Our Curriculum Statement

INTENT –  IMPLEMENTATION –  IMPACT

Curriculum Intent

Curriculum Leader: Anna Harding

At St Mary Magdalene Church of England Primary School we believe that every child is a gift from God and deserves the very best we can give. This includes the pursuit of excellence and preparing our children as world citizens of the 21st Century. In order for this to be achieved, our children need high levels of literacy and numeracy. We recognise R.E as a core subject and it is taught discretely for one hour per week. As a church school we believe that learning about religion and from religion to be of upmost importance to our children’s social, emotional, spiritual and cultural development. We work closely with the local parish and community in order to foster an ethos of serving both individuals and society.

We provide a wide range of opportunities for children to develop as confident, successful learners with high aspirations who are able to make positive contributions to their community and beyond.

As well as ensuring both coverage and progression, the curriculum is thoughtfully designed to provide broad, balanced, deep and contextualised learning experiences.

The school is inclusive and provides a stimulating environment that meets the needs of all learners. Pupils at all levels are helped to achieve their potential irrespective of their starting points. Children’s wellbeing is a priority and there is a strong focus on helping children to regulate their emotions.

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Core Values:

Our curriculum is underpinned by our core Christian values of:

Our core Christian values are like a golden thread which runs through everything we do with the aim of becoming the best we can be.

As children progress through the school, they will be encouraged to be independent learners who can also work cooperatively with others so they are well prepared for secondary school and the next stage of their lives when they leave us in Year 6.

Our curriculum is centred on high quality texts which are linked to either a humanities or science topic each half term. English and Maths are prioritised each day because we want our children to be literate, numerate and articulate and these subjects permeate all other areas of the curriculum.

Whilst we follow the National Curriculum, we aim to provide a curriculum which is broad and reflects our local area and our school community.

Our curriculum is designed to enhance children’s awareness of different cultures, practices and beliefs. We celebrate the arts and local culture as well as black history. We also plan opportunities for the children to learn about keeping safe, with particular focus on keeping safe online. We include and promote British values ensuring that children are aware of their rights and responsibilities as a UK citizen. Our curriculum is designed to encourage creativity, imagination, enquiry and independence. We encourage children to make links and transfer their skills and knowledge from one curriculum area to another.

Subject leaders construct knowledge organisers to ensure that there is a clear progression of knowledge and skills across the school as well as clear, consistent guidelines for coverage of all subject areas.

The curriculum is reviewed regularly to adapt in response to latest curriculum research and emerging priorities.

Curriculum Implementation
– How is it taught?

English and Maths are taught every day, in the mornings. Early development of reading and the development of vocabulary are given priority as well as a focus on fluency and application of number skills in maths.

The school recognises that foundation subjects are exceptionally important and exciting, providing key learning experiences for children. These are fully embedded in our curriculum and are normally taught in the afternoons.

Our curriculum is focused on high quality learning experiences both inside and outside the classroom. We aim to engage children in their learning through high quality visuals, real life experiences, hands on activities, use of the outdoors, visits and visitors and high quality resources.

Teachers develop both knowledge and skills in all subject areas so that children can make links between subjects; although, where relevant, some subjects (or aspects of subjects) are taught discretely.

Our subject leaders work collaboratively to share best practice. In some subjects, we use published schemes to support teachers who then adapt them to meet the needs of their classes. For example, in English we follow the Literacy Tree, in Maths we use White Rose and in PSHE we use Jigsaw.

There are many aspects which make our curriculum unique to SMMS. Our values permeate our curriculum and are taught intentionally in class and in our daily collective worship.

In addition, children pray together daily and each class creates a prayer space in their room. Every class leads a collective worship on one of the Gods Global Goals each year.

Our children are taught about Zones of Regulation, a programme which helps them to recognise and regulate their emotions. Children are given responsibility in class by taking on the role of a monitor and through elected roles such as School Council and Faith group. We invite inspirational speakers from all walks of life into school to raise children’s aspirations.

Teachers plan an exciting educational visit (or invite a visitor into school) each half term linked to their topic such as the Natural History Museum, local places of worship, Science Museum, local area walks, Junior Citizenship, Houses of Parliament, farm or seaside. In addition, our Year 6 pupils experience one week living and working on a farm.

Additionally, we provide a variety of after school extra-curricular such as activities:

• Judo
• Football
• Transformers
• Gospel Singing

Other extra-curricular events are planned throughout the year such as: RE week, Children’s Mental Health Week, Anti bullying week, Harvest, Children in Need, Safer Internet Day, termly church services.

For greater detail of our curriculum content and delivery, please see the individual subject pages.

Inclusion

St Mary Magdalene CE Primary School believes that every pupil, regardless of their social and economic background, religion, ethnicity or Special Education Need has the right to a high quality education.  We seek to provide a highly inclusive environment where learners enjoy their education.  Pupils at all levels are helped to achieve their potential. Those who are most able are challenged, encouraging to expand and deepen their skills and knowledge through varied curriculum opportunities.

Those who find learning more challenging are encouraged and given targeted support to embed skills, to develop at their own pace and to learn in a style that best suits their individual needs. This approach provides pupils’ opportunities to build resilience and learn without limits.

The high standard of education is underpinned by the school’s commitment to our core Christian values. We aim to ensure that pupils leave our school with a clear understanding of these values and how to demonstrate them throughout their lives.

We enable pupils to develop these skills by ensuring that nurture is at the forefront of everything we do. We believe that pupils’ emotional and social development is essential for them to progress academically.

We provide learning experiences that allow pupils to develop interpersonal skills, spark curiosity and build resilience. We celebrate our school identity and diversity through the experiences that our curriculum provides. We continue to develop a rich and varied array of opportunities to engage learning, recognise individuality and build a sense of community.

Curriculum Impact
– What will I see in classrooms?

The impact of our teaching can be seen through:

• Literate and numerate children who can apply the skills they have learnt in the lessons to their independent work
• Fluent readers
• Children using varied vocabulary
• Children’s ability to express strategies that they can use to manage their emotions
• Children showing empathy and compassion in the world.
• Children who are secondary ready

We measure the impact of the school’s curriculum in the following ways:

• Outcomes for students at EYFS, Year 1 Phonics Check, End of KS1, Year 4 Multiplication check and End of KS2
• Ongoing progress and attainment data for current year groups
• Attendance data
• Behaviour logs
• Pupil and parent voice
• Pupil’s books
• Learning walks