Our Pool intent and rationale

Introduction

Pool-in-Wharfedale CE (VC) Primary School is located in a scenic village, 2 miles east of Otley in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire. It has strong links to the church and other local groups and organisations including the Otley, Bramhope and Pool cluster of schools. The school curriculum reflects the moral and religious values which underpin the school’s Christian foundation.

Its location ensures the village, with its accessible transport links, continues to evolve and its population has rapidly increased in the last few years with the construction of many new homes. There are currently 193 pupils from Reception to Year 6. We are very proud of our place within the heart of the community and our articulate pupils who are inquisitive and eager to learn. Our rural location also means that our pupils are inspired by the surrounding countryside and enjoy being outdoors at all times of the year!

Intent

It is our intention for the curriculum at Pool-in-Wharfedale CE (VC) Primary School to reflect our unique ethos as a school. We aim to build on a whole-child approach to learning, embracing our inclusive, caring and collaborative culture.

We believe our pupils deserve learning experiences that are forward-thinking, inspirational, relevant and engaging, with opportunities to promote and develop a deeper understanding of cultural awareness. We want our pupils to understand how they can apply the knowledge and skills they are learning across all subjects, make connections and apply them to life beyond the classroom and in a range of contexts.

The pupils benefit from a range  of outdoor areas including playground areas and a natural area we call our 'Peace Garden' which includes a pond and shaded area where our children can be creative or enjoy the calm. The school is also set in extensive playing fields and bordered by the River Wharfe. It is our intention that these resources become integral to our curriculum, providing all our pupils with a wide range of practical learning experiences.

Our curriculum is designed to nurture aspirational, independent, creative, reflective and critical thinkers who are capable of confident decision-making and problem-solving. We want our pupils to develop learning skills which are appropriate for our ever-changing world and their future roles within a global and diverse society.

Our Pool Curriculum Vision

Our Curriculum is underpinned by five highly relevant world issues, known as the five Cs:

 

Community

At Pool-in-Wharfedale CE (VC) Primary School, we aspire to be the vibrant heart of our community – a place where children thrive and grow into confident, compassionate individuals who are equipped to make a positive difference in the world.

Guided by our Christian values of perseverance, respect, compassion, and wisdom, we will nurture each pupil's unique talents and inspire them to dream big. Through rich learning experiences and meaningful connections with our local community, our pupils will develop the knowledge, skills, and strength of character to become the best version of themselves.

We envision a school where diversity is celebrated, kindness is the norm, and every child is empowered to reach their full potential. Together, we will cultivate a warm, inclusive environment that fosters a lifelong love of learning and prepares our pupils to lead fulfilling lives and make a lasting impact.

Communication

We believe effective communication, verbal and non-verbal, lies at the heart of developing a community of confident learners and that it is the key skill that underpins all learning and development. At Pool-in-Wharfedale CE (VC) Primary School, we believe everyone comes to school with a voice and deserves a platform to speak and to be listened to. Through our curriculum, our pupils enthusiastically engage in a wide range of opportunities to communicate their thoughts and ideas with increasing confidence and clarity.

As a means of communication, technology is a valuable tool, and we prepare and enable our pupils to use these tools safely and effectively as an integrated part of their daily learning.  We want them to see the power and understand the importance of communication in their everyday lives, that it is the key to accessing learning and securing future success. We also recognise communication is the key to pupils successfully building relationships, both now and in the future, and we want our pupils to recognise the importance of listening to appreciate different points of view. We want our pupils to be thoughtful communicators, showing empathy in both words and actions.

Communication is interwoven into our curriculum, as we believe a better understanding of the benefits of communication will positively impact both learning and character building. We want children to integrate with increasing confidence in the different forms of communication, verbal, non-verbal and digital, into all areas of the curriculum and school life.

Culture

Pool-in-Wharfedale CE (VC) Primary School is located within a predominantly white British community where the pupils have very limited first-hand experience with other cultures. We want our pupils to be proud of their own culture and backgrounds, valuing themselves and their beliefs as individuals. Through our curriculum, children will also be provided with learning experiences which will enable them to recognise, appreciate and respect similarities and differences within our communities, locally and further afield. We want them to be able to value diversity as they move forward as global citizens and be open-minded to other cultures and the positive impacts of these on our society both now and in the past.

We want our pupils to view life from a range of perspectives and use this knowledge to formulate their own ideas, opinions, and interpretations of the world around them.

We recognise the importance of our school culture, with a strong Christian focus in establishing a positive and nurturing school community. Living in a village we also understand the importance for our pupils to develop a greater understanding of the diversity of wider communities by focusing on the similarities and differences between individual and group cultures so that they are better prepared for their future as global citizens.

Conservation

Our pupils at Pool-in-Wharfedale CE (VC) are generally caring and considerate towards the environment. Our curriculum is carefully structured to develop a greater awareness and appreciation of local, national and global conservation issues and initiatives. We aim to build on the opportunities of our outside spaces and encourage our pupils to extend their understanding of conservation through practical learning experiences. We want them to understand that we are all responsible for our planet and realise that all our daily actions have an impact, both positive and negative.

Through the curriculum, we aim to bring conservation issues to life so that they have a greater understanding of the importance of their actions and of sustainability in the wider world. We believe our pupils should be provided with the knowledge and skills, so they are better informed to work as a whole community and have the confidence to form their own opinions and plans for action, to be active more than reactive.

We want our pupils to be able to explore our environment at the time of year when nature moves from spring to summer, building upon the pupils’ natural curiosity around change. We aim to provide opportunities for our pupils to develop a deeper understanding of why global conservation issues become such an important issue locally and vice versa.

Conflict

At Pool-in-Wharfedale CE (VC) Primary School, we recognise that conflict is a part of everyday life and learning. Through our curriculum and guidance, we will provide opportunities to build a healthy respect for alternate opinions, ideas, methods and understandings.

To help them to understand that not all conflict is negative and that conflicts of opinion can lead to positive outcomes, our curriculum aims to provide our pupils with learning opportunities which develop resilience and the confidence to embrace these conflicts as part of problem-solving.

We also recognise that misunderstandings and misinterpretations in all areas of life can cause conflict and so we aim to provide our children with opportunities to develop the skills, vocabulary and knowledge needed to understand why these conflicts can arise and how they might be resolved. We believe it is important for our pupils to understand the causes and results of conflict in the wider society, both now and in the past, and the impact of these on individuals and communities.

We encourage and expect our pupils to have an important role to play in establishing the behaviour expectations of our school. We want our pupils to be able to reflect upon the causes and consequences of conflict. We also want to inspire our pupils to take responsibility for their actions and realise other pupils’ opinions are just as important and to be able to resolve their differences peaceably.