Intent statements
Anatomy of 257 curriculum intent statements from 146 schools across 12 subjects.
Hello Curriculum Thinkers,
A question we got asked this week:
How do others craft effective curriculum intent statements in their subjects? We’d love to see some examples.
A very well timed question indeed.
Why?
Well, last week we launched our Subject Success Research, which helps you, for the very fist time, discover who the most successful departments in your subject are and see just how inspirational what they’ve achieved is.
And this week we’re very excited to bring you the first slice of the different aspects of the research, which aim to unpack how they achieve their results:
intents statements (written by subject specialists in those very departments)
(Skip to the bottom to find out what’s coming up in the next few weeks).
Over the past 3 months, our Subject Success Research team gathered 257 intent statements, from 146 schools, across 12 subjects*.
Here’s what we found, how you can access all intent statements and compare the ones in your subject (to your own and each other).
Intent statements are much more than something you might be tempted to write for Ofsted.
They help you develop your own rationale for why you are teaching a particular subject.
They energise your team, keep them focused on the end goal and ignite your students’ passions.
Given that they can be such a powerful lever for change, it’s worth looking at others’ curriculum intent statement to see how you can improve yours even further.
Read all intent statements in your subject 👇
🔎 5 features of curriculum intent statements that caught our attention
When reading all the intent statements we noticed 20+ features that came up a lot.
Here are five to get you thinking about your subject intent (with an examples to show you what we mean).
If you want to read more examples, get all the intent statements in your subject here
1. Get excited about your subject
“Here at Ricards Lodge High School, the History teachers have one big aim: to give students a love of history!” 🏰
“We believe that students deserve a Design & Technology curriculum which prepares them for the world they live in.”🛠️
“Studying English is about crafting and understanding words and meaning, which is at the heart of everything. At South Bank, our curriculum is in-line with the whole-school vision to open doors and close gaps for our students – we believe this is urgent, exciting and comes from careful planning.” 📖
“Science is exciting! Science gives us joy through our understanding of the world and our role within it. Science embodies the very essence of learning.” 🧬
2. Invoke historical tradition
“Invented by the Muslim mathematician al-Khwarizmi (820 AD), algebra is held in high esteem as one of the major components of traditional and contemporary mathematics. Tauheedul has a vision through which it can help develop the next generation of mathematicians.” 🧮
“The power of stories has formed and shaped communities for centuries; they provide guidance, understanding and a foundation for how to communicate information, ideas and emotions. Studying English allows students to enter the minds and thoughts of writers and encourages them to develop their own.” 📖
3. Explain it’s vital importance to the world
“Religion shapes politics, art, culture, law, economics and international relations. Lack of religious literacy can lead to intolerance, hatred, sectarianism, racism, conflict and war.” 🕌
“Science has changed all our lives: from the advent of the information age to the development of vaccinations, science is vital to the world’s future prosperity. New technological developments are the outcome of societies with a fundamental understanding of scientific knowledge, processes and methods.” 🧬
“Art, craft and design embody some of the highest forms of human creativity. They should also know how art and design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation. “🎨
In an increasingly globalised world, languages have never been so important. Not only is it incorrect that “everybody speaks English”, but many universities now require pupils to have studied a language at GCSE level” 💬
4. Exemplify the life skills your students need that it teaches them
“Basic numeracy skills are essential and are found in all areas of life, including shopping, cooking, sports, travel, personal finances, and DIY 🧮
“learn how to design and build apps, investigate how algorithms help create computer codes and the importance of cyber security and the ethical impacts of digital technology” 💻
5. Uncover the careers it opens up
“Be part of one of the most disruptive and innovative industries. Gain your skills and develop your understanding of how to create and develop programs and software to build your career potential” 💻
“Mathematics enables us to make progress in fields such as engineering, finance, technology, medicine, architecture and much more” 🧮
“The wide range of jobs geography can lead to include planning, the City, working in the environment, the travel and tourist industry, international charities, agriculture, retail and many more.” 🌍
Want to read the remaining observations?
👀 Other things that caught our eye about intent statements
Many of the intent statements we read also:
Used inspiring quotes
Brought the school values to life
Explained the curriculum design choice they made
Outlined what students learn and when
Specified pedagogical techniques they use
Broke down statements by key stage and/or year group
Detailed the extracurricular programmes they run
Explained how they drew upon local contexts
Referenced research
To see examples in your subject…
💼 Want to join our research team?
*We're looking for subject specialists to work with on the Performing Art report.
Click here to learn more or DM Frances Ling for an informal chat
📚 Access all curriculum intent statements in your subject in one place.
🎨 Success in Art
Read observations here (link coming soon)
Get access to full directory here (link coming soon)
(Posted after 3rd May - join waiting list here)
💸Success in Business
Read observations here (link coming soon)
Get access to full directory here (link coming soon)
(Posted after 3rd May - join waiting list here)
👩💻 Success in Computer Science & IT
Read observations here (link coming soon)
Get access to full directory here (link coming soon)
(Posted after 10th May - join waiting list here)
📐Success in Design Technology & Food
📚 Success in English
🌍 Success in Geography
📅 Success in History
🧭 Success in RE
👋 Success in Languages
📊 Success in Maths
🏆 Success in PE
Read observations here (link coming soon)
Get access to full directory here (link coming soon)
(Posted after 3rd May - join waiting list here)
🎭 Success in Performing Arts - Dance, Drama & Music
We’re actively recruiting a researcher to work with us on Success in Performing Arts - if you’re a Dance, Drama or Music specialist keen to get paid for getting to be nosey about what other schools do, send Frances a message to find out more about it.
(Posted later in Summer term)
🧬 Success in Science
🧠 Success in Social Science
Get access to full directory here
(Posted after 10th May - join waiting list here)
🔎 What aspects of curriculum practice will we be unpacking over the next few weeks?
To help you get as much as possible out of our Subject Success Research, over the coming weeks we’ll bring you different slices of what we’ve found
Sequencing decisions by subject, year group and key stage
Exam board choices
Resourcing: staffing and teaching hours
Resources like options booklets, curriculum maps, knowledge organisers, revision materials and…
…more
If don’t want to miss out on all these…
Sent with ❤️ Curriculum Thinkers Team at We Are In Beta.