Curriculum
At Harrold, our curriculum intends to give pupils the opportunity to explore a broad, rich and balanced curriculum where the knowledge and skills that pupils need, enable them to take advantages of opportunities, responsibilities and experiences in later life.
Through our coherent and sequenced planning, the curriculum engages, motivates, and challenges our children, where meaningful contexts are used to enable children to make valuable connections in their learning.
The curriculum has been carefully constructed through consultation with children, staff and governors of the school. It is designed to be exciting and challenging for all learners, regardless of their abilities or backgrounds.
Teachers use assessment to help our children embed and use knowledge fluently, or to check understanding and inform teaching, or to understand different starting points and gaps in learning.
Responsibility – children are encouraged to responsibly engage with the curriculum
Readiness – we intend for our children to have real life experiences to learn about aspects of their learning in an active, creative way to prepare them with lifelong skills.
Respect – through our curriculum we intend for children to be taught to value the beliefs of others, to ask perceptive questions, to think critically, to sift arguments and to develop perspective and judgement.
Resilience – we intend for children to be inquisitive and develop resilience by understanding that making a mistake is the opportunity to learn something new and to gain the attitude of never giving up.
If you require additional information then please contact the school.
Teaching Methods
In each class, the teacher plans meticulously to meet the needs of your child and to satisfy the requirements of the National Curriculum. There may be times during the week that the teacher plans for the learning of a small group of children or an individual child to be supported by a teaching assistant. This support may take place within the classroom or in the school library or ICT suite.
On occasion a teacher with a particular expertise, e.g. mathematics, music, P.E., science and dance will teach another teacher’s class for a specific lesson.
On some days you will find children from one class working on different activities at the same time; equally you will see formal whole class teaching taking place. The key to which method is used in our school is a combination of the needs of the children and the requirements of the subject being taught. We will always attempt to match our teaching to the learning styles of our pupils.
Pupils in Key Stage 1 are taught a Phonics session every day following the Phonics (RWInc) programme and the teaching and learning is closely matched to the ability of the children.
The Organisation of Learning
At Harrold Primary Academy the programmes of study for all the subjects of the National Curriculum are followed.
The Government have published a New National Curriculum which is to be implemented from 1 September 2014.
The National Curriculum provides pupils with an introduction to the essential knowledge that they need to be educated citizens. It introduces pupils to the best that has been thought and said; and helps to develop and encourage their appreciation of human creativity and achievement.
The structure of the national curriculum, in terms of which subjects are compulsory at each key stage, is set out in the table below:
Figure 1 – Structure of the National Curriculum
|
Key stage 1 |
Key stage 2 |
|
| Age |
5 – 7 |
7 – 11 |
| Year groups |
1 – 2 |
3 – 6 |
| Core subjects | ||
| English |
Yes |
Yes |
| Mathematics |
Yes |
Yes |
| Science |
Yes |
Yes |
| Foundation subjects | ||
| Art and design |
Yes |
Yes |
| Citizenship | ||
| Computing |
Yes |
Yes |
| Design and technology |
Yes |
Yes |
| Foreign Language |
Yes |
|
| Geography |
Yes |
Yes |
| History |
Yes |
Yes |
| Music |
Yes |
Yes |
| Physical Education |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All schools are also required to teach religious education at all key stages.
Figure 2 – Statutory teaching of religious education and sex and relationship education
|
Key stage 1 |
Key stage 2 |
|
| Age |
5 – 7 |
7 – 11 |
| Year groups |
1 – 2 |
3 – 6 |
| Religious education |
Yes |
Yes |
| Sex and relationship education | Yes | Yes |
For more information or to access the full document ‘The national curriculum in England’ published by the DfE, please go to
www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-curriculum.
Enriching and Extending Learning
In addition to the subjects taught, the school has a programme of enrichment activities.
These have included:
- A programme of day trips, visits and visitors in every year group
- A range of clubs and groups that meet at lunchtimes and after school
- Recorder lessons (for which an extra charge is payable)
- Cycle training in Years 3 and 4 and Years 5 and 6
- Themed days – World Book Day
- Themed weeks – Science Week
- Competitions – Sumdog; BBC Radio 2’s 500 Words; National Handwriting Compettion; poetry and art competitions
- Inter school sports activities with local lower schools
- Charitable activities linked to topical events such as Children in Need; Comic Relief; other local and national charity events
