Our Curriculum Overview

Our school has developed a bespoke, shared curriculum that encompasses all statutory elements of both the French and English curriculums. At The Fulham Bilingual, the pupils are fully immersed in both languages and cultures each week. 

Our Curriculum Rationale

What is it we want for the children in our schools?  

We strive to provide a curriculum which:

• is bespoke to the communities in which our pupils live, both making the most of the resources and opportunities for learning and also addressing specific areas of need.
• provides equity for all learners, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds or who have Special Educational Needs. The central message is simple: every learner matters and matters equally (UNESCO, 2017).
• will enable our pupils to engage with culture, in its many forms, throughout their time at the school, equipping them with the cultural capital necessary to be better able to articulate themselves, access opportunities and navigate choices as they get older. (Davies, 2014)
• is broad and balanced, offering learners in all year groups a deep and rich education in the full range of subjects in the Primary National Curriculum and beyond.
• strives to develop and protect the wellbeing of our pupils, during their primary years and to lay the foundations for every child to go on to realise their potential and make a positive contribution to their community (WHO, 2014).

What are we going to do to achieve it?     

We believe knowledge and skills are intrinsically linked; knowledge provides the capacity to apply skills and deepen understanding - they are both essential ingredients of a  successful curriculum (Spielman 2018)

We also know from research that knowledge builds on knowledge: the more pupils know, the more they are able to learn (Hirsch 1988). Our curriculum is our progression model. We have carefully selected and sequenced content, paying close attention to prior learning. Planning ensures opportunities for knowledge and skills to be revisited, with a ‘not a tick, but a tally’ approach.

Specific, carefully and deliberately chosen core knowledge will be detailed for each topic in a Knowledge Organiser. This is expected to be the minimum content which pupils master in their long-term memory for each unit, and will be revisited within and across phases. In this way, we will ensure that at the end of their time at our school, pupils leave with the confidence that comes from possessing a store of essential knowledge and the skills to use it (Jones 2017). Pupils will be taught, retrieve and rehearse learning in such a way that it is stored in their long-term memory. Over time they will develop sustained mastery of the curriculum (Willingham, 2010).

We must continually develop teachers’ subject knowledge, equipping them to effectively deliver the rich and broad curriculum of our intent, with a solid knowledge and understanding of the subjects they teach. This will be executed by middle leaders with subject responsibilities and by gaining access to specialist help and advice (Alexander 2010b).

Measuring the Impact

Expected Outcome 1

Learners develop detailed knowledge and skills across the curriculum and, as a result achieve well. 

Expected Outcome 2

Pupils read widely and often, with fluency and comprehension. Reading is prioritised across the school and therefore, pupils can fully access all areas of the curriculum. 

Expected Outcome 3

Mathematic fluency and confidence in every year group, applying across subjects, leading to pupils attaining beyond the national average in all year groups.  

Expected Outcome 4

Pupils to leave The Fulham Bilingual, realising and fulfilling Our Vision for them.  

Evidence

Where relevant, this is reflected in the results from national tests and examinations which will meet (and in most cases exceed) government expectations, in the qualifications obtained, in low-stake quiz results (with repeated results over time that show knowledge has been retained). Application of knowledge across subjects. Learners will be fully prepared for the next stage of learning. Analysis of summative and formative assessment data show that pupils have gained detailed knowledge across the curriculum. Samples of pupil's work, across the school, pupil voice, will further evidence this. Testimonials from our community, feedback from our local secondary schools, parent responses.

To find out more information about how our curriculum is accessible for those with disabilities or special educational needs, please visit our Accessibility Plan.