This guide is designed to explain our bespoke curriculum to our parents and carers. 

We have worked hard to design a curriculum that is both challenging and engaging with the aim of providing the very best primary education for your children. 

To meet the requirements of the National Curriculum, classes from Year 1 – 6 follow a number of themes. This approach to the curriculum means that, where appropriate, we make as many cross-curricular links as possible. We believe that when children learn through this cross-curricular approach, learning is deeper and more memorable. 

The National Curriculum sets out the minimum content. However, we work hard to ensure that our children have the opportunity to learn lots of additional skills and to develop their knowledge and understanding fully. For example, our curriculum includes:

• A focus on heritage and locality

• A focus on oracy 

• A careers-based curriculum

• A diverse range of inspirational people 

• A Year 6 workforce

• A set of “50 things to do before you leave Co-op Academy Penny Oaks”

• Musical tuition for all children

• Singing lessons with a professional teacher

• A focus on outdoor learning

• Work on the sustainable development goals and Rethink Food

• A commitment to be more active in lessons

• Nutrition and cooking lessons for all

• Gardening sessions for all

 

Intent

At Co-op Academy Penny Oaks we meet the requirements of the National Curriculum by providing an ambitious curriculum for all learners with the aim of providing them with the knowledge and cultural capital needed to succeed in life. 

Underpinned by our school values (including British values) and curriculum drivers, our academic curriculum uses either the EYFS or the National Curriculum as the basis for content and expectations. We have structured our curriculum so that it clearly sequences National Curriculum objectives, Progression in skills, Key Questions, Key Facts, School Drivers, 50 Things, British Values, Protective Characteristics and Oracy.

Our coherently planned and well sequenced curriculum is constantly being reviewed and updated to meet the changing circumstances of the school community. We plan our curriculum to ensure it provides an increased range of practical, memorable, direct experiences for all our pupils. We understand the importance of providing our children with life experience and therefore we are committed to enhancing curriculum experiences for our pupils and to increase their understanding of the world around them. We are consistent in our ethos to ensure coverage of the full curriculum for all pupils in all year groups.

Our curriculum is designed to deliver the best possible outcomes for all pupils and is underpinned by 3 drivers:

Aspirations

Experiences

Healthy Lifestyles

 
 

Aspirations 

At Co-op Academy Penny Oaks we aim for our children to aspire to be the best they can be. Our careers-based curriculum is embedded throughout school and includes visits from people in various careers and our annual Careers Week. There is a Golden Thread of Heritage running through our curriculum to increase the sense of self-worth and pride in our city. We study a diverse range of influential people from all walks of life in order that our children are inspired to follow their example. Our Year 6 children are encouraged to join our workforce where they must apply for specific jobs around school. They go through a full recruitment process giving them a sense of the real world. They even earn a salary! Overarching our whole curriculum is our Oracy focus. We aim for our children to leave us with the confidence and skills to communicate in any situation. We celebrate their skills with our annual Oracy Exhibition.

 

Experiences

Here at Co-op Academy Penny Oaks we strive to provide many experiences for all our children to enhance the curriculum.

As a school, we truly believe in the benefits music and singing have on pupil's attainment and their mental health and wellbeing.  All children at Co-op Academy Penny Oaks receive musical tuition, which includes recorders, ukulele and guitar. All of our KS2 children have weekly singing lessons with a professional singer.

As a school staff, in consultation with our pupils, we have devised a bespoke set of 50 activities that we aim for our children to complete before they leave our school. The aim of the activities is to provide our pupils with lifetime memories and skills. 

We focus on outdoor learning, regular trips and residentials in order to further enhance our curriculum.

 

Healthy Lifestyles

At Co-op Academy Penny Oaks we work hard to promote Healthy Lifestyles. We provide nutrition lessons for the children and family cook off sessions where parents and children use the food we receive from Rethink Food and create lovely nutritious meals. Each class has the responsibility of running the Rethink Food stall each half-term. The curriculum for each class includes a half-term focus on the Sustainable Development goals linked to the Rethink Food ethos.

 

We promote active classrooms for the children inside the school and a wealth of active sessions outside of school. Break times and lunchtimes promote activity with every child having a skipping rope. We provide active activity boxes, problem-solving kits, scooters and many other opportunities to be active at break times.

 

At Co-op Academy Penny Oaks we strongly believe in the benefit of gardening on mental health and well-being as supported by our own research conducted through our practitioner enquiry programme. Every class has time for gardening integrated into their timetable where they tend to their Key Stage garden and our Queen Elizabeth II

memorial garden.