Our Connected Curriculum

Kelsall Connected Curriculum

A Love for Learning

Our Mission: To inspire the highest quality learning in a creative, collaborative environment

At Kelsall Primary and Nursery School, a curriculum and environment has been designed that encourages ‘A Love for Learning’. We want our children to become ethical people with a motivating desire to develop as a learner; finding out more about the complex world they live in and the contribution they can make towards a better world.

Our curriculum intent is built on three core pillars:

• Literacy for life (and across the curriculum)
• The development of creative and critical thinking – putting knowledge to work.
• Inclusion and belonging

Our Connected Curriculum is built on the belief that learning is most powerful when ideas connect — across subjects, experiences, and the world beyond the classroom. We design learning so that children discover how knowledge intertwines, helping them see the bigger picture and find meaning in what they study.

Our curriculum empowers children to engage with knowledge as experts do: to communicate, inquire and create through the distinct lenses of each subject.High-quality texts and rich narratives underpin every learning journey, recognising that stories help us make sense of the world and anchor deep understanding.

Our curriculum is carefully sequenced to ensure that knowledge and skills grow over time. Key concepts are introduced early and revisited with increasing depth and complexity, creating a strong conceptual fabric that supports genuine mastery.

Grounded in the principles of Expeditionary Learning and Learning Without Limits, our Connected Curriculum invites curiosity, values collaboration, and celebrates every child as a capable, creative learner — ready to explore, connect and make a difference.

Habits of Work and Learning (HOWLs)

We believe that creative and critical thinking are essential for children to grow into ethical, courageous adults — people who seek to improve the world rather than simply maintain the status quo. Our curriculum places great value on these ways of thinking, nurturing them through six Habits of Creativity that underpin learning experiences.

Through purposeful pedagogies and shared learning protocols, children are supported to think deeply, challenge ideas and act with imagination. Rubrics are used to make these habits visible and explicit, helping children to understand what success looks like, reflect on their progress and take ownership of their learning.

They put their ideas to work through meaningful projects, first-hand experiences, fieldwork and collaboration with experts — developing the confidence to see themselves as capable changemakers.

Equity, Inclusion and Learning Without Limits

When we get it right for disadvantaged pupils, we get it right for everyone. This principle lies at the heart of our Connected Curriculum and reflects our belief that every child can achieve, contribute and thrive. Our work is driven by a deep commitment to equity, ensuring that barriers are removed, opportunities are widened and every learner is supported to reach their potential.

As a No Outsiders school, we actively teach and model inclusion, acceptance and respect for all. Our curriculum celebrates diversity and fosters a strong sense of belonging, where every child feels seen, valued and safe to be themselves.

Rooted in the Learning Without Limits philosophy, we reject fixed ability thinking and nurture a culture of high expectations, collaboration and trust. Our teaching is expert, responsive and relational and built on genuine connections that enable all children, especially the most disadvantaged, to flourish.

Through this inclusive and ambitious approach, our Connected Curriculum ensures that every child experiences success, finds their voice and develops the confidence to make a difference in their world.