Key Stage 1 & 2

Curriculum Overview

Spring Term 2024

We send out our Curriculum Overviews to Parents and Carers each term. You can find the overviews for this term by clicking the relevant link below:

 

Click here for the Spring Term Curriculum Overview for Years 1 and 2.

Click here for the Spring Term Curriculum Overview for Years 3 and 4.

Click here for the Spring Term Curriculum Overview for Years 5 and 6.

 

At Oakley Primary Academy we offer an inclusive, knowledge-rich curriculum which prepares all children for opportunities, responsibilities, and experiences in later life. The curriculum is planned and sequenced carefully so children can build on their skills as they progress through the school. It promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, and physical development of children as well as developing a positive growth mindset towards learning and life experiences. Additionally, the curriculum we offer is broad and balanced, offering children opportunities to be creative and achieve their potential as well as providing them with the core knowledge they need. The progression documents show the knowledge the children need to know in each subject area. Revisiting and refreshing key 'sticky knowledge' is also an integral part of the learning sequence to ensure knowledge is embedded into the long-term memory. At the centre of everything we teach are the fundamental British values of democracy, individual liberty, respect and tolerance of those from all faiths (or no faith), backgrounds and cultures.

 

Science

The children are taught the foundations for understanding the world through Science. The children build a body of key knowledge and scientific concepts over time and children develop their excitement and curiosity to discover new scientific understanding. Through developing their knowledge of Science, they establish the processes and methods; understanding how to approach a scientific enquiry and reach a conclusion from their findings. They understand how science knowledge is vital to equipping the children for further discoveries in the future. They seek information to develop understanding of nature, processes and methods of science in lessons as well as practically experimenting open-ended investigations. Over time, they learn about the most significant scientific discoveries of the past and how the scientists have impacted World Science.

Science Knowledge Progression Document 

Working Scientifically 

 

Computing

We offer a high-quality computing education that includes how digital systems work, ensuring children are confident to problem solve in computational terms and be able share knowledge and information through programming creative animations and presentations. The children build their coding skills alongside using the digital world to seek information for subjects and their interests. They become responsible competent users of technology as we invest time educating our children on internet safety and how to be a safe user, supporting their increasing independence using a wide range of online platforms.

Computing Knowledge Progression Document

 

Geography

Geography allows the children to expand their knowledge of diverse people, places, resources and natural and human environments within our fascinating world. They deepen their understanding of the earth’s key physical and human processes and how the geography of the earth can change over time. We build the children’s knowledge of location, interpreting a wide range of maps, globes, aerial photographs and diagrams to give them confidence of their sense of place. The children enjoy the practical fieldwork where they can study their locality closely, collecting data and analysing their findings in a geographical way.

Geography Knowledge Progression Document

 

History

The children are curious to know more about the past and we have carefully planned for the children to build a timeline of world and British history across their primary school life. They are able to satisfy their curiosity of people’s lives and the diversity of societies across a wide range of historical periods as well as thinking critically, asking questions for further investigation into the past. They enjoy debates and building a historical vocabulary for comparing the past to present day. They also like studying a range of artefacts and using a wide range of evidence to make historical conclusions. This builds towards a deeper understanding of their own identity and the process of changes that have happened in the past.

History Knowledge Progression Document

 

World Views

World Views is a comprehensive R.E. programme of learning, including 59 Enquiry modules covering Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism. The children are able to enhance their critical thinking skills and it encourages them to think about their own responses to the big questions within religion. We equip them to appreciate the world of diversity, celebrating differences and seeing similarities between religions and cultures. We support them in their personal spiritual development and provide a safe enquiry space that is respectful and reflective. This allows children to form and build their own set of values and beliefs which leads to increased confidence of identity in later life.
The units we teach in RE also link closely to the British Values of Democracy, Rule of law, Individual Liberty, Mutual respect and Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs.

RE Knowledge Progression Document

 

Design and Technology

Children really enjoy the practical, inspiring lessons within design and technology as they are able to use their imagination and creativity to make products for a wide variety of purposes and contexts. They draw on different subjects, such as, mathematics and science to develop early engineering skills and become enterprising in their creations. They build on knowledge of past and present design and see the impact it has had on daily life. They learn over time a variety of practical skills and improve accuracy of these as they master techniques within woodwork, textiles and cooking. They learn practically how to solve a problem and work on evaluating and improving a design from creating prototypes.

DT Knowledge Progression Document

 

Art and Design

Art is the highest form of human creativity and an engaging experience for children to be inspired by great artists and challenge themselves to create original pieces. The children practise the skills of drawing, painting and sculpture over time to progress to become masters of the Arts. The children develop their ability to think critically about art and reflect on how art has shaped our history. The children also get opportunities to look into cultural art and become inspired to create pieces with similar styles, adopting techniques of craft makers and designers. The children enjoy communicating their ideas through a wide range of media and experimenting within their sketchbooks.

Art and Design Knowledge Progression Document

Scheme Progression

 

Physical education (P.E.)

Within P.E., our children develop an understanding of how to promote health, resilience within sports and active sessions and being safe whilst having fun. Children like to be physically active and we promote how to ensure being active is a regular part of a person’s lifestyle. Through PE, the children develop a whole set of sporting values that increases their self-confidence to participate and they become a respectful, fair team player. We spend time in lessons practising and improving basic skills including running, throwing, jumping, striking and catching. The children then apply these skills within inter-school sporting events we regularly attend.

PE Knowledge Progression Document

 

Music

Developing a love and appreciation for music and building their talent a musician is essential within our music curriculum. Children increase their self-confidence through performance of original pieces; their creativity shines through as they put musical pieces together and a real sense of achievement can be seen within music. We provide several opportunities to perform to a larger audience throughout the academic year and prepare for these through practise, review and self-evaluation. The children are exposed to a wide range of music with varying styles and genres, discovering great works from composers and musicians. They develop a critical engagement with music, linking historical periods of time to the pieces they listen to and appreciate.

Music Knowledge Progression Document

 

Personal, Social, Health Education (PSHE)

Jigsaw PSHE consists of six half-term units of work (Puzzles), each containing six lessons (Pieces) covering each academic year. Every Piece has two Learning Intentions, one specific to Relationships and Health Education (PSHE) and the other designed to develop emotional literacy and social skills. We aim to prepare children for life, helping them know who they really are and understanding how they relate to other people in this ever-changing world. We educate our children to improve the lives of others and to ensure they have a positive impact in the community they live in. We have established a set of core values that the school’s ethos is built upon and discuss these deeply within assembly times and circle times in class. Within PSHE lessons, we delve deeper into how the children can become active citizens, developing positive relationships and nurturing their physical and mental health. We additionally develop mindfulness and work on building a growth mindset, ensuring children have a positive outlook when taking risks or facing challenge.

PSHE Knowledge Progression Document

 

Modern Foreign Languages (M.F.L.)

To build on a children’s sense of the world around them, we offer the children the ability to learn another foreign language. They really enjoy starting off learning through songs and orally rehearing parts of the language and developing their confident in the language and moving towards being able to read and write simple phrases and sentences. We currently offer Spanish as our main foreign language being taught with Spanish also being offered in enrichment afternoons. This really provides access and opportunity for the children to experience other cultures and enrich their experiences of Europe. From Year 3 the lessons become more formal.

MFL Knowledge Progression Document

 

Widening Curriculum Opportunities


As well as delivering a curriculum which provides a good foundation of knowledge, skills and experiences for every child, we continuously seek opportunities to enrich the children’s lives further. Here is a list of just some of the further opportunities we provide to fulfil our children’s educational experiences:

 

  • We offer several local trips and excursions to match the curriculum learning across the academic year. We even ask a real-life farm to set up in our playground for Early Years! All Key Stage 2-year groups attend residential trips, where children stay away for a night or more and experience a wide range of adventures including camping under the stars within a ‘Bushcraft’ experience to spending a night in the big city of London, enjoying a tour of the sights, and heading to the theatre with friends.
  • We regularly head out into the wider community of Oakley and go to sing Carols to the elderly at Christmas at Lovell Homes and volunteer to serve cream teas in the local church. We participate in the local carnival and vote for the Oakley’s carnival king and queen who parade on the day.
  • We invite secondary students, our ex-pupils, to return to Oakley Primary and team them up with our year 5 children to take part in a business enterprise project, where the children plan, make and design products to sell at a profit! The secondary students support our children develop their business management skills and ensure their business becomes a success!
  • We enjoy inviting ‘History off the Page’ actors and actresses in for the day so the children are immersed in the historical period they are currently studying and dress up to become a character from the past. Just one example was when our school hall turned into a marketplace in Ancient Rome and children prepared for battle learning new formations, finishing with a roman feast and listening to roman stories to end the day.
  • We have local artists come in and deliver art workshops where the children learn new skills such as felting and different ways to collage in their style and design.
  • We take part in ‘sing-on’ events with other Bedfordshire schools, where the children practise with musically talented teachers, ready to perform in Bedford’s Corn Exchange to a vast public audience.
  • We take part in the wide range of cross Primary school events and competitions within our Trust, such as Spelling Bee, book quiz, STEM, swimming competitions and art shows.
  • From Year 1 upwards the pupils take part the cross-school sports competitions.
Welcome to Oakley Primary Academy

It brings me great pleasure to welcome you to Oakley Primary Academy, a proud member of the Meridian Trust. Having joined the school in September 2023, I am honoured to be here to seek to make Oakley the first-choice school for parents and carers in the heart of the community of our wonderful village and local area.

We hope that, during their time with us, our children will enjoy exciting new experiences, deepen and broaden their knowledge of our curriculum, make new friends and love every day. We are very fortunate to have a highly-experienced, professional and dedicated staff body whom I know are committed to ensuring we do our very best for your children.

If you are a parent / carer who is considering sending your child to join our fantastic school, we encourage you to come and see us 'in action' during the day. We are confident that you will agree this is a place your child can thrive.

I look forward to meeting you.

Mr. Callum Brown

Headteacher

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