Intent, Implementation and Impact

CURRICULUM INTENT AT SOMERVILLE

At Somerville Primary School our aim is to provide an excellent education for all of our pupils.  It is rooted in a desire to bring out the best in all pupils, to prepare them for success at each next stage of education whilst supporting the children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.   We prepare our children for modern life in Britain.  We live in an area of high deprivation however we want our children to have big ambitions and high expectations of themselves.

Our curriculum has been specifically designed and developed to meet the needs of Somerville children.  Teachers worked together to review our specific needs and develop the foundation on which we have ‘built’ our curriculum.   The ‘Somerville Curriculum’ incorporates all of the statutory  requirements of the National Curriculum 2014, the Wirral Agreed Syllabus for RE, EYFS Development Matters and other experiences, opportunities and knowledge which best meet the learning and developmental needs of the children in our school to develop their cultural capital.

The Somerville Curriculum is designed to:-

• Ensure breadth and depth of learning, securing key knowledge across the full National Curriculum. Knowing more, remembering more.

• Be progressive across the school and across subjects.

• Develop pupils’ vocabulary across all subject areas.

• Develop pupil’s knowledges of ‘concepts’ across the curriculum.

• Develop pupils’ knowledge of both fiction and academic texts.

• Ensure all pupils can read by the age of seven.

• Develop pupils’ love of reading and books.

• Give pupils experiences that enrich their curriculum that they would not get elsewhere.

• Teach children how to ‘stay safe’.

• Ensure learners can understand their world on a local, national and global

• Develop pupils’ health and fitness.

• Encourage pupils’ to develop interests and passions.

• Ensure timely targeted support as and when needed.

• Ensure clear progress is made by each child from entry into FS2 to exit in Year 6 and is in line or above national expectations.

CURRICULUM IMPLEMENTATION AT SOMERVILLE

Approach to Teaching and Learning and Pedagogy

Our approach to teaching and learning supports our Somerville Curriculum by ensuring that lessons build on prior learning and provide sufficient opportunity to build ‘sticky’ knowledge across the school and across subject areas that has been carefully planned.  The new stability of our curriculum  allows subject expertise to develop overtime.  Subject leaders attend updates, training and are encouraged to join subject associations.

During lessons teachers will use rehearsal techniques and constantly check for understanding.  They will be consistent in helping pupils’ make links in their learning and referring back to previous units taught in previous year groups. Teachers will provide stimulus in both verbal and visual forms.  Pupils will be provided with opportunities to reflect on their learning.  Children will be introduced to memory games and strategies such as Kim’s game and mind mapping.  Children will use and create knowledge mats which include key vocabulary they have learned, the key knowledge and any other interesting facts. 

Each half term or term (dependent on year group) each year group follows a loose theme however children are taught in subject specific lessons and work as: writers, readers, mathematicians, scientists, historians, geographers, designers & makers, artists, musicians, linguists, athletes, computer scientists, analysts and designers and theologists.   The children are aware of what subject discipline they are working within.  Art and Design and Technology will be blocked allowing the children to work through a project.  Somerville is committed to high quality teaching of the ‘arts’ and has secured the Arts Mark Gold Award.

The long term plan for Somerville can be found on the school website on the curriculum page as can the subject specific documents.  Here you can also find some examples of our Medium Term Plans to demonstrate how we approach each subject area.  Subject leaders and the curriculum team have developed the Medium Term Plans (MTPs) to ensure:-

• Subject specialist involvement.

• Progression in each subject area.

• Breadth and depth is provided across the curriculum.

• To ensure as much detail as possible is in the MTPs to lessen the short term planning burden on class teachers

• Quality texts are used throughout.

• Subject specific vocabulary is being introduced and developed.

• Concepts are being developed across the curriculum

• Quality resources are being used.

• Intent is set in each subject.

Pupils oracy and communication skills are developed and focussed upon in the Foundation stage with a range of early interventions including used to develop these crucial skills.  Wellcomm, Socially Speaking,  Social Stories are continued throughout the school and used with pupils who need them.   High expectations of teachers and teaching assistants use of standard English and grammar is expected and modelled.  Positive communication is modelled as is how to answer questions.  Lesson sequences are planned to include opportunities for communication, speaking and listening.

Assemblies are used to keep children up to date with local, national and world news and to teach them about key events and role models.

Physical Health and Wellbeing

To promote physical health and wellbeing a structured programme of Physical Education works alongside a programme of extra-curricular activities and a wellbeing intervention programme focussing on physical activity.   School has also secured the Sainsbury’s Silver PE mark.   Our RE and PSHE programme ensures that pupils have the opportunity to learn about world religions and the lessons they teach us.  Culture and diversity is discussed and celebrated children discuss and learn about personal health, well-being, safety, relationships, differences, personal aspirations.  Children will also be given opportunities to raise issues that are important to them, local and world issues, raise questions, listen to others views and share their own thoughts and feelings.    Somerville takes the development of the whole child very seriously and pastoral care is strong at school.  Children are given support to allow them to access the curriculum and if a need has been identified such as anger management, bereavement, self-esteem we have a range of programmes to access.   School also has a mentor / coach programme for identified pupil premium children. 

Enrichment Experiences

The curriculum provides the children with memorable experiences that are linked to the knowledge needed within the subject area being studied. Deep learning days and weeks will be planned according to need across the school year by subject leaders and the curriculum team. 

The outdoor environment, our Forest School, the local community and amenities and places and sites further afield are considered to be valuable opportunities for active learning across the curriculum.  We are committed to ALL learners having high quality learning experiences beyond the classroom walls and these have been integrated into the implementation of our curriculum.

The Somerville Passport has been designed by teachers and is a list of opportunities and experiences each child will get throughout their time at Somerville Primary School.

Reading and Vocabulary

Reading is woven throughout the curriculum.  Somerville has a book spine of books chosen for every child at Somerville to read in each Year band.  The school has purchased these books so the children have ready access to them.  Each classroom has a dedicated reading area stocked with books that children can take home.  History, geograpghy, art and PSHE have quality fiction and non-fiction texts attached to them. 

There is a heavy emphasis in Foundation Stage and Key Stage One on learning to decode and read fluently.  School follows the Read Write Inc programme in Key Stage One.

Shared reading is used as a vehicle to teach children how to read like a reader.

Drop it and read is timetabled three times a week.

We know that vocabulary size is  related to academic success.  This will be taught and built throughout our English and wider curriculum and will be taught overtly.  Teachers will use subject specific and technical vocabulary and will have an expectation of the children to use it as well.

Fluency

Children will be taught key mathematical facts and methods and will be taught to recall them efficiently. Children will have varied and frequent practice outside of mathematics lessons.

CURRICULUM IMPACT AT SOMERVILLE

From their different starting points all children at Somerville will make good or better progress academically, emotionally, creatively, socially and physically.  Knowledge, understanding and skills will be secured and embedded so that children attain highly and are fully prepared for each next stage of education and ultimately high school.

Emphasis will be on children knowing more and remembering more.

In writing, children will be teacher assessed and work moderated by bands and the English team.  In reading and mathematics in Year 1 children will be teacher assessed and throughout the rest of the school children will sit a test.  Across the rest of the curriculum, regular assessment tasks are completed to support and inform teacher assessment.

In Foundation 2 children will be assessed against the Early Learning Goals in the Development Matters Document and against the assessment points in RWI.