Curriculum Intent

Our Vision for our curriculum

Through a rich and creative curriculum, our pupils will flourish, deepening their knowledge and developing their skills and enthusiasm for life-long learning.

Psalm 92 vs 13-14

'They are like trees planted in the house of the Lord that flourish in the temple of our God, that still bear fruit in old age and are always green and strong.'

Mission Statement

Our mission is to be a school where all can flourish and grow in God's love.

With God’s Love we Grow

Our school has a clear intent behind our carefully designed and balanced curriculum offer.

The curriculum is designed to be broad, balanced and relevant to the experiences and needs of the pupils. It is structured to allow a clear progression in the acquisition of knowledge in all subjects. All pupils will have opportunities to experience all areas of the curriculum. All pupils will have the opportunity to learn from first-hand experiences, including through the extended curriculum and after-school activities. All pupils will be encouraged to develop their awareness of the community in which they live and be provided with opportunities for enterprise

The school follows the National Curriculum in all areas. Details of the National Curriculum are available in school and “on line” at www.standards.dfes.gov.uk if you should wish to see them.

As we have mixed-aged classes, we have a two year cycle to ensure that there is coverage. For mathematics, we ensure that our classes are split into separate cohorts so that we can teach for mastery.

We use a variety of schemes of work to ensure that all subjects have clear progression in knowledge. However these have been personalised to ensure that they reflect the needs and nature of Barrowford St Thomas. 

English: We use Lancashire Key learning in spoken language, reading and writing; reading is at the heart of our curriculum; class novels are carefully selected each half term for each class; we use Book Club Phonics for phonically decodable texts and Phonics Bug for our phonics scheme in EYFS/Y1; we use Nelson handwriting scheme in EYFS/KS1. Spelling Shed in Year 2 and No Nonsense spelling from Year 3 to Year 6.

Mathematics: We teach using a mastery approach; we follow the mastering number programme in Reception; Lancashire Red Rose maths in years 1 to 5 (introduced in Year 6 from September 2024) and White Rose Maths in Year 6. 'Learning by Questions' is also utilised in KS2.

Science: We use the CUSP (Curriculum with Unity Schools Partnership) curriculum

History: We use the CUSP (Curriculum with Unity Schools Partnership) curriculum although some history units are planned by school, for example the historical local study of the East Lancashire cotton industry , a study of Crime and Punishment and some of our Black History units.  

Geography: We use the CUSP (Curriculum with Unity Schools Partnership) curriculum although some geography units are planned by school, for example a locality study of Hamelin in the Wesser Uplands, Germany.

Computing: We use the 'Teach Computing' scheme of work.

RE: We use the Blackburn Board of Education scheme of work (Questful RE); recently updated  

French: We use the 'Rigalo' scheme of work.

PSHE: We use the PSHE association scheme of work and in particular, the 1Decision resources/scheme

Art/DT: We have written our own schemes of work utilising progression in knowledge documents produced by Lancashire and ensuring cross-curricular links (outcome)

Music: We have written our own scheme of work; progression in knowledge follows the guidance in the Model Music National curriculum; cross-curricular links are made when appropriate. We use the Charanga music scheme for occasional units of work and when teaching instruments 

PE: We use the Lancashire PE scheme of work utilising the Passport app.

Further information, medium term plans and sequence of knowledge for all subjects are located on each individual subject page HERE

The curriculum is wide and includes a thematic approach to add interest and flavour. Within the umbrella of these themes all subjects are taught as separate lessons and there is a clear progression of knowledge in all subjects. All subjects are taught as discrete lessons ensuring that we build on previous knowledge and there is progression in learning. However, many subjects under the 'umbrella' of the topic are linked together and allow for cross-curricular learning, for example studying digital art links with the teaching of 'creating media' in computing. The curriculum will provide opportunities for children of varying aptitudes and abilities to find fulfilment and enable them to develop emotionally and physically as well as academically. Our curriculum is also planned to ensure our children have a greater understanding of the culturally diverse society in which they live and its history. 

Pupil Offer

Barrowford St Thomas Primary School endeavours to create an atmosphere in which learning is enjoyable and meaningful. We regularly organise special weeks and days such as a red, white and blue day to celebrate our late Queen's Platinum Jubilee or Chinese New Year.  

Although we are a small school we prioritise the personal development of all our pupils so that they have access to a wide, rich set of experiences. 

Throughout their time in our school we will ensure that all our pupils experience:

• outdoor learning using our own grounds and visits to outdoor education sites including all children from Reception visiting the outdoor education site 'Hothersall Lodge' to go on a bear hunt, Year 3/4 visiting Brockholes nature reserve, Y5 visiting Brockhole i Windermere and culminating with a residential 5 day visit at PGL Winmarleigh for Year 6 each year  
• learning from a specialist visitor or from an an educational visit linked to the topic (see topic overviews for further detail)
• special event linked to the class topic, for example a themed day or a performance/ assembly/display for parents
• Opportunities to make work public
• a visit to a museum (for example, Blackburn museum)
• a visit to an art-gallery (for example, the Lowry Gallery in Manchester)
• visits to places of worship, Christian and world faiths
• a visit to the theatre to watch a professional performance (currently Bolton Octagon)
• an opportunity to hear live music, either in school or in a concert hall
• learning to play an instrument; glockenspiels in KS1; recorders in lower KS2 and electronic keyboards in upper KS2; parents can also pay for their child to have private music lessons in school time (choice of violin, piano, guitar or keyboards).
• the opportunity to represent the school in an external sporting event
• the opportunity to perform for an audience, i.e. in a theatrical production or concert
• regular opportunities to worship in church
• linking with children in a local school from a different cultural and religious background (through the Building Bridges project)
• being courageous advocates; planning fund-raising for a local, national or international charity; becoming involved in a community project (for example litter picking in the local park), i.e. through Archbishop of York young leaders' award,
• developing their enterprise skills; developing their understanding of money and how to run a business (for example designing, creating, marketing and selling a product at our Christmas Fair to make a profit which can be spent on resources for their class). 
• being encouraged to join a variety of after-school clubs for example, music (singing), sport (netball, football and a variety of other sports led by sports coaches), art, gardening, reading, worship and British sign language.
• An opportunity to join a variety of groups which represent our school, for example our school council and our worship group.

Complying with the equality act 2010 and the SEN & Disability Regulations 2014

At Barrowford St Thomas Primary School, all class teachers are responsible for providing a curriculum that is suitable for all pupils in the class, including those with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND) with support from the SENCo. We have high expectations for all pupils and are committed to ensuring our curriculum complies with the Equality Act 2010 and the Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014. Our inclusion statement emphasises the importance of providing an inclusive learning environment for all pupils including those with SEND. Additional information on this can be found in our Special Educational Needs Information Report and Equalities Policy. 

How parents can find out more

We have produced medium term half termly plans for parents which can be accessed HERE. 

Our detailed long term plans are below. 

Medium term plans and sequence of knowledge for all subjects are located on each individual subject page HERE

If you want to know more about our curriculum or have any questions please do talk to your child's class teacher or the curriculum lead, Mrs Duckworth (headteacher)

Long term plans

As we have mixed aged classes in KS1 and KS2: Years 1 and 2; Years 3 and 4; Years 5 and 6 we organise our curriculum into a two-year cycle. These are regularly reviewed and updated.

Year 1 and 2 Cycle A

Year 1 and 2 Cycle B

Year 3 and 4 Cycle A

Year 3 and 4 Cycle B

Year 5 and 6 Cycle A

Year 5 and 6 Cycle B