The Curriculum at Morley Primary School

A Curriculum for Our Children

Our children are the leaders of the future. They have the capacity and potential to go forward and achieve their dreams. Our role is to inspire them to dream and aspire, and to give them the skills, knowledge, resilience and determination to reach their goals.

The curriculum at Morley Primary is designed to provide children with the knowledge and skill-set to succeed in their primary education, prepare them for their future educational steps and to fully equip them for life’s unknown adventures.

However, ‘with great power comes great responsibility’. (The Peter Parker Principle)

 Our Curriculum Intent

To foster children who are aware of the world and their position within it by knowing how privileged they are and how others are far less fortunate. To actively be able to look out for, support and show kindness and empathy towards others, so they become citizens of the world whose aim is the betterment of society.  To know and to be proud of where they are from and to fluently use a wide range of appropriate vocabulary when discussing and writing across our wide curriculum.

Three Curriculum Pillars:

From our Curriculum Intent, we have 3 pillars to our curriculum which are included in our planning for all subjects.  These pillars underpin our curriculum and link children's experiences together to make learning lifelong.

Vocabulary:

The effective use of language is vital for success in life.  Across our curriculum, the specific use of vocabulary is prioritised and time is spent discussing the etymology and morphology words.  Children are encouraged to use these new words in discussions, in their writing, at school and at home - the more children use these words, the more likely they are to use these words in their everyday language.

Locality:

We are proud of our contexualised and Derby-centred curriculum. We believe children should have a rich and varied knowledge of their local area and be proud to be part of it.  Across our curriculum, all teachers plan effective curriculum links to include Derby and Derbyshire.  Please see below for how we link each and every topic to our local area.

Leaders of the Future:

The children at Morley Primary School are the leaders of tomorrow.  From this, children learn about the power of empathy and kindness and the importance of working together.  Children learn about leaders from history and the work of key scientists who are leaders in their field.

Morley Primary School Curriculum

Assessment

Pre and Post Assessment:

All of our topics begin with a prior knowledge activity.  Children use an open-ended activity on Seesaw to express their current knowledge and understanding of the new curriculum theme based on these key areas.  Rather than providing children with a 'test', children are able to express their knowledge by using a range of creative tools: speech recording, video, diagrams, text, drawing or pictures.  This supports all children in showing their understanding in a method which is personalised and preferable to each child. 

At the end of the curriculum theme, children undertake the assessment again to show their knowledge and understanding.  These assessment opportunities allow children to show their full understanding of the topic. 

Further opportunities

All children in school have daily access to iPads, and these are used seamlessly in most lessons. Pupils take part in a half-termly photography competition, and class reading challenges.  Each October, children all run the Mini-London marathon to raise money for local charities. 

Class 2 children visit either Lea Green, Mount Cook or Castleton for a one or two night residential which allows children the opportunity to take part in a wide range of outdoor physical activities.  Children in Class 3 visit St Michael's Education Centre in Hathersage for a wonderful three night residential. This is a highlight of children's time at Morley where children explore their local Derbyshire Peak District, visit Eyam for a history focus on the plague and learn about the geography of the Peak District.

Local Links

Below is a table highlighting how each topic in Class One, Two and Three links to our local area. 

If you would like more information about our curriculum, or have something which you can offer, then please contact school directly. Thank you.