Newtown Primary School provides a rich, broad, balanced and creative curriculum and believes that excellence in teaching leads to enjoyment of learning. We define the curriculum as everything that impacts on the learning of our pupils.
 
Our curriculum gives Newtown a distinct identity and ethos, reflecting our values, our local community and an awareness of the wider world. Above all, we aim to make our curriculum a hugely rich experience for all pupils, laying the foundations for success in life.

Our curriculum is built around our school values of Embracing Excellence, Celebrating Diversity and Nurturing Individuality and our curriculum drivers 'The Four Cs':

The school environment is unique and purposefully tailored to develop and support a rich curriculum and strengthen the ethos of ‘a village school in the heart of the city’.
 
Learning is exciting and engaging. Pupils have the opportunity to learn in a range of ways – but all teaching and learning is of a high quality and is planned and managed so pupils are challenged and supported. They learn through play, out-of-doors, in traditional class settings, in small groups, through art, music and sport, from each other, before and after school, both formally and informally.
 
The Foundation Stage follows a distinctive Early Years Curriculum. This curriculum is divided into seven areas of learning; Personal Social and Emotional Development, Communication and Language, Physical Development, Literacy, Maths, Understanding the World and Expressive Arts and Design. Each area of learning is planned so that children have high quality continuous provision (inside and out) which is responsive to pupils’ interests and needs. Specific skills involving reading, writing and maths are taught through daily, whole class, as well as small group, activities and children’s progress is monitored both through observation during adult led and child-initiated activities.
 
The National Curriculum applies to pupils of compulsory school age and is taught from Year 1. It consists of core subjects: English, Mathematics and Science as well as Religious Education.
 
Newtown prides itself on its broad and balanced curriculum and strives for excellence in all areas. Foundation subjects including Art and Design, Computing, Design and Technology, Geography, History, Music and PE are also taught on a regular basis. Learning is planned through themes to give learning a greater purpose; to support making links across the curriculum and to ensure learning is enhanced through visits within and beyond the local area, visiting experts etc. As part of our school philosophy, we run a programme of Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education (PSHCE), which includes Sex Education and Drugs Education. Parents may withdraw their children from Sex Education if they wish. Pupils learn French from Year 3 onwards. 
 
Religious Education is taught in accordance with the Devon Agreed Syllabus. Parents may, if they wish, write to the headteacher to request that their children be wholly or partly excused from attendance at our regular collective worship or religious education.
 
The different learning needs of individual pupils are central to the planning and implementation of the school's curriculum. All pupils have equal rights of access to each curriculum area, and this right is irrespective of physical or academic ability, or gender, or ethnic or cultural origins. We strongly believe that the principle of matching the challenge of the curriculum to the needs of the individuals is fundamental to effective education.