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Whole School Curriculum

 

“A natural home for all children and adults to have the opportunity to flourish within the community, in a unique and happy school rooted in Christian values.”
(John 10:10 – “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”)

Curriculum at Hormead

Intent | Implementation | Impact

Curriculum Rationale

Hormead is a distinctive school community. We welcome children from the age of two in Nursery and nurture them until the end of Year 4, at which point they transition to the next stage of their education. These early and formative years are critical. We recognise that today’s children are growing up in a rapidly evolving world shaped by technological change, global uncertainty and increasing pressures on wellbeing.

Our responsibility is clear: to prepare our children not only academically, but socially, spiritually and emotionally for life beyond Hormead.

Rooted in our Christian vision, we are committed to:

  • Instilling strong core values.
  • Equipping children with secure knowledge and essential skills.
  • Developing confidence, resilience and independence.
  • Nurturing compassion, respect and integrity.
  • Enabling every child to flourish as a unique child of God.

We want our families to trust that their child receives an ambitious, high-quality education within a safe, nurturing and welcoming environment. We know our children well. We understand their starting points, their strengths and their needs. Our curriculum reflects this deep knowledge of our community.

Over recent years, as a passionate and reflective staff team, we have carefully designed and refined a curriculum that is:

  • Faithful to the National Curriculum.
  • Relevant to our rural Hertfordshire context.
  • Ambitious for every learner.
  • Authentically rooted in our Christian ethos.
  • Meaningful and inspiring for our children.

This is a curriculum we wholly believe in.

Intent

At Hormead, our curriculum is designed to promote a lifelong love of learning through a rich, broad and balanced educational experience.

We intend for our pupils to:

  • Develop secure and connected knowledge across all subjects.
  • Retain key concepts and vocabulary.
  • Build on prior learning through carefully sequenced progression.
  • Think critically, creatively and independently.
  • Demonstrate courage when facing challenge.
  • Show respect, compassion and tolerance.
  • Understand right from wrong and value truth and equality.
  • Flourish spiritually, morally, socially and culturally.

Our curriculum is derived from the National Curriculum and enhanced to reflect our context and community. It is deliberately sequenced so that knowledge builds cumulatively over time, avoiding gaps and ensuring depth of understanding.

We are ambitious for all learners, including those with SEND. Adaptations are purposeful and inclusive, ensuring that every child can access and succeed within the curriculum.

Above all, we want our children to leave Hormead as confident, respectful, knowledgeable young people who are ready to thrive in an ever-changing world.

Implementation

Curriculum Design and Sequencing

Our curriculum planning ensures that knowledge and skills are taught in a coherent and progressive sequence. Each subject clearly identifies:

  • Core knowledge pupils must know and remember.
  • Subject-specific vocabulary.
  • Key skills and disciplinary understanding.
  • End points for each year group.

Learning builds cumulatively, enabling children to connect new knowledge with prior understanding. Retrieval and revisiting are embedded to strengthen long-term memory.

We draw from high-quality schemes, including Kapow, where appropriate, to support subject expertise and consistency, while ensuring content remains personalised to Hormead’s context and Christian ethos.

Teaching and Learning

Teaching at Hormead is purposeful, engaging and intellectually ambitious.

Teachers:

  • Use a range of pedagogical approaches to deepen understanding.
  • Provide clear explanations and model thinking explicitly.
  • Adapt learning responsively to meet individual needs.
  • Encourage discussion, questioning and reflection.
  • Foster resilience and independence.

Learning is active and varied, enabling pupils to embed, extend and apply their knowledge across contexts.

Learning Environments

Our classrooms are safe, nurturing and stimulating spaces where children feel valued and confident to take risks in their learning.

We make effective use of:

  • Our school hall
  • Teaching kitchen
  • Library
  • Outdoor learning spaces
  • Dedicated Forest School area

Displays are purposeful and co-constructed with pupils, serving both as celebration and as working tools to support learning.

 

Impact

Impact

The impact of our curriculum is seen in children who:

  • Demonstrate secure knowledge and strong vocabulary.
  • Make good progress from their starting points.
  • Show resilience and independence in learning.
  • Speak confidently and respectfully.
  • Apply knowledge across subjects.
  • Reflect thoughtfully on moral and spiritual questions.
  • Engage positively with their community.
  • Transition successfully to the next stage of education.

Most importantly, our children leave Hormead with:

  • A love of learning.
  • A love of life itself.
  • A secure sense of identity and belonging.
  • The confidence to flourish.

Extended Curriculum and Enrichment

Learning at Hormead extends far beyond the classroom.

    

Forest School

Located in the beautiful Hertfordshire countryside, we are uniquely positioned to make outdoor learning central to our provision.

All pupils participate weekly in Forest School sessions led by a trained Forest School teacher. Children develop:

  • Practical life skills (including supervised tool use and fire lighting)
  • Resilience and teamwork
  • Environmental awareness
  • Scientific understanding through real-world application

Outdoor learning strengthens both personal development and curriculum knowledge.

Visits, Visitors and Wider Opportunities

    

Our curriculum is enriched through carefully planned experiences, including:

  • Reptile and science workshops
  • Visits from local police officers
  • Learning visits to neighbouring farms
  • Topic-linked educational trips
  • Theatre visits
  • Participation in local sporting competitions

These experiences enhance cultural capital, deepen understanding and broaden aspiration.

Leadership and Professional Development

All teachers at Hormead serve as subject leaders, providing strategic direction and ensuring progression, coherence and high standards within their areas.

Subject leaders:

  • Monitor implementation and outcomes.
  • Support colleagues with subject knowledge.
  • Ensure consistency and ambition across year groups.
  • Promote enthusiasm and excellence within their discipline.

Teaching Assistants are integral to the planning and delivery process and are well-informed about curriculum developments.

Staff engage in high-quality professional development, including training provided by HFL Education, ensuring that teaching and leadership remain current, reflective and effective.

Continuous Reflection

 

We are a reflective school. Curriculum development is ongoing. Through monitoring, assessment, professional dialogue and community feedback, we continually evaluate and refine our provision to ensure it remains ambitious, inclusive and faithful to our vision.

Further information about each subject’s specific intent, implementation and progression can be found within the Curriculum Subject Tabs.

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