Mab’s Cross Community Primary School
CURRICULUM
POLICY
Mab’s Cross Community Primary School
Curriculum Policy
1 Introduction
1.1 The curriculum is all the planned activities that we organise in order to promote learning and personal growth and development. It includes not only the formal requirements of the National Curriculum, but also the range of extra-curricular activities that the school organises in order to enrich the experience of the children. It also includes the ‘hidden curriculum’, or what the children learn from the way they are treated and expected to behave. We aim to teach children how to grow into positive, responsible people, who can work and co-operate with others while developing knowledge and skills, so that they achieve their true potential.
2 Values
2.1 Our school curriculum is underpinned by the values that we hold at our school. The curriculum is the means by which the school achieves its objective of educating children in the knowledge, skills and understanding that they need in order to lead fulfilling lives.
2.2 These are the main values of our school, upon which we have based our curriculum:
- We value the way in which all children are unique, and our curriculum promotes respect for the views of each individual child, as well as for people of all cultures. We value the spiritual and moral development of each person, as well as their intellectual and physical growth.
- We value the importance of each person in our community. We organise our curriculum so that we promote co-operation and understanding between all members of our community.
- We value the rights enjoyed by each person in our society. We respect each child in our school for who they are, and we treat them with fairness and honesty. We aim to enable each person to be successful, and we provide equal opportunities for all the children in our school.
- We value our environment, and we aim, through our curriculum, to teach respect for our world, and how we should care for it for future generations, as well as our own.
3 Aims and objectives
3.1 The aims of our school curriculum are:
- to enable all children to learn and develop their skills to the best of their ability;
- to promote a positive attitude towards learning, so that children enjoy coming to school, and acquire a solid basis for lifelong learning;
- to teach children the basic skills of literacy, numeracy and information and communications technology (ICT);
- to enable children to be creative and to develop their own thinking;
- to teach children about their developing world, including how their environment and society have changed over time;
- to enable children to be positive citizens in society;
- to fulfil all the requirements of the National Curriculum and the Locally Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education;
- to teach children to have an awareness of their own spiritual development, and to understand right from wrong;
- to help children understand the importance of truth and fairness, so that they grow up committed to equal opportunities for all;
- to enable children to have respect for themselves and high self-esteem, and to be able to live and work co-operatively with others.
To achieve these aims, the curriculum is planned to be:
- Broad so that it provides a wide range of knowledge, skills and experiences
- Balanced so that each subject has sufficient time to contribute effectively to learning
- Relevant so that learning can link to the pupil’s experience to applications in the world at large
- Coherent so that topics can be linked to make the whole learning experience more
- meaningful
- Progressive so that what is taught builds in a systematic way upon what has already been learned
- Differentiated so that what is taught and the tasks that are set are matched to the aptitude and ability for each pupil
- Accessible so that there is equality of opportunity for all.
The curriculum, whilst paying due regard to achieving high standards in English and Maths, is also broad, exciting and challenging and embraces the five outcomes set out in Every Child Matters:
- Stay safe
- Be healthy
- Enjoy and achieve
- Achieve economic well-being
- Make a positive contribution
We do this by:
- Providing a fun, stimulating and challenging learning environment
- Reflecting our high expectations through encouraging independent learning and self-discipline
- Establishing a mutually supportive partnership in which parents, carers, governors and staff share responsibility for the education of our children
- Promoting an awareness of and respect for a diversity of cultures, values, beliefs and abilities
- Working together to create a caring community of learners where every child feels safe and valued
- Ensuring that all children have appropriate and equal access to the curriculum
3.2 Elements of the Curriculum
The National Curriculum
| Subjects
Other subjects |
English
Mathematics Science Information Technology Religious Education Art Design and Technology Geography History Music Physical Education Modern Foreign Languages
Personal, Social and Health Education Citizenship
|
4 Organisation and planning
We plan our curriculum in three phases. We agree curriculum frameworks (long-term plan) for each Key Stage. This indicates what topics are to be taught in each term, and to which groups of children. Our Curriculum Frameworks are organised within a two-year cycle in KS1 to accommodate our mixed-age classes.
We review our long-term plan on an annual basis.
With our medium-term plans, we give clear guidance on the objectives and teaching strategies that we use when teaching each topic.
We use a variety of sources for our medium-term planning in the foundation subjects (eg QCA, Hamilton Trust).
Our short-term plans are those that our teachers write on a weekly and daily basis. We use these to set out the learning objectives for each session, and to identify what resources and activities we are going to use in the lesson.
In the Foundation Stage, we plan the curriculum carefully, so that there is coherence and full coverage of all aspects of the early learning goals and there planned progression in all curriculum areas.
Curriculum Planning
| Planning level | Participants | Purposes |
Outcomes for each year group |
| Long-term:
key stage or year group plan |
Headteacher, all staff
and governors |
To ensure:
coverage of all aspects of the school curriculum (including Nat. Curriculum and R.E.) across Key Stages; progression in all aspects of the curriculum across Key Stages; balance within and across all aspects of the curriculum; coherence within and between all aspects of the curriculum; continuity between Key Stages. |
A broad framework of curriculum provision for each year of each Key Stage, which reflects the school’s overall aims, objectives and policies. For each year group it should:
specify the content; organise the content into manageable and coherent units of work, each with a clear focus for learning; identify possible cross-curricular links; sequence work into three terms |
| Medium-term:
termly or half-termly plans |
Class teachers supported by subject leaders | To develop each year group plan into a detailed sequence of units of work. | A detailed specification for each unit of work which sets out:
The learning objectives; resource requirements; suggested teaching strategies and pupil groupings; strategies for differentiating work; assessment opportunities; opportunities for evaluating teaching and further development. |
| Short-term:
weekly or daily plans |
Class teachers | To ensure:
differentiation a balance of different types of activity throughout a week appropriate pace time for teacher assessment monitoring, evaluation and (if required) modifications to the medium term plans. |
Detailed daily or weekly lesson plans and appropriate records to ensure effective day to day teaching and assessment. They will include suitably differentiated pupil activities based in clear learning objectives. |
5 Children with special needs
5.1 The curriculum in our school is designed to provide access and opportunity for all children who attend the school. If we think it necessary to adapt the curriculum to meet the needs of individual children, then we do so only after the parents of the child have been consulted.
5.2 If a child has a special need, our school does all it can to meet these individual needs. We comply with the requirements set out in the SEN Code of Practice in providing for children with special needs. If a child displays signs of having special needs, his/her teacher makes an assessment of this need. In most instances the teacher is able to provide resources and educational opportunities which meet the child’s needs within the normal class organisation. If a child’s need is more severe, we consider the child for a statement of special needs, and we involve the appropriate external agencies when making this assessment. We always provide additional resources and support for children with special needs.
5.3 The school provides an Individual Educational Plan (IEP) for each of the children who are on the special needs register. This sets out the nature of the special need, and outlines how the schools will aim to address the need. It also sets out targets for improvement, so that we can review and monitor the progress of each child at regular intervals.
6 The Foundation Stage
6.1 The curriculum that we teach in the reception class meets the requirements set out in the revised National Curriculum at Foundation Stage. Our curriculum planning focuses on the Early Learning Goals and on developing children’s skills and experiences, as set out in this document.
6.2 Our school fully supports the principle that young children learn through play, and by engaging in well-planned structured activities. Teaching in the reception class builds on the experiences of the children in their pre-school learning. We do all we can to build positive partnerships with the variety of nurseries and other pre-school providers in the area.
6.3 During the children’s first term in the reception class, their teacher makes a baseline assessment to record the skills of each child on entry to the school. The Foundation Stage Profile is also continued from Nursery. These assessments form an important part of the future curriculum planning for each child.
6.4 We are well aware that all children need the support of parents and teachers to make good progress in school. We strive to build positive links with the parents of each child by keeping them informed about the way in which the children are being taught and how well each child is progressing.
7 The role of the subject leader
7.1 The role of the subject leader is to:
- provide a strategic lead and direction for the subject;
- support and offer advice to colleagues on issues related to the subject;
- monitor pupil progress in that subject area;
- provide efficient resource management for the subject.
The school gives subject leaders non-contact time, so that they can carry out the necessary duties involved with their role. It is the role of each subject leader to keep up to date with developments in their subject, at both national and local level. They review the way the subject is taught in the school and plan for improvement. This development planning links to whole-school objectives. Each subject leader reviews the curriculum plans for their subject, ensures that there is full coverage of the National Curriculum and that progression is planned into schemes of work.
8 Monitoring and review
8.1 Our governing body’s curriculum committee is responsible for monitoring the way the school curriculum is implemented. This committee monitors each subject area requiring an annual action plan and review from each subject manager.
8.2 We have named governors for literacy, numeracy, ICT, Special Needs and Able, Gifted and Talented.
8.3 The headteacher and deputy headteacher are responsible for the day to day organisation of the curriculum. They monitor the weekly lesson plans for all teachers, ensuring that all classes are taught the full requirements of the National Curriculum, and that all lessons have appropriate learning objectives.
8.4 Subject leaders monitor the way their subject is taught throughout the school. They examine long-term and medium-term planning, and ensure that appropriate teaching strategies are used. Subject leaders also have responsibility for monitoring the way in which resources are stored and managed.
This policy will be reviewed in light of changes brought about by National Curriculum changes, staff development or school initiatives.
All significant changes will be included in the School Development Plan to enable resources, finance, and appropriate staff development.
M. Wilson 1.10