Curriculum Intent and Implementation

Although our children are Key Stage 2, we have worked with out Infant feeder school to provide a progressive primary curriculum.

Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage follow short topics that address the requirements of the EYFS Curriculum, and enable all children to make progress across the three Prime Areas of Learning and four Specific Areas of Learning. In Reception, the children engage in a structured phonics approach which enables them to develop early reading and writing skills. 

Our EYFS and KS1 curriculum has a strong focus on the basic skills of reading, writing and maths, as we know that children must have a good grasp of these skills in order to make progress across the wider curriculum as they move into KS2. 

Children in KS1 and KS2 follow the school’s bespoke curriculum with a strong focus on the core skills of English and Maths. Our Maths and English teaching is well-structured and we are confident that our delivery of the NC in these subjects ensures progression through the core skills - we use Power Maths as a guide for our teachers, to ensure that we allow for a level of consistency across the school to be realised.

Our broader curriculum of foundation subjects is designed by looking at the key skills, knowledge and understanding required by the NC; creating a foundation structure to meet these and then identifying appropriate topics to meet our children’s interests and context that will enable these skills to be taught. 

Learning outside the classroom is firmly embedded within our school curriculum. Children undertake regular educational visits linked to their Curriculum topics. Visitors to school are frequent and a regular feature with parents taking part in regular curriculum activities. We also actively support learning at home and share information with parents so that they are able to support and encourage their children outside of school. 

You can view the curriculum map for each of our year groups here, where the subject domains and key learning during each half term is carefully planned and sequenced, to ensure the progression of skills and knowledge across the entire curriculum.

Year Group Curriculum Maps

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Year 6

In order to deliver the curriculum, we ensure all pupils are taught the statutory number of hours for each subject by providing staff with a time table for all subjects each half term. 

During the morning sessions, English and Maths are mainly delivered, however, our teachers are given the flexibility to adjust and adapt to the need of their pupils, therefore, often the day will change, depending on the needs of our pupils.

Science and other foundation subjects are usually taught throughout the afternoons, and we hold regular 'whole school events' such as 'Space Week' and 'World Religions Day' to add greater emphasis to these foundation subjects.

Foundation subjects are taught in blocks to enable children to become immersed in the learning. 

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-curriculum

Assessment

We use formative and summative assessment processes to enable us to make accurate judgements of both attainment and progress; this enables us to identify any gaps in knowledge or skills and to adapt our planning to close these gaps.  Knowledge gained by regularly reviewing our assessment processes and outcomes, enable us to continue to develop our school curriculum to inform and improve our future curriculum design.

Teachers continuously asses children’s knowledge and learning as a natural, integrated part of each lesson. Assessment records and progress tracking are maintained using the SIMS Tracker, our teachers use a variety of means to formatively assess pupils, with the Learning by Questions platform being used to regularly assess gaps and success in class and develop their plans accordingly.

Throughout the year KS2 children complete end of term formal assessments as a way to support teacher assessment and gap analysis, we use a variety of methods for this, with NTS Assessments being used for every year group in English and Power Maths Assessment in mathematics.

At the end of Key Stage Two, all children undergo the national SATs (Standard Assessment Tasks) and in conjunction with teacher assessment, results are reported to parents. 

Parents are invited to discuss their child’s progress three times a year in the Autumn, Spring and the Summer terms. 

Progression and Sequencing

The curriculum has been planned and mapped progressively throughout each Key Stage. A topic based approached is used as a vehicle, where relevant, to teach the knowledge and skills to make links through cross curricular learning.

Impact

We strive to ensure that our children’s attainment in core and foundation subjects is in line with or exceeding their potential when we consider the varied starting points of children. We measure this carefully using a range of materials, but always considering Age Related Expectations. We intend that the impact is that children will be academically and physically prepared for life in their next school stage, in Modern Britain and the wider world. We monitor EVERY CHILD'S progress individually, using FFT predictions as a starting point and teachers and leaders regularly meet to assess the progress of all pupils.

We want our children to become rounded characters with a clear understanding of complex values like equality, friendship, trust and many others. From this they will develop a character that prepares them for living in the community demonstrating tolerance and equality. We measure this not just by the work our children produce, but in the behaviours we see each and every day, on the playground, in corridors, and in the many roles we give them; we want all of our pupils to Work Hard, Be Kind and Choose Wisely.

Our children are to be guided by all staff on how to approach challenges every day. This could be on the playground, in a game or disagreement, or in class in a complex learning challenge. The impact should be that children don’t give up, are highly motivated to succeed and achieve and are equipped with all the personal skills to do this.

Our children will be motivated by a strong personal sense of morality. They will make decisions for the right reasons. They will be able to decide what is right and what is wrong, and will be resilient to the influence of others.