We teach the National Curriculum together with our Federation’s;
‘Knowledge-Rich Curriculum’
Our curriculum is based on identified knowledge needed, to build up through the study of the subject, in order to understand the important concepts within that subject. Opportunities are built into the curriculum for pupils to revisit knowledge and make links ensuring that the knowledge becomes permanent in the long term memory.
Children acquire deep and meaningful knowledge and explore a broad range of skills to apply their knowledge, thus preparing them for life beyond our school.
Reading is at the heart of our curriculum and we use ‘books as hooks’ into their learning. These provide a platform for rich vocabulary and context.
Children’s learning is driven by high expectations
- At Flourish Federation, we prioritise subject knowledge over content.
- We focus on embedding the learning into long term memory using books as hooks in, revisiting prior learning and using a range of low threat quiz type activities to refresh and assess learning and embed learning. To this end the Knowledge Rich curriculum focuses on the knowledge children need to acquire and they are assessed on whether they have learnt that knowledge through regular and half termly quizzes. We call this; Quizzing for knowledge. Children’s acquisition of knowledge is also assessed by referring back to prior learning throughout the year and in subsequent year groups.
Children are able to articulate themselves confidently using age appropriate vocabulary. They can use this knowledge to explain concepts and are excited and engaged in their learning.
Subject Narratives
We endeavor to nurture a love of literature and language, and instil children with the confidence to continue reading and writing throughout their lives. Our aim is to develop their powers of imagination, inventiveness and critical awareness.
At Flourish Federation, we follow the 2014 National Curriculum for English. We aim to deliver an inspiring English curriculum through lessons which encourage pupils to read and write with confidence, fluency and understanding. The elements involved in teaching English are the following:
- Speaking & Listening: Speaking and listening activities are purposefully woven throughout our curriculum from EYFS to Year Six. Good oral work enhances pupils' understanding of language. We foster an interest in words and their meanings and a growing vocabulary through exposure to high quality texts. We seek to develop their confidence and ability to express their thoughts, feelings and ideas in words in class through talking partners, discussion and debate and in performances to parents.
- Phonics: Phonics is taught as a way of decoding written letters and spoken sounds in the early stages of learning to read. Learning to read is like cracking a code so we use a synthetic phonics approach to teach children to do this. We teach phonics daily and systematically from day one in EYFS using Storytime Phonics so that children can start reading complete words as soon as possible.
- Reading: We promote a love of reading and respect for books. We believe that from EYFS and Year One, children ‘Learn to Read’ enabling them to ‘Read to Learn’. As soon as children start school they begin to learn that all print carries meaning. We have a structured and multifaceted approach to the teaching of reading which includes 1;1 reading, shared reading, group and whole class guided reading. We use picture books, classic and contemporary novels and factual texts to engage and stimulate learning, ensuring children enjoy high quality writing that elevates their knowledge and understanding. Our reading scheme includes books from a range of companies to provide a variety of styles and genres. Children are encouraged to read widely both in and outside school to widen their horizons and develop empathy, confidence and fluency.
- Spelling: In EYFS and Key Stage One, children use their phonics skills to spell words as well as learning the High Frequency words (including tricky words). As children progress through the school, they are taught spelling rules and patterns. All children are tested on the rules and patterns they have been taught each term, with the expectation that they apply them in their independent writing. Common Exception Words are also shared with parents and children, and are expected to be built upon throughout the year.
- Writing: Learning to make the transition from spoken to written language is a key skill for children to learn as early as possible. This transition is made through exposure to a wide variety of written texts and through purposeful opportunities to practise their developing skills. We teach our children to plan, draft, revise and edit their own writing. Alongside this children are taught grammar, punctuation, spelling and handwriting. Children from Year 2 can earn a pen licence and are encouraged to take pride in the presentation of their work.
Children progress to become fluent and confident speakers, readers and writers. Children are independent to have reading preferences and they make links between books and authors they have read. Our approach will enable more children to reach age-related expectations and greater depth, ensuring they are ready for the next step in their learning.
Reading Curriculum Narrative
‘Reading must be taught properly, accurately and with a verve that instils excitement and pleasure’.
The above quote from Jane Considine is from her text ‘Hooked on Books’, a comprehensive book based on extensive research into how best to develop children as lifelong readers.
Across our Flourish Federation we endeavour to nurture a love of books to develop lifelong readers. To achieve this, we have adopted principles and practice from ‘Hooked on Books’ to develop children’s powers of imagination, inventiveness and critical awareness. We know children love stories. They internalise their patterns and language so we choose texts in English as ‘hooks in’ to other curriculum subjects, such as Geography, History, RE and Science. For example, in Year 6, The Switch by Anthony Horowitz, is a ‘hook’ into the History unit Crime and Punishment as it centres on rich and spoilt Tad who swaps bodies with poor, badly treated Bob and is thrown into a dark world of hapless criminals.
From Nursery, children are immersed in an environment rich in high quality picture books. Children are taught to listen to and talk about the stories they hear, to express their opinions and to chant and repeat the words and patterns of language in stories, poems and songs. Children are introduced to well known book characters and settings.Their curriculum centres on high quality picture books with the aim to open up new worlds to these little learners.
In Reception and Key Stage 1, children continue to listen to stories, poems and songs. From the start of Reception and throughout Key Stage 1, children are taught phonics using the Storytime Phonics programme which uses ‘real’ books to engage children in learning their sounds. Systematic daily phonics teaching provides children with the mechanics/skills to decode words. Children take home reading scheme books that are well matched to the sounds they have been taught. We instruct our children to be ‘responsible readers’ to encourage them to daily practice their reading at home to a parent, carer, older sibling, teddy or a pet!
‘Reading cannot be all about the mechanics but the mechanics is essential if the ‘magic’ is to be discovered’ (Jane Considine). Children are taught to talk about and understand the stories they have read.
‘Book Talk’ helps children to articulate their opinions about characters and events laying foundations for written comprehension. Teachers model this ‘Book Talk’ by reading some sentences slowly, lingering on a sentence to unpick its meaning and explaining the language choices of the author. In so doing, teachers model the reader’s internal dialogue making explicit the reader’s thought processes.
Children are taught to talk about books using the Reading Rainbow (see picture below), a one page visual summary of all required skills in reading which provides a shared language for the whole school from Reception to Year 6. The lenses give the children a visual tool to use to help them become confident explorers of a range of texts. The Reading Rainbow has three tiers:
- Fantastics: the ideas of writing or the content of sentences
- Stylistics: the understanding of reading or comprehension. These are the language structures children need in order to engage in dialogues about books.
- Analytics: the competencies of writing including inference, deduction, explaining the deeper message of the book and making sensible predictions.
In Key Stage 1 and 2 children are taught reading through paired or group reading, ‘book talk’, lessons modelling comprehension answers and written comprehension completed independently by the children. Each reading lesson the children focus on three lenses, one from each tier. Children are ‘reading detectives’ using the lens to find evidence within the text. Much oral practice of comprehension answers takes place as it is unlikely a child would be able to write a comprehension answer before mastering how to say it first. Research shows that children lack knowledge of ‘tier 2 words’ which encompass academic words so they need to be taught and modelled explicitly.
Once a child is a free reader they can choose to read a book from home, the public library, the school or class libraries. Each class has an inviting and well-stocked reading area with both modern and classic fiction, poetry and nonfiction books. Staff read books for their age group so they can recommend titles to children with genuine knowledge and enthusiasm. Dedicated timetabled time is given to children to read for enjoyment and teachers daily read to their class. In these ways, we aim to foster lifelong readers and open up a wealth of words and worlds for our children.
It is an agreed essential in our Federation that our classes promote a wow reading area in every classroom so that we instil a love of reading...
Writing Curriculum Narrative
Writing across Flourish Federation is centred around a high quality story that hooks and captures the children's interest from the start. The model that is used to teach writing is an approach based around best practice taken from 'The Write Stuff'. We foster and nurture a love of stories and language through the use of drama, oracy and explicit language development.
The research of Jane Considine (The Write Stuff) was a development initiative in 2018, to enhance current provision and practice in writing. The focus remains on a love of story, enrichment and language. Children are immersed in a key text, revealing plot points one at a time through the 'slow reveal' to maintain the excitement of revealing the story.
From Nursery, children are immersed in an environment rich in text and pictures. Talk is encouraged and nurtured as they hear stories, sing songs and chant rhymes and poems familiarising them with words and patterns of language. Even before they can write, the children are securing their understanding of words and their meanings through pictures.Their curriculum centres on a high quality picture book with the aim to instill in them a love of and enthusiasm for stories. Children quickly learn that print carries meaning.
In Reception, children continue to experience a language rich environment, with stories at the core of their learning. The FANTASTICS (see picture below) are used to focus the children's ideas about what can be seen, fuelling their senses and broadening their vocabulary. The children are taught through 'word collecting' activities to discover ambitious vocabulary.
Once the children can segment sounds, they begin to label the pictures they see with words and soon they use these words to form sentences. The children are supported to apply their phonic learning to their writing, follow a simple sentence structure and to use basic punctuation. As children hear stories, they then become writers themselves. They begin 'sentence stacking'; connecting ideas about characters to create stories. By the end of their Reception year, the children have embarked on their journey as writers.
Story Scribing - helicopter stories - Anna Ephgrave approach
Additionally in Reception and Year 1, practitioners promote writing through play using story scribing. We call these; helicopter stories. The child will often want to illustrate it. Pupils peg-up their stories on the story washing line for safekeeping and later act them out with their peers during a carpet session.
We are a Storytime phonics school
To enable children to write we follow the storytime phonics programme based on Letters and Sounds to teach phonics in a way children will love and remember.
In Key Stage 1 children continue a method called ‘sentence stacking’. Sentence stacking refers to the fact that sentences are grouped together chronologically to engage children with short, intensive moments of learning that they can apply immediately to their writing. Children learn to sentence stack, focusing on the style of the author and impact of words and sentences. An individual lesson is based on a sentence model, broken into three separate chunks:
- INITIATE - a stimulus to capture the children’s imagination and set up a sentence
- MODEL - the teacher models a sentence using a lens from the Writing Rainbow, making the writer’s thinking processes and choices explicit for the children
- ENABLE - the children write their own sentence following the model and have the opportunity to ‘deepen the moment’ by exploring the plot point and writing further creative sentences
The Three Zones of Writing: The FANTASTICs (Ideas), The GRAMMARISTICs (Tools), and The BOOMTASTICs (Techniques) support their learning to write.
The FANTASTICs system, which is also used in the teaching of reading, allows children to identify the nine elements that make up all text types. When pupils are familiar with these nine elements, they are able to ensure that they are incorporated into their own writing. The FANTASTICs help children to sharpen their understanding of their own and others’ writing by encouraging them to be observant and reflective.
The GRAMMARISTICs cover National Curriculum requirements for the teaching of grammar and punctuation.
The BOOMTASTICs capture the nine powerful ways to add drama and poetic devices to writing. They help children to showcase their originality and style and to take risks in their writing.
Once children have followed the central character through a number of plot points they have the opportunity to independently plan and write their own creative story. The lenses in the Writing Rainbow are also used to teach poetry and nonfiction. Our children are encouraged to see writing as a journey with scaffolding to help in leading children to plan, write and edit their own independent pieces of writing. They are given opportunities to write cross curricular pieces for a range of purposes.
Twinkl Phonics
We have chosen to follow the Twinkl Phonics Scheme, which is a comprehensive, synthetic phonics teaching programme designed to be used in Reception and Key Stage 1. Our lessons will be delivered through the stories and adventures of Sam, Kit and their family. The scheme builds and develops the skills and understanding children need to become effective, independent readers and writers.
Intent
To have a phonics programme that clearly outlines the knowledge, skills and understanding children will develop to read and write effectively.
Implementation - To achieve our intentions, around the school you will see:
- Well-planned and structured phonics lessons that follow a 5-part pattern to support the differing needs of the learners.
- A successful and stimulating phonics environment where children can access resources and support at all times.
- Regular monitoring and data analysis by the phonics subject lead and senior leaders.
- Regular contact with and support for parents via homework and information sent home, added to the website or in face-to-face workshops.
Impact - The impact can be measured by...
- Talking to the children! They will share with you enthusiasm about reading, a ‘can do’ attitude with strategies to access at all levels.
- Talking to the parents! Parents are communicated with regularly about the progress of their child, with information given on how to support at home.
- Children will learn Phonics at their own pace and to suit their needs, and interventions and extra support are in place where needed.
- Good results in the Phonics Screening Test at Year 1.
Maths Curriculum Statement
The Intent is for all children to have rich mathematical Knowledge, be confident and skilled in it’s manipulation, in order to apply it to the world around them.
There is a carefully planned progression of maths across the school which details timing of units to ensure coverage of knowledge from the maths curriculum. Pupils have daily opportunities to develop the 3 areas of maths – fluency, reasoning and problem solving. This provides children with verbal and written opportunities to secure these areas. In every class the teaching enables children to access and broaden their maths learning through concrete, pictorial and abstract methods scaffolding the concepts and allowing links to be made between areas. Independent work is signposted through ‘challenge by choice’ as bronze, silver, gold, platinum differentiated challenge levels and pupils make an independent choice where to start, they are in charge of their learning here. Activities, tasks and work are selected appropriately to meet the needs of the children and guidance is given if children’s selection is inappropriate.
Questioning is used to extend children and broaden their knowledge in maths. Children are given carefully targeted questions that challenge them throughout each lesson. These may include: How do you know? What do you notice? What’s the same and what’s different? Can you convince me? (verbal, written, drawing or using manipulatives) Is there another way? (variation theory) How can you be sure you’ve found all the combinations? Pupils are encouraged to answer in full sentences when responding to questions. This helps create links and ensure knowledge is secured in the long term memory.
To help encourage retrieval teachers plan for children to answer around 5 calculation-based questions to consolidate and recap learning at a convenient time during the week. Pupils also use times table rock stars – an online platform using times table facts to support the recall.
Pupils take the end of unit tests and pre unit quizzes to encourage information to be held in the long term memory and to ensure lessons are pitched correctly..
We believe that it is paramount for children of all ages to use concrete resources to support them with their maths learning, often to initially help them grasp a concept and perhaps to extend children to find another way of showing an answer. Teachers ensure that there is a wide variety of maths manipulatives for children to use and you will often see children helping themselves to these, which may include the following: Numicon, bead strings, lolly sticks / straws, Base 10, counters, place value counters / grids / charts, Objects / toys, multi-link cubes, fraction blocks / circles, 100 square / multiplication grids.
Children enjoy the challenges of maths, become confident in maths and our approach will enable more children to reach age-related expectations and greater depth, ensuring they are ready for the next step in their learning.
Art and Design Curriculum Statement
Our curriculum is designed to ensure that all children are equipped with the creative knowledge and skills needed to be confident when experimenting, inventing and creating their own artwork.
Children will gain a critical understanding of different techniques and artists and be able to discuss these using a rich vocabulary.
They will be able to make links between art and design and different historical periods and cultural developments.
Art and design is taught in accordance with the National Curriculum using the New AccessArt Primary Art Curriculum.
Children across all year groups are given knowledge about key artists and their place in history and culture, alongside developing the skills needed to create their own work. Children use sketchbooks to collect their ideas and to record their evaluations and analyses. They are encouraged to question and explore, both independently and as members of groups. When possible, children are provided with the opportunity to meet local artists, or to visit galleries.
Children’s access to art and design teaching enables them to master the skills necessary to use a wide range of materials to create their own work. They have the rich vocabulary necessary to be able to critically evaluate work and record these observations within their sketchbooks (particularly within KS2). They have secure knowledge of key artists, designers and architects within history.
Computing Curriculum Statement
A high-quality computing education equips pupils to use computational thinking and creativity to understand and change the world. Computing has deep links with mathematics, science, and design and technology, and provides insights into both natural and artificial systems. The core of computing is computer science, in which pupils are taught the principles of information and computation, how digital systems work, and how to put this knowledge to use through programming. Building on this knowledge and understanding, pupils are equipped to use information technology to create programs, systems and a range of content. Computing also ensures that pupils become digitally literate – able to use, and express themselves and develop their ideas through, information and communication technology – at a level suitable for the future workplace and as active participants in a digital world.
At Key stage 1, pupils are taught to:
- understand what algorithms are; how they are implemented as programs on digital devices; and that programs execute by following precise and unambiguous instructions
- create and debug simple programs
- use logical reasoning to predict the behaviour of simple programs
- use technology purposefully to create, organise, store, manipulate and retrieve digital content
- recognise common uses of information technology beyond school
- use technology safely and respectfully, keeping personal information private; identify where to go for help and support when they have concerns about content or contact on the internet or other online technologies.
At Key stage 2, pupils are taught to:
- design, write and debug programs that accomplish specific goals, including controlling or simulating physical systems; solve problems by decomposing them into smaller parts
- use sequence, selection, and repetition in programs; work with variables and various forms of input and output
- use logical reasoning to explain how some simple algorithms work and to detect and correct errors in algorithms and programs
- understand computer networks including the internet; how they can provide multiple services, such as the world wide web; and the opportunities they offer for communication and collaboration
- use search technologies effectively, appreciate how results are selected and ranked, and be discerning in evaluating digital content
- select, use and combine a variety of software (including internet services) on a range of digital devices to design and create a range of programs, systems and content that accomplish given goals, including collecting, analysing, evaluating and presenting data and information
- use technology safely, respectfully and responsibly; recognise acceptable/unacceptable behaviour; identify a range of ways to report concerns about content and contact.
Much of the knowledge developed in our computing lessons equip pupils with experiences which will benefit them in secondary school, further education and future workplaces. From research methods, use of presentation and creative tools and critical thinking, computing in our schools gives children the building blocks that enable them to pursue a wide range of interests and vocations in the next stage of their lives.
Design & Technology Curriculum Statement
Our Design and Technology curriculum, within the Flourish Federation, aims to provide opportunities for children to develop their technical knowledge and practical skills. The children will be given the opportunity to design, make and evaluate relevant products using a range of materials, including food.
Design and Technology will be taught regularly each term as part of a fortnightly timetable. Each unit of learning will be planned based on key Design and Technology skills that we aim to develop throughout the child’s learning
journey. Key skills and key knowledge for Design and Technologyhave been mapped across the school to ensure progression across each key stage.
Purpose of Study
Design and Technology is an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject. Using creativity and imagination, pupils design and make products that solve real and relevant problems with a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values. They acquire a broad range of subject knowledge and draw on disciplines such as mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art. Pupils learn how to take risks, becoming resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens. Through the evaluation of past and present design and technology , they develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world. High-quality design and technology education makes an essential contribution to the creativity, culture and well-being of the nation.
We aim to:
- develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world
- build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users
- teach children to critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and the work of others
- enable children to understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook
Curriculum Narratives: Design Technology (North Elmham)
2023 24 Design Technology Curriculum Narrative (Stibbard)
Our Geography curriculum is designed to inspire children’s curiosity and fascination about the world and its people. We aim to equip children with the knowledge and skills needed to think critically about the world and their place in it. We aim to promote children’s interest and understanding of diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes.
Geography is taught in accordance with the National Curriculum.
We implement a progressive geography curriculum that builds on prior knowledge and skills year on year. Children will revisit geographical skills and knowledge in order to embed and deepen understanding. The geography curriculum is aimed to be challenging, creative and encourage active learning. Following our schools ethos of a story based curriculum children’s learning is often inspired by, or linked to a text. We provide a variety of hands-on opportunities for geography learning inside and outside the classroom. This allows children to enrich their knowledge by carrying out meaningful fieldwork within their local area and community. We ensure that trips and visiting experts enhance the learning experiences for the children.
Throughout their geography learning children build on their previous knowledge to progressively build on a deeper understanding to ensure they are suitably prepared for education within secondary school. Our children demonstrate an appreciation and understanding of their local area, places near and far and the processes that create and affect them. Geography offers our children to understand the potential of their role and the impact that they might have on the world.
To provide a knowledge-rich history curriculum that furnishes children with a thorough understanding of the world they live in and a sense of identity and heritage. To provide pupils with opportunities to learn about how British, local and world history has influenced the present, and provide skills that will prepare them for adult life. To develop children’s curiosity for the past by examining sources through child led enquiry and independent research, where learning is based on ideas and thinking rather than on just knowing and remembering.
History is taught according to the National Curriculum and is organised on our long-term plans to provide tangible links with Flourish Federation’s RE curriculum. Content is sensitive to children’s interests, as well as the context of the local area. The history curriculum across our federation is carefully planned and structured to ensure that current learning is linked to previous learning and that our approach is informed by current pedagogy. Children are encouraged to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement. Children begin to understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups, as well as their own identity and the challenges of their time.
Teachers specifically plan for cross-curricular outcomes in history, with strong links between the history curriculum and morning English lessons, enabling further contextual learning. Our federation’s story-focused ethos also means that we use high quality fiction as an inclusive ‘hook’ into history and to expose children to a rich and varied vocabulary. Consideration is given to how greater depth will be taught, learnt and demonstrated within each lesson, and assessment of work and ‘quizzing for knowledge’ activities are regularly used to ensure that children have achieved a sound understanding of the key identified knowledge. Teachers endeavour to interleave history learning throughout the year and across year groups to ensure that children retain their prior learning and link it to current learning.
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) follows the ‘Development Matters in the EYFS’ guidance which aims for all children in reception to have an ‘Understanding of the World; people and communities, the world and technology’ by the end of the academic year.
Children are given access to a broad, balanced and knowledge-rich history curriculum and can compare and contrast the key concepts that constitute the study of history. They can evidence the acquisition and application of identified key knowledge, and they gain a rich and transferable vocabulary. Pupils learn to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, and develop perspective and judgement; all crucial skills for life after primary school.
We are using the Language Angels scheme of work and resources to support us to offer an ambitious French curriculum which uses a wide variety of everyday and more specialist themes to inspire and excite our pupils. By learning a foreign language (French) children are given greater access to a multicultural society. Children are able to develop their curiosity about another country and deepen their understanding of other cultures. Teaching should enable children to explore, understand and respond both in speech and writing. As a result, children will increase in confidence to be able to discuss, ask questions and have opinions using both negative and positive nouns. The ultimate aim is that the children will become confident French Speakers and writers and will want to continue to study languages beyond KS2.
The children are encouraged to explore modern languages through speech and conversation, familiar sentences are spoken using known vocabulary and phrases.
They will progressively acquire, use and apply a growing bank of vocabulary, language skills and grammatical knowledge organised around age-appropriate subjects and themes - building blocks of language into more complex, fluent and authentic language. Lessons within a unit will work towards developing children’s language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. They will build up to presenting ideas orally to an audience using familiar words as well as understanding grammatical structures, the sounding of words and vocabulary. The children will regularly revise French vocabulary by playing interactive games, singing simple songs in that language and using word banks to write sentences.
Children will continuously build on their previous knowledge as they progress in their foreign language learning journey through Key Stage 2. Previous language will be recycled, revised, recalled and consolidated whenever possible and appropriate.
Children will be able to recognise and use key vocabulary verbally and be able to write, the quantity of which will increase as they move through KS2. The children will be encouraged to use the language learned in both the classroom and the playground with each other.
We value music throughout the schools. It enables all the children to work together, it is a powerful form of communication and has an impact on how the children perform, feel, act and think. In the early stages music helps children to learn new words and their meanings, they experience new sounds and different styles of music. Co-ordination is improved through the playing of an instrument, co-operation is developed as children perform together. We believe every child should have the opportunity to play an instrument, sing and perform on their own, in a group or as a whole school.
Our curriculum is planned so that every child, regardless of their background, ability, additional needs is able to flourish and perform to the best of their ability. Through the National Curriculum skills and knowledge are progressive and sequenced to maximise the learning of all children. Throughout the year the children are able to have the opportunity to develop their understanding, skills and techniques learnt.
Whole school singing is held once a week, music appreciation is implemented as the children enter for Collective Worship, professional music performance groups are encouraged as well as giving the children the opportunity to perform for an audience during the year at their Key Stage productions and additional music concerts. Visits are also arranged to go and hear professional organisations performing out of school.
Our school peripatetic teacher is able to come into school and provide opportunities for children wanting to learn and develop their musical skills further through small group or individual lessons on the piano and the violin. The teacher is also able to teach whole class instrument lessons to a range of classes.
By the time the children leave our schools they will have a widened repertoire which they will take to the next stage of their education, They will have composing and performing skills and be imaginative and fluent in their thoughts about music.
The children will have an awareness of music styles and how these can be so diverse after understanding the historical, social and cultural origins of the music learnt.
By learning vocabulary associated with music the children will be able to demonstrate a knowledge of this effectively, accurately and appropriately across performance and appreciation of musical styles experienced.
Norfolk Music Hub
The Norfolk Music Hub who provide our instrumental lessons in our schools, are offering a great range of activities for children during February half term. Take a look! All the sessions are free, you just need to sign up your children using the link below.
www.norfolkmusichub.org.uk/site/february-half-term-workshops
The use of outdoor spaces as learning environments enables students to be completely absorbed in their learning, to work collaboratively, to problem solve and to apply the knowledge and skills they have learned elsewhere. Our outdoor learning experiences aim to develop children's curiosity and provide them with an eagerness to learn about the world around them. Working collaboratively will allow them to embed high level vocabulary taught within other areas of the curriculum. We aim to weave outdoor learning experiences across the curriculum and throughout each key stage. Participating classes will be given weekly sessions. These are based on some Forest School principles and are designed to encourage children to take risks, develop their independence and solve problems.
Outdoor learning will introduce and reinforce knowledge from across many areas of the national curriculum. In some instances it will be used as a tool to teach children new knowledge in context, in others teachers will use it as an opportunity to imbed taught vocabulary. Where possible learning will be linked to stories as we know that this aids the retention of knowledge. Activities will be active, creative and often large scale.
Questioning is used to extend children and broaden their knowledge. Pupils are encouraged to answer in full sentences when responding to questions. This helps create links and ensure knowledge is secured in the long term memory.
Children will learn how to apply knowledge from across the curriculum to wider experiences. They will become experienced at verbalising their understanding while collaborating with their peers. They will develop resilience and independence and will have a firm understanding of their local environment, both in a geographical and scientific context. They will be confident problem solvers able to communicate how to overcome issues. They will transfer these skills to their learning within the classroom.
Physical Education Curriculum Narrative
At Flourish Federation, we aim to provide a Physical Education (PE) curriculum that inspires children to participate in a range of sports activities along with understanding the importance of living an active and healthy lifestyle. Our pupils are taught about the importance of PE to support their social, emotional, physical and mental wellbeing. We intend to offer a high quality PE curriculum that promotes all pupils to succeed and excel in competitive sport and other physically demanding activities. PE lessons aim to be fun and engaging which provide children with challenges to learn and develop skills along with being accessible to all children. PE provides our children with the opportunity to develop their skills, knowledge and understanding to perform with increasing confidence. Through PE children learn how to cooperate, work as a team, understand rules and fairness along with developing a positive sporting attitude and respect.
The national curriculum for PE aims to ensure that all pupils:
- develop competence to excel in a broad range of physical activities.
- are physically active for sustained periods of time.
- engage in competitive sports and activities.
- lead healthy, active lives.
Our PE curriculum provides our pupils with the opportunity to participate in a range of sports and activities to support children to develop confidence and recognise their own and others’ strengths and areas for development. PE is taught for a minimum of 2 hours per week. Our pupils have PE lessons taught by their class teachers, as well as a qualified sports coach. Our Federation is also part of the West Norwich and Dereham Sports Partnership which provides children in all year groups the opportunity to participate in a range of sports competitions and try a new sports activity in a fun environment. They also provide continuous professional development for all teachers, and others, who teach PE to ensure our teaching of PE is of the best quality. The curriculum is further enhanced by incorporating moments within lessons whereby the children can be active.
Children are taught a range of different sports and activities in their weekly PE lessons. This eases tension, stress and anxiety which in turn supports the children’s concentration within class. PE lessons show progression, both within the academic year and throughout the following years to develop the skills the children are learning.
We follow the guidelines set by the national curriculum to ensure we offer a range of PE activities that allow each child to feel challenged and offer opportunities to progress further.
The impact of our PE curriculum is to motivate children to use the skills and knowledge learnt in PE to lead happy and healthy lifestyles. Through providing high quality PE experiences for our pupils, children are inspired to become physically confident along with inspiring them to try new activities. Through having opportunities to compete in a range of sporting activities children develop their self-confidence along with embedding values such as fairness, respect, perseverance, compassion and teamwork.
Pupils are expected to know, apply and understand the matters, skills and processes taught to them by the end of each key stage. The PE curriculum is reviewed on a termly basis by the subject leader.
To provide a RE curriculum that enables children to explore, discover and flourish as they learn to respect their own views and beliefs and those of others. We aim to promote religious understanding and respect and develop religious literacy so that the children are able to hold a balanced and well informed conversation about religion and belief.
RE is taught in accordance with the Norfolk Agreed Syllabus for RE 2019 in an enquiry based approach from the EYFS through to Key Stage 2. As an aided school with a Christian foundation, in each year there is a focus on Christianity plus the opportunity to learn about the other principal religions or world views in Britain, namely Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Humanism. We do this by exploring and asking questions. Skills such as observing, questioning, discussing, evaluating and reflecting are encouraged in RE. Sensitivity to others and a readiness to listen to others’ viewpoints are strongly encouraged. Care is taken to ensure that pupils have the opportunities to develop their understanding, knowledge, skills and concepts as they move through the school. Where possible we seek to give our children first hand experiences such as visits to religious buildings or visitors coming into school. Where this is not possible, online video calls with local religious leaders and virtual tours of their places of worship are arranged. We enhance our children’s spiritual, moral, cultural and social development by developing awareness of the fundamental questions of life raised by human experiences. We encourage children to think how religious teachings can relate to them and others around them. Big questions of life are explored by referring to the teachings and practices of religions and we encourage children to reflect on their own beliefs, values and experiences in the light of their study. The children study these big questions through 3 key lenses - Theology, Philosophy and Human Social Sciences which are broken down further into 3 or 4 key aspects of study. These lenses provide progression through all of the key stages in the depth of skills practised by the pupils.
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) follows the ‘Development Matters in the EYFS’ guidance which aims for all children in reception to have an ‘Understanding of the World; people and communities, the world and technology’ by the end of the academic year. EYFS plan their curriculum in the light of what is taught in Year 1 to introduce the children to certain concepts and vocabulary.
Through their RE learning, the children make progress by knowing more, remembering more and being able to do more.
Through their learning the children are able to:
- Demonstrate a positive attitude towards people of any religion
- Show an understanding of cultural beliefs different to their own
- Understand that some people follow a religion and some do not
- Demonstrate respectful behaviour to all which is transferable outside of school into the wider community and beyond
- Make reasoned and informed responses to religious, moral and social issues
- Demonstrate skills including reflection, expression, enquiry and analysis as they explore issues within and between faiths and world views
- Show open-mindedness and empathy
- Develop religious vocabulary and interpret religious symbolism in many forms
- Make links between their own lives and those of others in their community and in the wider world.
- Reflect on questions of meaning, offering their own thoughtful and considered insights into religious and secular world views
- Explore ultimate questions of beliefs and values in relation to a range of contemporary issues in an ever-changing society
In summary, RE offers our children the means to be able to understand those they will meet from different backgrounds, cultures or beliefs because they can draw upon their religious literacy.
We understand the need for all pupils to develop their Scientific ability and recognise the importance of Science in every aspect of daily life. As one of the core subjects taught in Primary Schools, we give the teaching and learning of Science the prominence it requires. Science is taught consistently, once a week for up to two hours, but is discretely taught in many different contexts throughout all areas of the curriculum. In Early years, Science is taught through the children learning about the world around them in their learning through play.
The 2014 National Curriculum for Science aims to ensure that all children:
- develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics
- develop understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science through different types of science enquiries that help them to answer scientific questions about the world around them
- are equipped with the scientific skills required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future.
As well as the National Curriculum aims, we also aim to;
- develop the essential scientific enquiry skills to deepen their scientific knowledge.
- Use a range of methods to communicate their scientific information and present it in a systematic, scientific manner, including computing, diagrams, graphs and charts.
- Develop a respect for the materials and equipment they handle with regard to their own, and other children’s safety.
- Develop an enthusiasm and enjoyment of scientific learning and discovery.
We encourage children to be inquisitive throughout their time at the school and beyond. The Science curriculum fosters a healthy curiosity in children about our universe and promotes respect for living organisms and the physical environment.
Throughout the programmes of study, the children will acquire and develop the key knowledge that has been identified within each unit and across each year group, as well as the application of scientific skills. We ensure that the Working Scientifically skills are built-on and developed throughout children’s time at the school so that they can apply their knowledge of science when using equipment, conducting experiments, building arguments and explaining concepts confidently and continue to ask questions and be curious about their surroundings.
Teachers create a positive attitude to science learning within their classrooms, by ensuring high standards of teaching and learning in science, we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout the whole school. Planning for science is a process in which all teachers are involved to ensure that the school gives full coverage of the curriculum. Science teaching at our schools, involves adapting and extending the curriculum to match all pupils’ needs. Teachers plan to suit their children’s interests, current events, their own teaching style, the use of any support staff and the resources available.
At the start and end of each half term, children’s knowledge and understanding is assessed through Quizzing for Knowledge questions. Book hooks and enrichment activities are carefully planned for to enhance the children’s learning experience.
Our whole school approach to the teaching and learning of science involves providing a knowledge-rich learning experiences that aim to:
- Encourage children to ask their own questions and be given opportunities to use their scientific skills and research to discover the answers.
- Prepare our children for life in an increasingly scientific and technological world today and in the future.
- build upon the learning and skill development of the previous years. As the children’s knowledge and understanding increases, they become more proficient in selecting, using scientific equipment, collating and interpreting results.
- Embed working Scientifically skills into lessons to ensure these skills are being developed throughout the children’s school career
- Develop the use of scientific language and new vocabulary
The impact and measure of this is to ensure children not only acquire the appropriate age related knowledge linked to the science curriculum, but also skills which equip them to progress from their starting points, and within their everyday lives.
All children will have:
- A wider variety of skills linked to both scientific knowledge and understanding, and scientific enquiry/investigative skills.
- A richer vocabulary which will enable them to articulate their understanding of taught concepts.
- High aspirations, which will see them through to further study, work and a successful adult life.
