InMat

Curriculum Content

 

 

 

Curriculum Intent 

Using the National Curriculum to underpin our curriculum, we have constructed units of study in each curriculum area to engage our children's curiosity about the world around them including the study of areas linked to thelocal area and further afield.  Learners are taught specific subject matter alongside being encouraged to ask questions, research and discuss their learning using a range of resources and mediums. 

Our curriculum is built progressively from Reception to Year 6, developing our pupil's general knowledge and their subject specific knowledge.  Children are encouraged to recap previous knowledge as they gain new knowledge in each curriculum area. 

We integrate the Trust Wide InMAT values of Inclusion, Involvement, Inspiration, Integrity and Initiative alongside our own school values and ethos across all aspects of our academy life to ensure that our children leave Little Harrowden Community Primary School prepared for the next stage in their education. 

 

PHSE

Happy children learn well, PSHE is an important and necessary part of children's education. It is taught weekly in all classes and is deeply imbedded in the culture of our school. We use the the Jigsaw PHSE curriculum which incorporates online safety, character development and physical & mental health.

Reading

At Little Harrowden we are committed to excellence in the teaching of reading. Our aim is to develop each child so that they are able to read fluently as we all as developing a life-long love of reading that will stay with our children their whole lives. We understand the being able to read is the most important skill that children are taught in their early education and that it unlocks the rest of learning for them. We are passionate about developing a love of reading and literature and understand the benefits of developing children’s vocabulary and their wider wellbeing and life-long confidence.

The use of phonics is one of the many skills that is needed to be able to be a reader and writer. We aim to teach high quality phonics through Read, Write Inc to ensure children have the best start possible in reading and writing. In order to read and understand texts, children must learn to decode/recognise words on the page. High quality phonics teaching enables children to become secure in word recognition and decoding words which then allows children to read fluently. This fluency then allows children to develop comprehension skills and read for pleasure. We understand the importance of systematic and high-quality daily phonics lessons in developing these skills.

Teaching Phonics through Read write Inc enables children to:

· Gain an understanding of the phonetic structure of the English Language

· Enables them to apply their learnt phonetic knowledge to decode words with fluency accuracy and speed.

· Develop their reading skills so they are able to read rapidly and comprehend what they read.

· Develop fluency and confidence in their reading enabling them to enjoy reading and become confident speakers and writers

· Develop a life- long love of reading

As pupils become fluent and accurate readers we also develop their reading skills through the use of VIPERS (Vocabulary, Infer, Predict, Explain, Retrieve and Sequence). This enables children to comprehend a text fully and understand what they are reading.

Alongside the teaching of reading skills we are passionate about developing a love of reading for all children, through the sharing of high quality texts in classrooms. These texts are the centre of English lessons but are also read for pleasure at other times during the school day.

Writing

Our children begin a writing journey when they enter EYFS and our aim is to support them in becoming independent and fluent writers as they move through school. We use The Write Stuff approach to writing. This approach uses a high quality modelled text, focusing on features and building a text together, developing vocabulary and knowledge. This enables children to then and writing the final piece using what they have learnt. Our children are encouraged to edit their work; checking for spelling mistakes, missed punctuation and age appropriate grammar and vocabulary to ‘up level’ their work.

 

Maths

Our maths curriculum is taught daily using the Power Maths scheme. Power Maths is a resource that has been designed for UK schools based on research and extensive experience of teaching and learning around the world and here in the UK. It has been designed to support and challenge all pupils, and is built on the belief that EVERYONE can learn maths successfully. 

The philosophy behind Power Maths is that being successful in maths is not just about rote-learning procedures and methods, but is instead about problem solving, thinking and discussing. Many people feel they were taught maths in a way that was about memorising formulas and calculation methods, then having to apply them without any real understanding of what or how these methods actually work. Power Maths includes practice questions to help children develop fluent recall and develop their conceptual understanding. Power Maths uses growth mindset characters to prompt, encourage and question children. They spark curiosity, engage reasoning, secure understanding and deepen learning for all.

Each lesson has a progression, with a central flow that draws the main learning into focus. There are different elements, informed by research into best practice in maths teaching, that bring the lessons to life: 

  • Discover – each lesson begins with a problem to solve, often a real-life example, sometimes a puzzle or a game. These are engaging and fun, and designed to get all children thinking. 
  • Share – the class shares their ideas and compares different ways to solve the problem, explaining their reasoning with hands-on resources and drawings to make their ideas clear. Children are able to develop their understanding of the concept with input from the teacher.  
  • Think together – the next part of the lesson is a journey through the concept, digging deeper and deeper so that each child builds on secure foundations while being challenged to apply their understanding in different ways and with increasing independence. 
  • Practice – now children practice individually or in small groups, rehearsing and developing their skills to build fluency, understanding of the concept and confidence. 
  • Reflect – finally, children are prompted to reflect on and record their learning from each session and show how they have grasped the concept explored in the lesson. 

Power Maths is based on a ‘small-steps’ approach, sometimes called a mastery approach. This means that the concepts are broken down so that your child can master one idea without feeling over-whelmed. There are a range of fluency, reasoning and problem-solving questions in each lesson that are designed to support the different needs and confidence levels within a class, while at the same time fostering a spirit of working and learning together. Each lesson includes a challenge question for those children who can delve deeper into a concept.

Phonics

Read, Write, Inc is used to teach phonics throughout EYFS and KS1.

Together, we ensure that children become passionate readers with a real understanding about why they need to learn sounds.