Curriculum at Red Oaks

At Red Oaks, we believe that learning should be meaningful, engaging, and tailored to each child’s needs. Our curriculum is thoughtfully designed to help children grow both academically and personally, preparing them not just for school, but for life.

A Balanced Approach to Learning

Our curriculum is based on the National Curriculum but goes beyond it. We’ve created a unique model that blends essential life skills—like problem-solving, creativity, and teamwork—with strong academic foundations. This helps our children build confidence, independence, and a rich understanding of the world around them.

How Learning is Structured

We use two key ideas to shape our curriculum:

• Columns: These are the core skills that run through every subject. They include things like critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity. These skills are built upon year after year, helping children become thoughtful and capable learners.
• Spirals: These represent how we revisit topics over time. Children return to key ideas in each subject, deepening their understanding as they grow. For example, they might explore timelines in history or use maps in geography at different levels as they move through the school.

From Nursery to Year 6, every child accesses the curriculum at a level that’s right for them. While the core ideas stay the same, the way they’re taught evolves to match each child’s stage of learning.

Planning for Progress

We carefully plan each subject to ensure children build on what they’ve learned before. Teachers use progression maps to guide their lessons, making sure that learning is both challenging and achievable. These maps show what children need to know (the “what”), why it matters (the “why”), and how they’ll learn it (the “how”).

Supporting Every Learner

We know that every child is unique. That’s why we use adaptive teaching to support and challenge all learners. Whether a child needs extra help or a stretch to go further, our lessons are designed to meet them where they are. We use a teaching cycle called TEEP, which helps children understand each step of their learning and what success looks like.

Tracking Progress and Giving Feedback

At Red Oaks, we believe that every child deserves to feel proud of their progress and supported in their learning journey. That’s why we’ve developed a clear and consistent approach to tracking achievement and giving feedback.

Teachers regularly assess children’s learning to understand how well they are doing and what support or challenge they might need next. We look at whether children are working towards, meeting, or going beyond expectations, and use this information to guide future teaching.

Feedback is given in a way that helps children understand what they’ve done well and what they can improve. This might include highlighting key learning points, celebrating achievements, or revisiting ideas to help them “make it stick.”

We use a variety of methods to capture progress across all subjects—from written work and creative projects to photos, videos, and class discussions. This helps us build a full picture of each child’s development, both academically and personally.

Our goal is to ensure that every child feels seen, supported, and encouraged to reach their full potential.

Leadership and Improvement

At Red Oaks, we are committed to continually improving our curriculum to ensure the best possible learning experience for every child. Our subject leaders play a vital role in this process by regularly reviewing assessment data and identifying areas for growth and development.

As a teaching team, we reflect on what’s working well and where we can improve, helping us grow not only as a school but also as part of our wider trust community.

Mrs Jacques is the overall curriculum lead at Red Oaks and works closely with subject leaders to ensure our curriculum remains engaging, inclusive, and effective. If you have any questions about our curriculum, you're warmly invited to contact her at jacquesm@redoaks.org.uk