At Echelford, we have worked hard to ensure that our curriculum is engaging, progressive and cohesive.  We have recognised that a curriculum with too much breadth is unmanageable, can cause cognitive overload and mean that our pupils only superficially engage with the knowledge.  Therefore, we have identified the key conceptual themes within our curriculum and ensured that these are at the heart of what we teach.  Throughout this, we have kept ‘our pupils’ and the knowledge they need to develop at the heart of all decisions made. 

Introducing Echelford’s key curriculum themes:

Wonderful World
From the nature within our local area to the oceans, rainforests and mountains, to the erupting volcanoes and flowing rivers, our world truly is magnificent.  We want our children to recognise its beauty, power and wonder and to realise their responsibility in protecting it. 

Journeys
Looking at journeys encourages children to think about the reasons why people go on voyages; whether it's exploration, migration, slavery or otherwise. We want to expose our children to the journeys people take and the different motivating factors that instigate these journeys.   Through this, we will recognise that journeys can be emotional as well as physical.

Healthy Me
We want our children to recognise the factors that ensure we have a healthy body and healthy mind and how these lifestyle choices can impact our health and well being.

Power, conflict and ideas
By learning how leaders and hierarchy have changed the world over time and how this has been challenged, we can explore the causes and consequences of the issues that drive our world. 

Diverse Heroes
A hero is a person who is admired for their courage, outstanding achievements or noble qualities.  Consequently, heroes can come in many forms; from ourselves, from superheroes or characters in a book, and from the diverse humans that have impacted the way we live.  

Changes that shaped our World
Discovering the great breakthroughs that have shaped our history, helps us to recognise the changes that have impacted our lives and got us to where we are today.  

Celebrating Difference
Celebrating our differences can enable us to open our minds to new ideas and experiences.  

It is therefore vital that our curriculum provides children with the opportunity to acknowledge and embrace the unique qualities, perspectives, and characteristics that distinguish individuals or groups from one another.  We want our pupils to recognise that we are all unique and work together to use our own individual skills to make the world a better place.