
Curriculum
Together Everyone Achieves More
We believe every child deserves a curriculum that nurtures curiosity, encourages individuality, and inspires a lifelong love of learning. Rooted in the Curriculum for Wales, our bespoke Oak Field Deal Curriculum reflects who we are as a community school at the heart of Gibbonsdown in Barry.
What Drives Our Curriculum?
Our curriculum is designed to support every learner to make progress in a meaningful way. We achieve this by focusing on:
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The Four Purposes: We develop learners who are:
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Ambitious, capable learners
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Healthy, confident individuals
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Ethical, informed citizens
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Enterprising, creative contributors
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Cultures of Learning: Eight elements underpin all learning – including language, relationships, environment and modelling of learning – to ensure consistency and quality.

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The Three C’s: Every topic is built around Concept, Context and Content, using our twelve cluster-wide concepts to ensure meaningful learning that progresses as pupils grow.

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Wellbeing at the Core: We nurture the emotional, physical, and mental wellbeing of learners, staff and families.
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Inquiry-Based Learning: Children’s questions, curiosity and ideas help to shape their learning journeys.
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Curriculum Enrichment: Pupils take part in school council, intergenerational projects, educational visits, outdoor learning, and real-world performances.
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Metacognition and Learning Dispositions: Children reflect on how they learn through key dispositions like resilience, curiosity, collaboration and self-awareness.
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Bilingualism and Siarter Iaith: Welsh language and culture are celebrated daily, supported by our Gwobr Aur status.
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Equality and Diversity: Our curriculum challenges stereotypes, promotes social justice and celebrates our diverse community.
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Daily Learning in Practice
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Literacy & Numeracy: Daily lessons in phonics (Read Write Inc.), writing (The Write Path) and maths (Maths No Problem) are enhanced through cross-curricular opportunities.
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Digital Competency: Embedded across all areas using the Digital Competence Framework.
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Progressive Planning: Phases (1–3) ensure age-appropriate depth and challenge across all Areas of Learning & Experience (AoLEs).
How We Know Our Children Are Progressing
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We use a mix of daily formative assessment and termly/baseline assessments, alongside professional dialogue and pupil learning reviews. Our Learner Progress Cycle ensures each child receives personalised support and challenge as they move forward.
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Everyone Plays a Part
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Learners take growing responsibility for their progress.
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Teachers and Support Staff plan creative, inclusive and challenging lessons.
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Parents and Carers are engaged through regular updates, family learning opportunities and celebration events.
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Governors support, monitor and shape our curriculum through our Curriculum & Standards Subcommittee.
Want to Learn More?
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Visit Curriculum for Wales to understand the national framework, or contact the school to arrange a visit and see our curriculum in action.