The Primary Curriculum:
Each of the subject areas in the curriculum are coordinated by a member of staff across the Hope Federation.
Intent:
Children will be able to write fluently, with a good understanding of grammar, writing in a range of contexts and for real purposes.
Children will read widely with good understanding and develop a love of reading and books.
Children will acquire a wide vocabulary, become competent speakers and active listeners, and be able to use discussion
Implementation:
Focus for this year:
Writing –
• Implementing the use of cold tasks to inform planning
• Developing the use of learning ladders
• Hot tasks to be given at the end of each writing unit to assess children’s application of key writing features
Reading –
• Initial decoding and whole word reading
• Further developing a whole class guided reading approach
• Deriving meaning from context
Oracy –
• Develop use of paired work
• Word of the Week
• A focus on cross-curricular vocabulary
Impact:
Writing impact measures in the short term will be seen through cold to hot tasks, through termly PiXL test outcomes and over the year through the writing checklists. Phonics tests half termly show progress in Year 1 and half termly assessments focus teacher assessment of current attainment.
Reading impact measures include the PiXL tests, daily 1:1 reading in KS1 and EYFS, termly Salford tests and in whole class reading teacher assessments which includes a half termly data drop.
Oracy – Children are able to talk confidently in public situations such as in class or assembly, they debate in class council and listen respectfully to each other and with adults. They use floorbooks to aid discussions with inspectors.
All three schools using Little Wandle to teach phonics in reception and KS1.
Intent
At Hope Federation, we inspire our children to be life-long lovers of literature. We instil a sense of awe and wonder around books and we provide children with memorable experiences which connect learning to read with pleasure. We strive to teach children to read effectively and quickly using the Little Wandle and Letters and Sounds programmes; these include teaching and embedding synthetic phonics within the context of real books, sight vocabulary, decoding and encoding words as well as spelling and accurate letter formation.
Implementation
We teach phonics using the Little Wandle programme. This is an inclusive synthetic, whole-year group reading and phonics programme based on Letters and Sounds.
Impact
Through our teaching of Phonics, our children foster a love for books and reading. They will be able to apply the skills they have learnt to enable them to become accomplished and confident readers and writers.
These skills include:
- read with ease and fluency
- demonstrate a good understanding of the text they read.
- develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information
- write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language/vocabulary and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences.
This means our children are well equipped for the phonics screening in year 1.
Intent:
Provide opportunities for children to become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics and to use this fluency to reason mathematically as well as solve problems by applying their knowledge.
Provide a language-rich environment to embed key vocabulary to use within mathematics and other connected areas of the curriculum.
Implementation: Teaching of core principles of mathematics such as the four operations, allowing children to engage with solving problems, showing perseverance and their factual knowledge. Opportunities to link maths to other curriculum areas and see how maths works in everyday life. Through implementation, we provide children with the mathematical tools to flourish in the future.
Impact: Children gain knowledge of maths concepts, enabling them to become independent members of the community, applying their knowledge and to flourish in many areas of life.
Intent:
At Hope Federation we strive to instil an interest and enjoyment of science by providing a rich and varied curriculum which encourages our pupils to be curious about the world around them. The children will develop scientific knowledge and understanding of the three key scientific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics.
Throughout their time at school, children are encouraged to develop a range of working scientifically skills including questioning, researching, investigating, observing and accurately recording their findings. We want our children to have a broad vocabulary. Scientific language is explicitly taught and revisited across key stages and opportunities are given for children to apply this vocabulary in a range of contexts. We endeavor to ensure that the science curriculum we provide will give children the motivation to continue to further develop their skills and understanding in order to flourish in their future education and working life.
Implementation
Our curriculum has been developed to ensure full coverage of the National Curriculum programmes of study and Understanding of the World in the Early Years Foundation Stage. At the start of each topic, the children’s prior understanding is assessed through the use of a ‘baseline quiz’. Each topic begins with looking at the ‘Big Question’ and children are given the opportunity to add further questions to these based on what they would like to find out. Our teachers use this to adapt and extend the curriculum to match the children’s interests including both local and global current events. Teachers carefully plan for progression to ensure scientific knowledge is revisited and extended. Key scientific language is shared and modelled throughout lessons enabling children to be familiar with and use vocabulary accurately. Trips and visits are organised regularly to enhance the learning experience.
Impact
At Hope Federation, the children enjoy and are enthusiastic about their science learning. The children’s books show high quality evidence of the curriculum coverage for all topics. There is a clear progression in teachers’ expectations and children’s work from Early Years to Key Stage Two. Children become increasingly independent in science, selecting their own tools and materials, completing pupil-led investigations and choosing their own strategies for recording. By the end of Key Stage Two, we aim to provide children with the specific skills and knowledge to help them to think scientifically, to gain an understanding of scientific processes and also an understanding of the uses and implications of science today and for the future.
Intent
We seek to provide a high-quality computing education which equips pupils to use computational thinking and creativity to understand and change the world. Computing is linked with mathematics, science and design and technology, and insight is made into both natural and artificial systems.
The core of computing will be computer science, in which pupils will be taught the principles of information and computation, how digital systems work, and how to use this knowledge through programming. Building on this knowledge and understanding, pupils will be then equipped to use information technology to create programs, systems and a range of content.
We will ensure that through computing pupils become digitally literate – able to use, and express themselves and develop their ideas through information technology – at a level suitable for the future workplace and become active participants in a digital world.
By following the national curriculum for computing and our progression of skills we will ensure that all pupils:
- can understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of computer science, including abstraction, logic, algorithms and data representation
- can analyse problems in computational terms, and have repeated practical experience of writing computer programs in order to solve such problems
- can evaluate and apply information technology, including new or unfamiliar technologies, analytically to solve problems
- are responsible, competent, confident and creative users of information.
Implementation
The learning and teaching of computing will at all times be implemented reflecting the vision and values as stated above.
Further, to ensure progression, Key skills and knowledge will be introduced in line with the Computing Skills Progression document.
Impact
We will measure the success of the pupils’ learning and ‘flourishing through the field of life’ by:
- observing how children are showing Christian attitudes
- providing targeted assessment tasks directly linked to an area of knowledge and skills
- enabling pupils to demonstrate and apply their understanding by providing new opportunities in which they can ‘say, write and/or make’.
- linking tasks to previous learning and knowing ‘next steps’
- monitoring pupils’ books, floorbooks, and classroom displays
- providing opportunities for conversation between teacher and pupil and pupil and pupil.
Children in the Federation have weekly French lessons. We have links in France, and the children in Years 5 and 6 regularly have the opportunity to visit France on a residential visit.
Intent
- Children will be able to understand and respond to written and spoken language in a variety of forms.
- Children will be able to speak with increasing confidence and fluency.
- Children will be able to write for a variety of purposes.
- Children will develop an understanding of Francophone culture.
Implementation
- There will be a clear progression of skills across the year groups.
- Provide children with real life contexts for language use and opportunities to practise.
Impact
- Observable through written work in books.
- Progress will be assessed against the statements from the skills progression document.
Music is taught weekly by Miss Turner at Weasenham, Mrs Wisken and Mr Parr at Rudham and Miss Adegoke and Mrs Kemp at Brisley. A range of private tuition is offered by peripatetic teachers at all three academies.
On occasions we have visits from groups/ensembles of musicians and take part in musical events arranged with other schools in our cluster group or our Federated school.
Intent:
For all children to become physically active for sustained periods of time by engaging in a range of sports and activities.
For all children to maintain a healthy lifestyle through knowledge of a balanced diet and what they can do to keep themselves healthy.
To engage in competitive sport by participating as part of a team and using communication skills necessary to do this.
Implementation:
Teaching of a range of sports and activities using individual skills and teamwork, delivered by highly-trained PE staff.
Opportunities for children to compete at different levels from intra-school to regional level.
Modelling from staff of behaviours expected from pupils.
Impact:
Children apply the skills learnt to compete in sporting events, stay healthy and flourish in sports.
Additional Activities:
- Pupils attend swimming sessions
- We currently run a number of sports clubs after school
- The sports coaches provide additional sports coaching at lunch breaks. They run a range of after-school clubs.
- The children regularly attend events within the cluster including competitions for tag rugby, cricket, softball and athletics.
Intent
At Hope Federation we believe in developing children’s religious literacy. This means that children will have the ability to hold balanced and well-informed conversations about religion and worldviews. They will be able to make sense of religion and worldviews around them and begin to understand the complex world in which they live.
In line with the current Norfolk Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education (2019), Religious Education will be delivered in school to meet the agreed syllabus aims by:
• To know about and understand a range of religious and non-religious worldviews by learning to see these through theological, philosophical and human/social science lenses.
- To express ideas and insights about the nature, significance and impact of religious and non-religious worldviews through a multi-disciplinary approach.
- To gain and deploy skills rooted in theology, philosophy and the human/social sciences engaging critically with religious and non-religious worldviews.
At Hope Federation, we are committed to providing our children with an exciting and positive learning environment, in which they have the opportunity to develop their knowledge and understanding of religions while contributing to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.
Implementation
RE is taught as a multi-disciplinary subject allowing for children to view different ideas and religions ‘through a particular lens’. These disciplines include theology, philosophy and the human/social sciences which are re-contextualised through the context of the school, teacher and pupil.
An animation explaining these three disciplines is available to view here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NTW2bsFTLY&feature=youtu.be
RE lessons are taught by a weekly topic block for each half term or term, planned by the teacher which is based on a Big Question. These lessons are planned and delivered using the enquiry-based approach which includes 5 stages:
- Engage
- Enquire
- Explore
- Evaluate
- Express
Through this enquiry-based approach children can expect:
- an appropriate level of challenge is provided for all pupils
- all pupils know they can achieve and there is an expectation of success
- the learning is set in a real and authentic context, with a clear purpose, learning and relevance
- a safe environment is created where all pupils are valued, so they can confidently agree to disagree and express themselves freely
- pupils have a sense of ownership over what is being learned and how they are learning it
- there is a clear learning journey and identifiable outcomes
- there is space and time for reflection
- assessment for learning is at the heart of teacher planning
Work is recorded in whole class RE books and can be evidenced against the Age Related Expectations for RE through written piece, artwork, photos etc.
Impact
At Hope federation, we seek to ensure that all pupils in our schools are educated to develop spiritually, academically, emotionally and morally enabling children to have developed religious literacy. Thus, enabling them to better understand themselves and others and to cope with the opportunities, challenges and responsibilities of living in a rapidly changing, multicultural world. As a result, children have developed a mutual respect for and tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs and for those without faith.
Regular collective worship and celebrations of work taught and learnt during the RE week will help to celebrate the diversity of the school community and promote positive images of people in the wider community, including their beliefs, traditions, culture, language and history.
RE Statement of Entitlement for Church Schools
Here is our scheme of work:
RE Rolling Programme 2019 (Year A)
The federation of schools are all Church of England Schools and as such we value our link with the local Church.
We hold termly services at our local churches: All Saints Church in Weasenham, St. Bart’s in Brisley and St. Mary’s in East Rudham. We also hold other services celebrating or commemorating important events in the Church Year. We see the Church is an extension of our resources.
Collective worship is led by staff and by our Rector on a regular basis, who often follows the cycle of the Christian year and links with the communal celebration of festivals in the local church.
Parents wishing to withdraw their child from Religious Education and collective worship are invited to discuss the matter with the Headteacher. Children withdrawn from Religious Education will be set other work and will join one of the other classes. Children withdrawn from Collective Worship will remain in the classroom supervised by a teacher or teaching assistant.
Intent statement
The intent of geography within the Hope Federation is to provide a high quality, stimulating curriculum that allows pupils to flourish and develop as learners. The curriculum should inspire children to be curious to know more about the world around them. Children should gain understanding of both local and world geography. They should have the opportunity to look at geography within their local area gaining understanding of key landscapes and features that are found within Norfolk. Geography should also encourage children to be ‘geographers’.
Implementation – Teaching geography will take place through a topic based approach and hands on experiences wherever possible. The topic based approach should be used to deliver the content within a meaningful context and wherever possible cross-curricular links should be exploited, particularly links with History and PSHE. Teaching should encourage children to ask questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments and develop perspective and judgement. Where appropriate children should take part in trips that support and enhance their learning. Specialist visitors should also be encouraged as a tool for learning giving children first hand experiences to broaden their understanding. Lessons should include a wide range of activities from extended writing to craft and creative model making. The objectives of the lesson should be Geography based rather than English in order to promote Geography skills and knowledge.
Geography is taught within discrete themes in each class. Plans will ensure that children are taught subject specific skills and the required knowledge as required by the National Curriculum.
The geography units taught have been developed to help the children appreciate their own identity and the challenges in their time. It will help them understand the process of change over time, our role in protecting the world and the impact we have on the environment we live in. Pupils take home Knowledge Organisers on a termly basis to help them learn key vocabulary and encourage home learning to support work with in the class.
Impact- Geography assessment is ongoing through teachers’ marking and use of start and end of topic tests. Summative assessment is completed by all teachers at the start and end of each topic which is then passed on to the subject leader for analysis on the impact of teaching across the federation. Geography is also monitored through the use of book looks, lesson observations, learning walks and pupil interviews.
Intent statement
The intent of history within the Hope Federation is to provide a high quality, stimulating curriculum that allows pupils to flourish and develop as learners. The curriculum should inspire children to be curious to know more about the past. Children should gain a coherent knowledge of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. They should also have the opportunity to look at history within their local area gaining understanding of key historical events and famous local people.
Implementation-Teaching history will take place through a topic based approach and hands on experiences wherever possible. The topic based approach should be used to deliver the content within a meaningful context and wherever possible cross curricular links should be exploited, particularly links with geography and PSHE. Teaching should encourage children to ask questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments and develop perspective and judgement. Where appropriate children should take part in trips that support and enhance their learning. Specialist visitors should also be encouraged as a tool for learning giving children first hand experiences to broaden their understanding. Lessons should include a wide range of activities from extended writing to craft and creative model making. The objectives of the lesson should be history based rather than English in order to promote history skills and knowledge.
History is taught within discrete themes in each year group/class. Plans will ensure that children are taught subject-specific skills and knowledge as required by the National Curriculum.
The history units taught have been developed to help the children appreciate their own identity and the challenges in their time. It will help them understand the process of change over time and significant developments that have occurred throughout history. Pupils take home knowledge organisers on a termly basis to help them learn key vocabulary and encourage home learning to support work with in the class.
Impact- History assessment is ongoing through teachers’ marking and use of start and end of topic tests. Summative assessment is completed by all teachers at the start and end of each topic which is then passed on to the subject leader for analysis on the impact of teaching across the federation. History is also monitored through the use of book looks, lesson observations, learning walks and pupil interviews.
Intent:
Children will build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high-quality products for a wide range of uses.
Children will understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook.
Implementation:
Through teaching a 2/3 year curriculum map and skills progression.
Using creativity and imagination to solve real and relevant problems.
Through real life cross-curricular links, enabling children to flourish through real life experiences.
Impact:
Each unit of work will start with a design task and end with an evaluation task to measure progress.
Quality evidence in floor books and topic books with callouts/pupil voice, showing cross-curricular links.
Portfolio of standards will show progression across year groups and quality of learning.
There are seven areas of learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage:
- Communication and language development.
- Physical development.
- Personal, social, and emotional development.
- Literacy development.
- Mathematics
- Understanding the world.
- Expressive arts and design.
There is an equal balance of learning in each area, with many involving cross curricular links.
There are several “early learning goals” in each area for the children to achieve. The Early Years Foundation Stage Profile is the assessment used to track children’s progress through child initiated and adult led activities using an 80:20 ratio. Evidence is collected through observations and made into “learning stories” which the children, parents and teachers contribute to.
Intent
As a Federation, we believe that art is a vital and integral part of children’s education. It provides them with opportunities to develop a range of ways in which they can share and express their individual creativity, whilst learning about and making links with a wide spectrum of different types of art in our society. Art contributes to children’s personal development in creativity, independence, judgement and self-reflection. Moreover, it enables pupils to develop a natural sense of wonder and curiosity about the world around them and therefore links strongly to our school values. The focus is in developing proficiency in drawing, painting, understanding colour and shade and sculpture, with the overall aim of developing a rigorous understanding, critical awareness and inspiration of art and design.
The art curriculum will develop children’s critical abilities and understanding of their own and others’ cultural heritages through studying a diverse range of male and female artists and designers throughout history.
Children will develop their understanding of the visual language of art with effective teaching and carefully thought out sequences of lessons and experiences. Understanding of the visual elements of art and design (line, tone, texture, colour, pattern, shape, 3D form) will be developed by providing an accessible and engaging curriculum which will enable children to reach their full potential.
Implementation
We teach a skills-based art curriculum, which allows children to express their creative imagination as well as providing them with opportunities to practise and develop mastery in the key processes of art: drawing, painting, printing, textiles and sculpture. This is supported through the studying of key artists and the development of a knowledge of their work.
Lessons are taught in blocks on a half termly/termly basis and involve studying existing pieces of art, sketching aspects of these, with a particular focus on the necessary skills, before completing a final piece. The children will then be given constructive feedback and next steps, with further opportunities to create the art piece, to improve their work and ensure that the skills are being developed. The evidence of their work is collected within the art sketch book which follows the children through the school. Photographs of larger, group or 3D pieces are also kept within this book.
Impact
The pupil’s knowledge of art history and visual elements of art is recorded through half-termly quizzes whilst the development of their physical skills will be evaluated against skills progression as well as the National Curriculum in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques.
Curriculum Enhancement
Educational visits take place to support curriculum projects. An educational trip or visitor into school is planned into every topic. The aim of this is to provide an explicit memory upon which to build knowledge. Children from across the federation often join together on these trips.
There is a culture of residential trips for KS2 in the federation: Year 3 and Year 4 visited Hill Top for two nights, the Year 5 and 6 residential trip to France in alternate years has included a visit to a French market, a war cemetery, Paris and Disneyland. Biannually Year 5 and Year 6 visit a residential centre where the focus is on environmental studies: the residential trip in 2013 was to Ambleside in the Lake District and the 2015, 2017 and 2019 trips were to Ford Castle in Northumberland.
We also have termly Federation Days. During these days the children in Key Stage 1 will be at one school and the children in Key Stage 2 will be split between the other two schools, with the days being themed. The aim of these federation days is to build links between the schools. These opportunities help build fruitful links between the staff team and encourages a strong community feel among pupils within the federation
