At Ley Hill School, we understand that the children we teach today will shape and influence the world tomorrow. Our curriculum, therefore, is not only broad and balanced but one that equips our children with the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to thrive as individuals and members of society during the next phase of their educational journey and beyond.
Our school motto: ‘Learning Together, Inspired Forever’ supports children in their ability to be confident and successful learners; underpinned by our 6R values of being: reflective, reciprocal, respectful and resourceful learners, who regularly reconnect with their education to develop greater resilience. These 6Rs are the beating heart within our school community and everyone within it strives to live by these values.
We provide our children with a wide range of opportunities that are both engaging and purposeful. Our outdoor learning and Forest School play an integral part in our curriculum so that children can enjoy and learn from the environment and from their experience of taking risks.
We know that children thrive when they are exposed to a knowledge-rich curriculum which is challenging and engaging. Using the National Curriculum as our bedrock, school leaders have designed the Ley Hill Curriculum to be ambitious for all learners; including those who are disadvantaged and those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). It provides opportunities for children to develop the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life. Each subject is carefully planned and sequenced to help children acquire and retain new knowledge, develop increasingly complex skills, and provide opportunities to practice and apply this over time.
Physical and mental wellbeing is prioritised within our curriculum, allowing children the opportunities to develop skills that will foster positive choices and wellbeing habits in the future.
When our children reach the end of their time at Ley Hill School, they are ready for the next step of their education, equipped with a range of knowledge, skills and confidence in their own abilities to deal with any challenges they may face.
LEY HILL CURRICULUM IMPLEMENTATION
Effective teaching and knowledgeable staff deliver our curriculum of carefully crafted lessons and additional enrichment activities. All areas of learning are underpinned by strong subject knowledge of our staff and leaders, who develop their practice through ongoing Continued Professional Development (CPD)
The curriculum is planned to ensure that teaching is sequential. Subject Leaders have developed a clear, logical and progressive order for knowledge and skills. Key components build on prior and future learning and lessons incorporate reconnecting skills. Cross-curricular links are embedded in lessons to allow children to see the connectivity between subjects. At Ley Hill School, subject specific and technical vocabulary is explicitly taught.
Ley Hill School offers a broad and balanced curriculum with wider curriculum opportunities. These opportunities are designed to increase children’s personal development, their understanding and experiences in varying cultures and British values. Enrichment opportunities can include trips, visitors to school, workshops, sports fixtures and themed weeks. For more information on our wider curriculum please see the ‘Cultural Capital and Wider Learning Opportunities’ document. (see below for details)
Adaptive teaching and pre-teaching, combined with targeted support and effective use of Learning Support Assistants (LSAs) enables us to set high expectations for children to achieve the same curricular goals.
Through assessment and feedback teachers respond to and adapt their teaching as necessary. Different strategies are used to assess progress including: pre and post assessment opportunities, now I know (NIK) and now I can (NIC) statements and retrieval activities. At the end of topics, children aim to answer a ‘Big Question’ or work towards a project to show that they know more and can do more. In addition to this, Maths and English use more formal assessments to track progress. Assessment opportunities allow teachers to reflect, adapt and scaffold future learning enabling all children, irrespective of need, to make accelerated progress.
Teachers provide a learning environment filled with resources that allow the children to focus on learning. Displays provide scaffolds, vocabulary and prompts to support the learning that is happening in the class at that time. Displays reflect the progressive curriculum that is in place. Knowledge organisers are used in lessons to underpin the learning that takes place. We are sensitive to children's protected characteristics and also make every effort to ensure that all school resources reflect our commitment to equal opportunities for all.
What you will see from the teachers:
What you will see from the children:
LEY HILL CURRICULUM IMPACT
Children at Ley Hill School leave at the end of Year 6 ready and well-prepared for the next part of their educational journey. They are well-rounded, positive role models within their school and wider-school community. Having developed greater resilience and curiosity towards learning, they are ready to take on new challenges and thrive at secondary school. Our school vision encapsulates these achievements:
“For the children of Ley Hill School to have opportunities beyond the curriculum that enrich their learning, provide aspirations for their future and develop the confidence to be curious about the world in which they live.”
Children make great progress through the development of detailed knowledge and skills across the curriculum. This is illustrated through the monitoring and tracking of:
Our curriculum is inclusive, and accessible to all children, regardless of their ethnicity, gender, disability or religious background.
The comprehensive PSHE curriculum and transition programme ensures that our children have a smooth and successful transition to step into their next phase of their school journey.
(Please note that this section of the website is under review for Spring Term 2025)