Curriculum Intent

At Colehill First School, our curriculum is rooted in our core values of Respect, Reflect, and Resilient and our motto: "Everyone Matters, Every Day Counts." It is ambitious, inclusive, and carefully designed to enable every child to flourish academically, socially, and emotionally, ensuring they are empowered to be their best self right from the start.

Our curriculum aims to:

• Equip all pupils, including those who are disadvantaged or have special educational needs, with the knowledge, vocabulary, and aspirations they need for the future.

• Develop confident, curious, and resilient learners who demonstrate a genuine love of learning, showing academic perseverance and emotional stamina when facing new challenges.

• Ensure strong foundational skills for all through high-quality instruction in structured Oracy, systematic synthetic phonics, reading, writing, and mathematical fluency.

• Build knowledge and skills progressively through a coherent, small-step sequenced curriculum that enables pupils to know more, remember more, and make meaningful connections across subjects.

• Reflect and respond to our local and national context, providing rich, first-hand experiences, outdoor learning through our OPAL provision, and personal development opportunities that broaden horizons.

• Develop confident, reflective, and independent learners who are fully prepared for a smooth transition to middle school.

• Live out our core values of Respect, Reflect, and Resilient, fostering mutual respect, metacognitive awareness, and care for our school, community, and the wider world.

Through high expectations, strong relationships, and an inclusive approach, we ensure every child is known, valued, and supported to achieve their very best.

The voice of the children is central to life at Colehill First School and forms an important part of our decision-making process. Our School Council, Play Leaders, and Eco Team, and year 4 buddies are all active participants in daily school life. Pupils actively engage in partnership work across the Initio Learning Trust and contribute directly as part of the pupil voice for the Wimborne School Council and local community initiatives. We endeavour to reach beyond our local community by supporting local events, environmental projects, and charitable causes, giving our children an active role in society.

We recognise the importance of excellent attendance and these numbers also contribute significantly to the success of the children. You need to be in to win! In 2025/26 we were in the top 25%  of primary schools attendance ratings.  We aim to steadily improve this. 

 

We are extremely proud of our academic achievements at Colehill First School. While we focus on nurturing the whole child, we know that strong foundational skills are essential to set children up for lifelong success. Our statutory national measures highlight sustained high standards and rapid progress:

• EYFS Good Level of Development (GLD): Consistently strong performance (75%–85%), ensuring children establish secure foundations in communication, language, and early learning.

• Year 1 Phonics Screening Check: Outstanding attainment (80%–90%+ pass rate), placing the school in the highest 20% nationally (Significant+) as a result of systematic phonics teaching.

• Key Stage 1 Attainment: Performance in Reading, Writing, Mathematics, and Combined measures sits consistently above national standards.

• Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check (MTC): Outstanding progress, achieving an 80% pass rate overall, including 100% attainment for disadvantaged pupils through targeted mastery interventions.

• Initio Learning Trust's Curriculum Vision

  VALUES: Our three core Trust values are excellence, collaboration and respect.

  VISION: Our pupils develop character through a love of learning to achieve and thrive. they are prepared to be lifelong learners and responsible citizens with a global perspective.

  OUTCOMES: Every child will leave our schools with the best possible character - resilience, confidence, aspiration, integrity, compassion for others, respect, curiosity, spiritual awareness and team working.

  The Initio Learning Trust's Curriculum Vision is closely entwined with our own curriculum vision.

Curriculum Queries

If you have any questions regarding the school curriculum, please email the school office marking the subject 'curriculum query' and we will respond to you.

Parents do have a right to withdraw children from Religious Education and Collective Worship and should discuss any reservations they may have with the Headteacher.