Curriculum Overview
To be read in conjunction with our Framework for Excellence
At The Victory Primary School, we provide the children with a curriculum that is broad, rich and well balanced. We aim for the children to develop a wide range of skills that helps them to learn how to progress through the different stages of their lives. So that the children grow in confidence, resilience and maturity, enabling them to be reflective thinkers in order that they are successful in the next stage of their education. We aim to provide the children with real-life and practical experiences, alongside a wide range of visits, visitors and extra- curricular activities.
All of our children are taught the National Curriculum as it is required by law. We tailor this curriculum to meet the individual needs of our children and to set clear challenges for the children’s learning. The children who attend our Speech, Language & Social Communication Unit also follow the National Curriculum and benefit from learning opportunities targeted at their special educational needs.
Our Early Years and Foundation Stage classes follow the Statutory Framework for the curriculum.
The new National Curriculum comprises of core subjects:
English, Mathematics, Science
And foundation subjects: History, Geography, Design and Technology, Art and Design, Music, Physical Education (PE) and Computing
The teaching of Religious Education is statutory in all schools. It is taught following the school's own syllabus which has been praised by SACRE. PSHE and Citizenship is integrated into our curriculum to ensure children are prepared for life in modern day Britain. Pastoral care is a strong aspect of the school’s curriculum. We follow the SEAL themes aiming to ensure children develop their social and emotional aspects of learning. We have a strong focus, both in the classroom and in assemblies, on promoting the school’s High-five values, safety and anti-bullying as well as addressing issues, which arise for individuals, groups, locally, nationally and internationally.
At The Victory Primary School we place great emphasis on English and Mathematics as these underpin many of the other aspects of the taught curriculum.
Whilst a large amount of curriculum time is given to English, where practical, the learning between subjects is linked. The school has prescriptive practices on how English and Mathematics is taught. Our common agreed practices ensure continuity of learning across the school. At the centre of our curriculum are quality texts around which the learning is planned and brought alive.
A school improvement priority has been to develop the Foundation Subject curriculum to ensure continuity, progression and challenge. The children are engaged through exciting and enriching topic units which enables them to explore, record, speak to visitors, attend a range of trips and reflect upon their learning through challenging, open-ended questioning. Feedback from Pupil Interviews tells us that the children thoroughly enjoy the new changes the school has put in place and are able to articulate what they have been learning.
Another school improvement priority for 2017/18 has been to develop a love of reading amongst our children by promoting reading to children and families as a valuable and fun life skill. We have also introduced whole class reading to develop the technical skills related to reading and helping the children comprehend what has been read.
The school holds a gold sports mark in recognition of the quality of its sports provision. We run a large variety of after school clubs to cater for the different interests of children. Our children can also choose from a wide range of activities, sports and competitions at which they can represent the school.
Assessment
Continuous assessment and feedback alongside regular testing enables us to gather evidence against the National Curriculum standards. Assessment for learning is at the heart of our practice and this is how we ensure children continue to make the best progress they can in school in line with our motto ‘The best in Everyone’.
Here is a link to The National Curriculum
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-curriculum
Curriculum Statement
Curriculum Intent
Teaching and learning is at the heart of all we do at The Victory Primary School. Many of our children come from disadvantaged backgrounds and have had few life experiences. We offer our children a curriculum that is rich in content, is hands on, includes local elements and provides our children with the opportunities to explore different countries, cultures, religions and beliefs. We develop the knowledge of our children and focus upon making ‘learning stick’ as we prepare our pupils for the future.
Curriculum Implementation
Our curriculum is designed to challenge our children through thought provoking questioning, opening their minds to the wider world. Each unit of work the children complete, is taught through a questioning approach to challenge stereotypes, racism and preconceived ideas about countries, cultures, religions and beliefs. The children explore through practical, hands on activities which enable them to research and gather information. Where possible, we enhance the learning by taking the children on trips. Knowledge Organisers further enhance the learning of our children. They provide key vocabulary and a list of key facts the children will need to know by the end of this unit of work. At the end of each unit of work, the children summarise, write balanced arguments or essays to show what they have learnt. This piece of work is used to assess what has been understood by the child.
Curriculum Impact
As a result of our curriculum design, our children are more aware of worldwide issues. They show empathy and compassion for other cultures, countries, religions and beliefs. They understand advantages and disadvantages e.g. of fair trade and understand why people behave in certain ways e.g. why people take drugs, the acts of terrorism etc. Our children can problem solve e.g. when using computing programmes, carrying out investigations, exploring artefacts. Due to this approach, our children’s knowledge has greatly improved and they are able to use a wide range of vocabulary when discussing their curriculum. When speaking to our children (in pupil interviews), our children ‘buzz with enthusiasm’ when they talk about their learning.
The Curriculum
For more details about each of the subjects please click on them below:
English
Mathematics
Computing and ICT
RE
PE
Science
Music and Drama
Modern Foreign Languages
History
Geography
PSHE
Art
DT