Our Curriculum

Develop effective learners, with a passion for learning and achieving in the present and for the future (Aiming High)

• To provide a happy, safe, caring and stimulating learning environment, in which all children thrive.
• To provide a relevant, exciting, purposeful and challenging curriculum.
• To enable children to achieve challenging personal goals.
• To develop children’s vocabulary and language.

Develop the character and behaviours that lead to personal success (Building Confidence)

• To develop children’s character, independence and self-esteem.
• To develop lively, independent, enquiring minds.
• To promote good and appropriate behaviour, through positive relationships and mutual respect.
• To provide equal opportunities for all.
• To ensure everyone feels valued and is able to contribute to the Spindle Point team.

Develop a strong moral purpose to contribute towards the world we live in (Caring for Each Other)

• To celebrate diversity.
• To develop a healthy lifestyle where children are encouraged to make informed choices
• To strive to work in partnership with parents, carers, governors and the wider school community.

• We aim to deliver an exciting, engaging and vibrant curriculum that is taught predominantly through a book centred topic approach and a carefully planned, quality literature spine, providing high quality learning opportunities for all. We believe that this will inspire a love of learning and reading and unlock the potential that lies within all of our children. The curriculum focuses heavily on language and communication and there is a clear progression of challenging vocabulary for every subject in every year group. Subjects are taught discretely in the main and links made between subjects to build connections and reinforce prior learning.
• The school invests in technology to enhance and support the curriculum. For example, Read, Write, Perform is woven into our English curriculum to provide high quality opportunities for engagement and purpose and, Maths No Problem is supplemented with LBQ (Learning By Questions) and bespoke challenges set for the children to deepen learning and develop reasoning and problem solving.
• Experiences are carefully planned, so that when the children leave primary school, they have a range and diversity of experiences that will give them confidence and context in the real world. Skills are monitored for progression and heavy emphasis is on children broadening their knowledge and making connections, using knowledge maps, regular quizzes to support information ‘sticking’ and learning journeys to support long term memory.
• Forest Schools and Outdoor Learning is crucial within this locality, where there is limited opportunity for outdoor play. Spindle Point is very fortunate to have extensive outdoor space and increasingly we are utilising this resource for learning outside the classroom.  All children in school have the opportunity to undertake a Forest schools programme, gardening, including growing and harvesting fruits and vegetables.  Our school grounds contain an orienteering trail and ‘adventure’ play areas for all children, with progression in map reading and map making.
• The school recognises the limitations of a largely mono cultural population and we work in partnership with several other schools in Bolton to develop community projects such as identity, diversity and protective behaviours. Also, in collaboration with local primary schools children access learning experiences targeted at gifted and more able children e.g. art, maths events, local history events.

• We enhance our school curriculum with a wide range of special events (WOW events).  These include educational visits, visitors to school, and links with local high schools to make use of facilities/expertise, whole school special learning days or weeks and charity events.  We endeavour to take up opportunities as and when they arise in order to give children valuable learning experiences eg Music projects with the Hallé Orchestra and author visits through the School’s Library Service. Fieldtrips, excursions and visitors embed learning in real life contexts and give children at Spindle Point real life experiences.
• Spindle Point embeds crucial life skills into its curriculum and all children have training in Debt Awareness and money management, enterprise projects and First Aid training.
• Well-being is at the heart of Spindle Point’s curriculum and the school delivers PSHE through the Jigsaw programme and British Values are embedded across the whole curriculum. Children who need more support and guidance attend meditation and mindfulness sessions with our specialist teacher. We have fully trained HLTA who delivers emotional literacy sessions to offer additional support.
• The school is committed to ensuring our children learn to become well rounded individuals and places Character Education at the heart of learning.
• The school is very proud of its music education and boasts an excellent school choir and rock bands. Children have the opportunity to play a wide range of musical instruments and the school also buys into the expertise of the Wider Opportunities Programme run by Bolton’s music service. Every child at Spindle Point has the opportunity to learn at least two musical instruments within their primary phase experience.

The impact of our curriculum will not only be measured by assessment procedures, which allow us to measure pupil outcomes against all schools, locally and nationally:

• The % of children in EYFS achieving a ‘Good Level of Development
• The % of children passing the phonics screening test at the end of Year 1, and for those that didn’t- Year 2.
• The % of children working towards, at the expected standards, or at greater depth at the end of KS1 in Reading, Writing, Maths and combined
• The % of children working towards, at the expected standards, or at greater depth at the end of KS2 in Reading, Writing, Maths and combined

But also be measured by:

• The happiness, well-being and morale of our pupils
• The confidence of our children in keeping themselves safe, protective behaviours and appreciation and celebration of diversity
• The range of experiences our children have had and their cultural capital development
• The competence of life skills (Character Education)
• The children’s sense of community and sense of pride in their local area
• The children’s ambition and a solid understanding of their future goals
• Feedback from external agencies, parents and governors
• The awards received for recognition of good practice
• The quality of learning evidenced in workbooks and learning journeys

Leaders checking on pupils learning throughout the

• The school recognises the limitations of a largely mono cultural population and we work in partnership with several other schools in Bolton to develop community projects such as identity, diversity and protective behaviours. Also, in collaboration with local primary schools children access learning experiences targeted at gifted and more able children e.g. art, maths events, local history events.

• We enhance our school curriculum with a wide range of special events (WOW events).  These include educational visits, visitors to school, and links with local high schools to make use of facilities/expertise, whole school special learning days or weeks and charity events.  We endeavour to take up opportunities as and when they arise in order to give children valuable learning experiences eg Music projects with the Hallé Orchestra and author visits through the School’s Library Service. Fieldtrips, excursions and visitors embed learning in real life contexts and give children at Spindle Point real life experiences.
• Spindle Point embeds crucial life skills into its curriculum and all children have training in Debt Awareness and money management, enterprise projects and First Aid training.
• Well-being is at the heart of Spindle Point’s curriculum and the school delivers PSHE through the Jigsaw programme and British Values are embedded across the whole curriculum. Children who need more support and guidance attend intervention sessions with our specialist member of staff. We have fully trained HLTA who delivers emotional literacy sessions to offer additional support for bereavement, anxiety etc.
• The school is very proud of its music education within and boasts an excellent school choir and rock bands. Children have the opportunity to play a wide range of musical instruments and the school also buys into the expertise of the Wider Opportunities Programme run by Bolton’s music service. Every child at Spindle Point has the opportunity to learn at least two musical instruments within their primary experience.