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Ambition
At Valley Invicta Primary School, we have ambition for all pupils.
We identify their passions or goals and regularly reflect the progress pupils are making. We celebrate their successes and accomplishments and give pupils the tools to develop as lifelong learners. We equip pupils with the tools to become confident and resilient members of society, making informed decisions and challenging stereotypes.
We have clear, global aims and offer a broad and balanced curriculum, which is enriching and personal to the context of each school. We inspire pupils to think big, broaden their understanding of the world and encounter diversity. Our global themes and ideas allow pupils to develop an intrinsic curiosity of the world around them.
Our curriculum acknowledges that pupils excel and find passions in different subjects. Therefore, it shows a clear ambition for pupils to excel in the arts, humanities, and sport, not just in the traditional core subjects of English and Maths. Our Curriculum is rich in knowledge and is meaningful to pupils, building on content year on year and helping pupils to build connections between concepts and subjects.
We have high expectations - setting the bar high. We encourage our teachers to be ambitious in their subject knowledge and understanding of curriculum design . Lessons are carefully planned with clear outcomes, and we encourage pupils to be intrinsically ambitious in their own success. Teachers expect work which is of a high quality, and which encourages children to excel.
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Character and Qualities |
Our curriculum aims to support all pupils to develop positive personal traits and to become independent learners who take responsibility for their actions. To show care, respect and kindness within their local and wider communities, so they become actively involved in public life as adults. |
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Confidence and resilience |
Our curriculum equips all pupils with the tools needed to be confident and resilient individuals who are able to use their knowledge of strategies learnt to keep themselves mentally healthy. |
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Transition |
A successful and effective transition means that young pupils flourish. At Valley Invicta Academies Trust, we place significant importance in ensuring the transition process is smooth and rigorous for all pupils. Learning about change and how to cope with it will help with any transition. This will also prepare them for many other changes and challenges they will face in life. |
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Transition beyond KS2 |
It is our intention to ensure that preparation for Secondary Transition is embedded within our curriculum. This will enable all pupils and parents to feel fully informed and to have access to experiences that will motivate and encourage ambition. Maidstone is an area where the secondary education options are extensive and strong. We believe that it is our responsibility to support pupils and parents in making the choice that is right for them. Within VIAT, there are three comprehensive schools (SST, Valley Park School and The Lenham School) and one grammar school (Invicta Grammar School) and the majority of our pupils attend one of these schools. The school authorises absence in Year 5 and 6 for parents to take their children to look around the local schools and, in their Personal Development lessons, the pupils explore what the different schools have to offer. As part of the decision making process, the school gives a presentation to Year 5 parents about the process for applying for a secondary school place and, in particular, how to apply to take the 11+ test which would enable a child to attend grammar school should they pass. We give parents an overview of the structure and broad content of the tests, we signpost to resources that parents may wish to use at home with their child, and we share pupil Cognitive Ability Test (CAT) scores with parents to give an indication as to whether a grammar school education might be suitable for their child. |
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Breadth of Experiences. World of work/Careers |
World of Work/Careers Within our setting pupils are provided with rich opportunities and experiences from the beginning of their school experience to understand the world of work and the opportunities and pathways that are available to them. The breadth of careers within our curriculum challenge and tackle stereotypes of work and promote entrepreneurship. The aim of this part of our ambition curriculum is for pupils to feel confident in their pathways for their future and to recognise how education supports them on this journey. |
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Building Skills from the Early Years |
We create an exciting curriculum, which develops curious attitudes. In celebrating what makes our individual pupils unique we harness particular interests, to help shape our work. Quality story books and topics help us to tailor activities, which maximise engagement and progress and prepare pupils well for Transition into Year 1. |
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Closing the Gap Early Intervention |
Equality of opportunity As a diverse and multinational community, we ensure that pupils from all backgrounds and starting points are able to access and enjoy the opportunities our curriculum has to offer. Pupils can thrive together and have an understanding that difference is a positive and that uniqueness should be celebrated. Our curriculum and school ethos and values promote an inclusive environment and meets the needs of all pupils and protected characteristics. |
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Widening horizons
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Our wider curriculum enables pupils to explore a variety of opportunities allowing them to discover their interests and talents through extra-curricular activities, clubs, trips and visitors. Through memorable experiences, pupils are exposed to diverse and rich opportunities from which they can learn and develop a range of transferable skills. Musical, sporting and artistic talents are all valued and celebrated! |
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Global Citizens benefit our communities. |
Our curriculum equips pupils with the knowledge and skills to successfully navigate their role as a member of society, recognising and understanding how fundamental British Values underpin life in modern Britain. They are given opportunities to discuss and challenge local and global issues and are encouraged to use their learning to become actively involved in public life as adults. |
Ambition at Kings Hill
As a school we believe in providing a range of opportunities within and beyond our curriculum that drive ambition and high expectations for all. It is clinically proven that if we expose children to diverse activities without restriction that things will ‘stick’ and passions and future goals will be achieved.
Ambition Project Intent
Our intention for providing this bespoke project is to create more confident, resilient and ambition pupils that thrive on challenges and always seek opportunities given to them. They will be forward thinking and bold with their approaches to new hobbies, activities, as well as what career or educational pathways they may want to consider later on in life.
Implementation
Our tailor-made Ambition project has been generated based on parental responses from our Term 1 Personal Development survey as well as in response to the new Personal Development Framework from OFSTED. The activities provided in the project have been deliberately organised to build upon resilience, self-esteem and challenges year on year.
The ‘Ambition Project’ is a collaboration of whole school theme days, with a more detailed and constructed programme for Years 4 – 6 which focuses on 5 main aims.
- Charity
- Careers
- Ambition
- Transition
- Enterprise
One of these aims will be the focus of learning for each term. Each term pupils will build upon prior learning in these 5 aims, with opportunities in the immediate vicinity, local area and then further afield. In addition to this, pupils will constantly provide constant feedback in this project to ensure that career opportunities and other learning routes are shared with them that are pertinent to their hobbies and future goals. Activities and conversations completed during this project will contribute towards each pupils ‘ambition’ passport.
Please click on this Ambition Project PowerPoint to see specific details on what opportunities pupils will be given each term and how they link to the 5 main areas.
Impact
The impact and success of the project will be shown in the confidence and abilities of the pupils in the school, when talking about their future hopes and ambitions. Personal development surveys to pupils and parents will also show an increase in well-being and confidence scores in the 5 main areas.