Curriculum Enrichment

Wider Curriculum Opportunities & Cultural Capital

Our curriculum extends beyond the National Curriculum and includes a wide range of enriching experiences and opportunities both within and beyond the school day. This includes an extensive programme of after-school clubs, that support the core curriculum offer, as well as those which develop specialist skills, such as design, computng and music, whilst also extends the range of children’s experiences (Cultural Capital).  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 across the curriculum. Children at all levels are helped to achieve their potential. Those who are most able are challenged and supported through being offered tasks which provide opportunities for greater depth and those who can struggle are encouraged and given targeted support to embed skills, to develop at their own pace or simply to learn in a style that best suits their individual needs.

In addition to our exciting and stimulating cross-curricular themes, we also provide further opportunities to enhance children’s learning wherever possible. These include:

Whole School Theme Days/Weeks

Throughout the year, themed days/weeks are woven into the curriculum to extend the breadth and balance of opportunities we offer our pupils. These include, Anti-bullying Week and Safety Day, Creative Arts Week, World Book Day, Science Week, Sport & Health Week, European Day of Languages, RE Days and others.  

Forest School & Outdoor Learning

Forest Schools is a Scandinavian initiative designed to encourage and inspire individuals of any age through an innovative, long term, educational approach to outdoor play and learning in a small grassland and forest environment.  As a school we are very fortunate in having our own Forest School and several staff trained to deliver the Forest Schools programme from Somerville Nursery School, which is 200 metres from the Primary School site.

Forest Schools is offered to our Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 children.  Sessions are designed around the needs of the group to ensure that they are learner-led.  Many areas of the National Curriculum are intrinsically covered, in the Forest Schools experience without the programmes needing to be curriculum led. Teamwork skills are developed through games and activities.  Individual skills and self-esteem are heightened throughout activities such as hide and seek, shelter building, tool skills, lighting fires or environmental art, the list is endless.   Each activity develops intra and inter-personal skills as well as practical and intellectual skills alongside improving social communication skills.

Further up the school, opportunities are built into the curriculum for children to continue learning beyond the classroom including undertaking fieldwork and enquiry based-work in the local area.

Educational Visits and Residentials

School trips and visits are an integral part of the education of children at Somerville Primary.  We value the opportunities such visits offer our pupils and the commitment of staff and adults undertaking them.  Trips include class visits aimed at bringing learning alive and providing first-hand experience and bringing learning alive; extra-curricular outings such as activities with the school choir or sporting events; and attending or taking part in performances or competitions.  New Brighton and Liverpool are on our doorstep and provide rich and inspirational learning resources.

Children in Years 4 and 6 take part in residential visits. These are planned to provide new and exciting experiences. Children in Year 4 make an annual overnight visit to Tarporley Residential Centre and our Year 6 young people take part in a 2 night, 3 day residential at Boreatton Park in Shropshire where they experience orienteering, climbing, abseiling, raft building, archery and lots more.

Visitors into School

Visitors have a valuable role to play and can contribute to many aspects of the life and work of the school.  They deliver talks, workshops and full day activities across a wide range of subjects, giving pupils access to outside experiences and expertise. Visitors provide a link with the wider community – children have the opportunity to work alongside artists, musicians, authors, health professions and others.

After-school Enrichment Offer

As a school, we offer pupils opportunities to participate in extra-curricular activities after school. At any time, a wide range of clubs is on offer – our programmes of clubs and activities available are revised termly depending on the time of year and other commitments children may have.

PE & Sport

At Somerville Primary we are using our PE & Sport Premium to part-fund sports coaches to provide high-quality instruction during PE lessons; he also runs sporting activities at lunchtimes; and promotes increased pupil participation in PE & Sport beyond the school day. We also use our grant to provide an increased delivery of swimming lessons to our children. 

Music, Art & Drama

Somerville Primary School provides opportunities for children to take part in a wide range of musical activities and performances where they are encouraged to sing, compose and work creatively with sound. Through active listening, pupils’ awareness, understanding and appreciation of a wide variety of music are developed. A range of opportunities are provided within and beyond the curriculum for children to showcase their musical skills and talents. Visits to the theatre further enrich pupils’ cultural development.

As a school we appreciate and understand the importance of drama within our curriculum. Research reveals that drama had a positive impact on children’s physical, emotional, social and cognitive development. 

Opportunities to Volunteer

Volunteering is an activity that everyone can get involved in and benefit from.  At Somerville Primary we promote and encourage pupils’ active citizenship and positive contribution to the school and wider community. We offer lots of opportunities for pupils to take on new responsibilities and be involved in successfully supporting the life and work of the school. These include elected representatives on our School Council, Eco Committee, Online Safety Team.  Older pupils can also apply and be interviewed for positions such as Playground Leaders and Librarians, and within classes children can volunteer to take on various responsibilities ranging from cloakroom organisers, school office helpers to helping with the organisation of equipment in assemblies.

Pupils tell us that they enjoy the opportunity to volunteer to help make their school an even better place to be and rising to the challenge that additional responsibility brings. 

Assemblies

A rounded programme of assemblies helps to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, and provide clear guidance on what is right and what is wrong. Once a week, assemblies focus on news around the World to develop children's understanding of our global diversity and citizenship.

Homework

Homework can make an important contribution to a child’s progress at school.  As well as reinforcing learning in the classroom, homework helps children to develop the skills and attitudes they will need for successful independent lifelong learning.

Homework is set in-line with the school’s policy, with tasks planned to appropriately challenge all pupils.  Weekly activities focus on literacy and numeracy to reinforce and consolidate skills taught.