“We needed our curriculum to be ambitious and inclusive and Dimensions is!”
Newhall Infants and Nursery School, Swadlincote, Derbyshire
“They need to be excited.”
What initially drew you to the Dimensions Curriculum, and what problem were you trying to solve?
Our children were disengaged with learning in the foundation subjects and something needed to change. Children were not retaining knowledge and neither were they building on prior learning.
We spent a long time as a senior leadership team looking at what was on offer out there and when we found Dimensions we knew we had found the right fit for our children. We wanted something creative and practical - our children need to be busy and involved. They need to be excited. We also needed our curriculum to be ambitious and inclusive and Dimensions has definitely delivered on all of these requirements.
“Whenever we’ve had a question, the Dimensions team has been there.”
What were your expectations before implementation, and how has the reality compared?
We had such great support from the Dimensions team in the run-up to launching our new curriculum, so we were confident during the early implementation stages. The team helped us to choose our [Dimensions] units to take into account our community and to meet the needs of our children. Having that element of choice means the curriculum really is tailored to our needs. Staff training was delivered to all staff before the launch day.
“Instead of isolated lessons, we now focus on building knowledge across a whole theme.”
How has the curriculum changed the way teachers plan and deliver lessons?
Instead of isolated lessons, we now focus on building knowledge across a whole theme. Teachers plan together in key stages, which has really increased collaboration. Learning is driven by enquiry questions and taught through lots of active and creative approaches. We record this learning in our floor books, which are brilliant for revisiting prior learning. The children love looking back through them, talking about what they’ve done and naturally reminding themselves of what they already know.
“Positive attitude towards learning.”
“Dimensions is rigorous, thorough and fully meets our statutory requirements.”
How does the thematic approach help you ensure full coverage of the National Curriculum?
Each theme clearly maps out the National Curriculum objectives, so coverage is very evident. The Skills Ladder clearly shows how learning progresses across all subjects. Our Subject Leaders also really value the subject areas on the website, as they make planning, monitoring and reviewing much easier, especially because everything is kept fully up-to-date.
“Visitors are impressed by how confidently pupils talk about their learning.”
How has your curriculum been viewed by external visitors?
All the visitors we’ve had so far have commented on how engaged the children are and the strong knowledge they show.
“The curriculum is designed to be flexible and inclusive.”
How does the curriculum support all learners, including pupils with SEND or EAL?
The hands-on nature of the learning gives children lots of different ways to show what they know and understand. Teachers can easily adapt activities to meet individual needs without lowering expectations, so pupils are supported while still being challenged.
“Parents sharing the enthusiasm.”
Extract from workbook
“A real increase in pupil engagement and motivation.”
How effectively do pupils connect learning across subjects?
There has been a real increase in pupil engagement and motivation. Recently, in an English lesson, we had a jigsaw piece with a picture on it, and I described what looked like a white whale with a unicorn horn. A few of the children said, “I bet it’s a narwhal.” We had learnt about this animal in our Arctic Circle topic in the Autumn term.
Also, in a music topic, we used a map, Funky Farm, which had a key. When we came to create treasure maps, children could relate back to this. Pupils are confidently using vocabulary learnt in previous topics.
“Genuine interest in the topics.”
We created our own ‘Treasure Maps’...
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“The children show confidence in exploring tasks on their own.”
What differences have you noticed in pupil engagement or motivation?
The catalyst questions are particularly good for this, encouraging children to listen to the ideas of others and develop thinking skills. The children show confidence in exploring tasks on their own. The increase in hands-on activities has had a strong impact. The pupils are more focused and engaged when they can interact practically with subject matter. The approach encourages collaboration and discussion. For example, in the Record Breaker topic, children thought of activities for class record breakers, e.g. tallest tower, quickest to stack paper cups, etc.
“The curriculum is full of meaningful and memorable experiences.”
What impact has the curriculum had on achievement or progress?
Our children regularly show a genuine interest in the topics, many with themes new to their experiences. They are increasingly demonstrating independent skills, questioning and problem-solving; their learning is more meaningful. The introduction of floor books, and how we use them, has produced improved knowledge retention, with pupils able to recall learning more effectively. They have opportunities to apply sticky knowledge over time, not just short-term, and there is increased resilience when facing challenges.
“I would highly encourage any school to consider this curriculum.”
Would You Recommend a Thematic Curriculum to Other Schools?
It’s a great option for schools looking to boost pupil engagement, deepen learning, make meaningful cross-curricular links and develop children who are curious, reflective and knowledgeable.