East Rainton Primary School
Curriculum
Intent
The curriculum at East Rainton Primary school is designed to provide a broad and balanced education, meeting the needs of all children. Our aim is to ensure that children develop resilience, independence, and confidence to be successful learners.
We want our children to have high aspirations towards making a positive contribution to their community and wider society.
Our curriculum ensures that academically success, resilience and the ability to problem solve are key elements to the development of each child.
The opportunities for physical development and emotional well being are nurtured across the school through a strong traditional village school ethos as well as, structured teaching and guidance provided by all staff.
Children work with the local community Rotary club, with Rotakids leading charity work reaching out to the wider community. At East Rainton primary school we are committed to promoting a strong sense of community where everyone has a role to play. This extends from the central point, the school, to the wider world.
Implementation
The curriculum provides the children with memorable experiences, in addition to diverse and rich opportunities from which the children can learn and develop a range of transferable skills. A primary focus of our curriculum is to raise aspirations, engender a sense of personal pride in achievement and provide a purpose and relevance for learning. The school takes pride in providing a highly inclusive environment, where learners demonstrate high levels of enjoyment in their education and make very good progress from their individual starting points.
The curriculum incorporates the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum whilst providing experiences and opportunities which best meet the learning and developmental needs of the children in our school. The subject based approach is implemented to ensure coverage and progression within all curriculum areas. This approach enables children to achieve in depth knowledge and skills. The staff will encourage the children to voice areas of interest at the beginning of a topic.
The children’s immediate community its heritage and traditions are frequently used as a starting point for the engaging interest. Alongside the historical context of the local area, we also ensure that the natural outdoor environment of the school grounds and the community is used to enhance our curriculum. This could be through the school garden or visiting Rainton Meadows. Trips and visitors to school have been kept to a minimum due to COIVD restrictions over the past few years but hope to increase these over the coming year.
We also promote healthy lifestyles using a well-designed PE curriculum which incorporates cross school competition linked to the local secondary school. Coaches promote a wide range of sports during curriculum time and through after school clubs. Some of these clubs are linked to local sports clubs such as Houghton Rugby club, karate club and local football teams. The year 6 children as part of their roles and responsibilities are all trained as play leaders. They run daily lunch time activities for the younger children in the school and they support staff in the dining room by serving the younger children with drinks.
Subject leaders within our small school may have more than one area of the curriculum to lead and monitor. All subject leaders have access to training opportunities, although the priority would be given to subjects linked to the school development plan. For example, Maths has been a priority for whole school training and the training for the subject leader.
Impact
At East Rainton Primary school we balance the development of the whole child with the requirement for children to reach National expectations. The school results show the children at East Rainton Primary School achieve above National standards in all areas with Reading as a strength.
The curriculum at East Rainton Primary School has been developed by considering the varied background of all children at the school. It will be used to drive a curriculum that will help the children understand about the wider world and their role now and in the future. The curriculum is designed to promote the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils. It enables all children to access at an appropriate level. The school has followed the National Curriculum entitlement for all children with key concepts and areas of knowledge in a range of subjects.
The curriculum provides the characteristics of a broad, balanced, relevant and differentiated programme of study across 2 years which allows for the mixed aged classes.
In Early years has been arranged in half term topics which area identified by the class teacher. The topic reflects the interests of the children or the wider National events. In key stage 1 and 2 the curriculum will be arranged on standalone subjects.
Where possible the children learn through first- hand experience gained from activities, visitors, and educational visits.
Overview of the curriculum
English -Reading
Children are taught to read though daily phonic sessions starting in Nursery. Children follow the Phonic bugs programme with supporting reading books and computer-based activities. The school uses Oxford Reading Tree scheme to develop children’s pleasure of reading because it has a clear story structure and helps children to support their reading with a range of different clues.
In lower key stage 2 children move on to the accelerated reader programme which supports their understanding of the text. Once the children move into upper key stage 2 they access reading plus which has a focus on comprehension and reading speed within a broad range of text styles. Children are expected to read every day with dedicated reading sessions. All children are encouraged to take reading books home to read with an adult. Beyond the reading scheme the children have access to a wide range of fiction book which have been graded into 2 levels of difficult.
Writing
The school has introduced the literacy tree to provide quality books to support writing. Wherever possible writing is given a real purpose to enable children understand how writing is applied in everyday life. Writing moderation across the school and with staff from another primary school which enables staff to be sure there are accurately assessing the children’s progress.
The skills and knowledge of grammar, spelling and punctuation are taught in standalone lessons as well as within the writing session. The school’s handwriting has been taught in a focused lesson.
Maths
Every class has a daily maths lesson where children are taught to be able to apply their skills in a wide range of different tasks and real life situations. The school follows the white rose maths scheme. The children are taught in ability and mixed ability groups. Children are assessed for their understanding through a pre-learning assessment. This enables teacher to understand the children’s starting point. From year 2 children have access the times table rock stars which is continued across key stage 2.
Science
Science allows children to ask questions about the world by exploring in a practical way. Children are encouraged to take part in hands on experiments. Through independent, interactive and collaborative learning children are encouraged to explore a wide range of different topics. Children are encouraged to present their findings in a systematic way which reflects fair testing. Linking Science and maths activities enables children to apply their knowledge from both subjects in a meaningful way.
Music
Music plays an important part of the broad curriculum at East Rainton Primary with many children playing an instrument including violin, clarinet, and brass. Children in Year 3 learn to play the recorder and children in year 4 learn to play the Chalumeau Clarinet. The school choir has developed over the past 2 years and has performed on several occasions.
Physical Education
The school understands the importance of physical activity for everyone therefore it is given a high priority across the school. Gold awards have been achieved for the past 4 years. Children have 2 hours of PE per week, but many children also participate in additional physical activities. Year 6 children are trained as play leaders which enabled them to lead a full programme of physical activities for younger children. A sports coach is employed 5 afternoons per week which supports teaching of PE across the school as well as providing after school clubs as part of an extensive programme of extracurricular activities. The school encourages participation within sport rather than trophy collection, therefore a wide range of sporting opportunities are key to involvement.
Religious Education and collective worship.
Religious Education is follows the Sunderland City Councils ‘agreed syllabus’ which reflects the 5 main religions in the world. The focus is on comparison of religions which helps children understand the main teaching and how they relate to each other. Children are encouraged to gain respect, awareness and understanding of world religions. The school supports lessons with the resources provided by Jigsaw RE.
Assemblies enable children to develop a sense of community therefore belonging. Reflecting upon our actions within the world and how different religions teaching us how to act towards each other children can become good citizens. Parents/carers have the right to withdraw their child from the school’s daily act of worship and/ or religious education. This should be arranged following a meeting with the Head teacher.
Personal, Social, Citizenship and Health education
The school follows the planning using Kapow with a whole school approach. This scheme has a wide range of themes which includes sex and relationship education at an age-appropriate level. For example
5–7-year-olds learn about living things reproduce their own kind,
8–11-year-olds learn about understand the progress of reproduction in mammals. Year 6 children are given information from the school nurse about how and why they change during puberty.
Children are taught about friendship and positive relationships through the Kapow curriculum.
History, Geography, Art and DT
These are all taught through a 2-year long term plan all areas of the National Curriculum are covered. In key stage 1 a topic approach is followed where as in Key stage 2 the stand alone subjects are taught on half termly blocks. Art and D&T planning is based on Kapow.
Early Years
The Foundation stage curriculum reflects the statutory framework and development matters guidance. The curriculum is based around four basic principles:
- Every child is a unique individual who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident, and self-assured.
- Children learn to be independent through positive relationships.
- Children learn and develop well in an environment, in which their experiences respond to their individual needs and there is a strong partnership between staff and parents and carers.
- Children develop and learn in different ways. Staff teach children by ensuring challenging, play opportunities across the prime and specific areas of learning and development.
The Early year curriculum is taught in a topic-based approach.
