Intent
At Holy Infant and St. Anthony R.C. Primary School, our mission statement of ‘Inspiring Eachother to Excellence, Guided by the light of Christ’ is rooted in all that we do. As a school we have developed core values which we want out children to follow. We aim to grow and learn together in our understanding of God and the world He created. We welcome all into our loving, happy and caring environment which reflects the teachings of our Lord, Jesus Christ. We encourage our children to aim for excellence in all aspects of their education and lives.
We follow the National Curriculum from Years 1 to Year 6. We have a carefully planned and knowledge rich curriculum with a clearly sequenced framework to build on knowledge and skills and enable effective learning. The curriculum is rooted in a strong belief of equality and excellence for all pupils – ensuring that pupils with SEND and those who are disadvantaged develop a lifelong love of learning. We recognise that we are preparing pupils so that they can make an effective contribution to the diverse society in which we live. Careful planning has been given to the sequencing of knowledge and skills from Reception to Year 6 across all subjects.
Our curriculum is enriched by first hand experiences, so that pupils embed their learning and the children can connect to the local, national and global world, opening doors to new experiences and opportunities. Each subject has its own progression grid outlining the learning, knowledge, skills and vocabulary in each year group. These build on previous learning so that children can make sense of new concepts and links to prior and future learning so that learning moves to their long term memory.
Our school is based in Bolton – this is an area of deprivation. Our curriculum powerfully addresses social disadvantage by ensuring that it meets the particular needs of our children. Our baseline assessments indicate that starting points are lower than national. Therefore …. There is an emphasis on speech and language from Reception through to Year 6. We recognise that we need to teach in a meaningful and connected way, ensuring our children remember more over time. We provide children with experiences and opportunities to make links and enrich our curriculum. Teachers plan a curriculum that is consistent and has a high level of routine. Pastoral care and support is high priority in all areas aspects of school life, providing our children with nurture and care at all times.
Implementation
Learning is sequenced and built upon, so that children know more and remember more. Our curriculum is creative and engaging. Recap and recall forms a key part of lessons, ensuring children have remembered prior knowledge and skills so that knowledge can be built upon.
Communication and language, early reading and strong foundations are at the heart of our curriculum. Teachers check and embed what pupils already know.
Teachers know how new knowledge fits into the sequence of learning. Lessons enable pupils to demonstrate their understanding of key knowledge and skills as they apply their learning through different means of recording and discussion. We are an inclusive school. Teaching is carefully adapted to meet the needs of all children, including those with SEND. Assessment, quizzes and recall activities are used to check pupils’ understanding both throughout the lesson, at the end of lessons and summative assessment at the end of units. Our extra-curricular activities also help to build skills and character. Pupil leadership opportunities include Head Girl and Head Boy, Deputy Head Girl and Deputy Head Boy, Prefects, ECO Club, E-Safety Champions, Pupil Parliament, Happiness Heroes and Reading Ambassadors help pupils to make a tangible difference to the pupil experience.
We have developed year group specific long-term curriculum maps, which identify when the different subjects will be taught across the academic year. Our school values of Respectful, Loving, Peace and Hard-working permeate all aspects of our school. Each half-term we focus on one of our values and it is explored as a whole-school theme.
Impact
The impact of our curriculum will be shown in the understanding and retention of knowledge and skills across the curriculum, together with progress and outcomes of our pupils, including those with SEND and those children who are disadvantaged. Assessments are made for all pupils three times a year, although ongoing assessments takes place at the beginning, middle and end of each unit of work. Impact is measured using a range of strategies, Formative assessments Summative assessments Learning walks Drop in sessions
- Book scrutiny
- Formal tracking
- Pupil progress meeting
- National tests
- Evaluation of interventions