How is the curriculum enriched at Ledbury Primary School? 

Rich experiences plays a vital role in our Belonging, Being and Becoming Curriculum to ensure that our children encounter more of what life has to offer.  

Wider Curriculum Opportunities

Our curriculum extends beyond the National Curriculum and includes a wide range of enriching experiences and opportunities both within and beyond the school day. This includes an extensive programme of after-school clubs that support the curriculum, as well as those which develop specialist skills, such as cricket, badminton and coding club, whilst also extending the range of children’s experiences (Cultural Capital). 

A primary focus of our curriculum is to raise aspirations, engender a sense of personal pride in achievement, and provide a purpose and relevance for learning.

In addition to our exciting and stimulating curriculum, we also provide further opportunities to enhance children’s learning wherever possible. These include:

Values Education

As a Values Education school, we promote diversity, equality and inclusion as a part of the children’s everyday learning.  We also have a strong focus on the environment in order to promote respect for the planet.

Whole School Theme Days/Weeks

Throughout the year, themed days/weeks are woven into the curriculum to extend the breadth and balance of opportunities we offer our pupils. These include, Anti-bullying Week and E-safety Day, World War Two Day, World Book Day, Black History Day, Enterprise Week, Religion and Worldviews Week, Grandparents’ Day and others.

Forest School & Outdoor Learning

Forest Schools is a Scandinavian initiative designed to encourage and inspire individuals of any age through an innovative, long term, educational approach to outdoor play and learning in a woodland environment.  As a school, we are very fortunate in having our own Forest School area and several teachers trained to deliver the Forest Schools programme.

Sessions are designed around the needs of the group to ensure that they are learner-led.  Many areas of the National Curriculum are intrinsically covered in the Forest Schools experience. Teamwork skills are developed through games and activities.  Individual skills and self-esteem are heightened throughout activities such as hide and seek, shelter building, tool skills, lighting fires or environmental art.  Each activity develops intra and inter-personal skills as well as practical and intellectual skills.

Educational Visits and Residentials

School trips and visits are an integral part of the education of children at Ledbury Primary.  We value the opportunities such visits offer our pupils and the commitment of staff and adults undertaking them.  Trips include: class visits aimed at bringing learning alive and providing first-hand experience, extra-curricular outings such as activities with the school choir or sporting events and attending or taking part in performances or competitions. 

Children in Years 5 take part in a residential visit, providing new and exciting experiences, such as: orienteering, climbing, abseiling and archery while children in year 6 take part in a two day visit to London, visiting the Tower of London, the natural history museum and enjoying a west end show! 

Visitors 

Visitors have a valuable role to play and contribute to many aspects of the life and work of the school.  They deliver talks, workshops and full day activities across a wide range of subjects, giving pupils access to outside experiences and expertise. Visitors provide a link with the wider community where children have the opportunity to work alongside artists, musicians, poets and others.

PE & Sport

We encourage a wide range of sporting skills and experiences both within and beyond the school day.  As an inclusive school, we provide opportunities for children of all abilities to take part, both within PE sessions and competitions.

Children in Years 3 benefit from a whole year swimming.  Those children who are non-swimmers in Year 6 have extra swimming lessons in the summer term. 

Music, Art & Drama

Ledbury Primary School provides opportunities for children to take part in a wide range of musical activities and performances where they are encouraged to sing, compose and work creatively with sound. Through active listening, pupils’ awareness, understanding and appreciation of a different genre of music is developed each week. A range of opportunities are provided within and beyond the curriculum for children to showcase their musical skills and talents.

Art allows the children to express themselves in a variety of ways.  The children are proud of their sketch books which clearly show a progression of skills over their time at Ledbury.  Children are given the opportunity to take part in local and national competitions as well as working with local artists.

As a school we appreciate and understand the importance of drama within our curriculum. Research reveals that drama has a positive impact on children’s physical, emotional, social and cognitive development. Drama is developed across the whole school in a variety of ways including story-telling, links with the Courtyard Theatre and through the Ledbury Poetry Festival.

Assemblies

Assemblies help to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  A variety of assemblies are held throughout the week including: values based assemblies, celebration assemblies and those led by a local church group.