Creative Curriculum
Springfield Junior School
At Springfield Junior School we firmly believe that all children are entitled to a broad and balanced
curriculum; one which is interesting and engaging and provides a wealth of learning opportunities
that help develop and foster children’s life-long love of learning.
What is a Creative Curriculum?
 Where children learn and apply the essential knowledge, skills and understanding of
curriculum subjects through a cross- curricular and imaginative approach.
 A creative curriculum, by its very nature, incorporates imaginative, original, valuable and
purposeful learning experiences – it enables teachers to personalise learning for classes.
 Where children engage in purposeful learning so that they foster a high level of
enthusiasm and thirst for knowledge throughout their school lives.
 Where children develop the personal qualities they need to be good citizens and to have
more valuable experiences which result in a positive impact on achievement, behaviour
and attendance.
 Where we can develop the children's enthusiasm as they engage in original activities
which allow them to celebrate their own culture while experiencing and enjoying elements
of each other's.
Aims and Objectives
In order for our creative curriculum framework to lead to creative teaching and learning, our
approaches in school need to be founded on the following principles of effective learning. This
links directly to our Teaching and Learning Policy and is where:
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Children know what it is they are going to learn
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Children know what they need to do to be successful learners
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Children are helped to be able to assess their own learning & the learning of others
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Children receive positive feedback that helps them to identify what they need to do next
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Children have time to reflect and review their learning
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Children feel cared about and are happy, secure, motivated and stimulated.
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The learning environment is well organised, attractive, stimulating and positive.
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Learning tasks are organised in small steps.
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Children experience a variety of learning situations, both indoors and outdoors.
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Lessons are interesting, stimulating and fun and children have the opportunity to learn
through first hand, multi-sensory experience.
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Expectations are high.
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Timetabling provides opportunities for flexibility
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Spontaneity is encouraged.
Our aim at Springfield is to:
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Increase children’s motivation, enthusiasm and engagement in their learning by
making learning meaningful through putting it into a context.

Support the raising of standards in both teaching and learning.

Help children to become more independent and take greater ownership of their
learning, developing their confidence and motivation to learn through the use of a
range of teaching and learning styles.
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Establish strong cross curricular links to ensure a broader understanding.
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Create and maintain an exciting and stimulating learning environment.
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Provide opportunities to apply knowledge and learning in practical ways and to solve
problems in a variety of situations.
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Provide enrichment opportunities where learning and teaching can take place
beyond the Classroom.
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Give opportunity for a flexible timetabling approach to make space for true depth of
study.
Organisation of the Creative Curriculum
At Springfield Junior School thematic units are planned in year groups.
Curriculum mapping demonstrates the broad objectives and the links made between subjects.
Units of work are planned, usually over half a term’s duration, and contain the detail of the work to
be covered with a progression of learning objectives. The plans indicate how the work will be
differentiated and what the pupil outcomes will be.
ICT is intrinsic to the learning in all subjects. It should be encouraged in all topic areas as a subject
in its own right and in both the teaching of the topic and in the opportunities for children’s
independent learning.
Units of work are planned using the framework and objectives from the National Curriculum.
The R.E. Scheme of Work follows the Derbyshire Agreed Syllabus.
Planning
National Curriculum objectives are incorporated into an overview for each thematic unit, identifying
subjects to be covered and those that are to be taught discretely.
There are three parts to our planning:
Long Term Planning: Shows an overview of topics covered in each year group. They give a
broad outline for each year group and shows progression and continuity between topics taught in
a cross curricular way across school. Subject Coordinators monitor their subject area to ensure
skills and progression throughout the school. The main topic ‘drivers’ tend to be History,
Geography, Literacy and Science based.
Medium Term Planning: Shows specific objectives to be taught within each area of the
curriculum and the links between them. Overviews for each thematic unit clearly identify NC
objectives, ensuring coverage and progression of skills.
Weekly Planning: Breaks down the objectives into weekly achievable targets and differentiated
activities.
Pupils are also part of the planning process at the medium and long term planning stages, through
the use of P4C questions.
Long term planning is flexible year on year as long as the objectives from the National Curriculum
are covered, therefore topics may change or be adapted.
All teaching staff are responsible for the planning and delivery of the curriculum on a day-to-day
basis and for making cross-curricular links where appropriate.
Staff are encouraged to make amendments to their planning in order to optimise learning
opportunities when they arise.
Staff are encouraged to be flexible in the use of curriculum time in order to consolidate learning
and allow for depth – time allocations for each subject will still comply with recommendations, but
‘lesson’ times may be blocked.
‘Pop-up’ Mini Topics may arise where discrete subjects are blocked but form strong links with core
subjects, i.e., Smoothies – a science unit combining healthy eating with solids and liquids,
providing strong links to numeracy and ICT; to be blocked for a two week period.
The ‘WOW’ Factor and Achievements
In order to excite, engage and stimulate the children in their first stages of learning, we plan in
experiences that give a ‘WOW’ factor e.g. WOW Days, off-site visits, dressing-up days, visitors
into school and shared experiences of the wider school community. This works especially well at
the beginning of a topic but can be used anywhere. Photographic evidence is encouraged to be
kept as a record of the day.
For example; children have experienced Harry Potter, Tudor and Viking themed days; visitors to
the school have included cartoon artists, ex-miners and dentists.
The Outcome
Each unit has a specific ‘outcome’. This could be an out of school visit that ties in with the topic, a
special guest, a gallery of work, a play or dance. Parents can be invited in to the ‘end of topic’ or
‘Celebration Day’ to acknowledge, share and celebrate the children’s achievements.
For example; Year 3 children invited parents in to experience their own version of a Spa Day
during their ‘Happy and Healthy’ topic; Year 5 hosted a tea party for members of the mining
community with whom they had been working alongside during their ‘Who do you think you are?’
topic.
Creative Curriculum Folders
Due to the cross-curricular nature of our thematic units, we need clear organisation of where work
is to be kept.
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CC Folders
All work related to the topic area is to be kept in the CC Folder. Staff are also encouraged
to be creative in how they present and store children’s work – this in itself can stimulate and
enthuse children in their learning.
A typical Creative Curriculum folder may include examples of:
Photographic evidence and recounts of Wow Days, trips, visitors etc.
History - where this is the main driver for topic area, extended writing
opportunities.
Science – where this is the main driver for topic area, report writing.
Literacy – where the topic has been the main stimulus for writing; variety of
genres and extended pieces of writing.
Geography – where this is the main driver for topic area, extended writing
opportunities.
ICT – used for presentation, word processing, Internet research,
design, multi-media etc.
Numeracy – links to shape, space and measure, problem solving, data
handling
D/T – design and make booklets, photographic evidence
Art – work and/or photographic evidence
PE/Dance/Music – photographic evidence, reviews, compositions,
evaluations
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Work that does not link directly or has been taught as a discrete lesson will be kept in
Literacy basic skills, R.E., Numeracy or Science books.

End of unit Literacy writing will be filed in the Writing Portfolio. Where the work links with
the topic then a photocopy is also placed in the CC Folder.
RESOURCES
Resources are located in classrooms and resource cupboards available to all staff. Coordinators
review resource needs annually and order as necessary.
Curriculum Leaders are responsible for monitoring the use of resources and arranging for
replacements to be made, following the general school ordering procedures.
Staff are asked to inform Curriculum Leaders if any resources are damaged or need replacing;
they are also asked to submit any resources to be added to existing stocks. We value experiences
and people as resources, and use them as resources as frequently as possible.
ASSESSMENT AND RECORDING
Class teachers monitor the coverage of Knowledge, Skills and Understanding by cross referencing
with planning and ensuring progression from one class to the next.
Each term children are assessed according to the Skills and children who are below, at and above
expectations are noted and a copy is given to the subject leader.
Curriculum Leaders collect evidence; planning, assessment data, photographs, work, and children
questionnaires from year groups to compile a portfolio that allows them to monitor and assess how
well their subject is being delivered.
MONITORING AND REVIEW
The Creative Curriculum Leader is responsible for monitoring and reviewing. This process is
reflected in the co-ordinator’s action plan, and is achieved through:
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regular observations of lessons
regular scrutiny of Creative Curriculum Folders
pupil conferencing
collating data from questionnaires
The Curriculum Leader will review and amend Action Plans on an annual basis, responding to
data from lesson observations, book scrutinies, and discussions with subject co-ordinators.
INCLUSION
At Springfield Junior School it is expected that all children will be given the opportunity to learn in a
creative and encouraging learning environment which encompasses a range of learning and
teaching styles. All children are entitled to this as part of the ECM agenda. It is hoped that this
approach will motivate and support children’s learning at all levels including the Able and Talented,
EAL and children identified with a Special Educational Need (SEN).
HEALTH & SAFETY
We actively follow Derbyshire Guidelines. Risk assessments are carried out for every field trip
made and the equipment used in school has been checked by the subject leader.
G Cormack
November 2013