Section One: What We Teach

1. Strong Foundations for All

Students need secure foundations if they are to succeed with increasingly complex learning. Our curriculum therefore prioritises the essential knowledge, language and fluency that students need to access each subject and make progress over time.

Teachers identify what students must know first and ensure that this knowledge is taught clearly, explicitly and in a logical order. They check that students have secured the necessary foundations before building towards more complex ideas.

Where gaps in knowledge remain, they can accumulate and limit future learning. Teachers use assessment and their professional judgement to identify these gaps and provide timely support to address them.

Strong foundations include:

• secure reading, writing, speaking and listening;
• confident use of number;
• accurate use of subject-specific vocabulary;
• understanding of the key concepts within each subject;
• fluency in the knowledge and skills needed for future learning; and
• the confidence to explain, question and apply what has been learned.

There is a particular focus on ensuring that disadvantaged students, students with SEND and those who face other barriers to learning secure the foundational knowledge they need. The ambition of the curriculum is not reduced. Instead, students receive appropriate adaptations and support so that they can access and succeed within it.

2. Powerful Knowledge, Language and Cultural Capital

Our curriculum identifies and prioritises the most important knowledge within each subject. This is the knowledge that enables students to understand the subject, interpret the world and access future learning.

Students learn more than isolated facts. They develop connected bodies of knowledge that enable them to recognise patterns, understand relationships and place new learning within a wider context.

Each subject identifies its key concepts and disciplinary foundations. These are the ideas and ways of thinking that students must understand if they are to make progress within that subject. They are introduced carefully, revisited frequently and developed in greater depth over time.

The curriculum also develops students’ understanding of how knowledge is created, tested and communicated within different subjects. For example, students learn how historians use evidence, how scientists test explanations, how geographers interpret place and how writers use language to shape meaning.

Language is integral to knowledge. Across the curriculum, students are taught to:

• read increasingly complex and high-quality texts;
• understand and use subject-specific vocabulary;
• speak clearly and listen carefully;
• explain and justify their thinking;
• write accurately and with increasing sophistication; and
• communicate in ways that are appropriate to different subjects and purposes.

Oracy is a deliberate part of curriculum design. Structured discussion gives students opportunities to rehearse ideas, clarify their understanding, listen to different perspectives and communicate with confidence.

The curriculum also develops students’ cultural capital by introducing them to significant ideas, texts, events, people, places, cultures and perspectives. This broadens students’ horizons, deepens their understanding and ensures that their future opportunities are not limited by their background or previous experiences.

3. A Coherent and Carefully Sequenced Curriculum

Our curriculum is designed as a coherent whole rather than a collection of disconnected topics or activities.

In every subject, leaders and teachers are clear about:

• what students will learn;
• why this knowledge matters;
• why it is taught at that particular point;
• what students need to know beforehand;
• how it connects with other learning; and
• how it prepares students for what comes next.

Knowledge is deliberately sequenced so that students encounter ideas in an order that supports understanding and future success. Sequencing is not simply about teaching the easiest content first. It is about making careful decisions so that earlier learning provides the foundation for later learning.

Teachers make connections explicit. They help students understand how new knowledge relates to what they have previously learned and how different ideas fit together within the wider subject.

Important concepts are revisited in different contexts. This allows students to strengthen their understanding, correct misconceptions and recognise how knowledge can be applied in different situations.

Curriculum coherence is maintained across:

• individual lessons;
• sequences of lessons;
• topics and units;
• year groups;
• key stages; and
• different subjects where connections are meaningful and appropriate.

This ensures that students experience continuity in their learning as they move between classes, years and phases. It also supports consistency by ensuring that all students receive the essential curriculum entitlement, regardless of their class or teacher.

A coherent curriculum gives learning greater meaning. Students are better able to understand why they are learning particular content, how it connects with previous knowledge and how it contributes to their developing expertise.

4. Ambitious Progression and End Points

Our curriculum is planned around clear and ambitious end points. These identify what students should know, understand and be able to do at important stages of their education.

End points reflect the most important knowledge and disciplinary thinking within each subject. They ensure that learning has a clear purpose and that curriculum decisions are focused on preparing students for future success.

Progress is not simply the completion of more work or movement through a series of topics. Students make progress when they:

• know and remember more;
• make increasingly secure connections between ideas;
• deepen and refine their understanding;
• communicate with greater accuracy and precision;
• apply knowledge in increasingly complex contexts;
• think more effectively within each subject; and
• work with increasing fluency and independence.

Progression is cumulative. New learning builds on what students already know and strengthens their existing understanding. Important ideas are revisited and extended so that students’ knowledge becomes more connected, sophisticated and usable.

As students progress, they develop the distinctive ways of thinking associated with each subject. They learn to use evidence, construct explanations, compare interpretations, identify patterns, test ideas and reach reasoned conclusions.

Curriculum plans make progression clear to teachers and students. They identify the knowledge that should be secured at different stages and demonstrate how learning builds towards ambitious end points.

The ambition of these end points remains high for all students. Adaptive teaching is used to anticipate and remove barriers, while responsive teaching enables teachers to adjust explanations, modelling, questioning, scaffolding and support in response to what students know and understand.

Section Two: How Students Learn

5. Learning That Lasts

Our curriculum is informed by an understanding of how students learn and remember.

Learning does not happen simply because content has been taught. Students need to think about new knowledge, connect it to what they already know, revisit it and use it if it is to become secure.

Teachers recognise that working memory is limited. New content is therefore introduced in manageable steps, with clear explanations and carefully selected examples. Unnecessary complexity is reduced so that students can focus on the most important learning.

New knowledge is connected explicitly to prior learning. This helps students develop increasingly extensive and organised networks of knowledge, making it easier for them to understand, remember and retrieve what they have learned.

Curriculum planning includes regular opportunities for students to:

• revisit important knowledge;
• retrieve previously taught content;
• connect new and prior learning;
• identify and correct misconceptions;
• explain what they know;
• apply knowledge in different contexts; and
• strengthen knowledge that is not yet secure.

Retrieval is used purposefully. It is not simply the completion of quizzes or recall activities. Teachers select retrieval tasks that strengthen important knowledge and help students understand how different ideas connect.

Knowledge is revisited across lessons, units, years and key stages. This spaced approach helps students retain their learning and reduces the likelihood that important knowledge will be forgotten.

6. Practice, Fluency and Mastery

Students need carefully planned practice if they are to become fluent and confident in using what they know.

Our curriculum provides regular opportunities for students to practise essential knowledge, processes and skills. Practice is deliberate and connected to clear curriculum goals.

Students may initially need significant concentration and teacher support when using new knowledge. Through explanation, modelling, guided practice and repetition, they become increasingly accurate, fluent and independent.

Practice is spaced over time rather than restricted to the point when content is first taught. Students also encounter knowledge in different combinations and contexts so that they learn to select and apply what they know rather than relying on a familiar sequence.

Students are expected to apply knowledge to:

• familiar and unfamiliar questions;
• increasingly complex problems;
• different texts, examples and contexts;
• tasks presented in a different order;
• extended explanations and responses; and
• situations requiring them to make connections independently.

Structured talk is also used as a form of practice. Students rehearse explanations, use subject vocabulary, refine their ideas and learn from the contributions of others.

Mastery is demonstrated when students can use their knowledge accurately, confidently and independently. It involves secure understanding, not simply short-term recall or the completion of a particular task.

7. Purposeful Thinking, Reading and Communication

Curriculum activities are selected because they support learning, not simply because they are engaging or keep students occupied.

Tasks are carefully designed to make students’ thinking visible and deepen their understanding. Students are expected to think hard about important curriculum content and use what they know purposefully.

High-quality tasks ask students to:

• explain ideas;
• make connections;
• compare and contrast;
• justify conclusions;
• evaluate evidence;
• identify patterns;
• solve problems;
• consider alternative perspectives; and
• apply knowledge in new contexts.

Teachers use clear explanations, worked examples and modelling to demonstrate complex thinking. Scaffolds are used where necessary to support access, but they are reviewed and gradually removed as students become more secure and independent.

Reading is central to learning. Students encounter high-quality texts that develop knowledge, vocabulary and understanding. They are taught how to approach increasingly complex material and how reading differs between subjects.

Talk enables students to rehearse and refine their thinking. Structured discussion supports students to articulate ideas clearly, listen carefully, question assumptions and respond thoughtfully to others.

Writing helps students organise, develop and communicate their understanding. Students learn how to write with clarity and precision and how to meet the different expectations of individual subjects.

Our curriculum also promotes creativity and innovation. Creativity is not separate from knowledge. Students are better able to produce original ideas, solve unfamiliar problems and consider alternative possibilities when they have secure knowledge on which to draw.

8. Responsive Teaching and Independent Learning

Teachers use assessment as an integral part of curriculum delivery. Its purpose is to establish what students know, remember and can do, and to determine what should happen next.

Teachers continually check students’ understanding through:

• purposeful questioning;
• discussion;
• observation;
• retrieval activities;
• examination of students’ work;
• short assessments; and
• more formal assessment at appropriate points.

The information gathered is used to identify secure learning, gaps and misconceptions. Teachers then respond by adjusting explanations, providing further modelling, revisiting knowledge, changing the level of support or offering additional practice.

This means that teaching responds to evidence rather than assumptions. Completing a lesson or unit does not, by itself, demonstrate that the intended curriculum has been learned.

The enacted curriculum can be seen in what students know, remember, explain and produce. Students’ work and their ability to talk about their learning should reflect the knowledge, understanding and progression set out in the intended curriculum.

Students are also taught how to become increasingly independent and self-regulating learners. They learn that successful study involves more than completing work or rereading notes.

Students are supported to:

• review the security of their understanding;
• identify gaps in knowledge;
• set appropriate goals;
• plan how to improve;
• use retrieval to strengthen memory;
• select effective study and revision strategies;
• seek support when it is needed;
• respond constructively to feedback; and
• take increasing responsibility for their learning.

Independence is developed gradually. Teachers provide clear instruction, modelling and guided practice before responsibility is transferred to students. Students become expert learners when they can recognise what they know, identify what they need to improve and select effective strategies to move forward.

An Ambitious and Inclusive Curriculum

Our curriculum is an entitlement for every student. We do not lower expectations because a student is disadvantaged, has SEND, is at an earlier stage of English language development or faces other barriers to learning.

The ambition of the curriculum and its end points remains high. Teachers provide the adaptations and support necessary to help students access the same essential knowledge and make strong progress from their starting points.

This includes:

• anticipating potential barriers through careful planning;
• providing clear and explicit explanations;
• using appropriate models, examples and scaffolds;
• adapting resources where necessary;
• developing language and vocabulary;
• checking understanding frequently;
• identifying and addressing gaps promptly; and
• providing different levels of support according to need.

Adaptations are made carefully so that they improve access without unnecessarily narrowing the curriculum, reducing cognitive demand or limiting students’ future opportunities.

Developing Character and Preparing Students for the Future

Our curriculum extends beyond academic knowledge. It supports students to develop character, make responsible choices and contribute positively to their community.

Through the curriculum, students encounter challenging ideas, different perspectives and important questions. They learn to listen respectfully, think critically, communicate confidently and reach well-informed conclusions.

We want every student to leave Benton Park School with:

• secure and extensive subject knowledge;
• strong literacy, numeracy and communication skills;
• the ability to think critically and independently;
• confidence in expressing and explaining ideas;
• curiosity about the world;
• resilience when faced with challenge;
• kindness, responsibility and respect for others;
• an understanding of different experiences and perspectives;
• the ability to regulate and improve their own learning;
• appropriate qualifications for their chosen destination; and
• the character and confidence needed to succeed in adult life.

The Intended Impact of Our Curriculum

The impact of our curriculum is seen in what students know, remember, understand and can do.

Students should be able to make meaningful connections between ideas, communicate their understanding clearly and apply their knowledge with increasing accuracy, fluency and independence.

Over time, students should become increasingly able to:

• recall and use important knowledge;
• connect new learning with what they already know;
• read, write and speak with confidence;
• think in ways that are appropriate to different subjects;
• explain and justify their reasoning;
• approach increasingly complex content;
• recognise and address gaps in their understanding;
• study and revise independently; and
• make informed choices about their future.

Our curriculum combines high expectations with high support. It reflects our commitment to ensuring that every student receives an ambitious and inclusive education, develops the character to contribute positively to the world around them and achieves the qualifications and knowledge needed for future success.

Together we belong, develop character and achieve excellence.