Curriculum Statement

At Ribbon Academy, our curriculum is ambitious, inclusive and carefully designed to ensure every child thrives academically, socially and emotionally. We believe that all children, regardless of their starting point, background or level of need, deserve access to rich learning experiences that enable them to succeed both now and in the future. Our vision is simple:

“Inspiring every child to thrive through ambitious learning, exceptional care and a culture where everyone belongs and succeeds.”

Our curriculum is thoughtfully sequenced from Nursery through to Year 6, ensuring that knowledge and skills build progressively over time. We carefully consider what children need to know, remember and be able to do at each stage of their education, enabling them to develop deep understanding and make meaningful connections across their learning.

We maintain high expectations for every pupil. Our curriculum is designed to provide equitable access to powerful knowledge whilst recognising that children learn in different ways and may require different levels of support. Through adaptive teaching, carefully planned scaffolds and responsive classroom practice, barriers to learning are removed without lowering ambition.

Reading, language and vocabulary development sit at the heart of our curriculum. From the earliest years, children develop communication skills, build a rich vocabulary and become confident, fluent readers. This strong foundation enables them to access and succeed across the wider curriculum.

Our teaching approach is underpinned by research and evidence-informed practice. Teachers use a range of carefully selected strategies from our Teaching Toolkit to support learning, retention and participation. These include:

• Retrieval practice to strengthen long-term memory.
• Explicit modelling and worked examples.
• Dual coding to support understanding.
• Small-step instruction to secure success for all learners.
• Vocabulary-rich teaching.
• Effective questioning through approaches such as Cold Call and Think, Pair, Share.
• Formative assessment to identify misconceptions and inform next steps.
• Consistent classroom routines that maximise attention, participation and learning.

These approaches help children understand new concepts, remember key knowledge and become increasingly independent learners.

Alongside academic success, we place significant importance on developing children’s character, resilience and independence. Through our curriculum, pupils learn how to think critically, communicate effectively, collaborate with others and apply their learning to new situations.

Our curriculum is enriched through educational visits, residential experiences, sporting opportunities, the arts, careers education and leadership opportunities. These experiences broaden horizons, develop cultural capital and help children understand the possibilities available to them in the future.

We believe that curriculum development is never complete. Leaders continually evaluate the effectiveness of our curriculum through assessment information, pupil voice, learning enquiries, book scrutiny, lesson visits and external quality assurance. This enables us to refine and strengthen our provision year-on-year, ensuring it remains relevant, responsive and effective for the children we serve.

As a recognised Steplab Hub and the only primary Steplab Hub in the North East of England, professional learning is central to our culture. Through instructional coaching, ongoing professional development and collaboration with schools across the region and beyond, staff continually refine their practice to ensure pupils receive the highest quality education possible.

• Deliver an ambitious, coherent and inclusive curriculum that enables every child to succeed.
• Develop confident, fluent readers and effective communicators.
• Build secure knowledge and understanding that children remember and apply over time.
• Foster curiosity, creativity and a lifelong love of learning.
• Equip pupils with the skills, resilience and independence needed for future success.
• Celebrate diversity and promote respect, tolerance and empathy.
• Ensure every child feels valued, included and part of the Ribbon Family.
• Broaden horizons through rich experiences that enhance cultural capital and aspiration.
• Support pupils to become responsible, confident and active citizens.
• Continuously refine our curriculum and teaching through evidence-informed practice and professional learning.

This curriculum provides the foundation for children to leave Ribbon Academy as confident, knowledgeable and compassionate young people who are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage of their education and beyond.