‘Outside of education our planet is facing challenges that only the best kinds of thinking will be able to fix. Teaching our children the best that has been thought and said only takes us so far. It takes us into our rich and fascinating past. But the future will demand the best that has yet to be said, yet to be thought and yet to be done’

 Debra Kidd

Our dilemma led curriculum, encourages children and adults to ask and answer questions relating to relevant problems we face in the current world we live in.  We engage children of all ages in deep thinking about the past, present and the future. We aim to create learners who are architects of hope and who have been equipped with the capacity to think, apply knowledge, empathise, weigh up evidence, consider consequences and make informed choices. Each year group has an over-arching emotive theme for the year which creates opportunities for developing deeper thinking and is led by compassion. Links are made term by term between units of work, but also the spiralling nature of the curriculum means links are made year group to year group, creating cohesion and progression both in subject knowledge and complexity of thought. The over-arching concept behind everything we do is the LEAP Curriculum which incorporates;  Language and Communication, Meaningful Experiences, Amethyst Learning and having the Power to change the world.

British Values

The Department for Education reinforced the need “for all schools to promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.”

Throughout our LEAP Curriculum we weave in the British Values. Here are some examples of this:

Democracy is a core value within our school. Children at Willowcroft have the opportunity to have their voices heard through our School Council, and via pupil questionnaires and pupil interviews. We use Smart School Council which enables ALL children to belong to our School Council.   In meetings, lessons and assemblies, children are taught to voice their opinions in a respectful way.

The rule of Law - the importance of rules and laws, whether these be those which govern the class, the school, or the country, are consistently reinforced. Pupils are taught the value and reasons behind rules and laws, that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves, and the consequences when laws are broken. At Willowcroft School we have the 'Give me 5 Rules' which are consistently used throughout the school. 

Individual Liberty - Within school, pupils are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. As a school we educate and provide boundaries for them to make choices safely, through the provision of a safe environment and empowering education. Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and responsibilities, and advised how to exercise these safely, for example through our e-safety and PSHE lessons. Whether through choice of challenge, of how they record their work, of participation in extra-curricular clubs and opportunities, pupils are given the freedom to make choices on a daily basis.

Mutual Respect - Our school ethos and behaviour policy reflect our values and are reinforced through our PSHE teaching. Respect for others is actively modelled by adults in the school.

Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs

We enhance pupils’ understanding of their place in a culturally diverse society through assemblies and lessons. Discussions about prejudice and prejudice-based bullying are supported by learning in RE and PSHE lessons.