Our enquiry curriculum enables our learners to become curious about the world around them. Using the Curious City Framework by Lighting Up Learning, we teach the National Curriculum through a content that is centered around the local area. This gives learners a valuable context to their learning that they can relate to and then gives them the tools to look outward towards the world around them. We find that this approach, streamlines, aligns and ensures everything we do is purposeful, progressive and immersive with local places, people and stories.

What is enquiry led learning?

In a nutshell, enquiry-led learning provokes learners with key questions too big to answer in one go, but not so conceptually large that they cannot understand. The purpose is to guide learners through a scaffolded process, where they engage, immerse, practice and finally challenge themselves to answer the big question with a piece of writing, performance or animation, for example. Through this process learners develop both the skills and knowledge they need in order to answer the big question, and through the practice section, they are given the time and space that they need to apply the skills and knowledge they have acquired.

The usual Author (English) and Mathematicians (Maths) teaching sequences continue. Details of these teaching sequences can be found in the Author-Reader, Author-Writer and Mathematician section.

National Curriculum subject objectives from Science, History, Geography, Art and Design, Design and Technology, Music are woven throughout enquiries as seen on the Whole School Enquiries Map. Some subjects (re-named using the States of Being) are taught discreetly, such as Foreign Languages (Rigalo), Computing (Purple Mash), Physical Education, Religious Education (Understanding Christianity & Discovery RE) and PSHE (PSHE Association). Where possible, learning is still taught through an enquiry approach and links are made, but more often than not, they are stand-alone experiences.

Seven themes?

Themes are used to provide a broad and balanced coverage and help establish flow, generating a learning language throughout the school, such as Giving City that looks at charity, kindness and altruism.