Curriculum Design at St Just Primary School
INTENT
Rationale for curriculum design
The rationale for the curriculum is based on the school’s shared vision:
‘Aspirations and Achievement; Together one and all’
Through the curriculum, we aim to provide each pupil with the opportunity to become a life-long learner by nurturing pupils’ individuality and creativity, guiding pupils’ learning and challenging pupils to think independently through the shared involvement of staff, parents and the wider community.
Aims for curriculum design
- To nurture a life-long passion for learning
- To ensure everyone reaches his/her full potential
- To encourage creative, independent thinking
- To meet the needs of individual children
- To increase self-esteem
- To equip children for the every-changing challenges of the 21st Century
- To provide stability and a safe place to learn in
- To develop a sense of community and citizenship
We ensure that:
Each subject is promoted as an individual discipline but enables pupils to make explicit links between the different aspects of their learning.
Lessons are sequenced, with recall opportunities across all subjects.
No lesson is out of place!
Pupils have a detailed knowledge of the expected ‘end points’ within each lesson and unit of learning.
Through the provision of rich and varied activities, we aim to:
- Encourage the best possible progress and the highest attainment for all pupils;
- Enable pupils to make connections across different areas of learning;
- Help pupils to think creatively and solve problems;
- Develop pupils’ capacity to learn and work independently and collaboratively;
- Enable pupils to respond positively to opportunities, challenge and responsibility;
- Enable pupils to acquire and develop a broad range of knowledge and skills
Units of work are planned using the framework of the National Curriculum, RE follows LA Agreed Syllabus, and RSE is taught throughout all year groups.
The curriculum is taught through discrete subject teaching of English and Maths. Foundation subjects are taught discretely making links where relevant and possible.
Reading is prioritised across the school day. There is also an expectation that reading is planned across other curriculum subjects to celebrate the diversity of different reading genre and to enable pupils to access the full curriculum offer.
Based on research findings that disadvantaged pupils enter school with significant vocabulary gaps we have a focus on vocabulary in English, Maths and across each subject. The foundation subjects have tiered vocabulary. Tier 1 are every day words, tier 2 are cross-curriculum words and tier 3 are subject specific words.
We believe in ensuring our children leave St Just with not only the knowledge and skills that will take them into the next stages of their education but also with the qualities and attributes of a valued and proactive member of the community and beyond.
Through our bespoke 360 curriculum, the children will participate in new experiences, adventures, learn valuable life skills and support their community and beyond.
The ethos behind our whole curriculum is underpinned by our seven school values; Kindness, enthusiasm, responsibility, perseverance, caring, inspirational and respect.
Kindness to all – in the things we say
- We provide equality of access and the opportunity for all pupils to make
- ‘Cultural Capital’ is developed through a well-planned curriculum.
- Pupils develop moral sensibility through careful teaching
- We promote diversity at every opportunity in the curriculum and highlight the importance of equality.
- Intervention classes deliver personalised learning.
- We promote equal opportunities.
- After school clubs develop children’s skills in different subject areas.
Enthusiastic – in the things you do
- Our curriculum is relevant and modern.
- There is an ambitious variety of teaching approaches in lessons to ensure varied learning also.
- Our curriculum exceeds the ambition and breadth of the National Curriculum.
- We promote a love of learning.
- Our learning opportunities suit a wide range of learning styles.
- Educational visits and visitors enthuse the children.
Responsible – for the choices we make
- Children express their learning through their own decisions.
- Children are aware of the importance of, and participate in, the arts and related cultural
- Curriculum Hub ‘Special Days’ promote pupil’s creativity in a range of curriculum areas.
- Our curriculum prepares all pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of the next stage of their education.
Perseverance – don’t give up
- We promote long term memory use, to ensure previous learning doesn’t ‘disappear’.
- KIRFS (Key Instant Recall Facts) ensure children remember facts, skills and concepts.
- Daily ‘Total Recall’ revisits previous learning.
- Pupils are prepared for the opportunities, responsibilities and experience of adult
- Pupils have the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to lead confident, healthy, independent lives and to become informed, active, responsible citizens, whilst promoting British Values
- Through teachers’ outstanding subject knowledge, we deepen the children’s understanding.
Inspirational – be the best you can be
- We promote ambitious, high standards in reading, writing and maths, and across all subjects of the curriculum
- The teaching of the ‘hidden curriculum’ instils manners, good attitudes to learning, attendance and punctuality, and enriches the children’s conduct.
- Pupils access the content and make progress through the curriculum through planned skills progression across all subjects.
Respectful – in the things we do
- Range of activities planned within every lesson allows every child to deepen their understanding, regardless of their ability.
- All subjects are considered important, and the curriculum is never narrowed.
Caring – for everything big and small
- We recover lost learning through a specific ‘Recovery Curriculum’, before new learning is introduced.
- We promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.
- We promote physical and mental development and an awareness of the importance of a healthy lifestyle
- The personal and social skills of each child is developed through the whole school Life Wise programme and 2020 RSE curriculum.
IMPLEMENTATION
- To ensure distributed curriculum leadership, each curriculum subject has a designated teacher who leads the subject and a member of staff to support the leader and act as a critical friend.
- Subject leaders at all levels have clear roles and responsibilities to enable them to carry out their role in curriculum design and delivery.
- Subject leaders have the knowledge, expertise and practical skill to design and implement their subject within the whole school curriculum.
- All subjects have Subject Ambassadors (year 6 pupils) who can support the curriculum leader and provide the pupil voice that informs reflection and development points.
- As part of monitoring at St Just – subject leaders are given leadership time to carry out their duties as laid out in the St Just Subject Leadership Handbook
- As part of the regular curriculum review, subject leaders are expected to give detailed presentations to governors and senior leaders for each curriculum subject. Subject leaders outline all aspects of their subject including their action plan, planning and intent using skills progressions, the implementation of delivery, progression within the subject, how the subject is assessed and the subsequent impact shown in books.
- Reading skills lessons are taught at least 4 times a week, using DERIC, to ensure relevant skills in Decoding, Explaining, Retrieval, Interpret and Choice are taught to demonstrate outstanding comprehension of any text.
- Writing is taught using the Jane Considine approach with a special day write half-termly to track progress.
- Mathematical fluency and confidence in numeracy are regarded as preconditions of success across the national curriculum.
- Maths lessons are taught daily, covering all elements of the National Curriculum. Mastery techniques are used to ensure outstanding core knowledge and skills. Maths lessons include daily flash back four, an unwavering focus on times tables and developing techniques to secure facts in long-term memory.
- Senior leaders at St Just Primary school ensure ongoing professional development/training is available for staff to ensure curriculum requirements can be met and to ensure curriculum expertise develops across the school.
- Subject leaders attend relevant training and keep up to date with changes in their subject.
- ECTs shadow a subject leader in their final term in order to develop their knowledge and skills as a future subject leader.
- The St Just Curriculum is planned so that all activities and challenges meet all pupils’ learning needs, irrespective of their ability, background, ethnic origin or gender.
- All resources used aid learning, serve the school’s curricular intentions, and enable effective curriculum implementation for all year groups.
- The delivery of the curriculum is distributed across the teaching time for the week. This excludes registration, daily acts of collective worship, breaks and lunch. Time is allowed for special curriculum events, educational visits and sports day.
- All curriculum delivery is fair and impartial for all groups at all times.
- There is an ongoing focus on developing long-term memory in all subjects
- Any interventions that are delivered are planned with the eventual end point of enhancing pupils’ capacity to access the full curriculum.
- All subjects within the curriculum have depth of knowledge, skills and understanding and coverage of all expectations with the 2014 National Curriculum.
- All subjects have a model of curriculum progressions in the form of a Big Document that is used to inform planning and to ensure skills are progressed in each subject through Early years, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.
- All units have been mapped from the National Curriculum to ensure sufficient coverage in all subjects throughout the school
- All subjects have a thoughtfully designed assessment system that is used to inform future planning and shape future learning. In line with our staff well-being focus, none of these systems are excessive or onerous.
- All assessments used are reliable. Through year group, whole school and cross-school moderation, all systems to check reliability of assessments are rigorous and accurate.
- Due to a rigorous and robust monitoring system that involves triangulation between teaching observations, data scrutiny and ‘book looks’, and detailed planning scrutinies, senior leaders can ensure that there is no mismatch between the planned and delivered curriculum.
IMPACT
- Pupils achieve in line with national average in all reported subjects.
- Pupils make good progress from their starting points.
- Pupils progress in knowledge, skills and understanding in all subjects throughout the key stage.
- Impact of interventions are monitored for effectiveness.
- Children find their learning enjoyable and memorable.
- Irrespective of ability, background, ethnic origin or gender, access to all aspects of the curriculum at St Just is equal for all to ensure parity for all groups of pupils.
- Some areas of the curriculum are adapted for children with different abilities or educational needs to ensure they can succeed.