Curriculum Summary

Newton Primary School 

 Curriculum Summary Statement

At Newton Primary School, our curriculum is thoughtfully designed to meet the aspirations of our learners and the needs of our local and national community. Rooted in the Curriculum for Wales framework and aligned with the Curriculum and Assessment (Wales) Act 2021, our provision is bespoke, dynamic, and centred around the belief that all children can thrive in a nurturing, inclusive and ambitious learning environment.

Our curriculum is built upon the Four Purposes, which define the vision for every child and young person in Wales. These guide everything we do:

• Ambitious, capable learners ready to learn throughout their lives

• Enterprising, creative contributors ready to play a full part in life and work

• Ethical, informed citizens who are ready to be citizens of Wales and the world

• Healthy, confident individuals ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society

These four purposes shape our teaching, planning, assessment, and school culture. They ensure that learners develop as well-rounded individuals, not just academically, but socially, emotionally, creatively, and morally.

Curriculum Design and Organisation

Our curriculum is broad, balanced and underpinned by the six Areas of Learning and Experience (AoLEs):

1. Expressive Arts

2. Health and Well-being

3. Humanities

4. Languages, Literacy and Communication (including Welsh and English)

5. Mathematics and Numeracy

6. Science and Technology

Each AoLE is enriched by the Statements of What Matters, ensuring that learning is deep, meaningful, and progressive. Cross-curricular learning is a key feature of our approach, allowing pupils to make connections across disciplines and develop transferable skills.

In addition, the following mandatory elements are embedded across our curriculum in age-appropriate and meaningful ways:

• Literacy, Numeracy and Digital Competence

• Religion, Values and Ethics (RVE)

• Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE)

Our curriculum is inclusive and accessible, reflecting our strong commitment to equity and additional learning needs (ALN). Every child, regardless of background or ability, is supported to achieve their full potential through personalisation, differentiation and care.

Concept-Based Spiralling Curriculum

At Newton Primary School, our curriculum reflects the core values of respect, ambition, confidence, equality, and resilience, guiding us in providing the best educational experience for our pupils and addressing the unique needs of our community.

In alignment with the Curriculum for Wales, we have chosen to implement a concept-based spiralling curriculum, where key concepts are revisited and developed across Progression Step 1, Progression Step 2, and Progression Step 3. This approach allows us to nurture holistic growth, ensuring that our pupils become respectful, ambitious, and confident learners who are resilient and equipped to promote equality in the wider communities.

Meeting the Needs of Our Pupils

Our curriculum draws strength from the unique context of our school and its community. We make use of our rich coastal, cultural and historical environment — including local beaches, woodlands, and landmarks — to create authentic, real-life learning experiences. Through a place-based approach, pupils develop a deep sense of identity, responsibility and belonging to both Wales and the wider world.

Our curriculum celebrates Welsh heritage, language and culture while fostering an appreciation of diversity, equity and global citizenship. We integrate local and national priorities, such as sustainability, digital resilience, and wellbeing, ensuring our learners are prepared for the challenges and opportunities of the future.

We believe that a curriculum should respond to the unique needs of the learners it serves. By adopting a spiralling curriculum, we ensure that key concepts are revisited and reinforced at deeper levels over time, creating opportunities for pupils to build confidence and resilience in their learning journey. As outlined in the Curriculum for Wales, learning should be a "continuous process of development," allowing pupils to progressively deepen their understanding of key ideas as they move through different progression steps. Our curriculum is designed to respect the diverse starting points of all learners. By revisiting concepts at different stages, we offer all pupils the chance to achieve their full potential. This supports ambition by encouraging pupils to stretch themselves and approach increasingly complex ideas with confidence. It also fosters equality by ensuring that all pupils, regardless of background or ability, have the opportunity to succeed as they encounter concepts tailored to their level of readiness. This reinforces the Curriculum for Wales guidance to create a curriculum that "is adaptive to the needs of learners."

Responding to the Needs of Our Local Community

Our school is deeply connected to the local community, and we recognise the importance of grounding our curriculum in relevant, real-world experiences. The spiralling nature of our curriculum allows us to explore local issues and themes that resonate with our pupils, while continually expanding the depth of understanding as they progress. For example, concepts such as community, sustainability, or Welsh heritage are not only introduced early but revisited with increasing complexity, encouraging pupils to respect and value their local environment and culture. This approach ensures that our pupils develop a deep respect for their community, while also equipping them with the confidence and ambition to become active, positive contributors to society. By revisiting key ideas, we help pupils recognise the impact they can have locally and beyond, preparing them to engage in promoting equality and sustainable practices, both within their community and on a global scale. The Curriculum for Wales encourages schools to "design a curriculum that reflects the nature of the learners and the community they serve," and our spiralling approach supports this goal by aligning learning with the local context.

Supporting Progression and Growth in Line with Our Values

 A key feature of the Curriculum for Wales is it’s emphasis on progression. In our spiralling curriculum, pupils encounter concepts at a foundational level in Progression Step 1, with deeper exploration at each subsequent step, ensuring that learning builds progressively in both complexity and relevance. This encourages resilience, as pupils face increasingly challenging tasks, while also fostering confidence in their ability to succeed. For instance, a concept such as sustainability might be explored in simple terms in early stages, focusing on actions that promote environmental care at home or in the local community. As pupils progress, they revisit this concept with an expanded view, examining national and global sustainability challenges, thus fostering an ambitious and resilient mindset. This progression of understanding, where pupils make connections across different areas of learning and experience, is key to the deep learning advocated by the Curriculum for Wales. At Newton Primary School, our concept-based spiralling curriculum reflects our commitment to the values of respect, ambition, confidence, equality, and resilience. By revisiting key concepts at progressively deeper levels, we nurture well-rounded learners who are prepared for the challenges of the future. This curriculum ensures that pupils develop not only the knowledge and skills they need for academic success but also the personal qualities that will help them thrive in life, including respect for others, confidence in their abilities, a commitment to equality, and the resilience to overcome obstacles. This approach aligns with the vision of the Curriculum for Wales, ensuring that our curriculum is relevant to our pupils' lives and to the wider world. By embedding our values into every aspect of learning, we aim to develop ambitious, capable, and responsible learners who are ready to make a positive impact in their communities and beyond.

Progression and Assessment

We recognise that learning is a journey unique to each child. Our curriculum is structured around the five Progression Steps, supporting learners from the early stages through to the transition to secondary school. These steps reflect developmental milestones rather than fixed age-related expectations and help guide our planning, teaching and assessment.

Assessment is integral to our approach and is used formatively to:

• Support progression and well-being

• Inform next steps in teaching and learning

• Enable learners to reflect, take ownership and celebrate success

• Ensure consistency and continuity across year groups

We also use national personalised assessments in reading and numeracy from Year 2 onwards to inform practice and support the holistic development of each learner.

Our curriculum evolves in response to this ongoing assessment, ensuring it is responsive and relevant. Staff work collaboratively to evaluate the effectiveness of our curriculum through professional dialogue, pupil voice, stakeholder feedback, and monitoring of standards.

A Curriculum Co-Constructed

The design and implementation of our curriculum has been a collaborative process involving:

• Staff, through professional learning and curriculum inquiry

• Pupils, through regular learner voice activities

• Parents and carers, through consultation and engagement events

• Governors and local partners, who help shape the strategic vision of the school

This collaboration ensures that our curriculum reflects our values, our learners and our locality. It is not static — it is continually reviewed and refined through our school improvement processes. As part of our statutory duties, we review our curriculum at least annually to ensure it remains ambitious, inclusive, and effective for all learners.

Our curriculum summary is published and available in both English and Welsh, in line with the requirements of the Curriculum and Assessment (Wales) Act 2021.

In Summary

At Newton Primary School, our curriculum is:

• Purpose-driven concept based, rooted in the Four Purposes of Curriculum for Wales

• Locally relevant, celebrating and exploring the context of Mumbles and Swansea

• Ambitious and inclusive, meeting the needs of all learners

• Statutorily compliant, fulfilling all legislative and curriculum expectations

• Dynamic and evolving, developed through reflection and collaboration

We are proud of the learning journey we offer and remain committed to preparing our pupils not only for the next stage of their education but for a life of curiosity, compassion, and contribution.