We are very proud of our curriculum and the opportunities we provide for all of our children. We work hard to ensure the curriculum is broad and balanced and allows all children to know success and achievement. Nurturing our children to ensure they are happy and supported is a priority for us and we have a dedicated PSHCE programme and strong school ethos to ensure we value the whole child.  

Intent statement:

To provide a broad, balanced curriculum which is relevant to and widens the experiences of our children and nurtures their development  in order to prepare them for the challenges they will face and inspire a love of knowledge, learning and life. 

Implementation:

The highest standards of education in English, maths and curriculum subjects are provided; focusing on the substantive and disciplinary knowledge pupils need to know.  There is a commitment to staff training and the provision of challenge for our pupils. We strive, at every key stage, to ensure our children reach their full potential and to assess and monitor progress to ensure this is continued throughout their time with us. 

The skills taught within English and maths are embedded throughout the whole curriculum through a planned link to basic skills and all learning will be explicit to pupils. Our learning is:

  1. Learning is organised and revisited so children are able to encode and store information effectively to support retrieval from long term memory 
  2. Retrieval of  knowledge, skills and vocabulary is revisited regularly through a spaced review of learning through curriculum passports 
  3. Learning is developed over time with a focus on a greater depth of application
  4. Staff skills are utilised to ensure high quality teaching in subject specialisms 

Four environments experiences:

As a school we recognise the needs of our local community and try where possible to enhance their learning by ensuring they have accessed a range of learning environments. This supports their personal development, vocabulary and develops the skills and vocabulary required to support the culture capital of our children.  Our four environments allow us to introduce learning practically and revisit the learning children gain overtime. 

The curriculum in EYFS ensures children, over the two year cycle of curriculum, engage in learning in our own forest school.  Often our children do not explore the outdoors prior to starting our EYFS. Forest school  supports early language development, a curiosity about the world around them and builds our core values of resilience, responsibility, respect and engagement. The children also visit  the beach for a special family learning event which supports the transition of learning into KS1.

In key stage one, our children build on their family visit and engage in a coastal school project this is linked to their learning in history, geography and science. As a North East town with strong heritage to the river and coast, we feel it is important for our children to have early experiences of the coastal environment our local area has to offer.

In  lower KS2 children engage in farm school school linked to their learning in history and PSHCE. Farm school is delivered at Jarrow Hall in our local area. This is the home of St Bede, an Anglo Saxon settlement and working farm. 

 In upper KS2, children experience learning through factory school 5/ 6 with links to Nissan and Hitachi. This is linked to learning in computing, science  and technology. Both companies are local to our school and provide excellent opportunities to expose our children to engineering and business in preparation for their future.

SEND:

As a school we are proud to be inclusive and to reflect the local community in which we live. Our school is situated in one of the highest population areas of SEND in our local authority. As a result, we have a wonderful diverse range of needs and abilities in our school. We are committed to ensuring the curriculum is not narrowed for our pupils with SEND and they have the same experiences as every other child. The delivery of the curriculum may be adapted and scaffolded but the learning is challenging and focused on each individual reaching their full potential. 

Enrichment:

We aim to enrich the curriculum wherever possible. This stems from an understanding of children having lived experiences which support their learning. Each topic will begin with a visit, visitor or experience which will provide real life experience and vocabulary to support the pupils learning. 

In addition to the enrichment activities the school focuses on four enrichment weeks across school where children are able to dig deeper into their studies and be creative and or develop a wider range of skills. 

 

Creative week Cultural week Sports and well-being week
A week of art, dance, drama, creativity and engagement Each phase undertakes an in depth study of  a culture in the world  We focus on developing skills in a range of sports and understanding healthy bodies and healthy minds. 

 

Deep learning over time:

As a school we use research and pedagogy to underpin our approach to learning. Learning is planned progressively and prior leaning is reviewed and built upon. We recognise the need for a spaced review of knowledge and skills  to ensure learning is embedded in the long term memory. 

Our learning endpoints are embedded into our curriculum. We ensure all learners have equal opportunities to succeed and were possible be challenged beyond the curriculum to apply and develop their skills and thinking. 

Impact:

Our children will:

  • Have secure literacy and maths skills which will support them in their next phase of education and beyond
  • Have experienced a broad and balanced curriculum which meets individual needs, challenges, motivates and inspires their thinking to ensure love of learning for life
  • Develop, over time, a deep understanding of concepts within subject areas which secures knowledge and skills into long term memory
  • Have a range of experiences including a residential experience by year 6,   forest school , beach school, farm school and factory school learning 
  • Engage in an education based on experience, knowledge, understanding, vocabulary and skills which builds ‘cultural capital’ for our children 
  • Be physically fit and healthy, be able to swim 25 meters or a length suitable to their needs
  • Be confident, respectful, resilient, responsible and engaged young people who are engaged in school and their community

 

Please see our subject pages to see our intended learning and our curriculum passports.  Our news pages and in particular our facebook page provide a flavour of our curriculum for you to see.