just the academics but also all additional tasks set for the children. We stay in close contact with families and ensure that the children’s mental health and wellbeing is our priority.