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Curriculum progression is the planned, step-by-step journey a child takes to build their knowledge, skills, and understanding over time. Think of it as building a house rather than just buying bricks - each lesson is designed to connect to the last one, making the learning stronger, deeper and more complex as they move from year to year.
It ensures that what a child learns in Year 1 isn't forgotten, but instead acts as the foundation for more advanced work in Year 2, and so on.
A Simple Analogy: Learning to Ride a Bike
If you skipped to the two-wheeler without the balance bike (curriculum progression), they would likely fall and feel overwhelmed.
Key Aspects of Progression for Parents
Why is this Important?
Curriculum progression prevents "learning gaps" where a child misses a vital step, making future learning difficult. It provides a "roadmap" for your child's education, ensuring that lessons have a larger purpose, rather than being isolated, random activities.
It ensures that what a child learns in Year 1 isn't forgotten, but instead acts as the foundation for more advanced work in Year 2, and so on.
A Simple Analogy: Learning to Ride a Bike
- Foundation (Early Years): The child learns to sit on a tricycle (basic familiarity).
- Progressing (Year 1/2): They use a balance bike to learn steering and balance.
- Building Complexity (Year 3/4): They use stabilizers to practice pedalling.
- Mastery (Upper Primary): The stabilizers come off, and they ride a two-wheeler confidently.
- Transferring Knowledge (Secondary): They can now ride a mountain bike or road bike on different terrains.
If you skipped to the two-wheeler without the balance bike (curriculum progression), they would likely fall and feel overwhelmed.
Key Aspects of Progression for Parents
- "Knowing More and Remembering More": It’s not just about doing different topics every term. It’s about ensuring they actually remember the core concepts and can use them again later.
- Building on Prior Learning: Teachers don't just start from scratch each September. They look at what your child learned previously and use it as a stepping stone.
- Increasing Sophistication: Instead of just learning facts (e.g., the name of a river), they start understanding the concepts (e.g., how that river shapes the landscape over time).
- "I Can" Statements: Progression is often mapped out in "I can" statements that show a clear rise in skill level, from "I can write my name" to "I can write a story with paragraphs".
Why is this Important?
Curriculum progression prevents "learning gaps" where a child misses a vital step, making future learning difficult. It provides a "roadmap" for your child's education, ensuring that lessons have a larger purpose, rather than being isolated, random activities.