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Curriculum Approach

Our Curriculum Approach: Joyful, Curious, Purposeful Learning

Our curriculum is built on joy, curiosity, and purpose. We believe learning should be meaningful and engaging, empowering every child to explore the world with wonder and meaning.

Learning at Nanstallon is not just about covering content, it’s about cultivating character, creativity, and confidence.

Four Interconnected Strands

Our curriculum is structured into four key strands that develop the whole child:

  • STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering (D&T), Maths
    Exploring the world through enquiry, innovation, and problem-solving.
  • Creative Communication – Writing, Art, Music, Languages
    Finding personal voice, storytelling, and self-expression.
  • Humanities – History, Geography, RE
    Understanding human impact, culture, and ethical decision-making.
  • Personal & Physical Development – PSHE, PE, RSE & Wellbeing
    Building life skills, resilience, empathy, and health.

These strands interweave across subjects, projects and experiences, ensuring a coherent, connected curriculum.

A Curriculum of Structure and Freedom

Structure Meets Freedom

We believe in balancing structure and freedom. Children need foundational knowledge and skills, but also the autonomy to think critically, take risks, and pursue personal interests.

Learning is designed to progress clearly from Early Years through to Year 6, combining:

  • Foundational Learning – Core facts, skills and methods that are secure and fluent.
  • Conceptual Learning – Big ideas, creative thinking, and real-world applications.

Our curriculum combines structured teaching with space for children to ask questions, take ownership, and explore ideas deeply.

COOL Time: Choose/Carry On Our Learning

COOL Time is our unique model of pupil-led learning, where children have the freedom to:

  • Extend their classroom learning
  • Follow personal enquiries
  • Co-construct projects with teachers
  • Learn how, when and why they learn best

This supports not just academic progress, but personal growth.

COOL Time – what parents need to know

The QI Skills: Preparing for Life, Not Just School

At the heart of our curriculum is the QI Skills Framework: seven lifelong learning dispositions that help children thrive as learners and people:

  • Me – Self-awareness and reflection
  • We – Collaboration and empathy
  • Will – Determination and resilience
  • Why – Enquiry and critical thinking
  • Wiggle – Flexibility, adaptability and active learning
  • Wobble – Learning from mistakes and feedback
  • What If – Imagination and creative thinking

These skills are woven throughout all four curriculum strands and COOL Time, and underpin our pastoral approach, classroom culture and assessment of personal development.

What are QI Skills? What Parents Need To Know

Rooted in Place, Connected to the World

We begin with our local context: Cornwall, the River Camel, community stories and grow outward to explore national and global perspectives. Outdoor learning, real-world problems and community involvement make learning purposeful and grounded.

Every child at Nanstallon is seen as a capable thinker, a curious explorer, and an active contributor to the world around them.