Primary Curriculum Overview

Primary Curriculum Overview

Our Curriculum Vision 

At Raise Rochdale, we provide a personalised, nurturing and ambitious curriculum that is carefully designed to meet the unique needs of every child. Our curriculum places social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) development at its heart, recognising that emotional wellbeing is the foundation for successful learning. We aim to help pupils rebuild confidence, re-engage with education, and develop the skills and knowledge needed to transition successfully into their next stage of learning—whether that be mainstream school, special provision, or secondary education. 

We believe every child is capable of success when given the right support. Our curriculum ensures pupils: 

- Feel safe, valued and emotionally secure. 

- Reconnect with learning through structured, supportive routines. 

- Receive a broad, balanced and sequenced education, with academic, personal, and social growth equally prioritised. 

Core Principles Underpinning the Curriculum 

- Personalisation: Learning pathways are tailored to each pupil’s needs, interests and prior attainment. Pupils often arrive with gaps in learning, and we adapt accordingly to close these gaps and move them forward. 

- Holistic Development: We support the development of emotional literacy, resilience and self-regulation alongside academic progress. Emotional wellbeing is supported through therapeutic interventions embedded within the curriculum. 

- Academic Foundations: We prioritise reading, writing and maths, with high-quality phonics teaching for early readers and targeted interventions to address learning gaps. Curriculum content in core subjects is delivered in small steps to build secure understanding over time. 

- Curriculum Breadth and Relevance: Our curriculum includes humanities, science, art, design technology, PE and computing, with topic-linked approaches that reflect local mainstream primary school curricula. This enables smoother reintegration, helps pupils feel a sense of familiarity, and ensures academic continuity. 

- Experiential and Enrichment Learning: Pupils take part in forest school, climbing, cooking, local area visits, outdoor learning and creative projects to develop life skills, confidence and enjoyment in learning. 

Curriculum Structure and Progression 

Each subject area is carefully sequenced to ensure progression. For example: 

- In Maths, we use a small-steps mastery approach, aligned with national curriculum expectations and adapted for individual needs. 

- In Literacy, high-quality texts underpin topic work, and writing outcomes are planned progressively across the term. 

- In Science and humanities, knowledge organisers and concept maps help structure learning so pupils can revisit and deepen understanding. 

Where pupils remain with us for extended periods, we build a personalised long-term learning plan aligned with national curriculum standards and their future destinations. 

Preparing for Next Steps 

We are committed to helping every child make a successful transition. Our curriculum is closely aligned to what is taught in local mainstream schools to: 

- Maintain continuity of learning. 

- Support social and emotional adjustment during reintegration. 

- Enable teachers in receiving schools to understand what has been taught. 

Implementation Strategies 

We bring the curriculum to life through: 

- Adaptive Teaching: Staff respond dynamically to pupil needs, using assessment to inform individualised learning. 

- Teaching WalkThru’s by Tom Sherrington & Oliver Caviglioli underpin our teaching and learning policy. At the heart of WalkThrus is a selection of 150 evidence based teaching strategies rooted in a deep understanding of how learning works. Teachers at Raise use the WalkThru method and evidence based approach to implement adaptive teaching, ensuring pupils are exposed to a variety of teaching strategies and styles.   

This evidence based approach to learning and cognitive science allows teaching staff at Raise Rochdale to identify the specific learning needs and strengths of the pupils within their classes and then tailor or adapt learning to match these needs. Introducing new knowledge and forming links between learning strengthens our long term memory and its ability to hold information.   

The Core 10  

The Core 10 are the most high-impact strategies.  

Through our strategic approach to continued professional development teachers and learning support staff at Raise Rochdale will receive rigorous training to ensure that the research that informs the strategy is fully understood so that the strategies can be effectively implemented within the classroom. This ensures consistency across the school for teachers, support staff and supply teachers.