Our Curriculum:
At Queen's Manor Primary School, we have designed an ambitious, knowledge-rich curriculum that enables every child to develop a deep understanding of the world around them and prepares them successfully for the next stage of their education. Our curriculum is built on the belief that all children can achieve highly when learning is carefully planned, expertly taught and revisited over time.
Each subject is valued in its own right and has been carefully designed to reflect its unique disciplinary knowledge, concepts and ways of thinking. From the Early Years Foundation Stage through to Year 6, learning is sequenced in small, logical steps so that pupils systematically build knowledge and skills over time. New learning is deliberately connected to prior learning, ensuring children develop secure foundations before moving on to more complex ideas and concepts.
At the heart of our curriculum is a commitment to developing powerful knowledge. Within every subject, the essential concepts, vocabulary and core knowledge that pupils need to know and remember have been clearly identified. These are mapped progressively across the school to ensure breadth, depth and coherence in learning. Teachers use knowledge organisers, retrieval practice and carefully planned learning sequences to help pupils secure this knowledge and make meaningful connections between different areas of learning.
Our curriculum is informed by research from cognitive science, recognising that learning is strengthened when knowledge is revisited and retrieved regularly. We have embedded systems that support pupils in recalling previously taught content through low-stakes quizzing, deliberate practice and opportunities to apply their learning in different contexts. These strategies help transfer knowledge from short-term memory into long-term memory, enabling pupils to remember more and use what they know with increasing confidence and fluency.
Understanding is further developed through the use of conceptual questions and our distinctive "Thinking Squares", which allow teachers to identify prior knowledge, uncover misconceptions and assess how pupils' understanding deepens over time. By revisiting these questions throughout a unit of work, pupils are encouraged to think critically, make connections and reflect on how their knowledge has grown.
Expert teaching is central to the success of our curriculum. Our teachers possess strong subject knowledge and carefully adapt learning to meet the needs of all pupils while maintaining high expectations for every child. Through thoughtfully designed lessons, purposeful questioning and a deep understanding of progression within each subject, teachers ensure that pupils are challenged, supported and inspired to achieve their very best.
Alongside high-quality classroom learning, our curriculum is enriched through educational visits, visiting experts, clubs, performances, sporting events and residential experiences. These opportunities bring learning to life, broaden pupils' horizons and help them understand the relevance of their learning beyond the classroom.
By the time they leave Queen's Manor, pupils will have acquired a rich body of knowledge, a strong set of skills and the confidence to think critically, learn independently and contribute positively to the world around them. They leave as curious, reflective and resilient learners who are both interested in and interesting to the world they inhabit.