The Tollgate Curriculum: Rooted in who we are, ready for who we’ll become

At Tollgate, our curriculum is more than a timetable - it’s the lived experience of every child, every day. It celebrates our unique national identity and shared story, while opening doors to a future shaped by innovation, creativity and change - both the change we can see coming and the kind we can’t yet imagine. We want our learners to discover great things about the world in which we live, great things about themselves, and to gain the skills and knowledge they need to thrive, contribute positively to society, and make real choices about their futures - regardless of their starting points.

What drives our curriculum

We’ve designed our curriculum around five powerful drivers that run through every subject, project and experience. We want to empower our children to be:

• Articulate – Children learn to speak with confidence, listen with care and present ideas with clarity. Oracy sits at the heart of learning so pupils can think well and be heard.
• Numerate – Secure number sense and problem-solving are built step by step, so children can use mathematics to understand patterns, make decisions and tackle real-world challenges.
• Literate – A rich reading culture and purposeful writing across the curriculum help children become informed, thoughtful communicators who love books and language.
• World‑wise – We connect learning to our local community, our national heritage and the wider world. Pupils explore diverse perspectives, sustainability, digital citizenship and global issues with curiosity and empathy.
• Aspirational – We nurture ambition and self-belief. Children meet role models, encounter possibilities in the arts, sciences, sport and technology, and set goals that stretch and inspire them.

A curriculum for every child

We aim for our curriculum to meet the needs of all our children. That means carefully sequenced knowledge and skills, adaptive teaching that responds to learners, and meaningful opportunities to revisit and apply learning. Support and challenge are thoughtfully planned so that every child is included, every child is known and every child can experience success.

Learning that reaches beyond the classroom

Learning at Tollgate happens everywhere: in classrooms and the hall, on the playground and the field, on visits and residentials, through performances and clubs, in outdoor learning and through home projects. Whether children are exploring a local landmark, coding a simple app, rehearsing for a performance, investigating a scientific question or leading a community project, they are building character as well as curriculum knowledge.

Rooted in the National Curriculum - and beyond

Our offer includes every subject within the National Curriculum - taught with coherence, creativity and high expectations—and much more besides. We enrich learning with the arts, sport, pupil leadership, debate, enterprise, environmental education, online safety, and opportunities to collaborate across year groups. Reading is the golden thread, and purposeful talk, problem‑solving and real audiences give learning direction and meaning.

Looking ahead to a changing world

Today’s children will step into jobs, technologies and social challenges we can’t fully predict. Our curriculum therefore prepares them to think critically, learn independently and work together, to use technology responsibly, to be resilient and kind, and to turn ideas into action. In doing so, we honour our national story - its creativity, diversity and democratic values - while equipping pupils to help shape what comes next.

Find out more about our curriculum through our subject maps.