Subjects
Curriculum- (ID 1017)
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Reading
Reading
Reading is at the heart of our curriculum, a crucial part of our daily experience and essential for developing both educational and social progress. It is our vision to ensure every child achieves their full potential to become confident, enthusiastic readers and diverse, understanding members of society. As inspiring role models of literature, it is our intention to nurture a love of reading, to immerse children in high-quality texts, and to develop a thirst for discovery.
We have a whole-school reading spine mapped out from EYFS to Year 6, which ensures that children access a broad range of diverse, high-quality and engaging texts, including contemporary works, traditional tales, poetry, non-fiction, and literature from different cultures. This provides both exposure and challenge, enriching their understanding of the wider world
We strive to cultivate a community with strong abilities in both the spoken and written word; therefore, the acquisition of language and vocabulary is of the utmost importance and underpins our regular meaningful discussions and explicit teaching of reading skills.
We identify the lowest 20% of readers early through ongoing assessment, and provide targeted support using a structured and systematic approach. This includes daily 1:1 or small group intervention sessions, tailored phonics support, and close progress monitoring to ensure rapid improvement. Staff receive regular training to ensure fidelity in delivery.
Continue our Reading Curriculum Statement here.
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Writing
Writing
At Barn Croft, we believe that every child is a writer. We are passionate about developing every child’s knowledge, motivation and confidence in their writing. We have chosen HFL Education’s ESSENTIALWRITING as the basis of our writing curriculum for years 1-6. This is an ambitious and progressive writing scheme which provides our children with opportunities and tools to write for a range of specific purposes and authentic audiences.
As a result, our children feel inspired and ready to write high-quality outcomes within the classroom but also have the knowledge, strategies and confidence to choose to write in their own lives.
Learning to write is one of the most important things that a child will learn. Children use their writing in almost all other subjects of the curriculum. Good writing also gives children a voice to share their ideas with the world.
ESSENTIALWRITING is fully aligned with the National Curriculum for English including writing composition, vocabulary, grammar & punctuation for each year group. Each writing unit is progressively structured and centred around the different writing purposes: to entertain; to inform; to persuade and to discuss. The writing purposes are also progressively sequenced across the school.
Click here to see our Whole School Writing Overview.
Click here to see the Core Texts we use.
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Maths
Maths
"Without mathematics, there’s nothing you can do." – Albert Einstein
At Barn Croft, we believe maths is not just a subject—it’s a vital life skill. Whether baking a cake, budgeting the weekly shop, or catching a train on time, mathematics is everywhere. Our aim is to give every child the confidence, curiosity, and competence to use maths in both the classroom and the wider world.
We believe that every child can succeed in mathematics with the right teaching, encouragement, and support. Our curriculum is designed to develop independent, resilient learners who embrace challenge and approach maths with a ‘can-do’ attitude.
Our approach is based on three key principles: a well-planned and sequenced curriculum, high-quality engaging teaching and a step-by-step mastery approach that ensures no child is left behind.
Our teaching is guided by the Five Big Ideas from the NCETM:
- -Coherence
- -Representation & Structure
- -Fluency
- -Variation
- -Mathematical Thinking
By focusing on depth over speed, we aim for all children to leave Barn Croft as confident, capable mathematicians, well-prepared for the challenges of secondary school and beyond.
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Science
Science
At Barn Croft, we recognise the importance of science as a core subject and give it the prominence it requires. We believe that science should excite pupils’ interests, build on their prior knowledge and strengthen their confidence, enabling them to take risks, work out problems and raise further questions. Our aim is to equip our children with the key working scientifically skills, knowledge and vocabulary motivated by our core skills of active learning, basic skills and creative thinking. Our science curriculum is shaped by the National Curriculum for Science, our school curriculum, our school values and the ethos at Barn Croft. It aims to ensure all children:
-develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics
- -develop understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science through different types of science enquiries that help them to answer scientific questions about the world around them
- -are equipped with the scientific skills required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future.
At Barn Croft we are committed to providing all children with an equal entitlement to scientific activities and opportunities. We plan for the Working Scientifically skills to be built-on and developed year on year so that they can make connections in their learning and become thinkers and investigators. This will enable them to apply their knowledge of science when using equipment, conducting experiments and explaining concepts confidently. We will encourage a natural and healthy curiosity about the world around us and respect for living and non-living things. Our intent is to deliver a science curriculum that is accessible to all and one which allows the opportunity for critical evaluation of evidence, to be reflective, responsible and to ask questions. By doing this, we maximise the outcomes for every child so that they develop an enthusiasm and enjoyment of scientific learning and discovery. Through group work, carrying out experiments and research, we will provide opportunities for children to understand the power of collaborative working in the science community. We aim to ensure the science curriculum we provide will equip children at Barn Croft with the confidence and motivation required to continue to further their skills into the next stage of education and beyond.
Continue our Science Curriculum Statement here
Click here to see our Year Group Overview
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History
History
At Barn Croft, our History curriculum aims to nurture confident, knowledgeable young historians who approach the subject with enthusiasm and enjoyment. The curriculum is designed to provide meaningful learning experiences that engage pupils and foster a genuine passion for History. In the Early Years (EYFS) and Key Stage 1 (KS1), we focus on building substantive knowledge through the introduction of subject-specific concepts such as evidence, enquiry, and decision-making. This ensures that, by the time children transition to Key Stage 2 (KS2), they are equipped with the foundational skills and ready to engage with more disciplinary historical knowledge, ultimately preparing them for the Humanities curriculum at secondary school.
We are currently trialling the Opening Worlds curriculum in Y3 and Y4, which emphasizes a coherent, chronological, and rigorous structure. This approach ensures that links are made across individual subjects and topics, allowing knowledge to be gradually and successfully built upon. By integrating this structure, we aim to enhance our curriculum's coherence and sequencing, ensuring pupils can make explicit links using their previous knowledge.
Our curriculum provides a broad yet focused overview of key periods, events, and themes in British and world history. Pupils in EYFS begin by exploring their immediate world, learning about their family, community, and significant people in their lives. In KS1, this expands to include the study of toys from the past and significant historical figures. In KS2, children explore British history chronologically, from early settlements to the Industrial Revolution, with units covering the Romans, Vikings, Anglo-Saxons, medieval Britain, and the two World Wars. These units explore key themes like change, continuity, power, and perspective.
World history is integrated through carefully selected units, including Ancient Greece, the Shang Dynasty, the Benin Kingdom, and the Civil Rights movement. These units provide global coverage and challenge traditional historical narratives, fostering a broader understanding of diverse cultures and experiences. By exploring civil rights up to the present day, the curriculum shows pupils how historical events continue to shape modern society and their own identities.
Throughout, connections and comparisons are drawn between periods and individuals, such as linking the Magna Carta to the Great Reform Act during the Industrial Revolution. Pupils are taught substantive content that defines each historical period, and this knowledge is meticulously planned, revisited, and expanded upon. More abstract concepts like kingship and empire are carefully developed across the key stages, enabling pupils to build an increasingly sophisticated understanding of history.
Continue our History Curriculum Statement here
Click here to see our Year Group Overview
More information on the Opening Worlds Curriculum
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Geography
Geography
At Barn Croft, our intent is to nurture confident, knowledgeable young geographers who approach the subject with curiosity, enthusiasm, and enjoyment. We want our pupils to understand that Geography is the study of the Earth’s people, places, environments, and the relationships between them.
Our curriculum is designed to ensure that pupils develop a rounded and progressively deepening knowledge of the characteristics of diverse places, at a range of scales—from the local to the global. This includes understanding physical and human features, how places have changed over time, the challenges they currently face, and how they are interconnected. Through this, children begin to see the world not as a collection of isolated topics, but as a complex, dynamic system shaped by interactions and change.
We aim to equip pupils with substantive geographical knowledge (such as settlements, climates, rivers, and population patterns) and disciplinary knowledge—learning how to think, act and communicate like geographers. Pupils are encouraged to ask questions about diversity, change and interaction across places and scales. They develop the tools of enquiry, use maps and data, and expand their geographical vocabulary so they can describe, analyse, and make sense of the world around them.
Our Geography teaching supports pupils in becoming informed, responsible global citizens who understand their own place in the world and are prepared to contribute to shaping its future.
Continue our Geography Curriculum Statement here
Click here to see our Year Group Overview
More information about the Opening Worlds Curriculum
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Art
Art
At Barn Croft Primary School, our Art curriculum is carefully designed from the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) through to Year 6 to nurture children’s creativity, imagination, and practical skills in art and design. We aim to foster a lifelong appreciation and love of the arts through a progressive, sequential curriculum that enables pupils to explore a wide range of materials, techniques, and artistic concepts. Drawing on the AccessArt Curriculum, we ensure that every child revisits core skills and knowledge throughout their primary education, building on prior learning while encountering new and exciting artistic experiences.
In EYFS, children begin to explore artistic media and mark-making through child-led play and focused activities, developing fine motor skills, visual awareness, and creative expression—laying strong foundations for progression into Key Stage 1 and beyond. Our curriculum supports our wider school aim of developing critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills in a nurturing, inclusive environment. We place strong emphasis on personal expression, the visual language of art, and appreciation for diverse cultures and artistic traditions.
Continue our Art Curriculum Statement here
Click here to see our Year Group Overview
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Music
Music
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Design and Technology
Design and Technology
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Computing
Computing
At Barn Croft Primary, we have adopted the Purple Mash Computing Scheme of Work for Years 1 to 6. This carefully structured programme ensures a clear progression of computing skills and knowledge across all year groups, promoting consistency and continuity in learning.
The scheme equips our teachers with the tools and resources to deliver engaging, high-quality lessons that inspire pupils and raise standards. It is designed to be accessible for all learners, supporting each child in reaching their full potential.
We are confident that the Purple Mash curriculum aligns fully with the national vision for Computing. Its flexibility, strong cross-curricular links, and seamless integration with the 2Simple Computing Assessment Tool make it an excellent fit for our school.
In the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), while we do not use Purple Mash, children are introduced to early computing concepts through exploratory play and hands-on experiences with technology. This lays the groundwork for digital literacy and supports the development of key skills such as problem-solving, logical thinking, and creativity.
Continue our Computing Curriculum Statement here
Click here to see our Year Group Overview
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French
French
At Barn Croft Primary School, the French scheme of work aims to instil a love of language learning and a deeper awareness of other cultures. We want pupils to develop the confidence to communicate in French for practical purposes using both written and spoken forms. Language learning is also a vehicle for broadening children’s horizons, enhancing their understanding of global citizenship, and fostering empathy and curiosity about the wider world.
Through our scheme of work, we aim to provide a strong foundation for language learning that supports children in:
- Developing the skills needed to learn additional languages in the future.
- Enhancing their understanding of the English language through comparative grammar and vocabulary.
- Accessing future study and career opportunities both in the UK and abroad.
The scheme supports pupils in meeting the National Curriculum end of Key Stage 2 attainment targets (noting that there are no statutory targets for Key Stage 1 Languages).
Continue our French Curriculum Statement here
Click here to see our Year Group Overview
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Physical Education
Physical Education
At Barn Croft, we nurture the physical, social, and emotional well-being of our pupils through a rich and ambitious P.E. curriculum. Designed to be broad, inclusive, and accessible to all, our curriculum is packed with opportunities for pupils to build knowledge and develop a wide range of physical skills, encouraging every learner—including those in the EYFS, and those who are disadvantaged or have SEND—to strive for their personal best.
We ensure clear progression in both skill development and understanding across a variety of sports and activities, fostering a lifelong passion for physical activity and healthy lifestyles. In a supportive and inclusive environment, children and staff feel safe, respected, and valued—reflecting the core values of our whole school community.
Pupils are encouraged to apply their skills both independently and collaboratively in team settings. They also learn to reflect on their own progress, identifying ways to improve their abilities and maintain their overall fitness and well-being.
Continue our PE Curriculum Statement here
Click here to see our Year Group Overview
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PSHE
PSHE
At Barn Croft Primary School, we believe PSHE and RHE are fundamental to nurturing well-rounded, responsible, and inclusive individuals. Our curriculum, built upon the 1decision framework, goes beyond rote learning. We supplement it with contextualised learning experiences that address the specific needs and interests of each year group. This holistic approach empowers pupils to navigate the complexities of modern British life.
Through the No Outsiders programme, grounded in the Equality Act, we foster a culture that celebrates diversity, respects everyone's right to feel safe, and encourages them to seek support when needed. Explicit safeguarding lessons equip pupils to recognise risky situations and understand how to get help from trusted adults. This creates a safe environment where children feel comfortable talking about their concerns and experiences.
Our curriculum incorporates British Values, fostering an understanding of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect, and tolerance. This prepares pupils to appreciate diversity and contribute positively to both school life and the wider community. They develop a strong sense of self-worth and identity through these contributions.
Knowledge, skills, and understanding are explicitly set out in long-term plans, with clear progression across key stages. Framework objectives and key vocabulary are emphasised to ensure strong foundations. Enrichment experiences like workshops, bespoke interventions, and visits from professionals further enrich the curriculum. The progression overview depicts the journey pupils take in their PSHE and RHE journey, across key stages.
Continue Our PSHE Curriculum Statement here
Click here to see our Year Group Overview
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Religious Studies
Religious Studies
At Barn Croft Primary, our RE curriculum is designed to offer a broad, balanced, and rich learning experience in line with the Waltham Forest Agreed Syllabus. Our aim is to engage pupils in exploring significant human questions through the study of a range of religions and worldviews. We want children to understand the relevance of RE in today’s world and how beliefs and values shape individuals, communities, and society. Our curriculum promotes spiritual, moral, social, and cultural (SMSC) development, encouraging personal growth, reflection, and respect for others.
Continue our RE Curriculum Statement here
Click here to see our Year Group Overview
Click here for further information about the WF Agreed Syllabus
