Curriculum

Learning at Shepherd Primary School

Kindness, respect, enjoyment and achievement are at the heart of everything we do at Shepherd Primary School.

Every child is valued, supported and inspired to reach their full potential, in a safe, caring and inclusive environment. Our values embedded throughout the curriculum at here at Shepherd Primary School. Academic excellence is achieved through engaging teaching and a well-planned, knowledge rich curriculum. This is carefully sequenced, with a clear focus on building knowledge, skills and vocabulary over time. All pupils, including those with SEND or from disadvantaged backgrounds, are supported to access high-quality learning and make strong progress. We support and nurture every child by building strong relationships and developing confidence as they journey through our school. We believe equipping children with a relevant, inspiring and creative curriculum will empower them to connect to their community, the wider world, shape their future and prepare them for life-long learning.  

Oracy skills are embedded throughout the curriculum, supporting pupils to articulate their thinking, deepen their understanding and develop confidence in their spoken language. From rich discussions in the classroom to structured opportunities to present, debate and perform, children are empowered to express themselves clearly and with purpose across all subject areas. 

Reading at the Heart of our Curriculum 

Reading is prioritised throughout the school. We follow the Little Wandle phonics scheme with fidelity, ensuring consistency and success from the start. Our ‘keep-up, not catch-up’ approach means that any emerging gaps are addressed swiftly through timely, effective intervention. 

Our whole-school focus on ‘Reading to Learn’ supports fluency and comprehension across all subjects alongside developing a passion for reading that will last a lifetime. 

Rooted in the Local Area, Enriched by Experience 

Our curriculum reflects our local context. Pupils engage with key local landmarks such as the Aquadrome, Grand Union Canal, Rickmansworth town centre and local places of worship. Real-world connections, alongside carefully planned trips and visitors, bring learning to life and develop cultural capital. 

We also shine a light on significant figures across all subjects, both historical and contemporary, who reflect diversity, inspire ambition and develop an understanding of British Values. 

Curiosity through Knowledge 

We believe that knowledge breeds curiosity. Our curriculum reflects this belief, empowering pupils to ask questions, explore ideas, and develop a genuine love of learning. Involving children in their own learning through hands on experiences ensures deeper understanding and long-term retention. It provides the strong foundations they need to flourish at Shepherd, in secondary school and beyond. 

Accessibility and Inclusion
We are committed to ensuring that our curriculum is accessible to all pupils. In line with the Equality Act 2010 and the Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014, we make reasonable adjustments so that pupils with disabilities or special educational needs can fully participate in all learning opportunities. Our curriculum is designed to be inclusive, ambitious and adaptable to meet the diverse needs of our learners.

We achieve this by:

• Providing adaptive and scaffolded teaching and learning approaches

• Making reasonable adjustments to remove barriers to learning

• Working closely with families and external professionals to support individual needs

• Monitoring curriculum access and progress for pupils with SEND
  Our inclusive approach ensures that every child can engage with, enjoy, and succeed within our curriculum.

In response to our children's love of stories and to reflect our community, we have designed an aspirational, topic-based curriculum which has been built around a core selection of high-quality texts. The curriculum uses the Foundation Stage Handbook as a guide to incorporate the progression of skills across the Foundation Stage from Nursery to the end of Reception.

This guide is intended to support parents of primary school children. The statutory primary national curriculum, including programmes of study and attainment targets, for all subjects at key stages 1 and 2 must be taught in all local-authority-maintained primary schools in England.

Further details of the National Curriculum for Primary Schools may be found on the DfE website

Paper Copies

If you require a paper copy of any documents, please contact the school office and they will be provided free of charge.