Curriculum

At South Wingfield Primary School we have developed a knowledge and skills led curriculum, which gives our children inspirational learning experiences.  Staff use a variety of stimuli to hook the children in at the start of their learning, after which learning challenges further develop curiosity and core skills.  Whole class books inspire the writing process and often have links to other curriculum areas, especially humanities and personal development. Humanities, Art, RE and Science are driven by a Learning Challenge Curriculum. Opportunities to develop personal and social skills through physical exercise, Forest Schools and exploration are a routine feature of the curriculum.

In addition to year group learning, we regularly engage in whole school initiatives to excite the whole community. These complement the curriculum, promote community and encourage engagement with families. Examples include the Take One Picture exhibition, Anti-Bullying & Online Safety Weeks, Science Week, European Day of Languages and many charitable events including our work with Clay Cross Food Bank .

Our enriched and innovative curriculum is planned around our topic areas using the National Curriculum with curricular links whenever appropriate. Whilst effectively preparing children for the next phase with sound mathematical and literacy abilities, it is balanced and broadly based promoting the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of children and preparing them for the opportunities and responsibilities of later life. Sport, technology, health & relationships, the arts, humanities, religious education, languages and contributing to the wider community are all championed by passionate subject leaders – often experts in their field – and supported by investment in all curriculum areas.

English

At South Wingfield Primary School, we place English at the very heart of our curriculum.  We recognise that a high-quality education in English will teach pupils to speak and write fluently so that not only are they are able to communicate effectively with others, but through their reading and listening skills, others can communicate with them. The ability and the enjoyment of reading allows pupils to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually. Reading also enables pupils to both acquire knowledge and to build on what they already know. All the skills of language are essential to participating fully as a member of society; our aim is to ensure that every child leaves South Wingfield Primary School as a confident orator, reader and writer, fully equipped for the demands of the secondary curriculum and for life beyond that.

Reading

There are two dimensions involved in the skill of reading: word reading and comprehension (both listening and reading).

Skilled reading involves both the speedy working out of the pronunciation of unfamiliar printed words (decoding) and the speedy recognition of familiar printed words. Work in Class 1 underpins much of the early development of learning to read and we aim to build on this by further in every other year by developing these skills and providing opportunities for those children who need extra support to catch up and keep up including phonic programmes such as; Letters and Sounds.

Comprehension skills are developed through high quality discussions and reading a wide range of stories, poems and non-fiction. Children in our Key Stage 2 classes have a class book based on their topic to further support cohesive learning.  By providing stimulating, relevant and high quality resources, we aim to broaden pupils’ knowledge of the world and themselves and extend their vocabulary.

Our aim is to foster a love of reading. Our reading scheme is colour coded and is regularly audited to ensure that books are relevant, smart and sufficiently varied. Our scheme consists of books from both published reading schemes and other high quality literature. Every two years a reading consultant visits and advises with purchasing. Pupils select from the structured scheme throughout their time with us but are invited to read other books either from home our library as they become more confident.  We also use Bug Club’s online reading resources, so that children can access an additional variety of high quality texts online – wherever they are!

Our school library has a large selection of fiction which is easily accessed alphabetically. New books are purchased regularly. The space is open every day to change reading books, sit and become absorbed in a book, or to research and work sensibly. School librarians from Class 5 run the school library and hold weekly story reading sessions with our younger children to initiate that love of reading.

Reading is a subject that is explicitly taught every day. The school has a variety of resources, including an online resource with Bug Club and First News, so that children get access to both fiction and non-fiction texts. Providing high quality literature is a top priority, and the books that we read, feed into many other areas of the curriculum. We aim to host author visits at least once a year. Books are woven into our daily English lessons, and class novels are read in directed whole class reading sessions.

Comprehension strategies are taught in every year group from Reception up to Year 6 with our Blue Box Comprehension alongside additional age related resources.  Pupils record their thoughts in guided reading books from Year 2 onwards.  All pupils have the opportunity to read independently at school and are encouraged to practise at home, recording entries in their personal reading diary. These diaries are monitored and celebrated weekly.  Children have the opportunity to win book tokens at the end of each half term for daily reading.

Writing

At South Wingfield Primary School we understand that writing is a complex process, one that involves weaving many threads together. We promote writing for pleasure as soon as children enter into Class 1 with their mark making, and we aim to provide an exciting stimulus for each writing project that children undertake. Class reading feeds directly into our writing and writing projects are often linked to other curriculum areas. We integrate the teaching of grammar and punctuation into our reading and writing sessions. 

Pupils are encouraged to be fully involved in the process of completing a piece of work, understanding that writing must be planned, edited and revised to make it the best that it can be. They are also involved in planning which elements will make each piece of writing successful and how they can improve as individual writers.

 Handwriting and presentation are important to us all, and particular focus is placed on developing a fluent, joined style in lower school. Pupils write in pencil or pen, depending on age, stage and task.

Spelling Shed is our online spelling programme, tailored to each year group. This involves a weekly spelling lesson, time to practise at school and at home and a test to measure progress. Non-negotiable spellings in our writing include a list of agreed core words and those that have been previously learned.

Maths

Our mathematics curriculum equips pupils with tools that include logical reasoning, problem-solving skills, and the ability to think in abstract ways.

By adopting some of the principles of a mastery approach, we aim to provide children with all the necessary skills and knowledge to become numerate and confident to tackle mathematical problems independently.  We believe all children can achieve in maths, with no ceiling on what they can achieve. If they want to challenge themselves to be a Gold level mathematician one day, but stick with Silver the next, we will encourage them to show resilience and keep working through.  Whenever problems arise, we will support with interventions, so that gaps in learning don't widen.  Teachers use pre and post block tests with every unit, to ensure that their teaching is finely tuned to exactly where there are gaps and as a result, our children make excellent progress.

We use a range of engaging online and other resources to ensure mathematics is exciting. White Rose materials guide teacher planning along with a range of concrete apparatus and other schemes enabling teachers to plan to an objective in the most effective way.  TT Rockstars and MyMaths further support children's learning both at school and at home, so that children gain confidence as their skill level increases.

We use a range of teaching methods to rehearse mental calculations and a variety of formal and informal written strategies. Fluency, reasoning and problem solving, alongside opportunity to practise, are routine aspects of maths learning. Children are generally taught in mixed ability groups for their daily maths lesson. They move from counting reliably to calculating fluently with all four number operations. Children will use a wider range of mathematical language, diagrams and statistical charts.  They extend and secure their use of mathematical language, using it to talk about their methods, explain their reasoning when solving problems and applying it during investigations.

History and Geography

At South Wingfield school our vision is to deliver a rich and relevant curriculum, in which the children can fully engage and develop a love of learning which will remain with them for life.

History and Geography is carefully planned and structured to ensure that current learning is linked to previous learning and that the school’s approaches are informed by current pedagogy. Through using ‘The Learning Challenge Curriculum’, by Focus Education, as the first point of reference we will ensure that there is full coverage of the National Curriculum. We also consider the children’s interests, as well as the context of the local area and current events.

The programmes of study for our two-year rolling cycles will provide the right balance between using History and Geography as the main drivers but also enable children to apply English and Maths skills and for creative and expressive arts to be incorporated, so that all learning is progressive and continuous.

To bring History and Geography to life starting points need to come from a question – from the children’s context – to make learning exciting, interesting and relevant. Pre-learning tasks should help to bring out what learners already know; what misconceptions they may have and what really interests them. It also helps to identify which transferable skills learners have already developed so that they can be used to initiate new learning with confidence. Time for reflection or a review of their learning is equally important in showing children how they are ‘Learning to Learn’ and to become active in their learning, celebrating what they are good at and have the confidence and skills to challenge themselves and to aim high. Through monitoring children’s progress both during and at the end of a topic, teachers can evaluate the impact of the curriculum and show what progress looks like and how the children have learnt what has been taught.

Learning is celebrated through displays, class assemblies and by inviting in parents to look at specific work produced – individually or as a collaborative approach.

 Both history and geography topics are enhanced through trips, theme days, inviting visitors to school, ICT and the use of artefacts. 

Geography helps students to relate to the world they live in, both on a local, national and global scale and to make sense of the world around them, through opportunities to study and discuss places and environments. It encourages curiosity and a respect of our world and its people. We are in a location that enables children to investigate both rural and urban landscapes. We teach our pupils to observe, record, question and research. We start from what the children know and move forward from that point. Teaching is planned and structured to ensure that skills and knowledge are developing as the children move through school and fieldwork opportunities help to deepen their understanding.

History gives us a sense of identity. It fires the children’s curiosity about the past in Britain and the world. It plays an essential part in preparing us for living and working in the contemporary world. Our coverage and range of history topics helps to develop chronological awareness and fosters a sense of awe and wonder about the past and its impact on our lives today and in the future. In history lessons children find evidence, consider it and reach their own conclusions. To do this, they need to research, sift through evidence and argue their point of view- all essential skills. We will investigate sources such as pictures, stories, writing and artefacts and we aim to utilise the rich history in our local area to educate and inspire our pupil through educational visits, visitors and theme days.