Curriculum

Our School Curriculum

Intent:

The curriculum at Stifford Clays Primary School aims to prepare children in understanding the world around them and prepare them for the next stage of their education. We want our pupils to be both interesting and interested and to have a sound command of basic English and mathematics skills so that they are secondary ready when they move to their secondary school phase of education. By the time learners have left Stifford Clays Primary School, they will have mastered a range of both skills and factual knowledge through regular requirements to recall and demonstrate them; opportunities to deliberately practise and careful planning for progression and depth. Our curriculum is customised to meet the local needs of our learners.

Implementation:

Teachers are provided with detailed lesson plans from which they adapt their teaching to meet the needs of the learners in their classes. Importantly PPA sessions focus on discussion of HOW best to teach not WHAT to teach as this is provided as a starting point.

The unit overview outlines knowledge (including vocabulary) all children must master;
A cycle of lessons for each subject, which carefully plans for progression and depth;
Challenge questions for pupils to apply their learning in a philosophical/open manner;
Trips and visiting experts who will enhance the learning experience;
A curriculum overview for parents and carers so learners can be supported at home.

Impact:

We measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:

A reflection on standards achieved against the planned outcomes;
A celebration of learning for each term which demonstrates progression across the school;
Tracking of progress in assessment task and tests
Review pupil responses for the highest achieving pupils in relation to the philosophical/open question provided;
Pupil discussions about their learning;
A sample of pupils’ learning across the school demonstrating mastery and greater depth of understanding;
The annual tracking of standards across the curriculum.

Phonics and early reading

We use Read Write Inc as a scheme through which to teach basic skills in reading and writing. Read Write Inc focuses on a very structured approach to teaching reading through phonics in EYFS and Year 1.

Mathematics

We use Abacus Maths as our core scheme. This has been chosen to focus on ensuring that maths knowledge and skills are taught sequentially and there are repeated opportunities for children to “over learn” and revisit in order that they are secure in reaching the expected standard in each year group. Teachers are supported through detailed lesson plans and high-quality resources. The lesson plans are then adapted to suit the individual needs of each class.

Teachers have the flexibility and creative freedom to source a range of other resources to supplement their lesson; such as using Classroom Secrets to extend children’s mathematical reasoning and problem-solving skills.

English

We deliver Read, Write Inc’s Literacy and Language to develop our children’s literacy skills. The high-quality lesson plans and ideas allow teachers to implement an English curriculum that challenges and engages pupils. There are a range of high-quality texts which are at the centre of our English curriculum.

We also use Nelson for our guided reading sessions which allow for pupils to develop their reading skills (such as: retrieval, inference, word meaning) on a regular basis. The structure of our reading curriculum is such that it allows pupils to build their fluency at the start of the week and then improve their comprehension skills throughout the week.

Foundation Subjects

We deliver the foundation subjects through Plan Bee. Our long term planning for the academic year can be found by clicking at the bottom of this page.

Other subjects where there is an agreed syllabus:

Science

Snap Science

RE

RE Today Services

PSHE

Jigsaw

French

La Jolie Ronde

Computing

Switched on Computing

Music

Charanga

PE

PE Passport

The Extended School

We offer a breakfast and after school club to support those families who work extended hours. The clubs are structured so that children develop their education and social, emotional selves.

Extra – Curricular Activities & Music Lessons

In addition to the main curriculum, there are activities organised as a valuable extension to the school day.

Thurrock Music Hub provided Wider Opportunities Music to year 4 & 5 pupils.

There is a wide range of clubs offered at lunchtime and after school. Activities change from term to term depending upon what members of staff are able to offer. A typical range of activities would include netball, football, cookery, board games, rugby, choir, ICT and art.

Although our children have fortnightly music lessons, they are also offered the chance to learn a musical instrument. These lessons are organised by the school but are paid for by parents. Children can learn the guitar, woodwind instruments, piano or drums.

For any further information or questions regarding our Curriculum please contact the School office on 01375 373866.