Curriculum

At Millfield Lead Academy we build on the L.E.A.D. principles and take into account the particular needs of children who attend our school.

Curriculum Intent:

At Millfield LEAD Academy we follow the National Curriculum and this is enhanced by our wider curriculum offer. Our curriculum is built around four fundamental elements: Raising aspirations, being a global citizen, living a healthy life and developing skills for the future.

Through the curriculum children are encouraged to:

Enquire and investigate to deepen their knowledge.
Debate, discuss and argue concepts or ideas
Embrace opportunities that take them beyond their experiences.

“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.”
Eleanor Roosevelt

What makes our Curriculum distinctive?

The curriculum at Millfield has been designed to give as many hands on and real-life experiences as possible. These allow children to build on previous learning and make links across a range of subjects and contexts. Skills within the Foundation subjects have been carefully selected and matched to the other subject’s skills and the core curriculum. This allows for links to be made and aids long term recall and knowledge.

A fundamental element of our curriculum is that children should become increasingly aware of their local community.

Our curriculum is designed to give children an increasing understanding of future employment opportunities and understand how languages, taught by a specialist teacher, are fundamental in increasing social mobility.

We firmly believe that for children to make outstanding progress they need to be taught by the best teachers. Therefore, specialist teachers are employed for PE and MFL.

Our curriculum is also designed to develop a range of learning characteristics which will support the children’s progress in education and their working life.

Our Learning Characteristics

Our curriculum is designed to provide opportunities to develop learning characteristics (skills and attributes) through the traditional subjects. These are shown below:

Attributes:

Adaptable Ambitious Confident

Courageous Curiosity Determined

Empathetic Focussed Honest

Independent Integrity Kind

Motivated Patient Polite

Reflective Resilience Self-controlled

Takes pride Tolerant

Skills:

Creative Communicator Good listener

Organised Team player

Implementation:

The curriculum long term plans show how the curriculum overlaps and makes specific links between the subjects. The curriculum leader and the subject leaders have planned a curriculum that becomes progressively more demanding and builds on knowledge and skills from previous years and units of learning.

Millfield’s curriculum is built around a novel and comprises an equal number of weeks per theme. This means there is equal weighting given to a theme rather than being directed by the number of weeks in an academic term. Each theme has a purposeful outcome that is driven by the skills and knowledge that children acquire over the theme.

We also operate special theme weeks or days that complement the values above. This includes an Enterprise fortnight which develops the children’s financial awareness and wellbeing through a cross curriculum approach.

Skills for Life Curriculum

In addition to this have our curriculum develops and embeds key life skills and the characteristics. These practical sessions run in Year groups across 6 themed areas. Children cover all 6 areas in an academic year. Each year builds on the previous year over a 3 year cycle. This allows children to refine and deepen their knowledge and skills.

The Skills for life areas are:

Years 1 – 3	Years 4 – 6
Let’s Talk (Our Voice)	The Great Outdoors (Problem Solving)
Let’s Talk (Our Thoughts)	Whizz Kidz (ICT skills)
Let’s Create (Performing Arts)	The Big Idea (Debating)
Let’s Create (Art and Us)	Wonder World (Wellbeing)
Let’s Explore (Outdoor living)	Think Again (Challenges and Collaboration)
Let’s Explore (Eco)	Help! (First Aid and Being Safe)

More details can be found in our Skills for Life Curriculum document.

Applied knowledge is power, Applied knowledge is power
Eric Thomas

The curriculum and SEN

At Millfield, all pupils follow the national curriculum at a level and pace that is appropriate to their abilities. To ensure access to the curriculum modifications may be implemented, when appropriate. Teachers are aware of their pupils needs and teach in ways that will support these. As a school, we work in close partnership with parents, children and relevant outside agencies. Our curriculum has a strong focus on children gaining the wider skills needed for life and opportunities to enhance children’s cultural capital regardless of need or background. We have a strong emphasis on promoting independence and giving every child the entitlement to a sense of achievement.

Teachers ensure that they successfully match pupils’ ability to the curriculum and ensure that all children have access to the school curriculum and activities.