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The Mindful Learning Curriculum

This signature strand of our provision brings together PSHE, RSE, SMSC, British Values and Learning to Learn, with a strong emphasis on The Alkerden Heart.

This curriculum strand incorporates safeguarding, personal safety, and e-safety themes. It also develops metacognitive and reflective skills, enabling students to become more aware of themselves as learners and as human beings.

Students will explore and celebrate identity, diversity, community, collaboration and citizenship, and develop skills in decision-making, collective resilience, and self-regulation.

Curriculum Principles

The curriculum is designed with the following principles in mind:

  • Purposeful and Coherent: Every subject has a clear rationale, with knowledge and skills carefully sequenced to build understanding over time and across key stages.
  • Broad, Balanced and Deep: Pupils experience a rich and varied curriculum that fosters curiosity and mastery. We avoid narrowing, especially in Key Stage 3, to ensure depth of learning across all disciplines.
  • Inclusive and Adaptive: All learners, including those with SEND or disadvantaged backgrounds, access the full curriculum. Adaptive teaching and scaffolding ensure equity without lowering expectations.
  • Language and Literacy-Rich: Reading, oracy, and vocabulary are prioritised across all subjects. We explicitly teach academic language, promote fluent reading, and create regular opportunities for purposeful talk.
  • Culturally & Contextually Relevant: Our curriculum reflects the diverse identities of our pupils and prepares them to engage confidently with the wider world. We value both powerful knowledge and live experience.
  • Knowledge for Thinking and Getting Involved: Learning is not just about acquiring facts - it is about using knowledge to solve problems, ask questions, create, and connect ideas. Projects and real-world applications bring learning to life.
  • Evidence-Informed and Evolving: Our curriculum is informed by educational research and professional dialogue. It is continually refined through feedback, assessment, and reflection on what works best for our learners.