Mountain Topper Experiences

At Portfield, we understand that deep knowledge is developed through exposure to a high-quality curriculum and through collective and individual hard work. A vital part of developing deep knowledge in a specific area of learning is having a broad knowledge of the world so that links can be made between different ideas (or concepts) in the long-term memory. Although a large proportion of factual knowledge of the world can be taught in the classroom, it is also important that children have the opportunity to 'experience' the world too. Factual knowledge and experiences can then be linked together to strengthen concepts in the long-term memory.

Experiences help us develop our memory in a different way to factual knowledge. They help us understand what something feels like and add to our life story. This helps us develop empathy and a knowledge of how others might feel in a certain situation - a vital aspect of becoming a caring, resilient and respectful human being. 


We have developed a series of experiences within our curriculum which we call 'Mountain Toppers' - those experiences where you can take time to pause and look around, enjoy the moment and feel the atmosphere of the amazing world around you. 'Mountain Toppers' include experiences such as: 

Our 'Mountain Topper' experiences help increase our pupils':

1) cultural capital - knowledge of the world we live in

2) aspiration - knowledge of how to achieve success in life

3) competitiveness - knowledge of how to try your best to succeed

4) performance & presenting skills - knowledge of how to be confident in front of others