Curriculum Statement

What does an ambitious Sikh education look like in practice?

At Sikh Heritage Girls School, our curriculum is designed to give girls strong knowledge, intellectual confidence and the habits needed to become increasingly independent learners. It is rooted in Sikhi, academically ambitious and deliberately broad, combining deep subject learning with language, culture, practical experience and opportunities to encounter the world beyond school.

That ambition does not require children to grow up too quickly. We value childhood and deliberately protect time for play, imagination, exploration, movement, conversation, creativity and wonder. In Reception, play is central to learning; as girls grow, curiosity continues through enquiry, experimentation, Forest School, practical work, reading, discussion and opportunities to pursue questions that genuinely interest them.

We are also conscious of Goodhart’s Law: when a measure becomes the target, it can stop being a useful measure of what really matters. Assessment and outcomes are important at SHGS, but they do not define the whole education. We want girls to attain highly without narrowing learning to what is easiest to test, count or compare.

From Reception onwards, pupils are expected to know more, understand more and become able to do more as they move through the school. Learning is carefully sequenced so that important knowledge, vocabulary and skills build over time. Key ideas are revisited deliberately so that pupils can remember them, connect them to new learning and use them with increasing independence.

Our mixed-age structure is planned carefully around this progression. Learning together does not mean blurring expectations; pupils are taught and challenged according to what they need to learn next.

Depth, Knowledge and Enquiry

We favour depth over superficial coverage. Important concepts are revisited, connected and applied so that pupils develop secure foundations rather than simply moving quickly from one topic to another.

Each subject is taught as a discipline in its own right. In History, girls learn how historians investigate the past; in Science, they reason and investigate scientifically; in Art, they learn to observe, critique and make with increasing control. Driver Projects create meaningful connections where subjects genuinely illuminate one another, while each subject retains its own progression and integrity.

Enquiry is supported by knowledge. Big Questions, rich texts, source material, practical investigations and real problems give pupils reasons to question, justify and make connections. We want girls to experience the satisfaction of discovering something for themselves while also acquiring the knowledge needed to think deeply about it.

How We Teach

Teaching is explicit, responsive and ambitious. Teachers explain and model new ideas carefully, use high-quality examples, check understanding frequently and revisit learning that needs to become secure.

Scaffolding is used purposefully and reduced as pupils become ready to work more independently. We do not confuse giving support with reducing ambition. Where a pupil needs more rehearsal, clearer modelling or a different route into the learning, this is provided while preserving access to the important ideas of the curriculum.

Oracy runs throughout school life. Girls discuss, debate, question, explain and justify their thinking with increasing precision. Reading, vocabulary and high-quality writing are similarly valued across subjects rather than belonging only to English.

Assessment supports teaching rather than driving it. What pupils say, write and do helps teachers identify misconceptions, decide what needs revisiting and understand what pupils are ready to learn next.

Identity, Language and the Wider World

SHGS is proudly bilingual. Punjabi and English are used confidently and purposefully across school life, often interchangeably, while pupils also learn Spanish from Year 1. Language is part of communication, heritage, identity and the way we come to understand other people and cultures.

Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji is at the heart of who we are and who our girls are becoming. Gurbani, Simran, Jeevan Jaanch, Punjabi and Sikh history give pupils deep roots, while the wider curriculum opens their eyes to British, local and world history, different religions and worldviews, global cultures, literature, art, music and contemporary ideas.

We want girls to know their own heritage deeply while remaining curious, informed and open to the wider world.

Learning Through Experience

Knowledge becomes more powerful when pupils have meaningful opportunities to apply it.

Weekly Forest School, fieldwork, galleries, places of worship, community encounters, competitions, performances, swimming, sport, music workshops, gardening, cooking and practical curriculum work all extend learning beyond the classroom. Girls are expected not only to know things, but to use what they know: to measure, investigate, debate, perform, design, create, solve problems and make decisions in real settings.

These opportunities are also part of our commitment to equity. Access to nature, culture, practical skills, high-quality technology and wider experiences should not depend on what happens to be available outside school.

Our Ambition

By the time girls leave SHGS, we want them to have substantial knowledge, strong foundations in literacy and mathematics, confidence in their own thinking and the ability to communicate with clarity.

They should know how to organise themselves, practise deliberately, respond to feedback, persevere when learning becomes difficult and recognise when they need to change their approach. Independence is taught, modelled and practised rather than simply expected.

We also want them to remember that education should enlarge life rather than reduce it to a set of scores. High attainment matters, but so do curiosity, judgement, character, creativity, practical competence and the confidence to engage fully with the world.

Above all, we want girls who are rooted in Sikhi, ambitious in learning and ready to serve: pupils who understand that education brings opportunity, but also responsibility for what they choose to do with it.