Introduction
West Boldon Primary is a two-form entry school with its own Nursery provision, serving a diverse catchment area. It is a school with high expectations and good behaviour, where pupils are keen to learn and very accepting of others.
Our curriculum is both localised and inclusive, reflecting the rich heritage, culture and community of the North East, while ensuring that every child feels represented, supported and inspired to achieve their very best.
Intent
Every child is recognised as a unique individual at West Boldon. We celebrate and welcome the differences within our school community and strive to make our curriculum as inclusive, accessible and meaningful as possible. The ability to learn is underpinned by the teaching of basic skills, knowledge, concepts and values.
We constantly provide enhancement opportunities to engage learning and believe that childhood should be a happy, investigative and enquiring time in our lives where there are no limits to curiosity and there is a thirst for new experiences and knowledge. We promote positive attitudes to learning, which reflect the values and skills needed to promote responsibility for learning and future success.
Our curriculum has been designed to:
- recognise children’s prior learning
- provide first-hand learning experiences
- allow children to develop interpersonal skills
- build resilience
- encourage creativity and critical thinking
Children leave school with a sense of belonging to a tightly knit community, where they have the confidence and skills to make decisions, self-evaluate, make connections and become lifelong learners.
Our curriculum offers a wide range of inspiring, engaging and exploratory learning experiences, including the development of cultural capital through planned activities such as residential trips and local projects. We have localised our curriculum so that pupils learn about, and feel pride in, the people, places and stories of the North East—connecting their learning to their own lives and community.
We aim to raise pupils’ aspirations by teaching them about human creativity and achievement, and we strive to help them understand the impact we have on the world we live in—not just at school, but as educated citizens within their own community and on a wider global scale.
Our curriculum also helps children learn about jobs and careers, boosting their knowledge and confidence about what their future could look like.
Rationale for Implementation
We use the Dimensions Learning Means the World Curriculum as the vehicle for this, with a view to changing our pupils’ hearts as well as their minds.
Whilst providing full National Curriculum coverage, this curriculum is underpinned by four highly relevant world issues, known as the Four Cs:
Culture
Communication
Conflict
Conservation
Communication
We believe that learning to communicate and listen are the keys to success—not just academically, but socially and emotionally too. This includes developing conversation skills by teaching pupils how and when to talk.
Due to many pupils’ limited vocabulary on entry, we focus on building this up across the curriculum. Our pupils are keen to expand and deepen their vocabulary, so in order to ensure that they experience new words regularly, we employ strategies such as our ‘Word a Day’ focus.
We believe strong communication skills are essential tools to not only fully access the broader curriculum, but to succeed in later life.
Culture
Community involvement is an essential part of our curriculum as we celebrate local traditions and heritage, learning new skills to enable children to take an active role in events throughout the year. Through our localised approach, pupils learn about key figures, innovations and cultural contributions from our region, strengthening their sense of place and identity.
As a predominantly White British demographic, we want our pupils to value diversity, understand the roots and importance of cultural heritage on a wider scale, and behave in a respectful and tolerant way towards others—regardless of faith, gender, sexuality, ethnicity or background.
We actively and explicitly promote cross-cultural friendship, respect, understanding and tolerance through our Learning Means the World Curriculum.
Our curriculum incorporates history-based aspirational Competency Theme Units, drawing inspiration from diverse historical role models—both global and local—helping to promote courage, commitment, creativity and a sense of community in pupils.
Conflict
Pupils need to learn how to handle conflict well, realising the importance of developing empathy to form positive relationships at home, in school, and in the wider community. They need an appreciation of other opinions and perspectives in order to address conflict and develop the necessary skills to resolve it.
We also want them to understand the wider impact of conflict globally, broadening their knowledge and perspectives.
Conservation
Children understand the importance of conservation but need to be more invested in it. Sustainable action is already being taken in school (e.g., installing HEPA filters in classrooms, reviewing fuel sources), and we help pupils develop a deeper knowledge of sustainability and stewardship through a curriculum that makes these concepts central.
We want children to become responsible stewards for the future, able to identify and act upon conservation opportunities locally (e.g., at local beaches, green spaces and community projects). We want them to see that they can make a difference and create positive change.
By developing problem-solving, collaboration and communication skills, and by engaging in practical, purposeful action, we believe pupils can make a real difference in shaping a sustainable future.
Learning Means the World employs a structured approach to developing environmental awareness and appreciation, not just at local, but also national and global levels.
Curriculum Organisation
At West Boldon Primary School, using the Dimensions – Learning Means the World curriculum, we have developed a localised, thematic and inclusive approach to learning that not only addresses all aspects of the National Curriculum, but engages and inspires our children.
Some subjects are taught as part of this thematic sequence of learning, while others are taught discretely. The timetable has been carefully designed to ensure that our children experience a broad and balanced range of subjects and knowledge.
The following subjects are taught thematically:
- Science
- History
- Geography
- Art
- Design Technology
- Computing
- Music
- PSHE
The following subjects are taught discretely:
- English
- Maths
- Religious Education
- Physical Education
- Modern Foreign Languages (French)
See our Curriculum Policy here:
Dimensions
Curriculum Policy
