Curriculum
Rationale
Our curriculum has been designed to raise standards and improve outcomes for all of our children. Children enter our school with a wide range of needs and experiences, which are sometimes limited. Our approach has been developed to meet the needs of all our pupils and enrich their lives, whatever their starting point.
Intent:
Our curriculum has been designed to provide equity of opportunity for all children, no matter their background. It is intended to build upon their experiences, including those offered by the school, to create a culture where all children can access the curriculum.
Our curriculum is planned to:
- help children to become INDEPENDENT, RESILIENT, ACTIVE learners
- be MEMORABLE, fun and engaging
- to provide opportunities for our children to experience the wider world and gain first hand experiences to inform their learning, through planned trips and visitors
- have a strong focus on our core subjects of reading, writing, maths and speaking & listening, including opportunities to read, write, speak, debate, discuss and question across a range of styles and subjects
- provide a topic based broad, balanced curriculum, making links to prior learning, knowledge and skills so that the learning is meaningful
- provide an inclusive curriculum that all of our children can access
- to support all of our children with their well-being, giving them tools and strategies to support them with being ready to learn
- be flexible and allow us to respond to personal, local and national events
Implementation:
Our curriculum is implemented through termly projects which are carefully planned to ensure that knowledge and skills are covered and progression occurs. We explicitly teach key skills and subject specific knowledge and vocabulary and build upon children’s knowledge and skills through a series of lessons.
Wherever possible, the driver project is used to link core and foundation subjects together such as literacy, history, geography, art and design. Spiritual, Moral, Cultural and Social development opportunities are offered through our curriculum, alongside British Values, to support our children’s personal development and prepare them for life in modern Britain.
We recognise that children have different needs and so teachers make allowances for this in their planning and delivery. We use a range of approaches including practical activities and discussions. Medium term overviews and knowledge organisers are also shared with parents each term on the school website.
Teachers are encouraged to broaden the experience of the projects for the children, by using the rich local environment as a basis for learning and also by providing opportunities for outdoor learning and fieldwork, educational visits, visitors into school and shared experiences of the wider school community, e.g. involvement with parents and school links.
We value the diversity of individuals within the school. All children have equal access to the curriculum and are treated fairly regardless of race, religion or ability.
Impact:
The impact of our curriculum is monitored throughout the year by the Co-Headteachers and the Senior Leaders. This is done in a range of ways including:
- data analysis
- looking at children’s work and other evidence of outcomes
- lesson observations
- children’s voice
- teacher voice
- parent voice
- Governor monitoring
British Values
Earl spencer Primary School is very supportive of the ethos of promoting British Values, and preparing our pupils for success in a modern Britain. Staff model and teach pupils about the British Values which are:
- democracy
- rule of law
- individual liberty
- mutual respect
- tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs
These values are taught explicitly through PSHE and Religious Education. We also teach the British Values through delivering a broad and balanced curriculum, and through modelling respect, democracy and tolerance of all.
The school takes opportunities to actively promote British Values through our whole school themed assemblies, whole school systems and structures such as the class and school councils. We also actively promote the British values through our curriculum ensuring that planning and delivery includes real opportunities for exploring these values. Actively promoting British Values also means challenging pupils, staff or parents expressing opinions contrary to fundamental British Values, including ‘extremist’ views.
