Research led Curriculum

 Newton Longville Curriculum Intent and Design

At Newton Longville CE Primary School, our curriculum is shaped by a wide range of influential educational thinkers whose research supports both high-quality teaching and positive behaviour. Their work helps us ensure our curriculum is ambitious, inclusive, and rooted in evidence about how children learn best.

Curriculum and Pedagogy

• Dylan Wiliam’s Principled Curriculum Design guides our approach to coherence, rigour, and progression. We carefully sequence learning so pupils build knowledge over time and revisit key concepts to strengthen long-term memory.
• Daisy Christodoulou’s knowledge-rich curriculum reinforces our commitment to teaching powerful content explicitly, ensuring pupils have the foundational knowledge needed to think critically and creatively.
• Clare Sealy’s work on cognitive science and sequencing informs our small-step planning and interleaving, helping pupils manage cognitive load and retain learning across subjects.
• Barak Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction are embedded in our teaching strategies, including daily review, modelling, and guided practice. These support all learners, especially those with SEND or early language acquisition.
• Tom Sherrington’s Learning Rainforest model helps us balance structure and creativity. We deliver knowledge-rich lessons while encouraging independent thinking and exploration, creating a culture of high expectations and deep learning.
• The Writing Revolution (Hochman & Wexler) is used across subjects to strengthen grammar, sentence structure, and clarity. Pupils learn to express complex ideas confidently, supporting both academic success and communication skills.

Behaviour and Flourishing

• Doug Lemov’s Teach Like a Champion strategies support consistent behaviour routines and high expectations. Techniques such as Cold Call help create a calm, focused learning environment where all pupils feel safe and supported.
• Swaner & Wolfe’s Flourishing Together underpins our holistic approach to education. Aligned with the SIAMS framework, we focus on character development, wellbeing, and spiritual growth, ensuring pupils flourish in every sense.

Together, these influences help us deliver a curriculum that is:

• Structured and inclusive, with high expectations for all.
• Cognitively informed, supporting how children learn and behave best.
• Knowledge-rich and coherent, building deep understanding over time.
• Holistic and values-driven, enabling pupils to flourish academically, socially, and spiritually.

Assessment and Feedback:

At Newton Longville CE Primary School, our approach to assessment and feedback is shaped by the work of leading educational thinkers, including Daisy Christodoulou and Clare Sealy. Their research helps us ensure that assessment is purposeful, manageable, and impactful.

For Pupils

• Assessment is tightly aligned to the curriculum, ensuring pupils are tested on what they’ve been taught.
• Feedback is clear, specific, and actionable, helping pupils understand how to improve.
• Regular low-stakes quizzes and retrieval practice support long-term memory and deeper understanding.
• Diagnostic assessment helps identify misconceptions early, allowing teachers to adjust instruction and support progress.

For Staff

• Assessment is designed to inform teaching, not overload teachers with data collection.
• Efficient feedback strategies reduce marking workload while increasing impact.
• Curriculum-aligned assessment supports clarity in planning and progression.
• Teachers are empowered to focus on learning, not performative assessment tasks.

This approach supports our commitment to high standards, inclusive practice, and staff wellbeing — ensuring that both pupils and teachers thrive.