Learning

Curriculum Intention

Curriculum Intention

It is our intention that an excellent education brings out the best in everyone, no matter their starting points. Our mastery curriculum provides children with the core knowledge that they need to achieve high outcomes, alongside developing deep routed morals and values enabling them to make sense of the world around them, whilst preparing them well for the next stage of their education.

Powerful Knowledge

 

  • A mastery approach, whereby knowledge and skills are carefully sequenced through vertical concepts so that each time they are revisited the children can deepen this further
  • Subject specific lessons are built on prior learning to enable children to make connections and build schemata. Progress is determined by pupils knowing more and remembering more
  • Children master subject specific substantive knowledge (key knowledge- the ‘what’) and disciplinary knowledge (key knowledge- the how) through deliberate practise and careful planning
  • Our curriculum promotes the mastery of language through structured teaching of vocabulary
  • Reading is at the heart of our curriculum and used a starting point to access new learning both now and at later stages within their education
  • Acquiring powerful knowledge and broadening children’s experiences to build cultural capital

Education with Character

 

  • Explicit links are made to allow children to question the world around them and form moral opinions
  • Experiences both link to the curriculum and beyond allow children to develop confidence and an understanding of the wider world
  • Our school family and class family ethos is at the centre of our ‘hidden curriculum’ teaching children our core values which strengthens their character
  • Links with the local community are closely aligned within our curriculum as well as being central to our Character Programme. This ensures that children better understand the community that they live in
  • Learning through collaboration is a key strategy to allow pupils to learn from each other as well as learning teamwork, co-operation and resilience
  • The school is committed to providing Silverdale’s Top 20 prior to a child leaving Year Six

The Best from Everyone

 

  • It is every child’s entitlement to be taught the whole curriculum
  • High expectations and aiming for excellence bring out the best in everyone
  • An inclusive curriculum allows all pupils to learn
  • Challenge is at the heart of our curriculum, seeing children develop resilience to overcome challenge and achieve their best
  • A focus on ‘the little big things’ enables even the smallest of challenges to bring about an ethos of continuous improvement
  • Children having respect for themselves, each other and those around them is of great importance to our school community

Leadership in Every Role

 

  • Job roles for children develop a sense of ownership and responsibility across the school
  • Teachers develop expertise through the development and fine tuning of a stable curriculum
  • Curriculum leaders are developed through high quality CPD, including new learning that is subject specific
  • A pupil Leadership Team that impact positively upon pupil voice and the school’s provision and ethos

Curriculum Implementation

Curriculum Planning: Our curriculum is knowledge based, supported by opportunities to read, including high quality texts, to develop depth of vocabulary. Each subject is carefully planned for and taught discretely, however, purposeful links are established between subject areas, concepts, knowledge and skills where appropriate. The curriculum is planned using vertical concepts in each subject area, that start at Nursery and build up to Year 6. The core knowledge has been carefully selected to ensure that the children have the prior knowledge they will need for the Key Stage 3 curriculum. Our curriculum including subjects such as RE, History, Geography and Science, encourage pupils to have a depth of understanding which allows them to create informed opinions around current affairs and moral dilemmas.

Unit Design: Each unit is planned in detailed to support pedagogy of teaching a mastery approach. Teaching strategies are based upon research and largely using Barak’s ten Principles of Rosenshine. This language of learning throughout each lesson and unit, supports learning that builds upon prior learning so that the children know more and remember more.

Teaching Strategies: Our approach to teaching and learning supports our curriculum by ensuring that lessons build on prior learning and provide opportunity for guided and independent practice. We use Barak Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction (2012) to develop pedagogy. A teaching handbook that identifies high impact teaching strategies is used consistently throughout the school, whereby instructional coaching is used to support the development and continuous improvement of teaching and learning.

Knowledge-rich Lessons, Spaced Retrieval, POP (Proof of Progress) Measures, Enrichment and High Quality Outcomes are all part of the curriculum design.

Collaborative Learning:

Research states that collaborative learning is a powerful approach to support children’s learning. To support collaborative learning we are a Kagan trained school. Children across school are seated in groups of four to encourage collaborative learning. Through collaborative learning the children develop positive interdependence with one another and are provided with the opportunity to support, coach and discuss learning. Structures are used to encourage every child to participate through discussion within a safe, fair and equal platform.

Adapting the curriculum for pupils with SEND:

Ensuring that each individual pupil can access their year group curriculum is vital to ensure progress. The teacher will make adaptions in the classroom to support this through additional scaffolding or presenting learning in another way to suit the child’s needs. On occasions where a child with SEND is not able to access their year group curriculum, the SENCO, Teacher and Subject Leader will meet to make further adaptions to the curriculum. This may mean moving down the vertical concept in particular subjects to enable that child to build the foundations to continue progressing through the curriculum.

What you would see in our classrooms:

√ Enthusiastic children who are focussed on learning

√ Children making connections between current learning and prior learning

√ Children using prior learning to support open ended tasks

√ Exercise books that reflect a clear journey to intended outcome

√ Teacher modelling with metacognition to support the delivery of the curriculum

√ Learning broken down into small steps with children demonstrating high success rates

√ A consistent and organised learning environment that supports learning across all subject areas in focus

√ Scaffolded support provided by adults where needed

Curriculum Impact

Measuring the impact of our curriculum:

√ Discussions with pupils about what they have learnt

√ Regular learning walks with leaders of all levels

√ Moderation of a sample of pupil’s learning

√ Termly tracking of standards in Reading, Writing and Maths

√ Low stakes quizzes completed throughout and at the end of a unit

Our curriculum is structured to have breadth and depth to enable our children to master subject specific content, through retaining knowledge and preparing them for the next stage in their education. The vast majority of children achieve age related outcomes in reading, writing and maths, with a proportion of children leaving with a greater depth. In wider curriculum subject areas children demonstrate their understanding and new knowledge by knowing more and remembering more. It is our goal that our children work through our ambitious curriculum acquiring powerful knowledge whilst broadening their experiences to build cultural capital so that in time children engage positively as productive citizens. Our children leave Silverdale understanding the diverse world in which they live, being inclusive of others, with a strong set of beliefs and sense of moral purpose, leading ultimately to being able to contribute positively to their community and the wider world.

United Learning comprises: United Learning Ltd (Registered in England No: 00018582. Charity No. 313999) UCST (Registered in England No: 2780748. Charity No. 1016538) and ULT (Registered in England No. 4439859. An Exempt Charity). Companies limited by guarantee.
Registered address: United Learning, Worldwide House, Thorpe Wood, Peterborough, PE3 6SB.

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