Curriculum

Curriculum Intent

The curriculum at Gipsey Bridge Academy is aimed to inspire and excite pupils through the Cornerstones curriculum.

What is the Cornerstones Curriculum?

The Cornerstones Curriculum is a coherent, skills and knowledge-based primary curriculum with a creative edge. It’s rooted in a proven pedagogy based on how children learn best. At its heart is the principle that every child deserves a rich, fun, engaging and broad learning experience. The curriculum nurtures engagement, curiosity and innovation, brings learning to life in meaningful ways, and really makes an impact.

Imaginative Learning Projects

Our curriculum is taught through Imaginative Learning Projects (ILP).  Each ILP has an overarching theme linked to a national curriculum subject. In addition to the main subject focus, each ILP makes meaningful links across a range of subjects and covers multiple aspects of the national curriculum. Lessons are organised in a weekly series and link national curriculum programmes of study (the knowledge bit) and age-related skills (the skills bit).

Subject depth and progression

Each project is closely linked to the knowledge and skills outlined in the national curriculum. Key concepts are learnt and built upon across year groups, ensuring subject depth, coherence and progression. Due to the structure of the Cornerstones Curriculum, children are given ample opportunities to embed knowledge and master new skills in a range of contexts.

Keeping it broad and balanced

While literacy is at the heart of each ILP, each project makes meaningful links across the curriculum, maximising opportunities to apply and build on subject knowledge and wider skills. 

Please take the time to visit the class pages to view the latest projects or come along to our many curriculum events to see the outcomes.

PSHE/RSE:  We use 1Decision schemes of work.

Phonics:  

We recognise that phonics is essential to providing a firm foundation for children’s reading and writing. This policy outlines a whole-school approach to phonics but particularly refers to early readers and writers in Foundation Stage (FS) and Key Stage one (KS1).

Aims and principles:

• We aim to provide regular, systematic and high quality teaching of phonics that equips children with the skills needed to become confident, independent readers and writers.
• We aim to support progression for all children at their stage of development.
• We aim to foster a love of reading and writing.

Organisation:

We follow the Letters and Sounds (L&S) publication timetable, but use a variety of resources to support this, including Jolly Phonics resources (songs and story/action books) as well as resources we make from a variety of sources on the internet.