Overview
Our curriculum is not fixed. This does not mean that we are not precise in what we cover, in what we revisit and the order in which we do things. In fact, we are very thoughtful about this and are adapting and tweaking as we go - so that the learning journeys make sense to the children. We have a two year cycle that outlines key topic areas that lead us through our curriculum. As we have mixed classes we have to make sure that each year group passes through everything at appropriate points and that things don't get missed.
We also expect our cycle to evolve and change.
There are certain things that we currently re-visit and concentrate on - as we think it is better to go into depth or become more expert in certain things, than to try and cover everything superficially. We deliberately look at biomes in South America (Year 3 and 4) and go on to the study the Mayans in Years 5 and 6 - also South America. Our children tend to find Ancient Egypt really fascinating - so in Year 1 and 2 we learn about Moses, the Red Sea, Egypt and the Suez Canal. When they get to Year 3 and 4 to study the Egyptians, the intention is that they are already familiar with the significance of this area of the world.
The way that the Mantle works is that nothing is scattergun. The sequences of learning are emergent and so the interconnections between one area of learning (such as marine food chains), into another (e.g. pollution in the Thames in Victorian times) are meaningful.