- Home
- About Us
- Curriculum Intent
Curriculum Intent
We are dedicated to crafting a curriculum that not only looks ahead but also fosters forward-thinking minds. Recognising the pivotal role education plays in shaping fulfilling and successful lives, our curriculum is meticulously designed to equip learners with the skills, knowledge, and understanding necessary for their personal and professional journeys.
Our approach aims to unlock a myriad of possibilities, providing opportunities for individuals to cultivate their known passions and talents while also uncovering new interests. Beyond traditional subjects, our curriculum embraces a holistic view of education, emphasising character development and cultivating effective learning strategies. These values serve as the bedrock, weaving through every level of our curriculum.
Branded as 'A Curriculum to Inspire,' it pivots on the acquisition of transferable skills and knowledge applicable to real-life scenarios. To ensure universally high-quality outcomes, we meticulously plan experiences that cater to diverse learner needs without compromising our commitment to a personalised curriculum. Differentiated support at various stages underpins our dedication to maintaining consistently high expectations for pupil progress.
Our meticulously planned curriculum unfolds through a rich tapestry of experiences, each building coherently upon prior learning to maximise long-term progress. This progression yields outstanding outcomes, showcasing substantial knowledge deepening and skill enhancement. Interdisciplinary connections are seamlessly woven into our planning, allowing pupils to explore synergies across subjects.
Time is strategically allocated to each experience, adhering to our 'know, show, and grow' model, enabling pupils to deepen their knowledge progressively.
At its core, our curriculum intent reflects a deep-rooted desire to see every child flourish, instilling an appreciation for education and fostering a commitment to lifelong learning. We believe that through this educational journey, each individual can unfold into their most exceptional self.
Curriculum Values
Our Curriculum Values
Our Curriculum is based around four core beliefs that we share about learning and education. For us, learning is about gaining skills and knowledge that can be applied to make the world a better place and Education is providing a framework that enables this to be achieved. For this reason our values are not hierarchical but are inter-related and interdependent on each other for success. We believe that to achieve academic excellence, learners need a strength of character as well as a knowledge of how to learn and when to seek support. Neither one of our values stand alone; for each to have maximum success, they must be taught alongside one another.
Learning to Learn (Metacognition)
Our curriculum is designed to avoid the creation of a dependency culture. Our children need to understand what they are learning as well as how they are learning it. Progress will be enhanced if learning is effective. For this to happen our curriculum develops the skills of learning alongside subject specific knowledge and understanding.
Metacognition makes a unique contribution to learning, over and above the influence of intellectual ability.
Metacognition, reflection and thinking skills are core to learning. Without these, learning and progress will be minimal. Thinking is what you do when you don’t know the answer.
Through engaging in the thinking process, cognitive effort has to take place and therefore pupil outcomes and retention of knowledge will be improved. However, thinking has to be taught to enable the quality of thinking, and therefore outcomes, to be of the highest possible standard.
Inspire Academy Movement teaches thinking tools to enable our children to engage in reflection and aims to support the pupils to understand themselves better as learners. They are taught a variety of thinking strategies to enable them to become inquisitive, active, life-long learners with the ability to think and work collaboratively.
Academic Excellence
For children to reach their full potential and achieve expertise, knowledge and skills need to be taught beyond national expectations and reflect those that an expert would need. In order to achieve expert levels, the Inspire Curriculum provides a clear progression of knowledge and skills taking pupils on a learning journey to excellence. This is a fundamental aspect of the curriculum as children must be given the correct tools to access all the experiences and opportunities available both now and in the future.
Academic excellence can only be achieved if time is available for learning to be developed and deepened. To do this, each experience is underpinned by our own sequential model of Know, Show, Grow.
KNOW - Pupils need to be taught and learn essential knowledge that they need to be able to remember, recall and understand. They gain this through expert teaching, researching, experimenting and from learning in collaborative groups.
SHOW - The security of knowledge and understanding needs to be demonstrated through its application in unfamiliar situations through transference and application. This stage enables judgements to be made about learners achieving expected levels.
GROW - The confidence to generate new knowledge is demonstrated when pupils can make informed judgements and justify their own thinking. This stage results in original and innovative outcomes being produced which reflect our commitment to developing independence, collaboration and creativity. Pupils working at this level would normally exceed expectations.
Inspiring Young Minds Through Farm Education
We provide a Farm Education curriculum for all Trust pupils. This program is primarily delivered at our Community School Farm located at Seal CE Primary near Sevenoaks.
Giving young people the opportunity to learn outdoors with animals and in nature offers many benefits. Our in-depth curriculum boosts mental well-being, enhances social skills, helps improve focus and creativity, and builds a healthy attachment to our environment.
In addition to Seal Community School Farm, we have recently introduced chickens to Maypole Primary School in Dartford. This has significantly enhanced the learning experience for many of our students at Maypole.
School Farm Curriculum
Our farm curriculum's core is a hands-on, experiential learning approach. Children are encouraged to engage in various aspects of farming, from animal care to farm maintenance and participation in sustainability initiatives.
They learn valuable life skills such as empathy, teamwork, responsibility, and problem-solving, all essential for their personal development and future success. The farm is an integral part of their education and allows them to foster a respect for animals and nature.
These experiences extend beyond the school grounds, fostering lifelong connections. As our students progress to secondary school, they leave with a deep understanding of animal welfare and environmental stewardship, cherished memories, and a sense of pride.
The Animals
Our school farm is home to various animals, each playing a unique role in our ecosystem. Currently, we house four hives of bees, ducks, goats, and pigs, including micro pigs, sheep, guinea pigs, rabbits, chickens, and two tortoises! Many of our animals are used as therapy animals for our students and our local community.
In line with our mission for sustainability, our farm promotes high welfare standards. We support rare breeds while enhancing the landscape through tree and wildflower planting, bird box installation, and rainwater recycling.
Purchase Our Farm Products
Seal Community School Farm is proud to offer a range of products for purchase, including rare breed pork, homegrown lamb, honey, free-range chicken, and duck eggs. All profits go back into maintaining the farm.