Curriculum Overview
Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.
Benjamin Franklin
An introduction to our curriculum at Longlands by Mrs Allen - Deputy Headteacher
Curriculum Intent Statement
At Longlands Primary School we believe in building strong foundations from which the children can grow and develop into positive, resilient, happy people who are ready to embark on their journey into secondary school. We have high expectations and encourage the children to aim high by concentrating on the small steps that lead to success. Our curriculum offer is accessible to all and we are an inclusive school who believe that all children can achieve and reach their own unique potentials. We celebrate diversity and work together with parents and the wider community to support the children in our school. We endeavour to foster creativity and develop children’s imagination and we place children’s wellbeing at the centre of all we do.
Intent
At Longlands Primary School, we believe passionately in ensuring that our children are exposed to a broad and balanced curriculum. All of the teaching and learning that takes place within school is underpinned by an engaging and inspirational cross-subject curriculum that challenges our children to consider three main points:
- Their role as global citizens and the way in which the decisions and innovations we make can impact the future for ourselves, our planet and future generations.
- How our own experiences relate to those of people from different countries and cultures and to recognise our position within the local and worldwide community.
- The effect history has had on shaping the modern world – both nationally and internationally.
Implementation
Our curriculum is designed to foster curiosity and wonder, a sense of responsibility and a passion for life-long learning. Across the school, topics will be closely linked to either a historical, geographical or scientific concept, question or idea and combined with an associated literary text. The texts chosen are from ‘The Power of Reading’, this is the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE)’s proven professional development programme that supports Longlands to evolve a high quality literacy curriculum which develops reading comprehension and writing composition, and fosters a whole school love of reading and writing. In doing this, our aim is to further enhance children’s engagement with their learning by ensuring they are reading and writing about matters associated to their thematic topic. In addition to this, the children will study and create art linked with their topic and look at the work of notable artists from the region or period being studied. Alternatively, they may use their design and technology knowledge and skills to investigate matters arising from their topic or to overcome a challenge.
Subject leaders have produced detailed progression of skills documents which ensure that all teachers are fully aware of the journey of learning in each subject. During lessons teachers make use of all opportunities to revisit previous learning and consistently find ways to ensure learning becomes embedded through the use of mini quizzes, questioning, pre and post topic tests, working walls and through the use of verbal feedback during lessons. As an inclusive school we respond to the needs of the children as individuals. If a child needs a concept further broken down, explained and explored in a different way, this will be provided by the teacher. If a child has already got a firm grasp of a concept, differentiation will enable the child to further deepen their knowledge through effective questioning, extension tasks and opportunities to further explain their understanding.
The cultural capital of our children is of equal importance. To ensure children leave with memorable experiences that inspire, enrich and broaden their minds, we plan opportunities across subjects and contexts to ensure a long term view of what a Longlands child is exposed to during their educational journey from Reception to Year 6.
Due to Longlands being a 1.5 entry school, our teachers will often focus on specific topics over either an entire term or half-term period to allow focused and in-depth study. To allow for the needs of mixed-aged classes, this programme is delivered over a two-year rolling programme. Where explicit links between subjects cannot be made, these areas are taught ‘discreetly’ or through an ‘enquiry-led’ investigation – this may regularly be the case with certain areas of Science.
Impact
We measure the impact of our curriculum in a range of ways. This is done consistently during lessons to highlight misconceptions and intervene where appropriate. We monitor subjects using both formative and summative methods at various points throughout the year. This process is overseen by the Deputy Head, as Assessment Lead, and is done in partnership with the school’s Leadership Team and Curriculum Subject Leaders. Monitoring the impact of our curriculum is done in a range of ways, including:
- data analysis
- looking at children’s work and other evidence of outcomes
- lesson observations
- feedback from children
- feedback from teachers
We use comparative judgement in two ways: in the tasks we set and in comparing pupils’ work over time. All subjects are assessed at the end of blocks or units through the use of teacher assessment, end of topic tests or big questions.