{SECTION_MENU}

The Curriculum at ACE

The aim of Arundel Church of England Primary School is to provide opportunities for children to develop as independent, confident, successful learners with high aspirations who know how to make a positive contribution to their community and the wider society. There is a high focus on developing children’s moral, spiritual, social and cultural understanding. The school ensures that children are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

Faith, hope, and love are discussed individually at several points in the Scriptures. In the New Testament book of 1 Corinthians, the apostle Paul mentions the three virtues together and then goes on to identify love as the most important of the three. Our curriculum aims to allow children the opportunity to love learning through having “a love of learning in our hearts”.

The school provides a highly inclusive environment where learners enjoy their education and make good progress in all subjects and areas of learning. Pupils at all levels are helped to achieve their potential. Those who are most able are challenged and supported through appropriate greater depth activities. Those who struggle 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.

Curriculum Organisation at ACE

A quality primary experience is not based upon coverage though. Doing more does not necessarily mean more will be learnt, or indeed that learning will be a more satisfying experience. Teachers at ACE are expected to create rich, extended learning experiences so that the children have the chance to engage in deep, meaningful learning, by studying a subject in depth. It is far more likely that lasting and more purposeful learning will transpire in these circumstances. Teachers plan learning theme work throughout the year, and also earmark one week every term when the exclusive focus is the learning theme. Skills learnt in reading, writing and mathematics can be applied during the week within the learning theme focus.

What is an ACE knowledge-rich Curriculum in principle?

Knowledge provides a driving, underpinning philosophy: The grammar of each subject is given high status; the specifics of what we want pupils to learn matter and the traditions of subject disciplines are respected. Skills and understanding are seen as forms of knowledge and it is understood that there are no real generic skills that can be taught outside of specific knowledge domains. Acquiring powerful knowledge is seen as an end itself; there is a belief that we are all empowered through knowing things and that this cannot be left to chance. There is also a sense that the creative, ’rounded and grounded’ citizens we all want to develop – with a host of strong character traits identified in our ACE key messages – will emerge through being immersed in a knowledge-rich curriculum.