Curriculum

Our Curriculum – our offer to all children

The curriculum offer at Little Paxton is ever evolving and changing to meet the needs of the children we serve. It is a curriculum that is meaningful and relevant, making the most of our links to our local area and using the amazing resource of Paxton Pits and the River Ouse.

Each subject is taught to cover the requirements of the National Curriculum (2014). We firmly believe that a curriculum needs rigour and it needs to be progressive in terms of coverage, knowledge and skill development. We also have a responsibility to ensure children are prepared to leave us at the end of Year 6 with the knowledge and learning to allow them to successfully transition into the next phase of their education.

Our primary aim is to provide our children with opportunities to be curious, excited, ambitious, inspired, knowledgeable and articulate. We do this by delivering an enquiry based curriculum and asking the children a big question at the start of each unit of work. At least one topic per year per year group has strong associations to a river theme, linking back to the River Ouse and therefore our local area.

Alongside these important academic aspects, we place great importance on the development of our children’s social, emotional and physical development. We provide opportunities for staff and children to enrich their learning through offering trips, visits, clubs, visitors and experiences outside the National Curriculum.

Curriculum Policy and Planning

Intent

Our intention is that we will teach a well-planned, structured curriculum that ensures children’s learning is built on effectively, year on year.

Our curriculum will enable our children to be curious, articulate, excited, ambitious, inspired and knowledgeable.

Teaching and Learning will ensure children’s wellbeing and self-esteem is planned for so that children learn resilience and self-discipline

Curriculum tasks will enable and develop independent and collaborative learning skills.

Implementation

Embedded in our curriculum subjects and our curriculum are high level thinking skills and active teaching and learning strategies that promote the teaching of learning behaviours that support the curriculum offer to equip children with the skills in how to learn and apply what they know.

Pupil Voice: Active planning input from the children is integral to enquiry based learning; we want the children to feel that they are able to drive part of their learning journey. This is essential to ensure that the curriculum meets the ongoing varied needs and interests of the children. Pupil voice is used throughout the unit of work to steer learning by asking children to pose questions that they want to know more about. Teachers refer to children’s questions throughout the unit of work so that children can see that their contributions are valued and their questions drive their learning.

Outcome: Each unit of work has an agreed outcome that is shared with the children and may be negotiated with the children. e.g. art exhibition, powerpoint presentation, class debate etc.

Reflection Activity ~ Review & Celebration of Learning: At the end of each unit of work there is a reflection and evaluation of learning. This focuses on what has been learnt and how it has been learnt; we want the children to become reflective learners.

How teaching and learning is delivered

Planning Year groups plan together to ensure children in parallel classes have similar experiences. Some subjects are planned as “stand alone” subjects and some subjects are incorporated into a unit of work based upon a “Big Question” the children study termly.

Stand-alone subjects

Subjects integrated into Big Questions

Literacy skills – phonics, reading and guided

Reading, handwriting, spelling, punctuation and grammar

Physical Education: gym, dance, ball sports and team games

Maths – mental and oral skills, written maths, practical, problem solving and reasoning

Some Science is “stand-alone”

Computing and some IT skills

Modern Foreign Language (MFL)

Personal Social Health Education (PSHE)

Music – Instrumental and Rhythm Skills

Religious Education

Cross Curricular Literacy –includes the application of reading, writing, handwriting, spelling, punctuation and grammar with the study of key texts links to themes

Applied and practical maths

Some Science is integrated into a unit of work based upon a big question

History and Geography

Integrated IT – (IT investigation, presentation, research and some key software)

Art

Design Technology and Food Technology

Singing, dance and drama

Production and Performances

Impact of the Curriculum

To assess whether the curriculum has met the intentions planned (see above) teaching staff and teaching support staff are actively engaged in reviewing:

Annual data analysis for each group
Pupil voice feedback on key issues
Children’s wellbeing and involvement
Co-curricular engagement and parental engagement in children’s learning
Children’s attendance on trips/visits and “catch-up” teaching sessions
Opportunities to use the PPG to support the curriculum offer for each child

Year One topic questions

Was the Great Fire of London really great?

Would you like to sail the seas?

Could you grow a pineapple in Paxton Pits?

Year Two topic questions

Neil Armstrong, the most significant astronaut – True or False?

Could “Wild” live in Little Paxton?

Why can’t a Meerkat live at the North Pole?

Year Three topic questions

What lies beneath your feet?

Would you rather be an Athenian or a Spartan?

Queen Elizabeth 1st – cruel or kind?

Year Four topic questions

Was Victoria the greatest sovereign?

What did the Romans do for us?

What was St Neots like during WW2?

Year Five topic questions

Why should we protect the rainforest and our world?

What was more sacred to the Egyptians – the Nile or their gods?

Where would you boldly go?

Year Six topic questions

World War 1 – Was it really necessary?

Vikings settle in St Neots – are they mad?

How have rivers shaped our community?

Website by Orange Squash Agency