Our curriculum is driven by our vision and purpose which is underpinned by our five core beliefs and values. By combining our wealth of knowledge and expertise of how children learn best, with our agreed principles, we have built a curriculum to meet the needs of our children. Staff support each other in the delivery of this curriculum and our curriculum is ambitious and inclusive for every pupil.

We believe that children learn best when:

• Learning is active, collaborative and cognitive
• Learning is practised and consolidated it leads to fluency and secure understanding.
• Explicit vocabulary teaching is central to all subjects and strong language skills underpin all learning
• Questions are asked and learning is explored, we believe this develops curious minds and critical thinkers.
• Learning contexts are immersive and fun, we believe in learning that is engaging, enjoyable and leads to learning that is remembered.
• The curriculum and sequences of lessons are planned to be progressive and build upon knowledge – supporting the layering of new knowledge on secure foundations.
• The integrity of different subjects and the associated skills are defined so pupils understand what it is to be a historian, an artist, a geographer…
• Learning can be interconnected and meaning drawn across subjects enabling pupils to make sense of the world around them and their experiences.
• They are given opportunities to imagine and innovate as this leads to deeper learning and allows for knowledge to be transferred to a range of contexts.

Humanities Vision at Valley

Children at Valley Primary are global citizens, who are aware of the past, present and future of the world around them. Through cross-curricular links, and its unique curriculum, Valley children build on their knowledge and their learning is built on as they go through the school. We believe the humanities play a key part in a broad and balanced school curriculum. They have a crucial role in helping children to:

· explore the purpose & meaning of their lives,

· build their sense of identity & self-worth and

· develop the values that will help them to become active, inclusive and thoughtful citizens.

We aim to embed a knowledge of our subjects to create resilient and confident learners.

Our Arts Curriculum

The arts are important at Valley, so that our children have the opportunity to express themselves through a  range of different subjects. We all feel that appreciation and experience of different art forms is essential to ensure pupils receive a fully rounded education. The arts will be embedded across our curriculum in the form of music, art, design, performance, drama, dance, literature, languages, outdoor learning, creativity and more

• We believe that outdoor learning is an essential part of school life and comes with huge benefits: Learning outside goes way beyond a mud kitchen. Our outdoor learning is an extension of our classrooms and is embedded throughout our curriculum and school life. It supports resilience and adaptability, respect for nature and the environment, development of problem solving skills in ‘real’ situations, as well as providing positive health benefits.  We will be developing this aspect of learning throughout the school. 
• We will continue to ensure that children each class fully engage with study topics chosen for each half term, and that class trips to stimulating events and locations are arranged, making the most of our location in the Lake District.
• We will continue to give opportunities for every child to express themselves through high quality school performances, including drama, dance and music