At Otford, we strive to provide a curriculum which inspires enthusiasm and a thirst for knowledge in all of our children. We aim to provide a rich, broad, and balanced curriculum, accessible to all, which inspires our children to be curious about and engaged in the world around them; grow into kind and respectful young people and have the courage and confidence to thrive as global citizens

The following table highlights the resources we use to support the implementation of the curriculum:

Our Curriculum Intent is underpinned by our core values or Kindness, Courage and Curiosity and it offers what we believe an Otford child needs to feel confident and be successful in the wider world.

Every term, each year group has a different thematic topic which brings together elements of learning from across all curriculum subjects and is designed to develop emotional literacy, courage, creativity and promote problem solving and collaboration. Each topic has been carefully chosen (supported by the Cornerstones Curriculum) to build on our children's prior learning experience and to ensure that children progressively build their knowledge, skills and understanding of key concepts within each subject, whatever their starting point. In addition, we seek to bring our children's experience to life by linking their learning to broader themes of identity, community, environment, technological and social change or through enrichment opportunities such as Forest School.

Children are encouraged to develop skills such as resilience and resourcefulness to enable them to become a lifelong learner.  We aim to ensure that the children are very firmly in charge of their own learning and can reflect on prior learning to make the next step with a level of independence. We deeply value creating a culture of care and consideration for others. Respecting each other is absolutely fundamental and we nurture and seek to develop this for all.

We are passionate that our curriculum not only supports our core values of Kindness, Courage and Curiosity but celebrates diversity and utilises the skills, knowledge and cultural wealth of the British community and beyond. Whilst also supporting the children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and ensuring that they are well prepared for life in modern diverse Britain.

At Otford, we are committed to supporting the emotional health and wellbeing of our pupils and staff. We have a supportive and caring ethos and our approach is respectful and kind, where each individual and contribution is valid. Through our curriculum, opportunities are built to ensure pupil well being is supported and difference celebrated so they can be reflective practitioners who thrive as learners.
At our school, we know that everyone experiences life challenges that can make us vulnerable and at times, anyone may need additional emotional support. We take the view that positive mental health and well being is important for everyone in order to reach their full potential.

The children's voices are incredibly important to all us here at OPS. We aim to ensure that there are many opportunities throughout the year where views are gathered by senior leaders, teachers and fellow peers. We use these views/ opinions to shape the future direction of the school. We ask the children to respond to their learning in their books, discussions are held in class/ year groups by teachers, subject leaders and SLT members. 

We pride ourselves on being a reflective school, where change is embraced and nurtured. The world is changing dramatically and we look to the children to see where their interests, thoughts and aspirations lie. We openly promote discussions and feedback in class, every voice is heard and valued by all stakeholders. We work closely with our immediate community, we also focus on national and global issues and promote an open mindset for all.

Every year group is able to learn aspects of the curriculum from Enrichment leads within the school. We are able to offer additional Music and  Forest School  teachers. These members of staff work very closely with classteachers to link learning with current topics. We try to work outside as much as we are able to due to the wonderful space available to the children. We are always reviewing how we do this so we can maximise the learning potential for the children. Working practically enables the learning to "stick" and remain memorable.

 We have very willing and supportive parents who regularly support the school with enrichment activities such as Forest School, trips and Art Exhibitions. Following feedback from parents we have developed the Clubs available to the children, to ensure that there is greater breadth for all.

Please do take a look at  the school newsletters and Instagram posts to see this learning in action! If you have any questions regarding the curriculum we teach please contact the school directly.