At Codnor Primary School, our curriculum is ambitious, inclusive and rooted in our vision of “Let Your Light Shine.” It is broad in scope while remaining purposeful and relevant to our children, their community and the world around them. Through consultation with pupils, parents, governors and the wider school community, our curriculum is carefully tailored to meet the needs of our pupils, ensuring it reflects our shared values and supports every child to leave school with the skills they need to shine. Learning is carefully sequenced and progressive, ensuring strong continuity and fidelity across year groups and key stages, with new knowledge building securely on what has been taught before. As expectations grow, children are supported and challenged to reach their full potential. This approach fosters a love of learning, enables strong progress for all pupils and leads to high-quality outcomes, allowing every child’s strengths, talents and achievements to shine.

The impact of Codnor Primary School’s curriculum is evident in the high quality of learning recorded in pupils’ exercise books and across the school’s learning environments. Classrooms and shared spaces are carefully designed to reflect the curriculum, celebrate achievement and promote a strong sense of pride in pupils’ work. Displays are purposeful and regularly updated, enabling children to revisit learning, make connections and recognise their own progress, supporting our ethos of Let Your Light Shine.

Subject leadership teams regularly gather pupil voice through discussions with children, allowing them to articulate what they have learned, reflect on their progress and understand the next steps in their learning. Enrichment experiences further enhance the curriculum and are thoughtfully integrated into pupils’ learning journeys. Clear feedback ensures children know what they are doing well and how they can improve, empowering them to take ownership of their learning and develop confidence in their achievements.

Impact on our children:

• Our children demonstrate strong intellectual curiosity and an innate interest in the world around them, which they are confident to question. Pupils pose thought-provoking questions, solve problems with confidence and develop the flexibility to work independently, collaboratively and creatively.
• Learning takes place in a nurturing environment rooted in our school values and ethos. Children and their families are deeply cared for, creating a sense of security, belonging and shared responsibility that supports both wellbeing and success in learning.
• We recognise that every child is unique and deserves to be celebrated for being unique. Our ambitious curriculum is delivered by dedicated, creative and passionate staff who know their pupils well and ensure that no one is left behind. Teaching inspires all learners to achieve their very best and to let their individual strengths shine.
• Our curriculum equips pupils with the knowledge, skills, relationships and experiences they need to feel confident about their futures. Through carefully planned opportunities, alongside out focus on meta-cognition, pupils develop the wisdom, adaptability and resilience needed for the world beyond school, including future education and employment.
• Our coherent, well-sequenced curriculum enables children revisit and build upon prior learning in a structured and purposeful way, enabling them to make strong connections and deepen their understanding over time. They apply skills across subjects and contexts, becoming reflective and confident learners who can transfer their knowledge to the wider world. Pupils are excited to show off their knowledge and are always enthusiastic to talk about their learning!
• We teach our children that learning is a journey which requires determination, resilience, perseverance, independence, creativity, collaboration, engagement and reflection. Through our focus on meta-cognition, alongside the development of strong relationships, high expectations, effective assessment and timely intervention, staff ensure all pupils are appropriately challenged and supported to reach their full potential—empowering every child to truly Let Their Light Shine.

Pupil voice:

The greatest impact of our curriculum at Codnor Primary School is seen in our happy, confident children who genuinely love coming to school and enjoy learning. Their curiosity, enthusiasm and pride in their work reflect a curriculum that nurtures wellbeing, inspires achievement and enables every child to truly Let Their Light Shine.