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Curriculum Development
At Curriculum Solutions, we believe that a well-sequenced, coherent curriculum is the foundation for student progress and achievement, and that developing the curriculum is a continuous process that requires ongoing work. We collaborate with schools to assess their current curriculum position, identifying both strengths and areas for improvement. Through a tailored approach, we offer packages that include CPD, training, and mentoring, designed to support curriculum development in a meaningful and sustainable way.
Timeline
Our typical process for supporting schools in developing their curriculum follows these structured steps:
Initial Consultation We begin with a meeting with senior leaders to understand the scope of the project and agree on key priorities. This stage ensures that we align our support with the school's curriculum vision and objectives. If required, we work with schools on their overarching vision for the curriculum.
Evidence Collection To gain a comprehensive understanding of the current state of the curriculum, we conduct evidence gathering. This may involve meetings with middle leaders and teaching staff, reviewing curriculum documentation such as schemes of work, classroom observations, and work scrutiny. Our focus is on identifying strengths and key areas for improvement, ensuring our interventions are data-driven and targeted.
Collaborative Planning In collaboration with the SLT, we agree on a bespoke package of support for the school to ensure that any development carried out is embedded and sustained. This typically includes:
Whole-school or whole department CPD focused on developing teachers' understanding of essential concepts such as the science of learning, domains of knowledge, or understanding key concepts within subjects.
Middle Leader Development CPD for middle leaders can help them construct or refine a subject vision aligned with the school’s vision, set challenging end points for their curriculum, understand how to tackle common problems with curriculum implementation, or assess the impact of their planned curriculum.
Bespoke Mentoring and Support For newer subject leaders, we often find that mentoring focused on processes such as developing or refining a progression map for their subject, or improving long-term and medium-term planning to ensure clear, structured curriculum delivery, can be highly impactful.Review With senior and middle leaders, we review the changes that have been made, how well these are being implemented in the classroom, and the impact they are having. We then use this as a platform to consider further developments.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Can you help with specific subjects, or do you only provide whole-school support?
A: We can provide support for both whole-school curriculum development and subject-specific projects. Whether you need help refining a single subject’s curriculum or developing a school-wide strategy, we tailor our services to your needs.
Q: How do you ensure that the curriculum development is sustainable and not just a short-term fix?
A: Our approach is to embed curriculum changes through collaboration with staff and senior leaders, providing training and mentoring to ensure new practices are sustainable. We also focus on building capacity within the school so that staff can continue to refine and adapt the curriculum independently.
Q: What role do middle leaders play in curriculum development?
A: Middle leaders are key to the success of curriculum development. They help construct and refine subject visions, lead on curriculum implementation within their departments, and ensure that staff are aligned with the school's curriculum goals. We provide specific CPD and mentoring to support them in this role.
Q: How do you measure the success of curriculum changes?
A: We work with you to conduct regular reviews to evaluate the impact and adjust the approach as needed. Success is measured through a variety of methods, including classroom observations, student outcomes, feedback from teachers and leaders, and the coherence and progression within the curriculum.