Our Curriculum Intent
Underpinning all our work are our core values:
Wonder Equality Community Aspiration Resilience Empathy
We Care Curriculum
At Oare C of E Primary School, ‘WE CARE’ deeply about our curriculum. In recent years, curriculum development and pedagogy has been the subject of much exciting research and it is now recognised that a broad and balanced curriculum, carefully designed to ensure that new learning is built upon what has been previously taught, is central to a strong curriculum model that supports excellent outcomes for all children.
Placing our Christian values firmly at its heart, our WE CARE curriculum is centred on 6 broad themes of global citizenship, encompassing the concepts of sustainability and equality. Each class studies the same theme, but from a slightly different angle. All learning is connected across the school and progressively revisited in each class. The 6 broad themes were designed in collaboration with staff and the community, and were inspired by Oxfam’s Education for Global Citizenship.
Our knowledge-rich curriculum ensures our learners are aware of and understand the wider world – and their place in it. It ensures they are equipped to take an active role in their community and work with others to make our planet more equal, more fair and sustainable. We provide our learners with opportunities to develop the knowledge, skills and values they need to engage with the world and give them the belief that they can make a difference.
Our curriculum seeks to link learning to the rich heritage and cultural opportunities available in our local area; we have fostered links with local farms, charities, businesses, world heritage sites and cultural groups to support our ambitious curriculum. As a concept based curriculum that emphasises ‘big ideas’ that span multiple subject areas, pupils are encouraged to welcome the diversity of each other’s views and are empowered to take more responsibility for their learning. They are given a voice and the confidence to use it.
Access to the curriculum for all is supported across the school through our uniquely designed approach ‘Growing Oare Minds’ which ensures that our pupils are given the tools to continue to work hard, even when they meet obstacles or failures. By instilling this mind-set, our learners are given the skills and outlook which will support their learning throughout education and into adult life.
Curriculum Implementation
We follow the National Curriculum. In Reception, children are taught the development skills identified in the revised Early Years Curriculum 2023. These include life skills that will support their learning and integration into school life.
The mornings at Oare Primary School consist of daily maths and English, with dedicated time to phonics (EYFS/KS1) and daily reading for every age group.
In the afternoons, we teach Science as well as the foundation subjects: Religious Education and Worldviews, PE, Geography, History, Art, Design Technology, Latin, Personal, Social and Health Education, Computing and Music.
Recent research into how knowledge is transferred into long-term memory has led us to teach Geography, History, Art and Design Technology in blocks. We feel that this means our learners receive a more focused and immersive learning experience and that it enables their knowledge to become more clearly embedded.
In all subject areas, we build on the knowledge children acquire in each year group, ensuring our implementation is systematic and coherent.
More information on the intent and implementation of all subject areas can be found under the Key Stage 1 and 2 tab on our website.
Enrichment Activities
At Oare Primary School we believe that enhancing our curriculum by providing additional memorable, practical learning experiences for our pupils nurtures a love of learning and life! We offer a wide variety of cross-curricular and subject specific enrichment activities across the year.
These activities are chosen specifically to enhance the curriculum and to add to the personal development of the children. They are monitored to ensure that their impact is positive and effective in terms of developing pupils’ self-esteem; resilience; character; global awareness and cultural capital, as well as the enhancement of our curriculum themes with memorable, first-hand experiences.
These activities have included:
- Outreach visits by keepers from Longleat Safari Park and volunteers from the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust.
- Virtual school trips using the immersive platform Lyfta
- ‘Spring to Life’ – Creative Communities Project
- Athletics and sporting opportunities with the Marlborough Small School Festival, Marlborough College and Avon Valley.
- KS2 performances have including Matilda Jr, The Lion King Jr, Bugsy Malone, Joseph and his Technicolour Dreamcoat and The Tempest as part of Shakespeare’s Schools Festival.
- Annual Bikeability cycle training for Year 6
- A range of religious festival days including: Diwali, Chinese New Year, Ramadan, Holi
- A range of awareness days including: Odd Socks Day, World Ocean Day, Windrush Day, Young Minds Day and World Values Day
- Buddy System with our EYFS children supported by Year 6
- A range of ex-curricular clubs, including sporting and non-sporting
- Annual participation in Devizes Lantern Parade
- Annual choir performance at Hope and Homes for Children fundraiser held at Marlborough College
- Annual whole school trip to watch the pantomime at The Watermill, Newbury
- Outdoor learning in the school garden – including planting, nurturing, picking, cooking and eating vegetables and exploring biodiversity
- Seasonal walks to Oare Arboretum
- Young Voices – singing event at Wembley Arena
- Education visits to Bristol We the Curious, Bristol Aquarium, Cotswold Wildlife Park, Marwell Zoo, Swindon STEAM museum, West Stowell Farm, Winchester Science Centre and Marlborough College Nature Trail.
- Yr 3 and 4 residential to Oxenwood
- Yr 6 residential to PGL Osmington Bay and Liddington.
- Visits from authors including Debi Evans and Louise Gooding.
- Annual participation in Marlborough Lit Fest.
- Adopt an author scheme
- Geocaching in Savernake forest
- Eco Council
- Junior Young Citizen Scheme
- Christingle Service at Salisbury Cathedral
- Yr 6 Leaver’s Service at Salisbury Cathedral
Other Cluster/Partner Activities
We organise and engage in collaborative activities with other schools. These activities will vary but can include events such as sporting events, music concerts, language and dance festivals and drama days.
Older pupils from St John’s, Marlborough are regularly welcomed into Oare, supporting our learners in a range of ways. This has included working in the school garden with our youngest pupils, sharing stories that they have written and illustrated, as well as past pupils who now attend St John’s attending our open days to share their experience of Oare Primary School with prospective parents.
