Curriculum Overview
Our Curriculum Statement
Sunshine Academy serves a diverse and highly disadvantaged community in Walsall. Our curriculum is designed specifically with our children in mind, ensuring every pupil has access to the knowledge, skills, and experiences they need to thrive.
Our Curriculum Intent
The more that you read the more you will know.
The more that you learn the more places you'll go. Dr Seuss
At Sunshine, we believe that every child deserves the same advantages and opportunities in life, regardless of their starting point. Our curriculum is designed to provide all pupils with the essential building blocks for success - academically, socially, and emotionally.
We are committed to developing:
- A love of reading and learning - We ensure reading is at the heart of everything we do, giving our pupils the key that unlocks a world of opportunities
- Strong foundational knowledge and skills - Particularly in reading, writing, and mathematics, which are sequenced carefully to build year on year
- Essential values and character- Our eight Sunshine values, which reflect British Values, underpin everything we teach and learn:
- Be kind
- Work hard
- Be fair
- Be honest
- Be proud
- Follow the rules
- Be respectful
- Bring sunshine
- Curiosity and resilience - We foster inquisitiveness from the very beginning, creating lifelong learners who are brave, strong, and ready to face challenges
Our curriculum is shaped by our pupils' views, interests, and individual needs. We recognise that our children live in an ever-changing society, and we prepare them not just with academic knowledge, but with the kindness, compassion, tolerance, and resilience needed to make a positive impact on the world.
Our Curriculum Implementation
How we bring our curriculum to life:
High-Quality Teaching
- We use varied teaching approaches that appeal to all learning styles, ensuring every child can access and engage with learning
- Teachers carefully sequence learning so that knowledge and skills build progressively from Nursery through to Year 2
- We regularly adapt our curriculum based on pupil feedback and assessment, ensuring it remains relevant and responsive to our children's needs
Reading at the Heart
- We use Read Write Inc., a systematic synthetic phonics programme, to ensure all children become confident, fluent readers by the end of Year 1
- Daily reading opportunities across all subjects reinforce the importance and joy of reading**, including story time, guided reading, and reading for purpose in foundation subjects
- We provide rich, diverse texts that open children's minds to new worlds and possibilities, carefully selected to reflect our pupils' experiences and broaden their cultural capital
Breadth and Balance
- Our curriculum covers the full range of National Curriculum subjects, with clear progression maps showing how learning develops
- We use both topic-based approaches that make meaningful connections between subjects and focused subjects taught discretely
- We ensure disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND receive tailored support so that no child is ever forgotten or left behind
Values in Action
- Our eight Sunshine values are explicitly taught and modelled throughout the school day
- Children learn that their actions today will impact the world tomorrow
- We create opportunities for pupils to demonstrate kindness, compassion, and tolerance in real contexts
Our Curriculum Impact
By the time our pupils leave Sunshine, they:
As Readers and Learners
- Read fluently and with confidence, understanding that reading opens doors to endless opportunities
- Meet or exceed age-related expectations in phonics screening and early reading assessments
- Have developed a genuine love of learning and an insatiable curiosity about the world
- Possess strong foundational knowledge in reading, writing, and mathematics that prepares them for Key Stage 2
As Individuals
- Demonstrate our Sunshine values in their daily interactions and choices
- Show resilience, bravery, and strength when facing challenges
- Understand that learning is a lifelong journey - a fact-finding mission and a joy
As Citizens
- Care deeply about making the world a better place
- Show kindness, compassion, and tolerance towards others
- Are ready to take their next steps with confidence, knowing they have the same opportunities as any other child
It's high time you were shown that you really
don't know all there is to be known. Dr Seuss
Our children leave Sunshine knowing that their curiosity and love of learning will continue to grow, and that they have been given the tools, knowledge, and values to achieve wonderful things.
More information
Information on how we make the curriculum accessible for those children with Special Educational Needs can be found in our SEN Information Report and Accessibility Plan.
If you would like any further information on our curriculum, please contact the school office on 01922 710174.