Our Vines Curriculum
At The Vine Schools—Christian Malford, Seagry and Walter Powell—our curriculum is designed to support children to grow in belief, knowledge and wisdom. We aim to develop the whole child, nurturing academic success alongside spiritual development, interpersonal skills and critical thinking.
Our curriculum is rooted in our Christian vision and underpinned by our ‘GRAPES’ values:
Generosity
Respect
Acceptance
Perseverance
Empathy
Selflessness
These values, alongside British Values and carefully planned opportunities to explore real-world issues, help children to develop a strong moral compass and a clear understanding of their role in society.
A central driver of our curriculum is empathy. We want children not only to engage with their learning, but to care about the world around them. Through this, we aim to develop children who are thoughtful, informed and ready to contribute positively to modern Britain.
We believe empathy:
- connects us to others
- reduces conflict
- builds strong, respectful relationships
Our curriculum is designed to help children understand different perspectives, develop compassion and become confident, courageous advocates for themselves and others.
Why empathy matters at The Vine Schools
Our curriculum has been shaped around the needs of our community. As a group of rural schools, it is important that our children develop a broad understanding of the world beyond their immediate experience. We want them to leave our schools curious, open-minded and ready to embrace the opportunities and challenges of modern Britain.
We achieve this through:
- weekly discussion of current issues using Votes for Schools, giving children a voice and an understanding of democracy
- carefully selected texts that reflect diversity and support empathy
- a wide range of experiences, including trips, visitors and practical learning opportunities
- opportunities to engage with the wider community
- access to a broad and balanced curriculum, including sport, the arts and enrichment activities
How our curriculum is implemented
The National Curriculum provides the foundation of our curriculum. We use the Cornerstones Education curriculum as a structured framework for our topic-based learning. This ensures clear progression in knowledge and skills, while allowing us to adapt learning to reflect our vision, values and local context.
Across all subjects:
- learning is carefully sequenced so that children build on prior knowledge
- links are made between subjects to deepen understanding
- children apply English and mathematics across the curriculum
- key vocabulary is explicitly taught, including through pre-teaching where appropriate
- a wide range of experiences enhances learning
- collective worship supports children in understanding and applying our values
- assessment for learning identifies gaps and informs teaching
Subject-specific approaches
Writing
Children are exposed to high-quality texts which inspire purposeful writing. They write for a range of audiences and purposes, with grammar taught in context and embedded within their work.
Reading
A combination of whole-class, guided and 1:1 reading supports children’s development. Key skills such as inference, retrieval, summarising and vocabulary are taught explicitly and practised across the curriculum. Reading for pleasure is actively encouraged.
Phonics
We use Little Wandle to teach phonics from EYFS through Key Stage 1, with clear progression through each phase. Where needed, support continues into Key Stage 2 to ensure all children become confident readers.
Spelling
Spelling is taught in line with the National Curriculum and applied across all areas of learning.
Mathematics
White Rose Maths supports the development of fluency, reasoning and problem-solving. Times Table Rock Stars is used to strengthen recall.
PE
Children develop fundamental movement skills and apply these across a range of sports. Specialist coaching supports both staff development and pupil experience.
Religion and World Views
We use the Swindon Agreed Syllabus alongside Understanding Christianity to explore big questions about life, belief and meaning.
Art and Music
Children develop creativity and self-expression, supported by structured programmes such as Charanga for music.
Computing
We use the National Centre for Computing Education Teach Computing curriculum to support the teaching of computing. Lessons focus on developing key computing knowledge and skills, which are then applied across the wider curriculum.
Science
Our science curriculum develops curiosity and understanding of the world, alongside key scientific knowledge and enquiry skills.
History and Geography
Topics support children in building chronological understanding and knowledge of place, with clear progression in subject-specific skills.
PSHE
Jigsaw supports children’s personal, social and emotional development.
Modern Foreign Languages
French is taught using Language Angels.
Curriculum design
Our curriculum has been carefully designed to ensure:
Progression
Knowledge and skills build over time through clear, structured sequences.
Breadth and depth
Children experience a wide range of subjects and study them in meaningful depth.
Support and challenge
All children are supported to access learning and challenged to deepen their understanding.
Relevance
Learning is connected to real-life contexts, helping children understand why their learning matters.
As we have mixed-age classes, our curriculum follows a two-year cycle in Key Stage 1 and a four-year cycle in Key Stage 2. This ensures progression without unnecessary repetition.
Impact of our curriculum
Through our curriculum, we aim to develop children who:
- are life-long learners
- have strong knowledge and skills across subjects
- achieve well at the end of each key stage
- transition confidently to the next stage of education
- understand their role in society and believe they can make a difference