Planning by Topic

Topics are at the heart of our curriculum at Alpington and Bergh Apton Primary.

Topics:

Give our learning a context and purpose
Allow meaningful connections to be made between subjects
Promote and develop creativity
Allow content to be sequenced logically
Enable personal development to be woven through all learning
Ensure that content beyond the national curriculum minimum is tailored to the needs of Alpington children
Allows content to be delivered in line with children’s age and stage of development
Gives flexibility to pursue children’s interests and meet the needs of particular cohorts

Topics fit into 3 broad categories or themes across the whole school. This allows for knowledge to be sequenced and developed across the school and enables teachers to know what has already been taught and what learning is coming next.

“Understanding people and places” “Innovation and Change” “Past present and future”

Understanding people and places

These topics explore the themes of places near and far; comparing landscapes. studying how places have changed over time and the impact that people have on the world around them.

Key Subjects – Geography, RE, RSHE

Innovation and change

These topics explore how innovation has shaped our world; the impact of individuals, inventions and ideas in shaping the world we live in and the impact our own ideas and actions may have in the future.

Key Subjects – Science, DT and Computing

Past, Present and Future

These topics explore the past; how lives were different in the past, how the past has shaped our present and how our present can shape the future.

Key Subjects – History, Art, Music

Please click here to see how Topics are organised and sequenced across the school.

Topic overview

The essential content prescribed in the national curriculum has been carefully sequenced and crafted into topics. Subjects are colour coded in all planning to make subject specific knowledge and vocabulary clear. Topics are taught in a rotation to ensure coverage in mixed age classes. Subject content is sequenced so that learning is revisited and built upon in both halves of the rotation.

An overview of the National Curriculum content by Topic is available here. Please note that Alpington specific content will be added by teachers when the topic is taught and can be found in Class Topic plans.

These are working documents. Narratives are developed over time and adapted to meet the needs of different cohorts. The topic will not necessarily be taught in the same way twice, although the national curriculum content is clearly laid out.