Our Foundation 2 Curriculum

Within Foundation 2, our curriculum is taught across the year through our three enquiries. The enquiries all have an overarching question which the children work towards answering through an authentic outcome. Our enquiries are developed by driving and enhancing subjects. 

In addition, our enquiries connect to our DEAL curriculum principles and shape the way the enquiries are planned and delivered.

Our F2 Enquiries for 2024-25

Autumn Term - Who is significant?

In Nursery, our children will have learnt about who is significant to them when exploring their families as well as significant members of the community who can help them in the spring and summer terms.

Through this enquiry, our children will reactivate their knowledge of people who are important to them. They will learn about significant people in their family and community, historical people of significance in Nottingham (William Booth and Woodborough Land Girls), people of national significance (Lady Eve Balfour) or global historical figures (Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks).

In Year 1, children will build on the concept of significance when learning about significant people in the Victorian era and their impact on society today. Children in Year 2 study a significant era in British history and its impact on our world today. In key stage two, our children begin to study British history in chronological order and other significant historical events/ periods of history in greater depth.

Children will also broaden their knowledge of significance through their RE learning about special people and special celebrations. In Literacy, the children will use the story of the Gingerbread man as a vehicle to support their understanding of the passing of time.

Autumn Term - Authentic Outcome

This term our F2 class showcased their significance within our local community by creating hampers inspired by the significant people they have learnt about – William Booth and the Woodborough Land Girls. The children decided that the contents of the baskets should be inspired by the type of support each of these people gave to others.

In our hamper, inspired by William Booth, we included food and treats such as hot chocolate packets, biscuits and tinned goods, as well as warm socks, hot water bottles and cosy winter clothing.

In our hamper, inspired by the Woodborough Land Girls, we included seeds and plant pots for growing fruits and vegetables at home, as well as gardening supplies like gloves, tools and a watering can.

Spring Term - How can we make a difference where we live?

In Nursery, the children will have learnt about their local community, the town in which they live and have had exposure to other countries around the world. In the Autumn term, they will have understood how significant people have left their legacy and made a positive change to our world.

Through this enquiry, our children will learn about the city and country they live in and compare what it is like to live in the UK and Brazil.

In Year 1, children will learn about the unique qualities of their city, the four countries of the UK and their capital cities. In Year 2, our children will draw upon their knowledge from this enquiry to study countries of the world across all seven continents and explore similarities and differences of their geographical features. In key stage two, Year 3/4, the children will study a European country through the lens of natural disasters and has an authentic outcome centred around supporting charities who respond to natural disasters.

In Year 5/6 cycle 1, children will consider the impact of humans on the environment when learning about the Amazon rainforest. In cycle 2, our children will learn about countries which are less economically developed and contrast these with European developed countries. They will utilise this knowledge to inform their opinions around displacement and how to demonstrate empathy, support and display non-discriminative behaviour.

Through the enhancer of art, children will work collaboratively to create a representation of litter pollution in their local community, in the style of Fabrice Monteiro using the prophecy art collection as inspiration. In Science, the children will learn about natural and synthetic materials within our world as well as David Attenborough, who is an influential person within their living memory, to explore habitats and looking after their environment.

Spring Term - Authentic Outcome

The children, inspired by the work of Fabrice Monteiro, will explore and experiment with different materials to create a sculpture. They will identify and chose textures, colours, and recycled materials, using their creativity and decision-making skills to decide where best to place each piece of material.

Focusing on the use of different joining techniques, the children will work collaboratively to develop their sculpture - noting where more materials are needed, which materials will add more colour to the piece and developed their critical thinking, observation skills and reflective processes.

Summer Term - How can we express ourselves?

In Nursery, our children have learnt about healthy eating, healthy routines. For example, oral hygiene, understanding of their emotions and the people who help us.

Through this enquiry, our children will, learn how to identify and manage their emotions as well as understanding how people express their feelings in a variety of ways. Our children will be exposed to influential people of today who represent protected characteristics, for example: Greta Thunberg, Nadiya Hussain and Vivienne Westwood.

In Year 1, children will enhance their understanding of emotions and feelings in greater depth identifying a vast range of emotions, using art as a vehicle. In Year 2, our children will build upon their knowledge of people who help us to develop a deeper understanding of contextual safety. In key stage two, our children we explore their social impact of how they can support people within our community and beyond.

Through art, dance, music and sport, children will learn about individuals in our society who express their emotions in different ways. Our children, will experiment with a range of strategies through these vehicles to help them to manage their own emotions.

Summer Term - Authentic Outcome

Watch this space! Exciting learning on the way!

The children will be creating a guide for other children at Rivendell, to put on the website and to share with our families about how each child in FS2 expresses themselves. This will also include their aspirations to express themselves in the future.

The guide will go through each vehicle studied, including dance, music, cooking, sport, fashion and art, and the influential people who champion that approach.

At the end of the guide, each will have the opportunity to say how they like to express themselves.