Curriculum Overview

States og being most

Our golden thread curriculumAt The Dolphin School, we provide our pupils with an engaging and relevant curriculum which is balanced and broadly based. We believe all pupils can be successful in all areas and focus on states of being for our pupils. We talk about being a geographer, an artist, an engineer, an athlete etc.

The curriculum:

  • promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school and of society, and
  • prepares pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life.

We believe we have a responsibility to provide the best opportunities and experiences for our pupils which is why we go beyond the requirements set out in the National Curriculum to provide a rich and diverse school curriculum for all.

The curriculum embeds curiosity and creativity into our learning. Our curriculum seeks to link learning to the rich heritage and cultural opportunities available in Bristol. It fits perfectly with the ethos and values of our school which wants pupils to understand and use their local community to support their learning. Our pupils regularly go into the community to find out about local history, geography, scientific and cultural events, and the community regularly comes into the school.

The curriculum starts with a question which provides purpose. Our pupils may ask ‘Where does the darkness come from?’ when learning about light and dark, or ‘Where is our twin?’ when comparing geographical locations.

Each enquiry ends with a challenge as the key outcome that may be celebrated with other members of our school community.  Our children perform at St Paul’s Carnival in response to their enquiry ‘What is Carnival?’ or sing sea shanties on The Matthew as part of an enquiry ‘How did people travel in the past?’.

We regularly review the curriculum to take into account local events and how we can support our community further. Our curriculum stays current and purposeful for our pupils – developing our pupils as the heart and future of our community.

Please see our policies and key documents page to read documents related to our curriculum.