Curriculum Overviews
Learn Together is Educate Together’s ethical education curriculum. It defines the core values of all teaching and learning in the school, teaching children to become critical thinkers and enjoy learning about a range of topical issues. The Learn Together curriculum supports children to become global citizens: individuals who have the skills, empathy and confidence to consider and act upon the ever-evolving moral, social, cultural and environmental issues we encounter in today’s world.
It is divided into four strands
- The Moral and Spiritual strand enables children to develop a critical knowledge, understanding and awareness of right and wrong. It also teaches children how to keep their body and mind healthy and empowers the child to make informed moral choices. This strand includes RSHE (Relationships, Sex and Health Education).
- The Equality and Justice strand supports our pupils to develop a critical knowledge, understanding and awareness of issues relating to human rights, equality, culture and diversity, social justice and social inclusiveness. It empowers children to make a difference, including lots of opportunities for children to take action on local, national and international issues that are important to them. This is closely linked to our work as a Rights Respecting School, as we teach children about and through the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
- The Ethics and Environment strand aims to instil a knowledge, appreciation and respect for the environment which empowers our pupils to take an active role in its stewardship. Pupils have the opportunity to study environmental and social issues in their own community and take appropriate action. This may involve setting up an eco-school committee, visiting the elderly, surveying waste, traffic or water use in the area, setting up mini social enterprises and making representations to the local council or political representatives.
- The Belief Systems strand incorporates our Religious Education, exploring the major religious and non-religious belief systems in the world and teaching children about these faiths and beliefs without endorsing any particular one as religious truth. Through this strand, we strive to ensure that children of all backgrounds feel fully part of the school, including by marking a range of festivals throughout the year.
More information about the Learn Together curriculum is available on the Educate Together website.
How the Learn Together curriculum is delivered at Abbey Farm Educate Together
The Learn Together curriculum underpins all teaching and learning at Abbey Farm ET, so is delivered in many different ways, including:
- Specific Learn Together lessons
- Class discussions and circle times linked to current issues in the school or news
- Assemblies, performances and whole school celebrations
- Fundraising and awareness days
- Books read to the class or studied in English lessons
- Topics covered in other curriculum subjects such as history, geography and art.
Pupil voice is extremely important to Learn Together so, as a school, we listen closely to children’s ideas to ensure that the Learn Together curriculum aligns with their needs and interests. As much as possible, we also encourage Learn Together teaching to involve the family and friends of our pupils as well as groups and organisations within our local area and beyond.
We also use values to provide another lens through which we can learn about the four strands. This way the children begin to think for themselves what they, their families, the school and their friends think is important. We find that discussing values helps children to realise that whilst we may all have different beliefs and different cultures or ways of life we actually share much in what we believe in.
By referring back to the values children can begin to think about how to behave and respond to the situations they come across in life. They are helped to understand what is important to their own family and to others. This way they will grow up able to understand and find the shared values with all people they come across.
Each month, we look in depth at one value and children have the chance to share the discussions taking place in their class with others across the school.
to be confirmed once staff in post.
Example Learning Objectives are linked below. Once Abbey Farm staff are in place they will work to develop these for the school, specific to the local community and families.
