Our Curriculum

At Dunston Hill Community Primary School, we believe that our curriculum should offer not only the National Curriculum, but life skills and experiences beyond that.

Alongside teaching the requirements of the National Curriculum, we have identified THREE key curriculum drivers and prioritised the key skills and aspirations we want our children to experience and develop during their time with us.  These key drivers will be clearly evident from our first Nursery intake through to our Year 6 children who are preparing for the next stage of the educational journey.

We use these key drivers to underpin the learning and experiences available to our children in all areas of school life and to ensure our curriculum offer is enriched.  These key drivers are personal to our school, have been developed alongside our children and staff, and reflect the social and educational needs of our families, our local area and the wider community.

The following Key Curriculum Drivers underpin our learning and are developed through the school.

EXCITEMENT, RESILIENCE, INSPIRATION

We want our curriculum to “spark excitement”, “encourage resilience” and “inspire” and so these three elements will be woven through our whole-school provision

If you would like any additional information about the curriculum offered at Dunston Hill CPS please contact Mrs N Rhodes (Headteacher) here.

Adaptive Teaching and Inclusion

At our school, we are committed to providing a high-quality education that enables every child to achieve their full potential. We believe that all children can succeed through excellent teaching, high expectations and an inclusive approach that recognises and responds to individual needs.

Adaptive teaching is at the heart of our practice. Teachers use ongoing assessment to identify children’s strengths, barriers to learning and next steps, adapting their teaching to ensure that all children can access the curriculum whilst maintaining ambitious expectations for every learner.

Our adaptations may include:

• Carefully planned scaffolding to support children in accessing new learning, with support gradually reduced as confidence and independence develop.
• Explicit teaching, modelling, worked examples and carefully sequenced learning to build knowledge and understanding.
• Targeted questioning, flexible grouping and responsive feedback to address misconceptions and extend thinking.
• Visual supports, practical resources, adapted instructions and assistive technology where appropriate.
• Reasonable adjustments for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and those who are neurodivergent, including adaptations to communication, sensory environments, routines and methods of recording learning.
• Pre-teaching and overlearning to reinforce key vocabulary and concepts where needed to support foundational skills.
• Appropriate challenge for children working at greater depth through deeper questioning, increased reasoning, problem-solving, creativity and opportunities to apply learning in unfamiliar contexts.
• Additional adult support where appropriate to promote independence rather than dependency.

We recognise that children learn in different ways and at different rates. Our teachers know their children well and use assessment to make informed decisions about the most effective approaches for each learner. We work closely with families and, where appropriate, external professionals to ensure that support is personalised and effective.

Our aim is for every child – including those with SEND, neurodivergent learners, children requiring additional support, and those ready for greater depth – to feel included, valued, challenged and successful. Through adaptive teaching, we ensure that all children have equitable access to a broad, balanced and ambitious curriculum and are supported to flourish both academically and personally.