Curriculum

Intent

The curriculum at Ditchling is designed to provide a broad and balanced education that meets the needs of all children. It provides opportunities for children to develop as independent, confident and successful learners, with high aspirations, who know how to make a positive contribution to their community and the wider society. The curriculum ensures that academic success, creativity and problem solving, reliability, responsibility and resilience, as well as physical development, well-being and mental health are key elements that support the development of the whole child and promote a positive attitude to learning. The curriculum celebrates the diversity and utilises the skills, knowledge and cultural wealth of the community while supporting the children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, ensuring that children are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

Implementation

The curriculum incorporates the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum 2014 and other experiences and opportunities which best meet the learning and developmental needs of the children in our school. Our curriculum provides children with memorable experiences, in addition to diverse and rich opportunities from which children can learn and develop a range of transferable skills.  

The children’s own community, its heritage and traditions are frequently used as a starting point for engaging interest. Our curriculum has been developed to embrace the context of our surroundings, as well as engagement with the local community, to enrich children’s learning experiences.

The school’s curriculum is broad and balanced and makes a conscious effort to engage with drives that will enable further development and excellence in specific areas and has achieved the Healthy Excellence Mark, Inclusion Mark, Ogden Trust School and we are a RWI Phonics School. The outdoor environment and the local community are considered an opportunity for active learning for all our children. The school grounds have been developed so they can enrich different curriculum areas, particularly science. We have a commitment to ensuring that all learners have access to good quality educational experiences beyond the classroom walls, and for engaging in an ongoing process to ensure frequent, continuous and progressive learning outside the classroom opportunities are integrated into the curriculum.

This aspect of the school is enriched by links to professional bodies Sussex Maths Hub, Ogden Trust and UCL University. Ditchling School also makes full use of the skills of a wide range of professionals; throughout their time at the school, children will work with specialist coaches as they learn swimming and Netball courtesy of Hurst Education Trust.  The school holds the ‘Healthy Excellence Award’.

A varied timetable for extra-curricular activities is offered by the school, with clubs that support the core curriculum offer, as well as those which develop specialist skills, such as German, French, STEM, young authors and Drama to name but a few, whilst also extending the range of children’s experiences. A primary focus of our curriculum is to raise aspirations, engender a sense of personal pride in achievement, and provide a purpose and relevance for learning.

The school takes pride in providing a highly inclusive environment, where learners demonstrate high levels of enjoyment in their education and most make very good progress in most subjects and areas of learning. Children at all levels are helped to achieve their potential. Those who are most able are challenged and supported through being offered tasks which provide opportunities for greater depth and those who need further guidance are encouraged and given targeted support to embed skills, to develop at their own pace or simply to learn in a style that best suits their individual needs.

Subject leaders play an integral part in the success of the curriculum by leading a regular programme of monitoring, evaluation and review and the celebration of excellent practice contributes to the ongoing commitment to evolve and improve further. All subject leaders are given the opportunity to keep developing their own subject knowledge, skills and understanding, so they can support curriculum development and their colleagues throughout the school.

Impact

The innovative practice across the school provides a strong foundation and opportunities for children to collaborate and develop social skills both indoors and out. This curriculum design ensures that the needs of individual and small groups of children can be met within the environment of high quality first wave teaching, supported by targeted, proven interventions where appropriate. In this way, it can be seen to impact in a very positive way on children’s outcomes.

Enjoyment of the curriculum promotes achievement, confidence and excellent behaviour. Children feel safe to try new things. High quality visits and visitors to the school enhance the curriculum.

Children have opportunities to share their learning with each other, their parents and carers and other learners through school-based and external exhibitions, performances, competitions and events involving other schools. Developing their independence and motivation as learners and their sense of responsibility as future citizens is at the heart of all our teaching and learning.

 

We are very happy to have been awarded and associated with the following: