"The school has planned a highly ambitious curriculum. Staff are determined that all pupils will succeed."

Ofsted, 12th and 13th March 2024

Cuffley School aims to provide a broad, balanced and creative curriculum to:

• support learners to enjoy learning, make progress and achieve well
• enable children to grow in confidence and able to lead safe, healthy and fulfilling lives
• encourage children to become responsible citizens who make a positive contribution to society

We do this through a wide range of curricular and extra curricular activities which embrace, enhance and extend these aims within an innovative and creative curriculum focussing on ‘learning to learn’.

In the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) we follow the statutory Early Years Curriculum. Children are given a wide range of opportunities to help them develop self-awareness, respect of others and effective social skills, whilst creating a positive attitude towards learning. They learn to develop their speaking and listening skills and through a range of exciting activities they learn to read and write. 

We follow the Little Wandle scheme to teach phonics and reading books are closely matched to the sounds children are learning.

The children develop a range of numeracy skills, solve mathematical ‘real life’ problems and are encouraged to provide reasons for their answers. Children are given opportunities to help make sense of the world around them. They are involved in practical activities and investigations. They are encouraged to explore and question, to observe and record and to look closely at similarities, differences, patterns and change.

Through physical activities children will develop confidence, control and co-ordination. They use their imagination and recognise the importance of healthy living. The children’s creativity is developed by stimulating their natural curiosity, by giving opportunities to explore thoughts, ideas and feelings through curriculum areas such as art, music, dance and drama. The curricular experiences will be enhanced through visits and visitors, by the use of our extensive outdoor areas and through both direct interactive teaching along with child initiated learning.

In Key Stages 1 and 2, Years 1 to 6, the curriculum is governed by the National Curriculum. The Programmes of Learning identify, for each of the subject areas, the knowledge, understanding and skills that children have to experience and gain as they move from Year 1 through to Year 6. We continue to follow the Little Wandle programme to teach phonics, which incorporates a catch up programme to support all learners to achieve high outcomes.

Within the curriculum offered at Cuffley there is a strong focus on the process and skills for learning, as well as the content that needs to be learnt - our Learning to Learn agenda. The curriculum is organised in a variety of different ways including subject-based teaching, cross-curricular topics where appropriate and themed days/weeks. This is enhanced by a wide range of rich and diverse activities including educational day visits, residential journeys and visitors to school.

The school enjoys the benefit of having music pods. In addition to our formal music curriculum we offer a wide range of musical experiences including school assemblies, plays and performances, which provide opportunities where children can display their musical and artistic talents. Children may learn to play musical instruments within the curriculum, along with a wide range of other musical opportunities are available through either individual or group lessons for which there is a charge.

Computing is a very important part of our curriculum. Children use  a wide range of hard and software to help them learn. To support the use of technology in learning across the curriculum and including computing, we have a large number of desktops, laptops, Chromebooks and iPads.   

The school has a strong reputation for enriched opportunities in physical education and sport.  We go above and beyond National Curriculum expectations with a wide range of opportunities in and out of school, such as badminton, tennis, yoga and Karate.  There are extensive outdoor areas and facilities, a wide range of extra-curricular activities and opportunities to use local sports centres.

Our programme for Religious Education is governed by the Hertfordshire Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education (SACRE) and children learn about five major religions.

We use the Jigsaw Personal, Social and Health Education scheme. The focus is on self-awareness, managing feelings, motivation, empathy and social skills and includes our own focus of developing children as effective learners. This aspect of the curriculum also includes drugs education, anti-bullying and sex education. Parents have the right to withdraw their children from the collective act of worship and aspects of sex education, however this can only be done following a discussion with the Headteacher.

Our curriculum is set within a caring context and children are supported in a variety of ways.  Our Forest School ethos means that every child can experience learning outdoors, enabling them to develop skills like confidence, resilience, teamwork and so on. 

If you would like to find out more about our curriculum, please do not hesitate to contact the school office who can provide you with further information.