Introduction

We are currently reviewing our ACE Curriculum
Check back for updates soon

Intent

‘Farm to Fork’, ‘Oh, I do love to be beside the seaside!’, ‘Dinosaur Island’, ‘Roots and Shoots’, ‘Lady Macbeth’, ‘All the fun of the fair’- these are just a few of our exciting and engaging topics that feature in the ACE Curriculum!

Our curriculum has been developed collectively considering staff and pupil voice. It mixes knowledge and skills with real life experiences and reflects the values our pupils need to enable them to broaden their horizons and give them social opportunities that they may not otherwise experience. The ACE Curriculum Plan sets out the key knowledge and skills that we expect each child to know and understand; there is also the freedom to be flexible about the context of learning so teachers can be responsive to interests, local, national and global events.

Our aim is to inspire and challenge all learners and prepare them for the future. It is a broad and balanced coherent curriculum which stretches and challenges pupils while instilling in them a love of learning for life! It builds on children’s experiences and helps all to become successful learners, confident individuals and responsible citizens.

We have developed a set of ACE values in order to help achieve this, which permeate all aspects of school life.

Teachers utilise inquiry based learning, where appropriate, to increase pupil engagement and provide stimulation through meaningful learning scenarios. The curriculum supports the promotion of British values, Black History, Oracy development and builds on pupils’ enthusiasm for learning.

The ACE Curriculum Policy can be found on the ACE SharePoint:

Threads

Our curriculum is structured so that skills and knowledge build across year groups and is carefully planned for. There is a good breadth and coverage to our curriculum, which is supported by enrichment days and extra-curricular activities. We want to make learning fun, practical and exciting to ensure that it is embedded in the long-term memory. There is a spiral curriculum so that topics and concepts are repeated, where prior knowledge is recapped and then extended. This also helps to commit learning to memory. We have also developed a set of ‘threads’ that run throughout the curriculum, further supporting pupils to make links with their learning. They are: Myself, Heritage, Global, Community and Culture.


Myself

Understanding what it means to be human and the cause and effect of human behaviour.

Through this key thread children develop their understanding of what it means to be themselves; this includes human, social, moral and emotional development and how to keep healthy and safe.  They will develop an understanding of the similarities and differences between themselves and others.  They discover the impact of human behaviour and develop an understanding of the relationships between individuals, societies, faiths and communities. They will also see how they have an influence on their surroundings and how they contribute to society and, in particular, to the community they live in. Children will be encouraged to be curious and search for answers in response to original, familiar and more complex questions.  They will be encouraged to think critically and make meaningful connections and reflect thoughtfully on evidence and ideas.

Heritage

Understanding significant events, people and places that have influenced the world they live in.

Through this key thread children develop an understanding of significant events, people, places and inventions.  They will explore and investigate how events in history have impacted on modern day life. Children will find out about the causes and effects of change and evolution and develop an understanding of timelines and chronology.  Pupils will make meaningful connections between the past, present and future. They will learn about significant scientists and inventors and use their knowledge and investigative skills to draw conclusions, interpret data and present results.


Community

Understanding the social and environmental aspects of the local and wider community that they live in.

Through this key thread children explore the social, cultural and environmental aspects in their locality including how physical processes e.g. weather and erosion can transform a place or landscape.  They will examine how their local community has developed over time and the impact of human activity.  They will make comparisons between their local community and others.  There will be opportunities to engage and contribute to the community they live in.

Culture

Understanding how language, the arts and music influence society.

Through this key thread children will explore language, the arts and music to develop an appreciation and understanding of how they have influenced the past and the present. They will develop their knowledge of authors, artists, musicians and other creative influencers.  They examine why things are meaningful to some and not to others based on their values, beliefs and experiences. Children will develop an appreciation of the importance of experimentation, trial and error, original thought and self-expression.  They will explore the way different ideas can be realised and communicated.  They will develop enquiry and investigative skills, learning how to gather information, create hypotheses, gather evidence and ask questions. 


Global

Understanding the diverse world they live in and the impact of global events and issues.

Through this key thread children will develop a deep understanding of global events and issues and how these relate to their lives.  Children will develop an appreciation of both the natural and urban landscape and understand the relationship between people and place. They will find out about the diverse natural environments of the world and the plants and animals that inhabit them. They will discover the conditions that living things need to survive and flourish. They will compare ways in which things are the same or different, identify simple and complex patterns and make connections.  Children will find out about the causes and effects of global issues; they will investigate and explore how these events unfold, develop and impact on people and places. They will examine how human activity human interactions shape places and enable them to discover the unique identities and features of towns, cities, countries and continents. Children will examine the effects of economic and technological development on the natural world and consider the impact of human actions.