Curriculum Statement
At Dashwood Banbury Academy, our inclusive EYFS, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 curriculum will challenge and nurture each child to develop a strong sense of self through a purposeful, engaging and authentic learning journey, preparing resilient and confident learners who have the knowledge and skills to embrace an ever-changing world.
Our curriculum has been designed to:
- Be broad, balanced and inclusive
- Be reflective and adaptable to meet the needs of our learners
- Be purposeful, authentic and guided by the needs of our community
- Be highly engaging through challenge and purpose
- Develop and nurture the whole child and value each area of the curriculum
equally - Be progressive and construct strong schemas of knowledge; built on solid
foundations of prior learning and understanding - Give children the opportunity to apply their understanding to real-life, purposeful
situations and scenarios - Encourage pupil voice so that learners can have ownership, seek to improve and
make connections
Dashwood Banbury Academy, as part of the Aspirations Academies Trust, shares a
common philosophy and a distinctive approach to education. There are three guiding
principles and 8 conditions for learning that all Aspirations Academies adhere to and
are central to the curriculum:
- Self-worth
- Engagement
- Purpose
Here are is more detail about the Guiding Principles and the 8 conditions for
learning.
GUIDING PRINCIPLE – SELF-WORTH
Condition for learning: Belonging, Key characteristic: Considerate
What this looks like:
- To understand that own actions affect other people.
- To be able to co-operate, communicate, share and care for others.
- To be able to show empathy for others and to be able to collaborate and effectively communicate in different contexts.
Condition for learning: Heroes, Key characteristic: Respectful
What this looks like:
- To show awareness of boundaries and consequences for their behaviour.
- To listen to others and have good manners.
- To be able to value others around you for whom they are and to learn from role models.
Condition for learning: Sense of Accomplishment Key characteristic: Pride
What this looks like:
- To describe themselves in positive terms and talk about their abilities.
- To take a pride in their work.
- To take responsibility for their own learning and be purposeful in the pursuit of excellence.
GUIDING PRINCIPLE – ENGAGEMENT
Condition: Fun & Excitement, Key characteristic: Motivation
What this looks like:
- To show confidence in speaking to others about their ideas.
- To be interested in their learning, ask questions and be active in lessons.
- To be able to initiate their own learning in order to strive towards an end goal.
Condition: Curiosity & Creativity, Key characteristic: Imaginative
What this looks like:
- To think creatively and critically in their learning.
- Having lively curiosity about things and have an active imagination.
- To be creative and have an inquiring mind be innovative and enterprising.
Condition: Spirit of Adventure Key characteristic: Bravery What this looks like:
- To be confident to try new things.
- To be able to try new things and keep trying if you find it hard.
- To not be afraid of failure and have the courage to take risks and learn from mistakes.
GUIDING PRINCIPLE – PURPOSE
Condition: Leadership & Responsibility, Key characteristic: Trustworthy
What this looks like:
- To follow the class rules and tell the truth.
- To be able to understand responsibility for actions and what is right.
- To have principles, show what it means to be honourable and dependable.
Condition: Confidence to take action, Key characteristic: Resilience
What this looks like:
- To show active learning in their play, trying things over and over until they succeed.
- To be able to have a go at something and not give up if it is hard.
- To believe in their abilities, to be able to adapt to change and recover from problems and challenges.
In applying knowledge to real-world contexts and allowing young learners to take the lead in using this knowledge to find solutions and to deepen their learning, at Dashwood Banbury Academy, we ensure the following nine Core Principles are clearly featured in every element of the academy’s work:
- High Expectations – Being the very best you can be in your school and
community - Opportunity – Matching your interests with activities that will help you to leave
school well-rounded and confident - Challenge – Making your learning exciting and relevant to the real world
Talent Development – Enhancing your natural strengths and abilities so you thrive in school and beyond - Innovation and Enterprise – Supporting your creativity by encouraging you to ask ‘Why?’ and ‘Why not?’
- Makers and Creators – Being a creator, not just a consumer, of technology in our digital world
- Global – Having the cultural awareness needed to communicate in our interconnected world
- Employability – Equipping you with the skills and abilities you’ll need to excel in our ever-changing world
- With Big Dreams and Hard Work – Aspirations means to dream about the future while being inspired in the present to reach those dreams.