Curriculum

Curriculum

Intent

At Al Furqan Primary School, we are dedicated to ensuring children have access to a challenging, engaging and exciting curriculum across all key subject areas. We are committed to ensuring that all subjects of the National Curriculum are taught in detail in a stimulating manner so that children retain information during the year and beyond. Our curriculum is based on the National Curriculum entitlements for all children in the UK.

An intentional focus on reading is at the centre of our curriculum: it is through the explicit teaching of vocabulary, a focus on reading in class, and an accompanying love of reading, that Al-Furqan Primary aims to ensure that all children have the best academic opportunities, whatever their backgrounds. Reading is prioritised and early reading is taught coherently, allowing pupils to access the full curriculum offer.

Our broad and ambitious curriculum is designed to ensure that all pupils, including the SEND and disadvantaged pupils have opportunities to experience the cultural capital which will allow them to be successful in the future. Through regular CPD, teachers are skilled in providing learning sequences to ensure no child is left behind.

Islamic values are at the very heart of life in our school and our aim, through our curriculum, is to enable each child to leave with a deep connection to their religion and serve their community and the wider world as engaged, thoughtful and responsible citizens.

Implementation

Our curriculum is structured around a subject specific approach, properly sequenced to ensure systematic and thorough teaching for all. Children recognise and appreciate the distinct nature of history, how it differs from geography and what it is to be learning in a design and technology lesson. Core subjects and foundation subjects are planned and sequenced in a coherent and logical order so that pupils can make links, transfer knowledge and content from previous learning to build on their understanding. Learning is planned in manageable, connected steps; lessons are coherently and deliberately constructed to include careful scaffolding to ensure that pupils develop secure knowledge and understanding of key concepts and strategies that are built upon in later learning.

Teachers present subject matter clearly and check for understanding systematically. If misconceptions are identified, teachers provide clear feedback and adapt their teaching as necessary.

Children have opportunities to deepen their knowledge, vocabulary and understanding through curriculum enrichment opportunities, for example, the science museum and other curriculum-related trips.

A sequential approach to the teaching of reading develops fluency and encourages a love of books. EYPS and Year 1 home readers are decodable and match exactly to the child’s level of phonics knowledge.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the foundation for all future learning. We aim to give children the broad range of knowledge and skills that provide the right foundation for excellent future progress through school and life. To ensure this, learning and development opportunities are planned around the needs and interests of each child and are assessed and reviewed regularly. Adults respond to each child’s needs and interests, guiding development through warm, positive interactions in stimulating well-resourced indoor and outdoor environments.

We aim for teachers to have good subject knowledge in all the subjects that they teach. Regular subject specific CPD is provided to teachers to support them with teaching any areas outside their expertise.

Assessments that focus on learning links help students to relate their learning to form strong, meaningful schema. Formative assessment is used to help pupils to embed and use knowledge fluently or to check understanding and inform planning. The outcomes of the assessment inform the ‘next steps’ for teaching and where appropriate, how teaching needs to be adapted to improve the quality of the curriculum and pupil outcomes.

Cultural capital gives our students the vital background knowledge required to be informed and thoughtful members of our community who understand and believe in British values.

Impact

We strive to ensure that our children’s attainment in core and foundation subject is in line with or exceeding the National Curriculum. By the time pupils are ready to leave Al Furqan Primary, we believe they will be academically and physically prepared for the next stage of their life.

Pupils will leave with an understanding of how to be socially, morally, spiritually and culturally responsible and aware. The years spent at Al-Furqan will develop their character and prepare them for living in the community, demonstrating tolerance and equality. We measure this not just by the work our children produce, but in the behaviours we see each and every day in the playground, in corridors and in the many roles we give them. The impact of their time at Al-Furqan is seen in the respectful interaction of all members of our community, including staff and children.

We believe pupils at Al-Furqan have the resilience to approach challenges every day. This could be on the playground, in a game or disagreement, or in class in a complex learning challenge. Our wider curriculum equips pupils with all the personal skills to do this and remain highly motivated to succeed and endeavour to be the best that they can be.

If you would like to find out more about our school curriculum please contact Sue Barratt or Sadyah Yafai