Curriculum Policy and Information
'Working and Growing Together'
Curriculum Policy
(Intent, Implementation and Impact)
Introduction
At Fitzwilliam Primary School we view the design of the curriculum as an evolving and fluid process which takes into consideration: the needs and character of our children; the children’s prior learning; children’s experiences; the community in which school exists, the statutory curriculum (National Curriculum) and educational research which is evaluated and relevant to our school. We have designed a curriculum which teaches what matters to our children so that they know more, remember more and understand more.
Curriculum DefinitionsWhen collating this policy we have agreed the following definitions:Intent – everything that happens in the curriculum up to the point of delivering it (before the teaching)Implementation – everything that happens in the classroom (the teaching)Impact – children knowing more, remembering more and understanding more
The Curriculum Intent
The intent of our school curriculum is to deliver a curriculum which is accessible to all and that will maximise the development of every child’s ability and academic achievement. School has identified key intentions that drive our curriculum. Fitzwilliam Primary School curriculum intentions are:
Intention 1: To build a curriculum, with reading at it's core, which develops learning and results in the acquisition of knowledge so that they know more, remember more and understand more.
To design a curriculum with appropriate subject knowledge, skills and understanding as set out in the National Curriculum so that children can reach and exceed their potential.
Intention 2: To build a curriculum which nurtures children’s learning behaviours and develops a curiosity towards the exploration of knowledge so that they know more, remember more and understand more.
To design a curriculum which grows the key skills of: collaboration, independence, resilience, communication, leadership and enthusiasm so that children know how they learn.
Intention 3: To build a curriculum which ensures children know right from wrong, celebrate diversity and are ‘Life Ready’so that they know more, remember more and understand more
To design a curriculum which results in children developing crucial life-skills, and positive moral traits so that understand their role within the community and wider world. To understand what it means to be a British Citizen or, someone from another country who lives in Britain. To be aware of the rule of law, tolerance and being mutually respectful whilst understanding what it means to live in a democracy and to have individual liberty. To experience cultural capital and to use this to make links across their learning.
Pedagogy - How we intend to teach what will matter to our children so that they know more, remember more and understand more.
In all subjects, we recognise the importance of the methods and practice of teaching (the pedagogy) we choose to use in enabling pupils to know more, understand more and remember more. The following approaches will be used across subjects throughout school.
Pedagogical approaches and strategies |
Behaviourism |
Direct teacher instruction; modelling of skills and techniques; demonstration |
Constructivism |
Inquiry-based learning; outdoor learning |
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Social Constructivism |
Teacher modelling; questioning; mix of individual, paired and group instruction |
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Liberationism |
Pupil-led learning; opportunities to showcase learning |
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Vocabulary to develop confident learners |
Introducing learners to key vocabulary specific to the subjects, they are learning in order for them to use and apply it confidently and correctly. |
Curriculum Implementation
- We plan using the National Curriculum.
- We enhance the curriculum using progression grids.
- Subject Progression grids are used to develop long term planning.
- Teachers use the long term planning to plan units of work and deliver individual lessons.
Our 3 school intentions are used to drive curriculum implementation alongside appropriate evaluated educational research. The school implements the 3 curriculum intentions in the following way:
Intention 1: To build a curriculum which develops learning and results in the acquisition of knowledge so that all children know more, remember more and understand more. |
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Curriculum Implementation |
Reason / Research |
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National Curriculum Programmes of Study
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National Curriculum School adheres to the statutory content of the National Curriculum to ensure all children have access to appropriate age related knowledge and skills |
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Language
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Education Endowment Fund research indicates that all pupils benefit from oral language interventions, and some studies show slightly larger effects for younger children and pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds (up to six months' additional progress). School baseline upon entry data indicates that a significant number of children enter Lower Foundation Stage with speaking and listening skills that are below chronological expectations. |
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Phonics
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Education Endowment Fund research indicates that Phonics approaches have been consistently found to be effective in supporting younger readers to master the basics of reading, with an average impact of an additional four months’ progress.
School – phonics outcomes improved significantly when the systematic teaching of whole class teaching of phonics was introduced. |
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Education Endowment Fund research indicates that reading comprehension approaches deliver an additional six months’ progress. Successful reading comprehension approaches allow activities to be carefully tailored to pupils’ reading capabilities, and involve activities and texts that provide an effective, but not overwhelming, challenge.
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Writing
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Education Endowment Fund research indicates that children benefit from a balanced approach to literacy that includes a range of approaches. The emphasis of the different approaches will shift as children progress; effective diagnosis can help to identify priorities and focus teaching to ensure that it is efficient. |
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Maths
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MathsHub aim is to develop a culture of deep understanding, confidence and real progress. The programme, which has been developed following global research, makes links to the real life problems. Education Endowment Fund research indicates that Mathematics is essential for everyday life and a foundation for careers in technology, science, and engineering, among many others. School agree that Improving the attainment of children in mathematics should be a founding aim of our school. School: school data indicates that daily application of arithmetic results in children achieving at ARE. |
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Science
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Education Endowment Fund research indicates strong evidence of a link between economic disadvantage and attainment in science. Strategies to boost disadvantaged pupils’ reading comprehension could have a positive impact on their achievement in science too. School : children evidence a positive approach and engagement towards science units of work. |
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Foundation Subjects
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Education Endowment Fund research indicates that
Enhancement - Education Endowment Fund research indicates that given the complex nature, and limited evidence of impact on attainment of enrichment activities, it is important to think carefully about what you are intending to achieve. It is also important to consider carefully whether such activities should replace curriculum-linked activities, as this might have a negative impact on attainment. School: questionnaires (parents and pupils) indicate that children positively engage in enhancement tasks. Pupils written work indicates that clearly planned enhancement activities provide a scaffold for language consolidation. |
Intention 2: To build a curriculum which nurtures children’s learning behaviours and develops a curiosity towards the exploration of knowledge so that all children know more, remember more and understand more. |
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Curriculum Implementation |
Reason / Research |
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Education Endowment Fund literature review on non-cognitive skills suggested that character-related approaches can be most effective for improving attainment when they are specifically linked to learning. Macpherson Report (1999). The school has implemented the recommendations of The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry: Our schemes of work address the diversity of our society, and reflect the National Curriculum programmes of study. School: initial curriculum research, pupil observations, pupil questionnaires highlighted key skills that acted as barriers to children’s learning in school. |
Intention 3: To build a curriculum which ensures children know right from wrong, celebrate diversity and are ‘Life Ready’ so that they know more, remember more and understand more. |
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Curriculum Implementation |
Reason / Research |
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Education Endowment Fund research indicates that growing evidence suggests that a schools use of a set of attitudes, skills and behaviors – such as self-control, confidence, social skills, motivation, and resilience –to underpin the delivery of the curriculum are important to children’s later outcomes.
School – observations of learning attitudes, behaviour throughout school, analysis of questionnaires and discussions with pupils indicate that they view character building skills and activities positively.
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Teaching Sequence
The leaders within school recognise that the purpose of our school curriculum is for all children to engage in learning so that they retain knowledge and maintain connections between what is taught. Children should know more, remember more and understand more. In order to do this the effective implementation of the curriculum is essential. At Fitzwilliam, we recognise that the sequence of teaching directly impacts on the successfulness of the implementation. Whilst each leader has developed a clear approach to the implementation of their subject, school has agreed key features in the sequence of teaching that support the retention of knowledge to the long-term memory. Because of this all teaching sequences start with a ‘Big Picture’ task which sets the learning that is about to take place within the chronology of learning. Once the ‘Big Picture’ has been established the sequence will then focus on the last piece of connected learning that has most recently taken place. Once the first 2 steps in the teaching sequence have taken place the proceeding steps will be specific to each subject and developed by each subject leader. (See individual subject progression grids.)
Impact
What do we hope will be the impact of our curriculum and how do we measure it?
Intention |
Intended Impact |
How will it be measured? |
Intention 1: To build a curriculum which develops learning and results in the acquisition of knowledge so that children know more, remember more and understand more. |
Children will make at least good progress from their last point of statutory assessment of from their starting point in Nursery. |
Progress from a child’s starting point or from the last point of statutory assessment. Attainment at each point of statutory assessment. |
Intention 2 To build a curriculum which nurtures children’s learning behaviours and develops a curiosity towards the exploration of knowledge so that children know more, remember more and understand more.
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Children have positive attitudes towards their learning which continues as they move to secondary school and adulthood. Children know how they learn best and use this knowledge in their day to day work. Children demonstrate resilience in their earning and don’t give up when they find something difficult. Children have high aspirations of themselves and as a result of this set themselves challenging next steps. |
The learning behaviour displayed by children in the classroom and in the wider school environment. The care children demonstrate to their learning through the presentation of their work. The completion and return of homework including Open Ended homework. Attendance at school – children are rarely absent. |
Intention 3 To build a curriculum which ensures children know right from wrong, celebrate diversity and are ‘Life Ready’ so that children knw more, remember more and understand more. |
Children demonstrate a positive attitude towards all aspects of school life. They demonstrate respectful behaviour to all and this is transferable outside of school in the wider community and beyond. Children are resilient to the beliefs of others and make the correct choices independently based on their understanding of right and wrong |
Throughout school positive attitudes prevail towards all children and staff. There are very few incidents of disrespectful behaviour and when there is a disagreement this is resolved through respectful discussion. School pupils are ambassadors whenever they learn outside of the school environment. School pupils very rarely become involved in problems outside of the school day. Children stand up for what is right and positively speak out against inequalities such as racism and sexism. |
Monitoring
The Leadership team and the Local Governing Body are responsible for monitoring the impact of the school curriculum both in terms of social outcomes and academic progress. (Please School Development Plan Monitoring Schedule 2019-2020 for the current academic years planned curriculum monitoring.)
The headteacher is responsible for the day-to-day organisation of the curriculum. The subject leaders monitor the impact of the part of the curriculum for which they are responsible. They monitor curriculum planning for their subject, ensuring that all classes are taught the full requirements of the National Curriculum, have opportunities to enhance their curiosity and are challenged in order to apply and deepen their learning.
Subject leaders inspire learning in their subject and monitor the way in which 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 used. Curriculum monitoring completed by subject leaders is forwarded to the headteacher along with strengths and actions for further development.
This policy is monitored by the governing body and will be reviewed annually, or before if necessary. The policy was last reviewed in August 2019 and will next be reviewed in July 2020.
The Curriculum and Equality
The curriculum in our school is designed to be accessed by all children who attend the school. School takes seriously its responsibility to promote equality and uphold the 9 protecetd charactersitics of age, disability, race, gender, sex, sexual oreintation, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity.
If it is necessary to modify some children's access to the curriculum, in order to meet their needs, then we do this only after their parents or carers have been consulted and reasonable adjustments will be made.
If children have special needs, our school does all it can to meet the individual needs, and we comply with the requirements set out in the SEN Code of Practice. If a child displays signs of having special needs, then his/her teacher makes an assessment of this need in partnership with the SENCo. In most instances, the teacher is able to provide the resources and educational opportunities that meet the child's needs, within normal class organisation. If a child's need is more severe, we consider the child for statutory assessment, and we involve the appropriate external agencies in making an assessment. We always provide additional resources and support for children with special needs. The SEN Policy explains in greater detail schools approach to meeting the needs of this group of children.
The school provides Pupil Page Profiles for each of the children who are on the special needs register and Support Plans for children who are undergoing statutory assessment. These documents set out the nature of the special need, outlines how the school will aim to address it and also sets targets for improvement, so that we can review and monitor the progress of each child at regular intervals.
Some children in our school have disabilities. We are committed to meeting the needs of these children, as we are to meeting the needs of all groups of children within our school. The school complies fully with the requirements of the amended Disability Discrimination Act that came into effect from 2005. All reasonable steps are taken to ensure that these children are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared with non-disabled children. Teaching and learning are appropriately modified for children with disabilities. For example, they may be given additional time to complete certain activities, or the teaching materials may be adapted.
The school has implemented the recommendations of The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry: Macpherson Report (1999). Our schemes of work address the diversity of our society, and reflect the National Curriculum programmes of study.
The school is aware of the need to ensure that our curriculum meets the needs of the Pupil Premium children and contributes to them making accelerated progress in order to narrow the gap between them and non-pupil premium children. The Pupil Premium Policy explains in greater detail schools approach to meeting the needs of this group of children.
The school is aware of the importance of the physical development of all children and hence the Sports Funding is used to maximum effect to ensure that all children receive specialist PE teaching weekly and through this school provides excellent opportunities for teachers to develop their quality first teaching in PE.
- Curriculum Policy
- The Quality of Education Policy
- Cultural Capital Enhancements 2019-2020
- EDUCATIONAL VISITS 2019-2020
- Aspiration Week Planning Sept 2019
- 6 Key Skills For Learning
- Non Negotiable Parent Leaflet - UFS
- Non Negotiable Parent Leaflet - Year 1
- Non Negotiable Parent Leaflet - Year 2
- Non Negotiable Parent Leaflet - Year 3
- Non Negotiable Parent Leaflet - Year 4
- Non Negotiable Parent Leaflet - Year 5
- Non Negotiable Parent Leaflet - Year 6