Mersey Park Primary School
Curriculum Intent Statement
Intent
The aim of Mersey Park Primary School is to provide opportunities for children to develop as independent, confident, successful learners with high aspirations who know how to make a positive contribution to their community and the wider society. We use the Early Learning Goals and the National Curriculum as milestones throughout school. There is a high focus on developing children’s knowledge in all subjects in progressive steps. Alongside this, there is a focus on moral, spiritual, social and cultural understanding. We aim for all learners to enjoy their education and to make very good progress in all areas of learning. We will help all children retain new knowledge and make links in their learning. Those who are most able are challenged and supported through appropriate extension activities. Those who struggle, including children with additional special needs, are given targeted support to embed knowledge and skills and to learn in a style that best suits their individual needs. The school’s focus on curriculum development has been carefully designed to ensure coverage and progression with frequent opportunities to embed prior learning. It provides pupils with memorable experiences, in addition to diverse and rich opportunities from which children can learn and develop a range of transferable skills. The children’s own community is frequently used as a starting point for engaging interest. A primary focus of our curriculum is to raise aspirations (Mersey Park Mindset), engender a sense of personal pride in positive characteristics and achievement, and provide a purpose and relevance for learning. As the school serves a community where there is a high percentage of disadvantaged pupils, we provide activities that children may not otherwise experience. The development of communication and language and increasing children’s vocabulary is high priority. We recognise that the children need both a sense of valuing themselves, and developing aspirations for their future and for their community.
Implementation
Subject leaders play an important part in the success of the curriculum by leading a regular programme of monitoring, evaluation and review. They regularly hold pupil interviews in order to check on knowledge and skill acquisition and retention. Subject leaders are provided with regular opportunities to further improve their own subject knowledge through CPD opportunities and attending local cluster group meetings. Subjects are planned to ensure progression of knowledge and skills throughout their primary education. Key vocabulary is taught progressively and re-visited at regular intervals. The curriculum design ensures that the needs of individual and small groups of children can be met within the environment of high quality first wave teaching, supported by targeted, proven interventions where appropriate. In this way, it can be seen to impact in a very positive way on pupil outcomes. Shared Reading is encouraged through all subject areas as a great way to teach key knowledge and introduce new vocabulary. Enjoyment of the curriculum promotes achievement, confidence and good behaviour. Creatively produced topic books and displays give children a sense of pride in the presentation of their work. High quality visits and visitors enhance the curriculum and make learning memorable. Our own knowledge organisers, linked to our planning, along with regular quizzes help the children to retain new knowledge and recall previous learning. Assessment, linked to planning is used regularly to gauge knowledge retention and understanding. This helps us to prioritise future teaching or intervention. To promote physical health and wellbeing, a range of extra-curricular clubs gives learners an opportunity to access a variety of sports clubs after school hours. Our PSHE scheme (Jigsaw) provides children with opportunities to discuss and learn about personal health, wellbeing, safety, relationships (including anti-bullying work), differences and aspirations. Our whole school work within ‘My Happy Mind’ supports mental health in order that all children are able to learn more effectively. Philosophy for Children (P4C) is embedded into the school curriculum and offers our children the chance to raise questions, discuss important issues, learn to listen to others views and share their own thoughts. They are given the opportunity to discuss the Rights of the Child articles and share their views. Our diversity work, enhanced through ‘No Outsiders’ themed work, helps children to realise that everyone is special and unique and we should celebrate differences and different kinds of families. In recognising the development of the whole child, the pastoral support given to children so they can access the curriculum is very strong. Various programmes of support are provided for children where a need has been identified such as self-esteem, anger management and bereavement. Individual mentor meetings are provided for pupils with their class teacher each term to discuss their learning and what they need to do to make further progress.
Impact
The impact of our curriculum is seen in the progress that the children make from their starting points to the time they leave Mersey Park.
In 2025 Ofsted said;
“The school has developed a rich and ambitious curriculum that is underpinned by a commitment to excellence. The important knowledge that pupils need to know and when it is to be taught has been carefully sequenced.”
“Staff deliver the curriculum with expertise and design activities which enable pupils, including children in the early years, to learn exceptionally well.”
“The school has effective systems in place to identify, at the earliest opportunity, the specific needs of pupils with SEND. Staff expertly adapt the curriculum.”
In 2025 83% of Year 6 pupils left school having reached the age- related expectation in Reading, Writing and Maths.
Our Principles for Learning and Teaching
• All children are entitled to be engaged in their learning and to be active learners; discovering and finding out.
• All children are entitled to understand what they have achieved and know what to do to make progress.
• All children are entitled to be independent, enthusiastic and self-motivated learners; raising their own questions.
• All children are entitled to time to evaluate and reflect on their learning.
• All children are entitled to teaching that inspires their learning.
• All children are entitled to teaching that encourages them to be creative.
• All children are entitled to be challenged and enjoy learning, as well as encouraging problem solving.
• All children are entitled to develop spiritually, morally and as considerate members of their community and the wider community.
To find out more about our curriculum click on the individual curriculum pages or follow the links below for our half term overviews.
Half Term Curriculum Overviews
Long Term Overviews:
Please click on the link to see the long term overview for each year group: