Curriculum
A curriculum fit for purpose, fit for the future of jobs
Park Hill creates personal, rich learning environments for children with technology fostering creative thinking. Following the World Economic Forum (WEF) Report on “The Future of Jobs”, and with children at the heart of everything we do, we redesigned our curriculum to ensure pupils are equipped with job-ready skills, and the skills and confidence to soar in society.
Meet our happy, confident and curious children
Drawing upon the WEF report on the future of jobs and the pioneering research on creativity in education by Professor Bill Lucas we came to the conclusion that most existing education systems provide highly siloed training. We identified a moral need to provide a curriculum fit for purpose.
“Businesses should work with education providers to imagine what a true 21st century curriculum might look like.” (World Economic Forum, The Future of Jobs)
With new job types demanding data analysis, nanotech, robotics, engineering of materials and media, entertainment and information we dared to imagine quite what that curriculum deserves to be and placed technology at the heart of it.
Technology plays a pivotal role. Instead of integrating flashy gadgets, our sustained digital strategy champions a wider cultural shift. Investing in 1:1 iPad provision alongside hardware and software provides the foundation to build an inspiring and innovative school community encompassing digital skills, effective CPD and strong leadership.
Our children are happy, confident and curious and thrive in an environment that fosters creativity, critical thinking, and ingenuity. Children apply key skills and abilities across all aspects of the curriculum which promotes cognitive flexibility, collaboration and social-emotional skills.
Learning – Fiercely proud to be an Apple Distinguished School, technology flows through our entire curriculum, aged 2 to 11. This helps children transition through their education, following an entwined computing learning journey which builds real-world skills that will help them thrive in a hyperconnected world.
Learning has evolved into a wholly collaborative experience, away from passive, direct instruction to an engaging and wholly cross curricular model where learning is enhanced through the application of skills and abilities from all subjects.
Through carefully considered planning by skilful teachers, learning opportunities are woven to promote critical thinking and cognitive flexibility.
Journeys in learning and the flexibility to enable each pupil to present their research and findings in different media create a powerful environment where learning is celebrated and creativity fostered. Teachers are unafraid to learn from their pupils, a shared love of discovery and personalised learning.
The effective use of Showbie, an indispensable tool, to share work, ideas and to enable parents a clear understanding of their child’s progress has proved invaluable in raising standards and celebrating achievement.
Teachers, through the efficiencies garnered through verbal feedback in Showbie, formative assessment through Socrative, ease of collaboration with colleagues and seamless integration between iWorks and 365 are freed to spend their time supporting and working with children, reflecting upon their practice and enhancing the teaching and learning.
Success – We use data routinely to analyse pupil progress as well as the impact of technology. Since introducing iPad devices, children work at 33% above the UK national average in Reading and Writing and maths. We’ve also seen an increase in the number of children reaching early learning goals (ELG) and technology and communication learning (CL) strands. In February 2017, 22% reached their ELG’s in CL and 33% reached this benchmark in technology. By February 2019, this rose to 61% for CL and 100% of pupils reaching ELG in technology.
Despite closures in 2020 and 2021, the confident use of technology supporting teaching and learning, every child met their academic targets for those periods in Mathematics, Reading and Writing.
Not only this, 87% exceeded their targets. We were therefore able to prioritise their mental and physical health upon their return. In terms of success, this is something that we are the most proud of, as well as winning multiple national competitions.
What next – With a premium on both digital and social-emotional skills, we must promote collaboration across the globe using digital tools to enable these new types of interactions.
Our journey must now broaden beyond our school walls and, using Apple technology as the tool, influence and instruct both our school group of 16 schools as well as nationally, how to move away from passive forms of learning to interactive methods, promoting the critical and individual thinking needed in today’s innovation-driven economy.
iPad devices are uniquely capable of enabling collaboration across curricular subjects, age groups, boundaries and skill sets. With Park Hill playing the central role in enabling each of our sister schools to recognise their own vision of 1:1 iPad provision and curriculum delivery we are engaged and curious learners ourselves, continually adapting and refining our own practice. Starting a revolution…
Please find below the links to the relevant curriculum booklets for the academic year 2023-2024.
