Curriculum
Great Torrington Bluecoat C of E Primary School is a Voluntary Controlled Church of England School which believes that “at the heart of the educational process lies the child” (Plowden).
At Great Torrington Bluecoat C of E Primary School we aim to provide a rich, vibrant curriculum which inspires all our pupils to excel. In order to achieve this we have designed a dynamic and innovative, knowledge rich curriculum which meets our statutory obligations and engages and excites our learners. Our curriculum is built around the Cornerstones Curriculum Maestro resource and is underpinned by an active focus on oracy and reading across all subject areas. Curriculum Maestro is a creative and thematic approach to learning that is mapped to the National Curriculum, ensuring comprehensive coverage of national expectations. It includes Knowledge Rich and Imaginative Learning Projects which provide exciting learning activities across subject areas. Each project incorporates four key components of learning: Engage, Develop, Innovate and Express. These projects are complimented by use of additional resources, including The Write Stuff, White Rose Maths, Barefoot Computing, Understanding Christianity, Language Angels and SCARF. Our pupils’ learning journey is mapped out across each year with subject-specific content ensuring there is clear progression, consolidation and extension of core knowledge introduced judiciously and built on over time. As pupils progress along their learning journey they will focus on key texts which help to fully immerse them in their learning. We encourage parental participation and integrate publication and celebration of learning into all of our project outcomes.
Our school ethos is centred around the Fruit of the Spirit and the philosophy that “At the heart of the education process lies the child”. Our provision is child centred, creative and innovative, fostering curiosity and a love of learning. It is accessible to all because we ensure all children are empowered to think for themselves and have the skills they need to engage with their learning at every level. The emphasis we place on metacognition helps us to prepare our children to be resilient, reflective learners able to adapt and thrive in an ever-changing world. Our approach to ‘Building Learning Power’ is deeply embedded across the school.
Curriculum Statement - Sept 2023Curriculum Drivers
Our curriculum drivers are areas that all stakeholders involved with the school value; they give focus to learning opportunities and make them meaningful. They help to develop and shape the child as a whole, stimulating interest in the world in which we live and promoting an aptitude and enthusiasm for lifelong learning.
Creativity & Innovation
Enterprise, Sustainability & The Real World
Being Part of a Global Community
Curriculum Teams
STEM
Science, Design & Technology, Maths,
Computing, PE & Sports, Forest School
The STEM Team is linked with our 'Enterprise, Sustainability & the Real World' key curriculum driver. STEM subjects at Bluecoat C of E Primary aim to provide first hand opportunities for pupils to engage directly with scientific processes and concepts. Wherever possible, they are linked to or taught through the year group topic.
Through investigation and problem solving, we aim to encourage the development of curiosity and confidence and to support the development of scientific thinking and understanding. Links are made with the real world to see science in action.
Creative Arts
English, Expressive Arts, Visual Arts, Music
The Creative Arts Team is linked with our 'Creativity & Innovation' key curriculum driver. At Bluecoat C of E Primary School we believe in providing an environment and ethos that not only encourages creativity, but is in its very nature, creative.
We want to give children the opportunities and life-long desire to express themselves in a variety of creative ways. We strive to develop the skills to not fit into a box that someone else creates, but to think outside the box making our own creative world.
Creativity in music, art, dance, drama and creative writing are not the only ways to be creative. At Bluecoat the children themselves have decided that we should also include cooking, writing, thinking, speaking and ICT in ‘the arts’ as they are creative mediums. Bluecoat children are creative thinkers, designers, makers and performers.
Humanities & Languages
Geography, History, Religion & World Views, Modern Foreign Languages, PSHE
The Humanities & Languages Team is linked with our 'Being Part of a Global Community' key curriculum driver. Through their study of the Humanities, our pupils develop an in depth body of knowledge and related skills to help them make sense of the complex world we live in. They explore issues affecting the lives of people in the past, present and future, across a range of cultures. As active learners working within an enquiry led approach, they develop questioning, investigative and critical thinking skills, with emphasis placed on first-hand experiences and fieldwork. Tolerance and a recognition of different viewpoints are embraced within the context of reflection on our values and responsibilities as unique individuals, as members of different social groups and as human beings.