Making a Difference

A Memorable Curriculum 

Live life in all its fullness (John 10:10)

If you would like further information or paper copies of our curriculum. Please contact the school office 

Curriculum Intent

Our ultimate aim is for every child to flourish in every subject to enable them to access the next stage of their learning and then to gain the life skills and qualifications to 'live life in all its fullness'.

At Heartwood CE VC Primary and Nursery School we offer a broad and balanced curriculum which enriches the children's vocabulary, provides them with both substantive, procedural and disciplinary knowledge through fun experiences and hands on learning. Our curriculum is influenced by the principles and values of the Swedish curriculum, equipping our children with life skills and a love of the outdoors.

We embrace the Danish Hygge approach to living well, focusing on being in the moment and embracing feelings of warmth, simplicity and togetherness. 

Our curriculum is called 'Making a Difference' as all of our learning is guiding our children to grow and develop into wonderful and thoughtful citizens who make a difference to their community and society, locally and globally, and take social action whilst taking ownership of their own actions. 

Units of learning and components will work towards a purposeful act that will make a difference with citizenship at the heart, aiming to empower the children with the knowledge and skills to articulate their views and evidence. Children will present arguments using the knowledge that they have acquired and to put across their points of view. 

Our curriculum plan is strategically sequenced to ensure that children build upon their previous learning and gain the knowledge and vocabulary for their next sequence or component of learning, building towards end goals for them to flourish in the next phase of their education. Subject areas are built through concepts which enable children to develop schemas and make connections with their learning. 

Planning for learning sessions is built around composites which are broken down into components of knowledge and are embedded to promote automaticity for children to be fluent in the subject.  

The curriculum is created for the children of Swaffham and a curriculum that aims to meet the needs of the community by influencing speaking and listening, social skills, respect, responsibility and enhancing cultural capital. 

How do we teach our curriculum at Heartwood?

Subjects are taught in their own discipline which provides a curriculum aims to inspire our children to become artists, historians, scientists, designers, musicians, computing scientists, mathematicians, writers, readers, geographers and sports men and women. Disciplinary and substantive knowledge are built in through all subjects, interleaving together. Although all taught discretely they are all connected by the overarching concept of 'Making a Difference'. 

We use different vehicles, methods and strategies to teach different subjects of the curriculum, these are evidence based to ensure the best delivering and implementation of the curriculum content. These include; forest school, Mantle of the Expert (see below), drama, specialised teachers (art, D.T, football and music). Children are taught the knowledge and vocabulary that they need to know for the subject in order to apply to different contexts as 'skills'.

Please click on the subjects below to find our more about the curriculum journey of each subject individually.

Find information about our curriculum subjects here. If you require any further information regarding the curriculum we follow please email or call the school Office and ask for Mrs McMillen who would love to discuss further. 

Please see the Life Skills page on the main curriculum page for more information on how we implement the Relationships, Sex and Education curriculum. 

Citizenship, including global, underpins the a Heartwood Making a Difference curriculum. Through the different subjects in the curriculum pupils are taught the knowledge, skills and emotional literacy to take responsibility for themselves and the environment.

Pupils are encouraged to be active citizens in the school and beyond. They are given opportunities throughout the curriculum to develop their sense of social justice and moral responsibility and understand how their behaviour can affect local, national or global issues, and political and social institutions. 

In the units of learning, particularly in science, history, religious education and geography, pupils are taught the skills to debate and articulate their opinions, using the knowledge gained, whilst also respecting and listening to the differing views of others. 

78 of the things that children at Heartwood Primary experience before they are 12

Enhancing our educational offer we have the '78 of the things that children at Heartwood Primary experience before they are 12' which enhances our curriculum offer and gives our children a wealth of experiences, skills and vocabulary. 

Diversity 

At Heartwood, promoting diversity is an extremely important value.

We are proud to be part of the Norfolk Diocese Equality, Diversity and Inclusion working party group.

We are aware that our Primary school consists predominantly of white British pupils. Their day-to-day experiences do not expose them to a very broad cultural background. One of our areas for improvement is to help children learn more about the customs and beliefs of the many different communities in our own country and to develop the core values of acceptance and respect. Conversations with and between children demonstrate a lack of awareness of diversity at times – we want to change this and to challenge stereotypical views.

At Heartwood, diversity is celebrated throughout as many curriculum areas as possible and we are constantly seeking opportunities to extend this further. Our aim is to provide as many opportunities as possible in order for our children to widen and enrich their understanding and acceptance of different cultures.  

We are conscious that diversity is not an add on thing. Our books, resources and toys reflect a wide range of cultures and diversities. Celebrations of key black influencers, both male and female are carefully planned throughout the school curriculum. 

Promoting Fundamental British Values

In accordance with The Department for Education we aim to actively promote British values in schools to ensure young people leave school prepared for life in modern Britain. Pupils are encouraged to regard people of all faiths, races and cultures with respect and tolerance and understand that while different people may hold different views about what is "right" and "wrong", all people living in England are subject to its law. 

At Heartwood we see British Values as underpinning what it is to be a citizen in a modern and diverse Britain. They allow us to create environments free from discrimination, intolerance and hate. They help us to challenge prejudice and stereotyping, whilst strengthening relationships within the community.

The Key Values are:

• democracy
• rule of law
• individual liberty
• mutual respect
• tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs