Our Curriculum

To find our Curriculum Overview click here 

Our Curriculum Content

At Bradley C of E (VC) Primary School, we are committed to delivering a broad, balanced and ambitious curriculum that inspires children to learn, grow and flourish. Our curriculum is carefully designed to engage, challenge and support every pupil, providing meaningful opportunities for them to develop and apply their knowledge and skills across all areas of learning. At the heart of our curriculum are our three cornerstones – Communication, Curiosity and Community – which are woven through everything we do. These values encourage our children to become confident communicators, inquisitive learners and active members of their communities. As a Church of England school, we are fortunate to work closely with the Diocese of Derby, our local church and vicar to ensure that Christian values underpin our curriculum and school life. Through daily collective worship and enriching learning experiences, we nurture pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, enabling them to become compassionate, respectful and responsible citizens.

Curriculum Review and the Introduction of Our New Cornerstones

This year, we have undertaken a thorough review of our curriculum to ensure that it continues to provide our children with the knowledge, skills and values they need to thrive both in school and beyond. Through consultation with staff, pupils and our wider school community, we have refreshed our curriculum and introduced three new curriculum cornerstones: Communication, Curiosity and Community – our Three Cs.

These cornerstones sit at the heart of everything we do and help to shape the learning experiences we provide for all children. They are woven throughout our curriculum, school values and daily life, ensuring that every child has opportunities to develop these essential qualities.

Communication

We want our pupils to become confident communicators who can express their ideas clearly, listen respectfully to others and work collaboratively. Communication is developed across all subjects through discussion, presentation, debate, reading and writing opportunities.

Curiosity

We believe that curiosity is the foundation of lifelong learning. We encourage children to ask questions, explore new ideas, solve problems and develop a love of discovery. Through engaging and inspiring learning experiences, pupils are challenged to think deeply and become active learners.

Community

As a school, we are proud of the strong sense of belonging we share. Community encourages children to understand their role within school, the local area and the wider world. Pupils learn the importance of kindness, respect, inclusion and working together to make a positive difference.

Launching the Three Cs

To introduce our new curriculum cornerstones, children took part in a range of activities designed to help them explore and understand what Communication, Curiosity and Community look like in action. As part of this process, pupils used their creativity and teamwork skills to design logos representing each of the Three Cs. We were incredibly impressed by the thoughtful ideas and high-quality designs produced across the school.

To further celebrate and promote our cornerstones, we have introduced weekly Star Awards linked to Communication, Curiosity and Community. These awards recognise children who consistently demonstrate the values and behaviours associated with the Three Cs in their learning and interactions with others.

The Three Cs are now embedded throughout school life and are reflected in our lessons, assemblies, enrichment opportunities and wider curriculum experiences. By weaving Communication, Curiosity and Community through everything we do, we are supporting our children to become confident learners, thoughtful citizens and valued members of their communities.

Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education is a key part of our curriculum and is delivered through the SCARF programme. SCARF supports children in developing the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to keep themselves healthy, safe and prepared for life in modern Britain. Through lessons focused on Safety, Caring, Achievement, Resilience and Friendship, pupils learn about relationships, wellbeing, diversity, mental health and their role within society. The SCARF programme complements our Three Cs, helping children to communicate effectively, remain curious about the world around them and make positive contributions to their communities.

Phonics

At our school, we use the Read Write Inc. (RWI) Phonics Programme to give children a strong foundation in reading and writing. RWI is a structured, systematic approach that teaches children to read sounds, blend them into words, and develop reading fluency, comprehension, and confidence.

Phonics is taught daily in Reception and Year 1, ensuring that all children build secure early reading skills. Beyond Year 1, we continue to use the RWI Spelling Programme to support children in developing accurate and confident spelling. This structured approach reinforces phonics knowledge and helps children apply it to increasingly complex vocabulary and writing tasks.

Our goal is for every child to become a fluent reader and skilled writer, with a lifelong love of reading.

Our Rich Curriculum

Our very small classes, enable us to tailor work closely to pupil need. We always try to group pupils by ability, rather than ‘year group’. In this way, we can ensure that pupils are both challenged and supported appropriately.

We offer a broad and balanced curriculum across all years. We work hard to ensure that subjects are taught creatively, with as many opportunities as possible for real-life learning, in real-life contexts. Above all, we aim to make learning fun for our pupils.

As we are a small school we are able to offer music tuition to all pupils, weekly forest school for every child and swimming for all KS2 children.  Our curriculum is enriched with a wide range of exciting opportunities beyond the classroom. We take part in RDSSP sporting events across Derbyshire, encouraging teamwork, resilience, and a love of physical activity. We also value strong community links, with events such as our Bradley Restaurant, where parents and local residents are invited to enjoy food prepared by the children. Trips to Carsington Water offer outdoor learning experiences, while Enrichment Week provides pupils with the chance to try new activities and explore their interests.

The children are excellent cooks! We make pancakes to learn about fractions, scones to practise weighing and measuring, and dishes from around the world to explore different cultures. Our pupils have taken part in judo, mountain biking at Carsington Water, climbing at the University of Derby, and tennis coaching from Ashbourne Tennis Club.

We offer a wide range of visits and experiences to support pupils learning; As part of our broad and engaging curriculum, we offer a range of enriching educational visits and experiences. These include trips to the local steam railway as part of our Transport Through Time topic, and a visit to Carsington Water to explore science themes such as animals and habitats. To support our history learning, we welcome Anglo-Saxon visitors who bring to life the experiences of people from that era—this complements our topic based History beyond 1066. 

We frequently explore our local community, with visits to events such as the Well Dressings in Tissington and the Brailsford Ploughing Match. Our pupils are also active and enjoy outdoor adventures, including walking around Carsington Water, along the Tissington Trail, or even hiking to the top of Thorpe Cloud.

It is important to our school that we take advantage of the local surrounding area. We also have our own Forest School a short walk from the school site. The children love pond dipping, building shelters and toasting marshmallows around the firepit.