Curriculum Progression Documents

Gardners Lane Primary School has adopted and developed a 2-year rolling program for its foundation curriculum. This strategic choice is designed to best support the learning of all our pupils, enabling them to make sustained progress and secure essential skills and knowledge. This model is crucial for providing a well-rounded education within our school.

Each Foundation subject is mapped out over three two-year periods within Key stage 1 and Key stage 2 (known as stages). Progression maps plot the development of skills and knowledge in three stages (phases): Y1/2, Y3/4 and Y5/6 and referenced within the Federations National curriculum documents to show the completed coverage.

This 2-year rolling program is vital for ensuring consistent curriculum provision across Gardners Lane Primary School and Oakwood Federation, accommodating both single-age and mixed-age classes. Given our highly mobile pupil population and fluctuating numbers on roll, this flexibility is essential. Should the need arise to revert to a single-age or mixed-age structure due to logistical or financial considerations, this model provides a robust and consistent framework. It ensures all children, regardless of class structure or entry point, receive the same curriculum, develop the same core skills, and acquire the same foundational knowledge, fostering a coherent learning journey. This approach also supports effective resource allocation and collaborative teacher planning.

Progression

Progression is mapped over two-year periods. This ensures children, within each stage, build confidence with the skills and knowledge. They acquire these in the initial year and have the opportunity to consolidate and develop them in the following year. This spiral approach is supportive of those children that find knowledge acquisition more difficult and teachers ensure challenge is built into the curriculum at all stages to develop those that are able to access them. This also allows the schools to offer a broad and balanced curriculum that stretches and inspires children and supports the development of their knowledge and skills. It is in line with the National Curriculum expectation that knowledge and skills are acquired at the end of a key stage rather than specific year group (for most subjects).

Spiral curriculum

The spiral curriculum is meticulously designed to ensure comprehensive coverage of all National Curriculum Programs of Study, delivered in line with age-appropriate guidance for each Key Stage. Units of study within each two-year stage are sequenced to build upon prior learning, reinforcing key concepts and skills as children progress through the school. This cyclical approach is guided by the following principles:

Cyclical: Pupils return to the same disciplinary and substantive concepts during their time in primary school.
Increasing depth: Each time a concept is revisited, it is covered with greater complexity.
Prior knowledge: Upon returning to each concept, prior knowledge is utilised so pupils can build on previous foundations, rather than starting again.

This methodology offers significant advantages. It supports our diverse and often transient pupil demographic, supports teacher workload management, and crucially ensures all children receive a curriculum that aligns with National Curriculum expectations. It enables pupils to acquire knowledge in line with the Programs of Study, targeting age-related expectations and beyond. Furthermore, this structured approach allows us to deliver engaging, clear, and relevant lessons that are continuously improved and reviewed, directly contributing to our vision of 'Aspire and Achieve'.

Addressing Our Unique Context

Gardners Lane Primary School serves a community with significant challenges, including high levels of deprivation and a highly mobile pupil population. Many children enter our Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) 'not on track,' presenting a seven-year journey for sustained progress. Our 2-year rolling curriculum is a deliberate strategy to mitigate these challenges by providing a consistent, progressive, and deeply embedded learning experience. The cyclical nature ensures that children who join mid-program can quickly access learning, and those who need more time can revisit concepts with increased confidence and depth. This approach is fundamental to our commitment to ensuring every child, regardless of their starting point or background, has the opportunity to 'Aspire and Achieve'.

Curriculum Intent and Impact

Our 2-year rolling foundation curriculum is designed with clear intent: to build a rich, coherent, and progressive body of knowledge and skills for all children. We aim to provide a broad and balanced curriculum that caters to the diverse needs of our pupils, including those with EAL and SEN, ensuring no child is left behind. The implementation of this model allows for consistent delivery and effective scaffolding, enabling children to develop a strong foundation. The impact is measured through ongoing assessment, pupil progress over time, and ultimately, their ability to achieve age-related expectations and beyond, fostering a lifelong love of learning and equipping them for future success. This structured approach directly supports our focus on developing a curriculum that is well-sequenced, ambitious, and accessible to all learners, as expected under the OFSTED (2025) framework.

Inclusivity and Differentiation within the Rolling Program

The 2-year rolling program is inherently designed to support our diverse pupil population. For children with EAL, the cyclical nature allows for repeated exposure to vocabulary and concepts in different contexts, facilitating language acquisition. For children with SEN, the opportunity to revisit and consolidate skills within a two-year cycle provides crucial reinforcement. Teachers are equipped to differentiate within units, providing targeted support and challenge to ensure all children can access the curriculum and make meaningful progress. This inclusive design is central to our commitment to providing equitable opportunities for all learners to 'Aspire and Achieve'.

Building Foundations from EYFS
Recognising that a significant proportion of children enter our EYFS 'not on track,' our 2-year rolling curriculum begins with a strong emphasis on foundational skills and knowledge. The early years provision is designed to rapidly address gaps in comprehension and numerical patterns, particularly for boys and children with English as a first language, as identified in our EYFS data. The subsequent progression into Key Stage 1 within the rolling program ensures that these foundational elements are continuously reinforced and built upon, providing a secure platform for future learning and building on the progress made in EYFS.

To find out more about the content of our curriculum; the knowledge taught and how this is structured please refer to the overviews and progression documents below:

Cycle A KS1 Overview Cycle A LKS2 Overview Cycle A UKS2 Overview Cycle B KS1 Overview Cycle B LKS2 Overview Cycle B UKS2 Overview

Curriculum Progression Documents

EYFS Curriculum Documents

Core Curriculum Progression

Foundation Curriculum Documents