The Benchill Curriculum

Curriculum Intent

Our Goal At Benchill Primary School, we aim to provide exciting, meaningful learning opportunities for all our students. We want to help them achieve in all areas while also supporting their social, emotional, and spiritual growth.

Learning and Development Our curriculum gives children the knowledge, skills, and cultural understanding they need for future success. In the Early Years, we focus on seven key areas of learning through both teacher-led and child-initiated activities. As children move from the Early Years to Year 1, we prepare them for more structured learning. From Year 1 to Year 6, we follow the National Curriculum with a focus on knowledge first, which then helps children develop skills. We ensure our curriculum is accessible to all children, including those with special needs, by following the Equality Act 2010 and Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014.

Broad and Balanced Curriculum Our curriculum covers a wide range of subjects, each carefully planned to build essential knowledge and skills. We design our lessons to help children remember what they learn and make connections between different subjects. This approach helps children become confident in their learning and able to use their knowledge in various situations. We also focus on developing strong speaking skills, as many children start school with limited vocabulary. Reading is crucial, so we emphasize reading and vocabulary from the start to help all children access the full curriculum.

Supporting All Learners To ensure all students, especially those who are disadvantaged, can thrive, we focus on reading, vocabulary, and speaking skills. Our strategies for children with special needs are carefully planned to help them succeed. We also introduce students to a wide range of cultural experiences, helping them appreciate creativity and build confidence for future learning.

Character and Values We teach Social, Moral, Spiritual, and Cultural (SMSC) education throughout the year in all subjects. Our goal is to help children develop character, resilience, and inner discipline. We include activities like sports, arts, and community involvement to build these qualities. As children grow in confidence, knowledge, and skills, we hope they become compassionate, lifelong learners who contribute positively to society and uphold values like equality, tolerance, democracy, and the rule of law.

Special Projects and Experiences Each term, we pause our regular curriculum for a week to focus on special projects like Peace Mala, Equality Studies, and Ecology Studies. Being in Benchill in South Manchester, we use our local community and surroundings as an extended classroom with various off-site visits and guest speakers to enrich our students' learning experiences.

Curriculum Implementation

Structured Learning Our curriculum is supported by detailed unit plans that guide students through learning key knowledge and skills. We use Rosenshine’s Principles of Direct Instruction, which includes:

1. Daily Review

2. Presenting new material in small steps

3. Asking questions

4. Providing models

5. Guiding student practice

6. Checking for understanding

7. Ensuring high success rates

8. Providing support for difficult tasks

9. Encouraging independent practice

10. Weekly and monthly reviews

Impact of the Curriculum

We regularly review our curriculum to ensure high-quality learning and outcomes for our students. We keep samples of excellent student work to help new staff understand our expectations. Our students show their progress through their achievements, the work in their books, and their enthusiasm for learning.

If you would like to find out more about your child's curriculum, please speak to your child's teacher.