Curriculum

We offer a broad, balanced and stimulating curriculum which engages students and challenges their learning. We utilise links between subjects in order to deepen student's understanding of what they are learning. Links are always purposeful and build on our cultural, procedural and conceptual knowledge. As an academy, we have chosen to implement the new National Curriculum in full.

As a primary academy with a nursery, we educate students aged from 3 to 11 covering the Foundation Stage, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.

We have a soft opening time of between 8.30am and 8.45am and finish at 3.25pm (although students are able to come in from 8.00am for breakfast). This means students are in the academy each day for approximately 7 hours per day (or 35 hours per week). Students are encouraged to sign up for before or after school clubs, these run from 8-8.45 or 3.30-4.30pm.

Phonic and reading schemes

Early reading is taught using synthetic phonics as the main approach to reading, we use Reading Mastery which is a complete basal reading program that uses the Direct Instruction method to help students master essential decoding and comprehension skills. As the program develops it places particular emphasis on teaching thinking skills and helping students acquire background knowledge. Students are systematically taught the phonemes (sound), how to blend the sounds through the words for reading, and how to segment the sounds in order to write words. They are taught to use their phonic skills and knowledge as their first approach to reading, but they are also taught high frequency and tricky words to help their fluency.

Reading

Early reading books are matched to the DI phonic lessons being taught to your child, prior to reading books being used students will use DI phonic worksheets to help them to build up to reading words. They will also bring home a "familiar text" which is a book that they will have read for a few weeks in class, these books are about encouraging your child to remember the story and retell it (rather than read it word for word).

Once students have completed the DI reading books they will move onto the colour band scheme, this is built around a number of schemes including Bug Club, Oxford Reading Tree, Project X and real books.

Foundation stage: nursery (3-4 year olds) and reception class (4-5 year olds)

The foundation stage makes a crucial contribution to students' early development and learning. We provide children with a rich variety of teaching and learning experiences that are appropriate to their needs. The Foundation Stage is about developing key learning skills; listening, speaking, concentrating; independence and learning to work and co-operate with others.

The outdoor environment is also a special part of the Foundation Stage curriculum. As such it is carefully planned for and available each day.

Key Stage 1 and 2: Years 1 and 2 (ages 5-7) and Years 3 to 6 (ages 7-11)

The core curriculum at Key Stages 1 and 2 comprises of:

• English
• Mathematics
• Science

Students also study art, history, geography, design & technology, Music, IT, PE & PSHE as part of the National Curriculum. As a foreign language the students learn Latin from Year 4 to Year 6. Our overview of what is being taught in each year group is available at the bottom of the page.

Religious education

Non-denominational religious education is provided for all students as part of the curriculum. We have built upon the Locally Agreed Religious Education syllabus, to provide a bespoke curriculum for our children. This focuses on understanding: we look at religions alongside the spiritual, moral, social curriculum and use debate in order to deconstruct stereotyping. Assemblies are an important part of the school day when we meet together as a community, it is a time when we place emphasis on the development of values and attitudes towards each other and the world around us. Assemblies within the academy are non-denominational but are routed in the social, moral, spiritual and cultural curriculum and our shared core values of integrity, achievement and unity.

You can find more details about what your child is learning over the year in the downloads below.

Home learning

From the time that your child joins our academy, we work in close partnership with parents and carers.

Your child’s teacher will provide homework on a weekly basis every Wednesday. There is an expectation that students complete this independently, and return it to school at the following Monday. Parents are always welcome to ask for guidance on how to support their child at home.

In addition to this homework we expect all students to read for at least 10 minutes each night, this helps to build their fluency and understanding.

These are some useful links to websites which help your child reinforce their learning in a fun way:

• Especially for maths all ages
• Maths videos
• For Nursery and Reception pupils
• For Year 1 and 2 pupils

For Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 pupils:

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks2/
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/websites/4_11/
• http://www.primarygames.com/
• http://www.teachingandlearningresources.co.uk/sitemap.shtml
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/

The National Curriculum documentation on the government website can be found here.

Please note that parents have a right to withdraw their child from part or all of Religious Education (RE) and part of or all of Relationships and Sex Education (RSE/RSHE), please contact the academy via email should you wish to discuss this or if you wish to find out more information about the curriculum for any of our subjects.

Please let the office know if you would like any more details.