WIDER CURRICULUM
We aim to equip our children with skills and knowledge through an engaging, meaningful and in-depth curriculum. At Ivy Lane, we want our children to embody the school’s ethos of ‘Learning for Life’ and develop a life-long appetite for learning.
We use our Ivy Lane values to stimulate positive attitudes to learning which reflect the values and skills needed to promote responsibility for learning and future success.
We have been working alongside Lighting up Learning to develop an enquiry-led curriculum which is designed to build on children’s prior learning, offer real life experiences and challenges, whilst also encouraging the children to develop their unique talents, interpersonal skills, resilience and become creative, critical thinkers. The enquiries are progressively planned and matched to cognitive development, exposing learners to the wider world in carefully planned stages. National Curriculum objectives from Science, History, Geography, Art & Design and Design and Technology are woven throughout enquiries. Computing, Music, RE, PE and PSHE are taught discretely through the use of schemes of learning.
We believe that our enquiry led approach to learning will help children at Ivy Lane School to be curious, ask probing questions and be brave in finding solutions.
States of Being
Alongside our Curious City enquiry-led curriculum we have introduced ‘States of Being’ to empower learners to become Scientists, Mathematicians and Philosophers etc.
Subjects are taught through the following ‘States of Being’:
• Authors – readers and writers
• Mathematicians
• Engineers (Computing and DT)
• Athletes (PE)
• Musicians
• Geographers
• Historians
• Scientists
• Artists
• Philosophers (RE and PSHE)
• Linguists (MFL)
implementation
This year we are implementing an enquiry approach to teach the wider curriculum (Science, Geography, History, Art and DT). This follows the “Curious City” approach developed by “Lighting up Learning”.
Each enquiry begins with an enquiry question and engagement activity to inspire learning for the term. Through the enquiry process we aim for the children to build on what they know and deepen their understanding. Throughout there will be a big focus on discussion and vocabulary. There will be many opportunities for practical activities. Each enquiry ends with a challenge activity which allows children to independently show-case their learning and celebrate their successes.
Our Enquiry led learning forms part of a broad and balanced curriculum for each year group. Physical Education, Music, Computing, Religious Education, Science, French/Spanish and Personal Social and Health Education (PSHE) will continue to be taught discretely every week.
You can see an overview of the enquires and the discrete learning your child will encounter this year, by clicking on their year group below.
