Creative Curriculum
Through our creative curriculum package we tailor exciting and compelling approaches to curriculum; localised curriculum, topical, thematic and cross curricular approaches and highly effective experiential learning.
Working in partnership with us, schools are supported not just to bring creative and innovative approaches into the classroom, but also to make links between the power of ‘ideas’ and the real experience of learning. Our methodologies help schools embed experience into their learning and curriculum, often engaging young people in opportunities where their input has actual meaning and impact.
What they say...
“The curriculum that primary children are offered must enable them to enjoy this unique stage of childhood, inspire learning and develop the essential knowledge, skills and understanding which are the building blocks for secondary education and later life.”
Pp 9; Independent Review of the Primary Curriculum: Final Report, 2009
"The school’s curriculum provides memorable experiences and rich opportunities for high-quality learning and wider personal development and well-being. The school may be at the forefront of successful, innovative curriculum design in some areas... Cross-curricular provision, including literacy, numeracy and ICT, is mainly outstanding and there is nothing less than good. As a result, all groups of pupils benefit from a highly coherent and relevant curriculum which promotes outstanding outcomes."
Ofsted Benchmarking 2009 – Teaching and Learning
How we do it...
Ruardean School, Forest of Dean - ‘Learning Journeys’
In our work with Ruardean, 90 children and teachers have been engaging in a whole school change for learning based around the locality, with children working as detectives in the exploration of their topic, shaping and documenting their journey through creative ICT as they go. Through this cross curricular approach, pupil’s progress and motivation for learning is being chartered.
Lakeside School, Cheltenham - ‘Curriculum Action’
At Lakeside school we are working with pupils over six months to develop and design a brand new creative curriculum. Representative pupils from the school are working as investigators and innovators in the process, exploring, documenting, questioning, analysing, observing and deciding on new learning methods, content and skills that they feel should be at the centre of learning at their school. We will then work with teachers to plan these elements into curriculum content.
Stuart Road School, Plymouth – ‘Guide to the Curriculum’
Our work at Stuart Road focuses on young people planning their own curriculum based on themes, key skills and experiential learning. 28 pupils from across Year 4 made up a collection of innovation groups who worked alongside teachers and experts to plan their own curriculum for the year. This work resulted in local and national press coverage and the publishing of their own curriculum guide. The young people have since been training other local primary schools in this co-constructed approach to the curriculum.
Stuart Road's pupil-led curriculum work earned the school an 'outstanding' grade 1 for community cohesion in their most recent Ofsted Report. It reads: "The introduction of a 'creative curriculum' provides engaging topics for study. Links with other providers has generated a local community project where pupils have planned and are putting on a festival. The rich community cohesion programme enhances the curriculum further....Robust auditing and consultation with all staff ensure a very dynamic contribution to community cohesion. Pupils' work with local specialists to produce their own curriculum guide has had a positive impact on their attitudes”.
Montpelier School, Plymouth – ‘Revitalising the Curriculum’
Working with us, Montpelier primary school are re-designing, re-mapping and re-structuring their whole curriculum. Their curriculum had been identified as a weakness in their SDP for two years; it was described as traditional and restricted to the delivery of discreet subject based QCA units. After one term of working with RIO each year group has re-written their curriculum plans, stopped using QCA and designed exciting, cross curricula schemes based on real opportunities and projects.
The Raw Facts
- After working with RIO, Montpelier Primary School was recognised by Ofsted as having an ‘exciting and well constructed curriculum’.
- Through our work on the development and implementation of a creative curriculum at Hamp Community Junior School, pupils attainments in Science progressed by 2 sub levels and clear impacts were made on maths and literacy.
- Stuart Road's pupil-led curriculum work earned the school an 'outstanding' grade 1 for community cohesion in their most recent Ofsted Report.
- "We are learning much more in groups...This year I have learnt if you really put your mind to it anything can get better. When I put more effort in I really liked it. In the groups we all got on with it and everyone was having fun." Year 4 pupils, Stuart Road Primary, on their work designing their own creative curriculum.
To find out more about how we could help you take more innovative and creative approaches to the curriculum, get in touch
