Curriculum: Learning in School & Home
Our reputation for academic excellence is reflected in our end of key stage SATs results and regular, low-stakes testing from Year 1.
However, our school is known for much more than our academic results; we place emphasis on the importance of reading and the core subjects of English and Maths, but are committed to providing children with a broad curriculum which encompasses specialist teaching and is led by teachers who are passionate about their subjects areas Teachers as subject leaders. Outside of the school day children are encouraged to widen their learning by joining a range of extra-curricular clubs and activities.
We encourage our children to understand the connection between their learning behaviour and their accomplishments. Our rewards system prioritises the effort that children have made. We encourage our children to challenge themselves to work hard and be their best.
For more information about our three B’s, visit the school Vision Statement.
Our curriculum offer can be summarised by the following diagram:
As the school transitions from mixed age classes to single-age classes, we are adapting our curriculum each year to reflect these changes.
We continue to develop a highly structured, knowledge-rich curriculum built around a core knowledge sequence, enabling children to acquire knowledge in small, sequential steps within each subject. Clear, coherent and sequential learning is carefully planned, so that children know more and remember more, building their long-term memory over time. We provide opportunities for deep learning within each subject. More time is taken on each element of knowledge so that it can be understood more deeply and connections can be made across different subjects. Once children have achieved age-related expectations, they can look into these areas in greater depth and with greater challenge.
Rigorous assessment procedures ensure that no child is left behind. AfL (Assessment for Learning) strategies help teachers and children acquire new knowledge and skills; AfLTL (Assessment for Long Term Learning) enables teachers to understand what children have learned and helps children embed learning in their long-term memory. We provide personalised support to all children, including those with physical, behavioural or learning difficulties so that they have what they need to access the curriculum. We ensure that we do not overload children’s working memory and use a variety of strategies to help children learn more and remember more over time. We use funding streams carefully to ensure that children, for example those with SEND or in receipt of the Pupil Premium, make rapid progress to attain age-related expectations and have experiences that enrich their learning to help them increase their vocabulary and knowledge.
Dialogic talk is a key element of our teaching pedagogy. (Click here to view our dialogic talk progression document). The focus on talk enables pupils to develop strong communication skills, and the ability to ask questions, to deepen their learning so that they can approach tasks both collaboratively and independently. This approach supports our vocabulary-rich curriculum.
If you would like further information regarding the curriculum, please contact Richard Street at admin@bramhopeprimaryschool.co.uk