Curriculum Overview:

Academic Year 2025–26

Explore what each year group will be learning across the three terms of the academic year.

Autumn Term 2025

Nursery & Reception

• Theme: Who am I?

• History: Exploring images of familiar situations in the past.

• Science: Exploring the natural world around them and understanding the effect of the changing seasons around them

• Art: Using and refining artistic effects to express their ideas and feelings.

• Design & Technology (DT): Cooking and nutrition – linked to Harvest.

• PE: Fundamental ball and movement skills.

Year 1 & 2

• History: Why was Bolton Castle built? What does the castle reveal about life in the past?

• Geography: Weather patterns in the UK.

• Science: Animals including humans; Living things and their habitats.

• Art Week: Pattern and printing (linked to Guy Fawkes Night).

• DT Week: Cooking and nutrition (linked to Harvest).

• PE: Multi-skills, throwing and catching, invasion games.

Year 3 & 4

• History: Ancient Greece – its influence on the Western World.

• Geography: Roman presence in Britain – geographical skills and fieldwork.

• Science: Electricity & Sound.

• Art Week: Pattern and printing (linked to Guy Fawkes Night).

• DT Week: Cooking and nutrition (linked to Harvest).

• PE: Swimming, football, hockey, health & fitness.

Year 5 & 6

• History: The Tudors – Henry VIII and the impact his decision to split with the Catholic Church had on England

• Geography: Locational knowledge – Where in the world are we?

• Science: Living things and their habitats.

• Art Week: Pattern and printing (linked to Guy Fawkes Night).

• DT Week: Cooking and nutrition (linked to Harvest).

• PE: Swimming, football, netball, dodgeball.

Spring Term 2026 

Nursery & Reception

• Theme: How can life be different?

• Geography: Exploring different environments and comparing similarities and differences between life in this country compared to life in other countries; drawing information from a simple map. 

• Science: What you see, hear and feel whilst outside. 

• Art: Explore, use and refine a variety of artistic effects to express ideas and feelings through sharing ideas, resources and skills

• DT: Levers and sliders – storytelling stimulus.

• PE: Gymnastics (strength, balance, coordination) and moving energetically to music through the medium of dance.

Year 1 & 2

• Geography: Comparison between an African village and Grewelthorpe village. (How key human and physical features are different in different parts of the world)

• Science: Uses of everyday materials.

• Art Week: Painting (Winter Olympics 2026 stimulus).

• DT Week: Levers and sliders (inspired by World Book Day).

• PE: Gymnastics, dance, net/wall games.

Year 3 & 4

• Geography: Local landscape study – human and physical geography (including fieldword).

• Science: Animals including humans; Living things and their habitats.

• Art Week: Painting (Winter Olympics 2026 stimulus).

• DT Week: Levers and sliders (inspired by World Book Day).

• PE: Dance, hockey, dodgeball.

Year 5 & 6

• Geography: Should Ripon have a train station? (geographical skills and fieldwork focus).

• Science: Properties and changes of materials; Earth and space.

• Art Week: Painting (Winter Olympics 2026 stimulus).

• DT Week: Levers and sliders (inspired by World Book Day).

• PE: Dance, parasport, volleyball.

Summer Term 2026 

Nursery & Reception

• Theme: How do places change?

• History: Comparing characters from stories and historical figures. 

• Science: Observing seasonal change in the natural world around them.

• Art: Using colour to express ideas and feelings.

• DT: Wheels and axles; Armed Forces Day.

• PE: Striking & fielding skills, athletic movements.

Year 1 & 2

• History: The Great Fire of London – what happened and how do we know? How did London change as a result of the fire?

• Geography: Local fieldwork – exploring our school. A local fieldwork focus. 

• Science: Plants

• Art Week: Colour (Pride as stimulus).

• DT Week: Wheels and axles; Armed Forces Day

• PE: Striking & fielding games, athletic movements.

Year 3 & 4

• History: Life of a monk at Fountains Abbey during Henry VIII’s reign.

• Geography: How can our natural landscape help tourism in our area? – Brimham Rocks, HackfallWoods, Yorkshire Dales.

• Science: Plants.

• Art Week: Colour (Pride as stimulus).

• DT Week: Wheels and axles (Armed Forces Day).

• PE: Athletics, tennis, rounders.

Year 5 & 6

• History: Maya civilisation – evidence and culture.

• Geography:  Where do the products we use come from? Trade links and natural resource distribution.

• Science: Animals including humans; Evolution and inheritance.

• Art Week: Colour (Pride as stimulus).

• DT Week: Wheels and axles (Armed Forces Day).

• PE: Handball, athletics, tennis.