At Downsview Community Primary School, we aim to provide our children with access to broad and balanced curriculum which is reflective of our pupils’ interests and experiences.
All children at Downsview will complete the full programme of study as set out in the National Curriculum. As a school, we seek to expand upon this in order to equip our pupils with the skills, knowledge and understanding they will need to thrive in an ever-changing world.
Intent
Our curriculum is designed with the following goals:
- To motivate and engage pupils in developing curiosity and creative thinking.
- To develop literate and numerate learners who can confidently read, write and use number.
- To prepare our pupils with the ambition and self-determination needed to capitalise on future opportunities.
Design
Our curriculum has been designed in order to provide all pupils with the full spectrum of subjects within the national curriculum. It is progressive and builds upon previous learning to support pupils in retaining and referring back to knowledge that that they have acquired. Our curriculum is purposeful and encourages links to be made across areas of study and across different subjects. Our learning is underpinned by metacognitive approaches which seek to develop children’s thinking and organisation of knowledge. Our pupils are developed as valued individuals with an emphasis on health and wellbeing both physically and mentally.
Our curriculum is based around 5 key pillars of learning. These pillars encompass our values and ethos. They are central what we stand for as a school. They are:
Implementation
Our planned academic curriculum is underpinned by our curriculum themes and uses the EYFS or National Curriculum (DfE 2014) as the basis for content and expectations. We have structured this as follows:
- Maths and English are taught daily in each class. Learning is sequences to build upon previous knowledge and understanding.
- All year groups have long and medium-term plans which are used to inform weekly planning.
- Curriculum maps are created for each term. These are shared with parents and carers to support discussion about learning at home.
- Reading, phonics, vocabulary and spelling are taught systematically to master fluency, comprehension and both written and spoken language.
- Formative assessment is used daily and weekly to ensure that gaps in understanding are identified and addressed. Summative assessments are used at 3 points in the year to evaluate the progress being made by individual pupils and groups of children.
- Intervention are used to support pupils with additional needs and when gaps in learning have been identified. All interventions are evaluated for their efficacy and impact.
- Specialist teachers are used to support the teaching of PE and music.
- Up to date technology, laptops and iPads are used to support learning in all curriculum.
- Emotional and wellbeing support is available for pupils in need through the employment of trained counsellors and Emotional Literacy support workers.
- Trips and visitors to the school are planned to ensure that all pupils are given enrichment opportunities which support and deepen the learning that takes place within the curriculum.