Big Ideas

We are proud to deliver a knowledge-rich curriculum through the CUSP framework, where Big Ideas underpin every subject and year group. These Big Ideas are carefully designed to help children make meaningful connections across their learning, deepen their understanding, and develop a broad and balanced worldview. Big Ideas are not taught in isolation but are woven throughout the curriculum.

These Big Ideas empower our learners to:

Think deeply and reason clearly
Appreciate diverse perspectives and cultures
Build fluency through retrieval and revisiting
Communicate confidently using subject-specific vocabulary

Our ambition is that every child leaves primary school with a deep and nuanced understanding of these Big Ideas, equipping them with the knowledge, curiosity, and critical thinking skills to succeed in secondary education and beyond.

Big Idea	What It Means	Example in Learning
Environmental Responsibility	Understanding and embracing our duty to care for and protect the planet	Science: The impact of climate change on habitats. Design & Technology: Sustainable materials in textiles and food production. Reading: Greta and the Giants, There’s a Rang-Tan in My Bedroom.
The Natural World	Exploring the natural world and understanding how humans interact with it	Science: Evolution, biomes, food chains, ecosystems. Geography: Earth’s physical processes (volcanoes, rivers, mountains). Reading: The Street Beneath My Feet, Shackleton’s Journey
Understanding Others	Celebrating the rich diversity of human-kind	History: The Windrush Generation, women in history. Reading: The Proudest Blue, Young, Gifted and Black. Geography: comparison studies
Community, citizenship and the wider world	Developing a sense of how we live positively together in our diverse world.	History: Ancient Greek democracy, the struggle for civil rights. Reading: Boy in the Tower, The Girl Who Stole an Elephant. Writing: letter writing
Overcoming adversity	Inspiring and empowering young people to navigate the challenges that life may bring	Reading: The Lion Inside, Dare to Be You. History: Evacuation during World War II, the suffragette movement. Writing: Biographies
Migration	Studying the effects of the movement of people throughout history and how it impacts on our life today	History: The Windrush Generation, Viking invasions, ancient trade routes. Geography: Human settlement, migration patterns. Reading: The Boy at the Back of the Class, Coming to England.
Technology and the advancement of humanity	Recognising the advances that have been made throughout history and how these impact on life today	Science: DNA and medical advancements, space exploration. History: The Industrial Revolution, the invention of flight. Reading: Pig Heart Boy, Operation Gadgetman.
Friendship and Kindness	Teaching young people the importance of kindness, tolerance and wellness in modern society	Reading: Paddington, Beegu, Rooftoppers. Science: Health and well-being, emotional regulation.
British heritage	Learning about how we live in modern Britain today and how this has been influenced over time	History: The Great Fire of London, The Windrush Generation, British monarchs. Geography: UK study, comparisons between British regions. Reading: The Magician’s Nephew, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Humility