Our Curriculum at The Oaks Community Primary School
Rooted in our community. Prepared for our future. Inspired by our world.
At The Oaks Community Primary School, we believe that every child deserves a curriculum that opens doors, raises aspirations and provides the knowledge, skills and experiences needed to thrive.
Our curriculum is built around a simple but powerful belief: strong relationships, secure foundations and rich experiences make a difference.
We want our children to become confident, kind and curious learners who are ready for life, respectful of others, responsible in their choices and inspired to achieve, aspire and appreciate the world around them.
Our curriculum is rooted in our local community, connects children to the wider world and prepares them for the opportunities and challenges of the future.
Above all, we recognise that the most important measure of our curriculum is the difference it makes to our children’s learning, development and life chances.
Relationships at the Heart of Everything We Do
At The Oaks, relationships are the foundation of our curriculum.
We know that children learn best when they feel safe, valued, understood and supported. Our Crew Culture creates a strong sense of belonging, where children and adults work together, look after one another and take collective responsibility for learning and success.
Through positive relationships, high expectations and consistent routines, we create calm, purposeful classrooms in which every child can flourish.
Our approach is underpinned by three important commitments:
- We Are Ready: We come prepared, eager to learn and willing to embrace challenges.
- We Are Respectful: We listen, treat everyone fairly and value our differences.
- We Are Responsible: We take ownership of our learning, our behaviour and the positive choices we make.
These commitments shape how we learn, how we work together and how we contribute to our school community.
The Core of Our Curriculum: The Drivers of Success
At the heart of our curriculum are four essential areas of learning:
Reading | Writing | Mathematics | Oracy
We recognise that secure foundations in these areas provide children with the tools to access, understand and succeed across the entire curriculum.
Our priority is to ensure that every child develops the fluency, confidence and knowledge needed to become an increasingly independent and successful learner.
Reading: The Key to Access
Reading is fundamental to learning and future opportunity.
We want every child to become a fluent, confident reader who understands what they read, enjoys books and develops a rich knowledge of language and the world.
We prioritise the development of early reading, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension, recognising that strong reading skills unlock learning across every subject.
Writing: The Power to Communicate
Writing enables children to express ideas, share knowledge and communicate with purpose.
Our curriculum develops confident writers who understand the importance of audience, accuracy, creativity and clear communication.
We provide meaningful opportunities for children to write across the curriculum, applying their knowledge and developing the skills to communicate effectively in different contexts.
Mathematics: Fluency, Reasoning and Problem Solving
We want every child to develop a secure understanding of mathematics and the confidence to use it.
Our approach places particular importance on strong number foundations, mathematical fluency, reasoning and problem solving.
Through carefully sequenced learning, practical experiences and opportunities to explain their thinking, children develop the knowledge and understanding needed to apply mathematics successfully.
Oracy: Giving Every Child a Voice
Oracy is central to our curriculum and an essential part of how children learn.
We want our children to become confident speakers and active listeners who can explain their thinking, ask thoughtful questions, discuss ideas and engage respectfully with different perspectives.
Talk is not simply an additional activity at The Oaks. It is a deliberate and important part of teaching and learning.
Through discussion, explanation, debate and purposeful conversation, children develop the language, vocabulary and confidence that support success in reading, writing, mathematics and the wider curriculum.
A Rich Curriculum That Strengthens Our Foundations
We believe that children deserve access to the full breadth of the National Curriculum.
Our wider curriculum provides the knowledge, vocabulary, experiences and contexts through which children deepen their understanding of themselves and the world.
Subjects are valued for their own distinctive knowledge, concepts and skills. At the same time, we deliberately make connections that strengthen children’s reading, writing, mathematical thinking and oracy.
For example:
- In history, children develop an understanding of the past while reading, discussing evidence, explaining change and communicating their conclusions.
- In geography, children explore places, people and environments while developing vocabulary, interpreting information and presenting their understanding.
- In science, children investigate, question, reason and explain, using reading, writing and mathematical knowledge to support scientific enquiry.
- Through art, design and technology, music and computing, children develop creativity, practical skills, expression and problem-solving.
- Through religious education, PSHE and physical education, children deepen their understanding of themselves and others, develop healthy habits and learn the importance of respect, participation and wellbeing.
Our wider curriculum is not separate from our core priorities. It provides rich opportunities for children to practise, apply and strengthen their learning while developing secure subject knowledge.
Making Time for What Matters
We recognise that curriculum ambition must be matched by the way we organise learning.
Our timetable is deliberately designed to protect the teaching and practice of reading, writing, mathematics and oracy, particularly where children need additional time to secure essential foundations.
We aim to reduce unnecessary fragmentation, make purposeful connections between subjects and provide sufficient time for children to explore important ideas in depth.
This means:
- Protecting regular, high-quality teaching and practice in our core curriculum areas.
- Building vocabulary, purposeful talk, reading and writing into learning across subjects.
- Creating opportunities for sustained investigation, enquiry and deeper learning.
- Using curriculum time flexibly and thoughtfully, rather than assuming every subject must be taught in identical weekly blocks.
- Ensuring that our teaching assistants contribute purposefully to children’s learning, confidence and independence.
Our principle is simple: less fragmentation, more depth and stronger connections.
Inclusion, High Expectations and Success for Every Child
Our curriculum is for every child.
We recognise that children arrive at school with different experiences, strengths and starting points. We are committed to ensuring that disadvantage, additional needs or gaps in prior learning do not limit ambition.
Through carefully sequenced teaching, clear explanations, appropriate adaptations, additional practice and targeted support, we work to ensure that all children can access ambitious learning.
We place particular importance on identifying and addressing gaps in foundational knowledge and skills early, so that children can build confidence and experience success as they move through school.
Our aim is not simply for children to participate in the curriculum, but for them to learn more, remember more and achieve more.
Learning Beyond the Classroom
At The Oaks, we believe that powerful learning experiences extend beyond the classroom.
Our curriculum is enriched by our local community, cultural partnerships, educational visits, outdoor learning and opportunities to engage with nature.
Through experiences such as The Oaks Oasis, children develop curiosity, environmental awareness, practical knowledge and a sense of responsibility for the world around them.
We want children to understand their place in the community, appreciate the opportunities available to them and develop the confidence to explore beyond what they already know.
These experiences give meaning and context to classroom learning, broadening horizons and helping children make connections between knowledge and the real world.
Our Habits of Work and Learning
Our established Habits of Work and Learning (HoWLs) continue to support our Crew Culture and the way children approach learning.
Responisble – Working Well encourages children to take pride in their learning, persevere through challenges and produce work of which they can be proud.
Respectful – Being Kind develops empathy, respect and positive relationships, helping children understand the importance of caring for others.
Ready – Contributing Fully encourages active participation, collaboration, careful listening and taking responsibility within our school community.
Together with our expectations to be Ready, Respectful and Responsible, these habits help children develop the character, confidence and behaviours that support successful learning.
Our Curriculum Promise
At The Oaks Community Primary School, we inspire confident, kind and curious learners who are:
- Ready for life and the challenges ahead.
- Respectful of others, their community and the wider world.
- Responsible in their choices, actions and learning.
Our curriculum is ambitious, inclusive and continually evolving as we reflect on what makes the greatest difference for our children.
We know that improvement comes through working together, maintaining high expectations and remaining focused on what matters most.
Relationships underpin how we learn. Reading gives us access. Writing allows us to communicate. Mathematics allows us to reason. Oracy gives every child a voice. Our wider curriculum gives children something worth reading, talking, thinking and writing about.