Our School Curriculum
Aims
•To promote high quality teaching and learning to inspire, motivate and challenge all learners, whilst providing lasting memories.
•Enable children to have the essential knowledge and skills needed to be educated, tolerant citizens who are proactive members of our diverse community and beyond.
•To know how to stay safe in a rapidly changing world.
The subjects taught are in keeping with the requirements of the2014 National Curriculum. They include; English, Mathematics, Science, History, Geography, Art, Music, Design Technology, Computing, Physical Education and Personal, Social and Health Education (usually taught via Philosophy for Children sessions) and Spanish. These subjects are taught through a cross curricular topic approach, on a 2 year cycle (see Topic Overview table below). Each topic is introduced with a hook, where children are given the opportunity to explore aspects of the topicpractically. Through observations, discussion and feedback teachers are able to gather information about where children’s interests and prior knowledge are within a topic and use this information to inform future planningfor all subjects being taught within the topic. This approach allows children to have input into the direction of their learning, thereby making it exciting, engaging and purposeful for them. Learning is enhanced through trips and/or visitors coming into school, and learning is celebrated with parents/carers at the end of each topic.Through Forest School, we are developing outdoor education and implementing this into our topics, children are learning personal, social and technical skills in addition to NC objectives.
Where possible all requirements of the curriculum subjects are taught within the topics, however in order to ensure coverage aspects may need to be taught separately. Maths, Spanish and RSE are taught discreetly.
Embedded within our school life is the Stonewall practice of ‘acceptance without exception,’ we are Gold Stonewall Champions (the first primary school to achieve this in England). Through our everyday practice and use of language, we avoid gender stereotypes, andpromote acceptance of all whilstcelebrating the diversity of the modern family. We have weekly P4C (Philosophy for children) sessions where we use a variety of stimuli to promote, question and discuss our Stonewall practice.
British Values are established as part of our whole school ethos,the curriculum has British Values threaded throughout including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs e.g children use their right to vote when electing JLT members and prefects. We use specific P4C sessions to focus on issues such as terrorism, hate crimes and other topical or controversial issues. Assemblies are themed to promote and celebrate our British Values and Stonewall practice.
We are currently in the process of becoming a UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools, the vision is to promote pupils’ acceptance of difference and diversity, providing children with a strong moral compass.
BLP (Building Learning Power) is used across school, which includes developing resilience, resourcefulness, reflectiveness and reciprocity.
Topic Overview Main subject coverage
KS1 Year A / KS1 Year BWhy was the Fire of London so great?Autumn 1
History and DT / Who was the Lady with the Lamp?Autumn 1
History and DT
What is our world made of? (oceans and continents)Autumn 2
Geography / What made Vincent happy?Autumn 2
Art and History
Lowry - Who are the Matchstalk men?Spring 1
Art and History / Explorers – Was the earth ever flat?Spring 1
Geography and History
What is so great about Great Britain?Spring 2
Geography and Science / Does the rain always fall in the rainforest?Spring 2
Geography
Katie Morag; Would I like to live beside the seaside?Summer 1
Geography / What’s your Superhero power? Summer 1
DT
Where do I belong?Summer 2
History and DT / Is there anybody out there?Summer 2
Science and DT
Computing objectives are taught through;Esafety, Book Creator, Garage Band, Purple Mash, Beebots, Lego Movie, Daisy the Dinosaur
LKS2 Year A / LKS2 Year B
1. Can a snake eat an elephant?5 weeks
Science and DT / 1. Do shadows disappear?3 weeks
Science, Geography and DT
2. What happened to the Boy King?4 weeks
History and Geography / 2. Could I be the next Bear Grylls?5 weeks
Geography
3. Have I got the X-Factor?5 weeks
Science and Geography / 3. What did the Romans ever do for us? 4 weeks
History
4. Why does the Earth get angry?4 weeks
Science, Geography, DT / 4. Can I build a Tardis? 5 weeks
Science and DT
5. Did aliens build Stonehenge?3 weeks
History and Geography / 5. Where have all the puddles gone? 5 weeks
Science and Geography
6. Do opposites attract?4 weeks
Science and Geography / 6. Do actions speak louder than words? 4 weeks
History and Geography
7. How does your garden grow?5 weeks
Science, Geography and DT / 7. Why are there no penguins in New Moston? 4 weeks
Science and Geography
8. Should I stay or should I go?6 weeks
Geography / 8. Do Canadians live in igloos?6 weeks
Geography
Computing objectives are taught through; Scratch Junior, Purple Mash
UKS2 Year A / UKS2 Year B
1. Can we build Frankenstein’s monster? 4 weeks
Science, Geography, RE / 1. How would I survive a natural disaster? 6weeks
Science, Geography, DT, RE
2. Who do you think you are? 6 weeks
History, Geography, RE / 2. What would life be like if Germany had won WW2? 8weeks
History, Geography, RE
3. Can animals survive without plants? 4 weeks
Science, Geography, DT, RE / 3. Why can’t I live under the sea?3 weeks
Science, Geography, RE
4. Who invented democracy? 6 weeks
History, Geography, RE / 4. Does night always follow day?3 weeks
Science,DT, RE
5. Why doesn’t the Earth make me dizzy? 4 weeks
Science, Geography, DT, RE / 5. Why didn’t the world end in 2012? 4 weeks
History, Geography, RE
6. Where did the dodo go? 6 weeks
Science, Geography, RE / 6. How many mph can I go? 6 weeks
Science, Geography, RE
7. Is Spain just for holidays? 6 weeks
Science, Geography, RE / 7. Does Mexico have two faces?6 weeks
Science, Geography, RE
Computing objectives are taught through; Scratch Junior, Purple Mash