Curriculum

Our New Curriculum

Why a new curriculum?

In 2014 a new National Curriculum was launched which is used across the country and in a wide range of schools.  Our curriculum followed the national path but lacked a focus on quality texts, creativity, and imagination and failed to offer connections in learning.  Lessons stood alone and children were not inspired to work towards an end goal. Children were also taught in ability groups which did not give true equality of opportunity.  The most effective learning took place where children were given time to immerse themselves in a project and became excited by new experiences. So we have taken this best practice and developed it into our ‘Learning Journeys’

What is the new curriculum?

• Science lessons will be taught in 3 day blocks giving children an opportunity to really explore and investigate topics.
• R.E, PHSE and Computing will also be given focus days.
• Health & Fitness and P.E will also be taught, at times through the Learning Journey, as specific weekly sessions, focus days, after school activities and during our lunch time sessions.
• Children will be grouped by ability for phonics which will take place at the start of the day.  They will then return to class for a 1 hour Mathematics lesson. After a short morning break their Learning Journey begins.

The Learning Journey

Each Learning Journey begins with a ‘Good Book’, it may have been chosen because it is a children’s classic, by a significant children’s author, offers an opportunity as a springboard for History and Geography or promotes challenging debate and discussion.  There are ten Learning Journeys that children experience each year. Each journey will enable children to travel either in time or across our country and onto faraway lands. They will meet familiar and unfamiliar characters some fictional and others living or from the past. A journey will twist the basic skills of English grammar and punctuation with the creativity of Art and Design. Stories will introduce the written word set in a variety of places real and imagined and will offer the opportunity to practise writing for a range of purposes.  They will learn about themselves, their locality and our British culture and compare this to the different cultural experiences of people from other countries and continents. Oceans, mountains, ice, snow, deserts, forests and canals will be some of the landscapes visited by children along their many journeys. They will learn through humour, rhyme, poems and the music of wonderful language telling a good tale.

• Journeys will be planned to cover the programmes of study for Year 1 and Year 2.  
• Each term a trip will springboard children’s learning and visitors will be invited to enrich these experiences.

The Learning Journeys and the EYFS

Our youngest children in Nursery and Reception will also have texts chosen to be a focus for their Learning Journeys. 

We have used Chris Quigley's Essentials Curriculum to inspire our Long Term plans

Mathematics at Silvertrees Academy

Intent

When teaching Maths at Silvertrees Academy we whole heartedly believe in including and catering for children of all abilities. We provide challenge through varied and high quality teaching with a focus on the important skills of fluency, problem solving and reasoning. Children explore Maths using the correct mathematical vocabulary, and you will find this displayed around the school, to explain their workings. A wide range of manipulatives are used to explain mathematical concepts. Why not ask your child what resources they have used this week at school? After developing a deep understanding using concrete resources, your child will move into using pictorial representations and then finally written methods. Through this CPA approach we believe we are providing the best possible outcomes for your children. Children are encouraged to be determined and resilient and to accept making mistakes is part of their learning.

Implementation

Maths is taught as a discrete subject following the National Curriculum programmes of study. Where possible, opportunities are maximised to use mathematical skills in other areas of learning. In order for pupils to progress to deeper and more complex problems we recognise that children need to be confident and fluent across each year groups objectives. We follow the, government endorsed, White Rose Hub maths scheme. This scheme allows for children to deepen their understanding at every opportunity. The school calculation policy is followed by all staff throughout school and you will find it displayed in teaching spaces.

Each classroom has a range of mathematical resources including, Numicon, Base 10, abaci and egg boxes.  In lessons, opportunities are provided for the children to consolidate skills they have already learnt, build on them and engage in reasoning and problem solving. Challenge is provided through our high quality teaching.

We are continuously striving to improve ourselves and share ideas amongst staff. The whole school moderates work with colleagues from neighbouring schools. Pupil's progress is monitored against the expected attainment for their age using Key Performance Indicators. Assessment is used to ensure we are providing excellent provision to meet the needs of each and every child in school.

Impact

Through Learning Walks, Pupil Learning Conversations, Book and Planning Trawls we can ensure progress is made across all year groups.

We use termly White Rose Hub assessments to guide us in teaching your child. Year 1 conduct these assessments at the end of the Spring and Summer term; whilst Year 2 conduct the assessments at the end of the Autumn and Spring term. Formative assessment takes place each and every day with planning being adjusted by teachers accordingly to meet the needs of children in their Maths groups along with high quality support from our LSPs.