Curriculum and Standards

OUR CURRICULUM INTENT

We deliver the full national curriculum throughout Key Stages 1 and 2 building on the EYFS in Reception and supplemented by the local RE syllabus. We incorporate regular mindfulness and reading for pleasure sessions into the weekly timetable and find opportunities to enhance the curriculum inside and outside of the classroom with visitors, visits and other activities.

Our aim is to deliver a curriculum which:

  • Engenders a love of learning
  • Builds a rich knowledge base across all subjects
  • Is inclusive and ambitious for all
  • Supports the wellbeing of our pupils
  • Values the identity of individual subjects but makes connections between them
  • Reflects our locality and experiences of our pupils
  • Includes cross-curriculum experiences in the outdoors being physically active

click to see our Subject Vision Statements

Early Years Foundation Stage

The curriculum in Reception Year, Squirrels class, follows the EYFS guidance and covers seven areas of learning:

Prime Areas

  • Communication and Language
  • Physical Development
  • Personal, Social and Emotional Development

Specific Areas

  • Literacy
  • Mathematics
  • Understanding the World
  • Expressive Arts and Design

Within these areas, children work towards Early Learning Goals (expected levels that they should reach at the end of Reception Year.)
Children in the EYFS learn by playing and exploring, being active and through creative and critical thinking with learning experiences, based on flexible half termly topics, taking place both indoors and out.
(Go to Squirrels class page)

Children are taught phonics for reading and writing from the beginning of Reception using the Sounds-Write scheme (www.sounds-write.co.uk) See below for further information.

National Curriculum

From Year 1 the children follow the National Curriculum, which covers English, Mathematics, Science, History, Geography, Physical Education, Music, Art, Design Technology and Computing.
In Key Stage 2, Year 3 onwards, they also learn French.
Religious Education (following the Bedfordshire agreed syllabus) and PSHE (Personal, Social and Health Education) are also taught.

For further detail see the yearly overviews below.

Y1 Overview Y2 Overview Y3 Overview Y4 Overview Y5 Overview Y6 Overview

Phonics

At Sheerhatch, we use a whole school approach to teaching phonics using a programme called Sounds-Write (www.sounds-write.co.uk) in which teaching and support staff are trained. It focuses on breaking down words into individual sounds in order to read accurately. The children’s knowledge of the sounds they hear within words then helps them to spell the words in their writing. They begin in Reception with the initial code, mostly consisting of one letter one sound, progressing by the end of the year to two letter spellings at the beginning of the extended code , which they continue in Year 1 and build on in Year 2. Children take the National Phonics Screening Test at the end of Year 1.

Reading

We have a variety of reading material available to children throughout the school. All children have individual reading books that are chosen to interest and challenge them, with books being from a range of  schemes which are colour coded using the book banding scheme including phonics readers and higher interest books to allow breadth and depth across all abilities. Children can also borrow books from the range of fiction and non-fiction books in the school library or their classrooms. Children are taught specific reading skills in group guided reading and whole class English lessons.

Writing

The children will be taught writing skills through a structured programme of Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling, which they will put into practice in a range of styles of writing. Lessons are based on a range of texts, with a key text based on the class topic. Using the models of different text types, they will to be supported to plan and structure an independent writing piece at the end of each unit of work.

Mathematics

Maths is taught from Year 1 to Year 6 using the Power Maths programme, based on a highly visual appraoch to mastery in Mathematics. This is aligned with White Rose Maths, which we use for Remote Learning. See documents below for further details.

Y1 Maths Y2 Maths Y3 Maths Y4 Maths Y5 Maths Y6 Maths

Topics

Most curriculum subjects are taught through termly or half termly topics. This gives an engaging, thematic approach to learning which encourages creativity in the classroom. English work is linked to the topics to provide relevant writing opportunities. See class pages to find out what the children are learning.

PSHE

We use the Jigsaw scheme of work giving a whole school approach with shared themes across the classes. This covers all areas of Personal, Social and Health Education including Drugs and Alcohol education and Sex and Relationships education at an age appropriate level.
For more information see the parents guide.
Jigsaw information leaflet for parents and carers

Outcomes

Children are assessed formally at various key points of their school journey. Within the Primary Years, these points are the end of EYFS, Y1 Phonics check, end of KS1 (Year 2) and the end of KS2 (Year 6). We monitor our outcomes against national attainment and that of our local authority.

National Performance tables can be found here

The document below shows the latest outcomes for our pupils against those comparisons.

2019 comparative attainment

comparative-attainment-data-2018

Please note, that due to the cancellation of statutory assessment due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there is no 2020 or 2021 data.

Further Information

If you have any further questions about the curriculum we offer, please contact your child’s class teacher.