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Roundthorn Primary Academy

Curriculum

We are a vibrant and inclusive community that ensures that every child is placed at the centre of every learning experience, and where we put great emphasis on achieving the highest standards possible.

Children and their futures are at the heart of our thinking and decision-making. We believe that by teaching children to work in teams, to lead, think critically and to constantly improve we will equip them to be life-long learners and to be strong members of their communities.

Our curriculum is rooted in a strong belief of equality for all pupils and is therefore designed to be ambitious for all. At Roundthorn, we place an emphasis on high quality, inclusive teaching for all pupils, based around the 4 R’s: Relationships, Rationale, Remember, Reflect.

Expectations are high, ensuring that pupils with SEND and those who are disadvantaged apply what they know. We value a knowledge rich curriculum underpinned by carefully planned and sequenced units of work to enable cumulative knowledge and effective learning as the large majority of the school population speaks English as an additional language.

The curriculum is broad and balanced and offers a wide range of curricular activities involving visits out of school and visitors to school, to enhance learning and extend pupils’ cultural capital.

Curriculum Intent

At Roundthorn, we believe in developing a well-educated child and provide opportunities in all year groups to ensure that children are school-ready, work-ready and life-ready. We accomplish this through supporting and challenging our pupils to gain knowledge and thus ensuring that they are ready for their next stage of education.

Roundthorn’s curriculum is taught through discrete subjects making links across subjects where appropriate. Research informs our curriculum provision; we recognise that knowing more and remembering more is key to securing knowledge in the long-term memory.

Our curriculum enables and inspires the pupils of this school to be the best that they can be. We want the pupils of our school to be confident: readers, writers, mathematicians, scientists, historians, geographers, musicians, artists, linguists, theologists, athletes, designers and technologists.

Our curriculum has been designed with a clear intent to:

  • meet the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum 2014 and Revised 2021 EYFS Development Matters
  • provide a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum based on challenge, questioning and investigation that captures the children’s imagination, natural curiosity and desire to learn.
  • provide a curriculum which is language rich and that meets the needs of all of our pupils and reflects the local context, where appropriate.
  • enable all our pupils to make progress in their learning, achieve their full potential and aim high.
  • support the acquisition of knowledge and vocabulary
  • ensure reading is given the highest priority across all aspects of the curriculum in order to develop fluency, accessibility and a love of reading within this school based on Little Wandle revised Letters and Sounds.
  • prepare pupils for life in modern Britain and beyond Roundthorn Academy and its locality.
  • develop the pupils’ understanding, appreciation and celebration of difference – culturally and socially (locally, nationally and globally). This is purposeful in the recognition of the mono-culture demographic of the school. Thus enabling pupils to be reflective, empathetic individuals who will become responsible and effective contributors to society
  • engage, inspire and hook pupils into their learning through a wide range of first-hand experiences – providing pupils with memorable and rich opportunities which adds value and further promotes cultural capital.
  • actively involve pupils in learning that goes beyond the classroom.
  • put communication and language at the forefront of all our learning

Curriculum Implementation

At the heart of our curriculum are the core subjects of English, Mathematics and Science. We also value our wider curriculum, covering all other National Curriculum subjects.

The wider curriculum (Foundation Subjects) are taught as discrete subject specific units/topics of learning but make tangible cross-curricular learning links which are meaningful where appropriate, relevant and help to secure prior learning or develop learning further. Learning is supported and enriched – for example by field study, visits, workshops, role-play and practical activities. It also outlines where clear links can be made with other subjects, as well as suggesting rich reading material (where appropriate) which will excite, engage and support pupils’ learning.

Long term curriculum overviews outline how the breadth of the National Curriculum will be taught. Teachers use the long-term curriculum overviews and subject progression documents to ensure planning is sequential and clearly identifies the key knowledge pupils will be taught.  Progression of knowledge is carefully planned, ensures learning builds effectively over time and is representative of themselves, whilst providing opportunities to understand similarities and differences from themselves locally, nationally and globally.

We do this by providing:

  • a dedicated and committed team of staff.
  • a safe, happy and nurturing environment for the development of pupils, staff and parents, where everyone is valued and achievements are celebrated.
  • all children opportunities to take ownership of their own learning.
  • a centre of excellence, with a curriculum that provides children with stimulating and challenging experiences, developing their knowledge, understanding, creativity and unique individual skills in response to their present and future needs.
  • equal access to the range of activities offered in school, where necessary finding ways to overcome any difficulties.
  • opportunities for children, parents and staff to form beneficial and lasting relationships in a welcoming environment of supportive learning.
  • learning and teaching experiences for children that develop their self-respect, resourcefulness and responsibility.
  • opportunities to raise their self-esteem and develop sensitivity towards the needs of others.
  • robust links to the local community and wider global community in order to enable our pupils to become confident, independent citizens of the future and to have respect for their own and others’ cultures, beliefs and views.
  • visits, visitors and hooks for learning provide a variety of first-hand experiences.
  • learning opportunities beyond the classroom such as Forest Schools, outdoor learning and residential trips, Oldham Pledge Passport, theatre visits.
  • well-structured early language intervention and structured vocabulary teaching, developing skills in the home prior to nursery starts through the REAL project and continuing this throughout school through quality first teaching.

Our teaching is rooted in evidence-based research. Teachers are self-reflective and use this to enhance their teaching skills and strategies to help raise standards across the full breadth of the curriculum.

Subject leaders provide any additional support required in relation to their subject specialism.

Assessment is designed thoughtfully to shape future learning.  It is not excessive or onerous and as is part of the day to day working practices of the classroom.  Teachers ensure that pupils embed key knowledge in their long-term memory by providing opportunities to revisit prior learning throughout the year.  Key knowledge for each curriculum area is revisited throughout the year and applied in different contexts.  Teachers identify any misconceptions or gaps in knowledge at the point of learning or during summative assessments and these are swiftly addressed to secure pupils’ understanding.

Curriculum Impact

From their different starting points, all children (including those with SEND or from disadvantaged backgrounds) will make good progress academically, emotionally, creatively, socially and physically. Knowledge will be secured and embedded so that all pupils are fully prepared for their next stage of learning.

Pupils are formally assessed three times a year (summative assessment) although ongoing formative assessment supports learners throughout the teaching and learning cycle. These end points are key to knowing whether pupils have been successful. We aim for our pupils to recall learning with fluidity and automaticity when this is required such as multiplication tables and phonics.

Assessment information is analysed by Subject Leads and the Senior Leadership Team as part of our monitoring cycle. Pupil progress reviews are conducted termly (summative). This process provides the SLT and Governors with an accurate and comprehensive understanding of the quality of education in our school.

A clear monitoring cycle includes: book scrutiny, lesson observations and/or learning walks, pupil/parent and/or staff voice.

Monitoring and assessment information is used to inform further curriculum developments and provision is adapted accordingly.

When measuring curriculum impact we also consider if the pupils leave Roundthorn Primary Academy:

  • with the understanding of how to be a good, responsible citizen with values, which guides pupils in the choices they make
  • kind, respectful and honest pupils who demonstrate an inclusive attitude.
  • with tolerance and understanding of the views and beliefs of others and a sense of their role in our wider society.
  • with the knowledge of how to make positive contributions to the local area and the wider world.
  • demonstrating emotional resilience and the ability to persevere when they encounter challenge
  • equipped with the knowledge to be the best that they can be
  • school ready, work ready and life ready.
  • empowered to take risks
 

Curriculum-Gallery (ID 1067)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Focus Trust Curriculum Statement

focus trust curriculum statement november 2021 .pdf

 

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