Curriculum Intent

Hill Mead is a school that promotes confident, happy and enthusiastic learners. Our children leave school each day with a sense of achievement and knowing and remembering more.

Our curriculum is broad and balanced. In line with the National Curriculum and Early Years
Foundation Stage (EYFS) Development Matters framework, our curriculum clearly sets out what knowledge, skills and themes are taught across all subjects and year groups. These are repeated and built on within and across year groups, allowing for progression within the various areas of learning. Our children understand how their developed knowledge and skills further their learning and help them navigate the world around them.

All children are prepared to transition to the next stage of learning.

At Hill Mead, learning our ABCs includes learning how to be Ambitious, Brave and Caring.
This is our motto that we stand by, and begins in our curriculum. Each September, every
year group starts the year with the whole-school Ambitious, Brave and Caring topic, which
includes a focus on self-reflection and self-portraiture. This thread continues throughout the school year.

Our curriculum is reflective of our school and local community and creates opportunities to
explore and celebrate diversity. We are an inclusive school, where our curriculum is
designed for everyone, every day. Our staff are mindful of the diverse needs of all students, including those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and English as an Additional Language (EAL). They tailor their teaching and the curriculum to meet the unique learning needs of each individual learner.

Our curriculum places great emphasis on oracy, thus helping our children to articulate and
explain their thinking. Knowledge and understanding of vocabulary is also central to our
curriculum thinking. We believe that these important skills help prepare children for later in
life.

Curriculum Implementation

Hill Mead has adopted a range of schemes to support the delivery of our curriculum. Phonics and early reading is based on the Read Write Inc. scheme of learning, maths on Third Space Learning, science on White Rose Science and foundation subjects on Kapow.

These schemes provide a starting point to help ensure curriculum coverage, but are adapted to best suit our children and community. Our early development of reading skills opens up the entire curriculum for our students, providing deeper opportunities for learning.

Each curriculum area is led by a Subject Leader, who has a special interest, passion and
expertise in their subject. They have responsibility for overseeing how the subject is planned, taught and assessed across all year groups. In this way, Subject Leaders ensure a high level of teaching and learning consistency across the school in each subject. Our
subject leaders also pursue wider opportunities for learning, such as whole school projects
or events and collaborations with external partners.

Hill Mead has a team of experienced, competent and kind teachers, who are well-equipped to deliver the school’s curriculum. Teachers deliver lessons clearly and confidently, assessing the children’s understanding as they go and addressing misunderstandings or errors as they arise. Children receive immediate feedback from their teachers that helps them to progress across the curriculum subjects. Teaching assistants play a pivotal role in supporting the effective delivery of the curriculum. Both teachers and teaching assistants receive comprehensive and regular training to support their practice.

We achieve our oracy aims by encouraging our pupils to speak in full sentences, providing
tools such as stem sentences. We provide regular opportunities for talk, including our

Think Pair Share tool. We value pupils' ideas and opinions. Pupils are supported to use precise terminology and know and remember subject specific vocabulary and their meanings.

We are passionate about providing engaging and active learning experiences through our
curriculum. Subject knowledge is developed through a variety of ways, such as experiments, investigations, making and drama. Additionally, trips are organised, both locally and further-afield, which supplement the classroom learning. All these meaningful, hands-on opportunities, rooted in the National Curriculum, allow all children to be active and engaged participants in their learning journeys. Collaborative learning is central to the way we learn at Hill Mead. This includes working in pairs or groups in all lessons, with a particular focus on drama and role-play techniques across the curriculum.

At Hill Mead personal development is woven into our curriculum, ensuring that children
develop the confidence, resilience and character needed to succeed. We enrich the
curriculum with a wide range of experiential learning opportunities. Trips - both local and
further afield - broaden pupils’ horizons and deepen their understanding of the curriculum.
Leadership opportunities through the School Council and Pupil Wellbeing Ambassadors
nurture responsibility and active citizenship, while our whole-school commitment to wellbeing and emotional literacy ensures that children are equipped with the skills to navigate challenges and build positive relationships. RSHE lessons and assemblies explicitly support personal growth, reinforcing our school values and wellbeing. Our commitment to becoming a Right Respecting School strengthens children’s understanding of rights and responsibilities, encouraging them to be respectful, active citizens.

Hill Mead is committed to ensuring that every student, regardless of their abilities, receives
the attention and opportunities they need to succeed. Those who are most capable are
challenged with tasks that offer opportunities for deeper learning. Those who face
challenges are supported with targeted encouragement to reinforce their skills, progress at
their own pace and learn in a way that best fits their individual needs. This approach creates a sense of belonging and success for all students, which is so important for building confidence and academic growth.

Classrooms are set up to allow children to recall their recent learning - for example, recently taught methods, examples and vocabulary is displayed on working walls. Every lesson begins with recapping and recalling what was taught previously in order that this can be built on. Visual representations and references allow pupils to better understand what is being taught. We create a culture that encourages risk-taking and helps children understand that making mistakes is an integral part of how we learn. Additionally, every classroom has a calm and productive learning environment in order to allow children to learn without distraction.

Curriculum Impact

Pupils finish their journey at Hill Mead as ambitious, brave and caring learners, regardless of their individual needs or starting point. Children have developed their confidence,
independence and resilience so that they are well prepared for their next chapters. The
school’s broad curriculum results in our children having been supported to pursue their
personal interests and choices and setting the foundation for these to be followed as they
grow.

Children have developed a love for knowledge across a wide range of disciplines and
understand complex concepts which will help their understanding of the wider world as they move to the next stage of their lives. The school has established a life-long love of reading and maths which opens doors for their futures.

Through a strong focus of oracy, children at Hill Mead develop excellent communication
skills, enabling them to express themselves clearly and confidently. Children leave school
with strong oracy skills and good knowledge of subject-specific vocabulary preparing them
for secondary education.

UNCRC Article 28 - Every child has the right to education 

UNCRC Article 29 - Every child has the right to education that aims to develop their personality, talents and abilities to their fullest potential.

Curriculum Policy Right Respecting School Statement: 
Our curriculum ensures that every child has access to an inclusive education that respects their dignity and rights (UNCRC Article 28). We aim to develop each child's potential, fostering confident communicators who embrace challenge and collaboration, while encouraging curiosity, creativity and making connections (UNCRC Article 29).