Silchester CE Primary School

Overall Intent of the English curriculum

At Silchester we believe that a quality English curriculum should develop children’s love of reading and writing. We aim to provide a well thought out knowledge led curriculum that engages and inspires pupils through a range of writing and reading opportunities. Through reading, pupils have a chance to develop emotionally, culturally and socially. Through writing, our aim is for children to write clearly and coherently, adapting their language and style for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences, editing and redrafting during the sequence of learning to produce a final piece and take pride in their work. Our priority is to create fluent readers and writers with all the skills and knowledge they need to be confidently literate in life. We follow the 2014 National Curriculum and RWInc scheme and offer chances to revisit topics to support the reuse and rehearsal of knowledge and skills.

Implementation of the writing curriculum

Writing skills begins in Foundation Stage through the children’s underpinned daily phonics. In EYFS, legible letter formation is encouraged through guided writing activities and through play. A wide variety of opportunities are provided for children to engage in writing activities. The “Read Write Inc” scheme helps turn their reading into quality writing. This is used alongside their English lessons in KS1.

In KS2, teaching sequences focus on fiction, non-fiction or poetry. The teaching sequence meet the National Curriculum objectives and build a child’s skills and knowledge. Engaging core texts are carefully chosen to support the writing process. Writing lessons happen daily for 1 hour. Grammar is embedded in lessons and the sequence of these lessons build progressively towards an extended piece of writing. Outcomes are recorded in English books. With support from their teacher, children are active in reviewing their successes in their writing and are encouraged to develop and move their writing on.

Impact of the writing curriculum

With the implementation of the writing journey being well established and taught thoroughly, children are becoming more confident writers and by the time they are in upper Key Stage 2, most genres of writing are familiar to them, and the teaching can focus on creativity, writer’s craft, sustained writing and manipulation of grammar and punctuation skills.

We hope that as children move on from Silchester CofE Primary School, their creativity and passion for writing travel with them and continue to grow and develop as they do.

Implementation of the reading curriculum

At Silchester CofE Primary School throughout Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1, and where necessary some children in KS2, we use a synthetic phonics programme called “Read Write Inc” produced by Ruth Miskin. Children are taught in small groups by both teachers and trained teaching assistants to ensure children are able to build on previous learning and progress at the appropriate rate. It is a rigorous, systematic and progressive approach to teaching of phonics which happens on a daily basis - 20 minutes of phonics teaching followed by 25 minutes of reading.

In their small groups they participate in speaking, listening, spelling and reading activities that are matched to their current needs. Our staff teach the relationship between sounds and the written spelling patterns, or graphemes, which represent them. The staff draw upon observations and continuous assessment to ensure children are stretched and challenged and to identify children who may need additional support. Timely intervention is planned for those children who are working below expected levels as soon as their needs are identified.

When children have completed the Read, Write, Inc phonics programme, reading is developed during whole class reading, using high quality texts and focused skill teaching. The whole class will be taught the same objectives, and these will be covered in great depth. Strong links are made between reading and writing including to promote and develop vocabulary, building on pupils’ knowledge. Children read and enjoy high quality fiction and non-fiction texts, which (where possible) are linked to their topics across the curriculum. Children also continue to develop their reading fluency skills, building upon their phonics knowledge and skills. In year 5 and year 6, we use the Read Write Inc Fresh Start programme to identify pupils who may need additional support.

Children working on the Read Write Inc. programme take home a ‘book bag book’ matched directly to their current phonics level; they are also encouraged to choose an additional book to share with their family at home. Reading for pleasure is an important part of our reading culture at Silchester CofE Primary school and we have a fantastic library that each class are encouraged to choose a book from to read in class and at home. This is monitored by staff.

Teachers read to their class daily. At story time, children are immersed in high quality children’s literature. The books are chosen to excite and engage the children and to expose them to new and varied vocabulary.

At Silchester CofE Primary School, we monitor, evaluate and focus on clear assessment (using NFER, teacher assessment, Salford Reading, and Read Write Inc.) which provides opportunities for moderation and standardisation.

Impact of the reading curriculum

At Silchester we believe that reading is a fundamental part of learning and is an integral part of accessing all areas of the curriculum. We aim to help children progress with a rich reading program from KS1 through to Year 6.

Through the teaching of systematic phonics, our aim is for children to become fluent and confident word readers by the end of KS1. As a Year 6 reader transitioning into secondary school, we aspire that children are fluent, confident and able readers, who can access a range of texts for pleasure and enjoyment. The skills taught in English lessons are transferrable to other subjects, with children learning a deeper understanding of how and when to use specific reading skills, improving their ability to access the wider curriculum,

We hope that as children move on from Silchester to further their education and learning, their passion for reading travels with them and continues to grow and develop as they do.

‘A high-quality education in English will teach pupils to speak and write fluently so that they can communicate their ideas and emotions to others and through their reading and listening, others can communicate with them.’ (Key Stage 1 and 2 NC).

 Intent of the Maths curriculum

At Silchester school our intent is to engage and inspire pupils through teaching a rich, balanced and progressive Maths curriculum based on the National Curriculum. We believe that all children can achieve in mathematics and break the curriculum down into manageable steps with regular interleaving of revisiting and practising of knowledge and skills to enable children to experience success. The needs of all are incorporated in our planning in order for all children to become successful.

Maths teaching enables pupils to:

• experience a variety of high-quality activities which focus on fluency, reasoning and problem solving
• develop mathematical skills which enable them to conjecture relationships, make generalisations
• justify their answers and solve problems in a variety of ways.
• transfer their skills to everyday mathematical situations.

Implementation of the Maths curriculum

At Silchester we follow the Hampshire Maths model which is sequenced and structured to allow progression. This is complemented with resources from White Rose, Collins Maths, NCETM, NRich, iseemaths and Third Space Learning which enable the children to achieve mastery in a variety of different formats.

• Maths is taught daily with lessons being approximately 1 hour in length.
• Teachers demonstrate expert modelling and explanations of the mathematical structures using worked examples to support the children’s understanding.
• Concrete, pictorial and abstract representations are evident in each unit.  Teachers will use these to support their modelling and explanations; children will then demonstrate these in their workings and use this approach to help their problem-solving and reasoning.
• Assessment for learning takes place regularly throughout the lesson to decide the next steps for the child.
• Key skills, such as number bonds and multiplication tables, will be over-learned until they are securely held within the children’s long-term working memory as this will reduce the cognitive overload when solving more complex problems and applying their understanding to other mathematical areas.
• Common misconceptions are shared and a variety of questions are asked to share thinking and check for deeper understanding.
• Correct mathematical vocabulary is modelled by teachers and explained to children to enable them to use it correctly.
• Resources and images are used in maths to ensure that children are able to progress from concrete to pictorial to abstract.
• Teachers make use of the outside space, where appropriate.
• Working walls include models from current learning and the correct mathematical vocabulary
• Good practice is shared as part of teachers CPD and staff are encouraged to seek support from colleagues and other professionals to ensure that everyone is confident in what they teach.
• Our curriculum is regularly reviewed to ensure that it meets the needs of the children.

Impact

Through quality first teaching and effective feedback children will be able to clearly explain their reasoning, recall facts fluently and flexibly, use maths skills and knowledge in a variety of contexts using different representations, make connections across the maths curriculum and recognise relationships and patterns in number. Children will feel enthused about maths and be independent and autonomous learners, willing to talk about the maths they are working on. Children will have the confidence to believe in themselves as mathematicians and will be willing to have a go at a variety of maths tasks making connections between the different areas of the maths curriculum and maths outside of the classroom. Children will be able to use and understand mathematical vocabulary and be able to move flexibly between different representations.

Intent of the Science curriculum

At Silchester, our intent is to provide every child with a broad and balanced science curriculum that aims to inspire and encourage children to explore, discover and be inquisitive about the world around them. Our science teaching ensures children have a deeper understanding of the world we live in, particularly in relation to the outdoor environment our ‘Trailblazing’ school is surrounded by. Our aim is to provide stimulating, challenging and practical experiences inside and outside the classroom and to extend the children’s scientific knowledge and vocabulary. We want our children to develop a love of science and learn about different scientists, instilling and inspiring an attitude of lifelong scientific inquisition and influence future careers.

Implementation of the Science curriculum

• Science is taught weekly with lessons being approximately 1 hour in length.
• Topics are blocked to allow children to develop their knowledge and skills and study each topic in depth.
• Each year group builds upon their learning from previous years and develop a depth of understanding and progression of skills.
• Children explore and question, predict and plan, investigate and observe.
• Teachers have access to a range of resources and planning from the Reach Out scheme of learning.
• Teachers use their professional judgement to decide how best to deliver the science curriculum within their classroom through whole class, focused group teaching and individual task design. 
• Learning is very practical and hands-on whenever possible to encourage physical exploration, planning and testing.
• Tasks are differentiated through adult support and scaffolding.
• Teachers demonstrate clear modelling of scientific processes and explanations to support the children’s understanding.
• Key vocabulary is modelled and demonstrated by teachers and the children are supported in using and applying this vocabulary verbally and in written form.
• Learning is reviewed at the end of each lesson and used to inform the next step of learning for each child.
• There are opportunities within lessons and units to review previous learning and ensure children have retained key concepts. Links are made between topics in the year or from the previous year’s topics when appropriate.
• There are opportunities for the children to apply or develop their scientific understanding or vocabulary in other curriculum subjects, for example in Outdoor Education, Maths and ICT.
• Silchester hold an annual Science week in which all children across the whole school explore and delve deeper into a specific scientific topic and learn about important scientists that changed the world.
• Science at Silchester supports social development by exposing children to work collaboratively and supports cultural development by looking at how scientists from a range of cultures significantly impacted the world.

Impact

By the time the children leave Silchester at the end of Key Stage 1, children should be able to explore ideas and raise different kinds of questions. They should be able to plan different types of scientific enquiries and fair tests to answer these questions, as well as take measurements using a range of scientific equipment. Children should be able to record their data or results visually using diagrams and graphs, as well as be able to report their findings orally or in written form. They should then be able to use these results to make predictions and be able to identify that scientific evidence can support or disprove ideas and theories. Children should be able to discuss different scientists that have influenced and changed the world we live in today.

Intent of the PE curriculum

At Silchester, Physical Education is thoroughly enjoyed by the children and is a very important part of the curriculum. Through PE, children become aware of their own body and learn to control their movements. It creates a healthy, balanced way of living.

Teaching enables pupils to:

• Develop competence to excel in a broad range of physical activities.
• Be physically active for sustained periods of time.
• Engage in competitive sports and activities.
• Lead healthy, active lives.

Implementation of the PE curriculum

• PE is taught for a least two hours a week. This is usually taught in two 45 minute blocks with the Daily Mile walked, jogged or ran every day for 10-15 minutes.
• PE lessons are planned using ‘Complete PE’, an online, interactive resource to equip teachers with the knowledge and tools to confidently enjoy delivering high quality PE. 
• In addition to class teachers, we have a number of highly qualified coaches who come in to teach cheerleading, gymnastics, football, rugby, tennis and multi-sports.
• We participate in a number of inter-school sports competitions across the year, including: cross-country, netball, tag-rugby and football.
• We have a number of after-school sports clubs, including: tennis, football, netball, tag-rugby and multi-sports.

Impact

By the time Silchester Children leave KS2, they should be able to:

• Run, jump, throw and catch in isolation and in combination.
• Play competitive games and apply basic principles suitable for attacking and defending.
• Have flexibility, strength, technique, control and balance.
• Perform dances using a range of movement patterns.
• Take part in outdoor and adventurous activity challenges, both individually and within a team.

Compare their performances with previous ones and demonstrate improvement to achieve their personal best.

Intent of the computing curriculum  

At Silchester the computing curriculum is ambitious, with high expectations of all children. It will provide children with the experiences, skills and knowledge which they will require to be successful when using computers and other technology in their lives and also in the future. 

The curriculum aims to engage and inspire pupils to develop their knowledge of computer science, teaching them the principles of information and computation, how digital systems work, and how to put this knowledge to use through programming. By building on this knowledge and understanding, pupils will increase their self-confidence, creativity and understanding of computing and be equipped to use information technology to create programs, systems and a range of content. Pupils will become increasingly digitally literate throughout their time at the school and will be able to use information and communication technology at a level suitable for the future workplace and as active participants in a digital world.  

Online safety is an important part of our children’s education. We aim to provide children with the tools to enjoy computing and their online lives safely and in a way that promotes positive mental health and healthy relationships. 

Computing teaching enables pupils to: 

• Understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of computer science, including abstraction, logic, algorithms and data representation;  

• Use information and communication technology to gain a ‘window on the world’.  

• Analyse problems in computational terms, and have repeated practical experience of writing computer programs in order to solve such problems;  

• Evaluate and apply information technology, including new or unfamiliar technologies, analytically to solve problems;  

• Become increasingly responsible, competent, confident and creative users of information and communication technology.  

• Understand that computing and technology can be a future career path for them.  

• Understand that they are global citizens that live in an increasingly connected world.  

• Respect the privacy and views of others whilst ensuring that they understand their own rights and responsibilities.   

• Know how to stay safe online and what to do if they are worried or uncomfortable online.  

• Have the knowledge and tools to maintain healthy relationships and wellbeing relating to their online lives.

Implementation of the computing curriculum 

• Computing is taught weekly with lessons being between 50minutes – 1 hour in length.  

• As well as discrete sessions on computing, we provide opportunities for computing to be incorporated in all other areas of the National Curriculum, enabling pupils to embed the skills that they have learnt and demonstrating to children the value and purpose of computing in today's world. 

• Computing is presented as a creative and fascinating process in which children are encouraged to use their own initiative, imagination, reasoning and investigative skills. 

• Children will be successful in computing provided teachers have a good subject knowledge of what they teach, present concepts clearly and identify and address misconceptions.  

• Teachers will make ongoing assessments, both formative and summative.  

• Computing resources and materials (including laptops, tablets and other pieces of hardware) will be used regularly to enable pupils to access the curriculum fully. 

• Children have a half-termly focus for online safety use the Kapow curriculum resources. Theme days, assemblies and class discussion time provide additional opportunities for pupils to learn about online safety. 

• In addition to our core curriculum, we aim to provide them with a rage of opportunities during their time at Silchester. These include taking part in STEM theme days based on physical computing; Working with professional computer experts; Linking their skills within computing to other subject areas such as music and design and technology. 

Impact 

By the time the children leave Silchester at the end of Key Stage 2, they should be equipped with a range of skills which will enable them to be successful as they move into secondary school and, beyond this, in the ever-changing digital world.  

Children will:  

• Be informed, critical thinkers ready to make appropriate digital choices.  

• Understand the importance and value of computing in their lives.  

• Understand that a balance between time spent on technology and away from it is healthy.   

• Be able to use technology independently and as part of a team.  

• Be aware of online safety issues and know how to deal with them in an appropriate manner. 

Intent of the Geography curriculum  

At Silchester the Geography curriculum aims to inspire in pupils a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives.  

Geography teaching aims to ensure that pupils : 

• develop contextual knowledge of the location of globally significant places – both terrestrial and marine – including their defining physical and human characteristics and how these provide a geographical context for understanding the actions of processes 

• understand the processes that give rise to key physical and human geographical features of the world, how these are interdependent and how they bring about spatial variation and change over time 

•  are competent in the geographical skills needed to: deepen their understanding of geographical processes by collecting and analysing data gathered through field work; interpret a range of sources of geographical information, including maps, diagrams, globes, aerial photographs ; and communicate geographical information in a variety of ways, including through maps, numerical and quantitative skills and writing at length. 

Implementation of the Geography curriculum 

Within KS1:

• Geography is taught through half termly units 

• Planning is adapted from Kapow and Pearson Schemes to meet the needs of their cohort 

Within KS2  

• Geography is taught following the REACH OUT Pearson  Curriculum  

• It is taught each term within a half termly unit of work. 

• Each Unit has a knowledge organiser which acts as a planning, teaching and assessment tool. It provides complete clarity to leaders, teachers, pupils and parents about what is expected to be learnt and remembered by the end of the lesson, the unit, and in the long term. 

• Each unit consists of six, carefully sequenced ‘knowledge lessons’. Each lesson is chunked into small sessions of explicit teaching followed by regular opportunities for all children to think, apply and practice key skills and knowledge. 

• Each lesson includes a slide show, to support the teacher in delivering the content of the lessons clearly and precisely 

• Each unit includes a work booklet to support the teaching and recording  

• At the end of each unit, pupils write an extended essay. This ensures that pupils are able to synthesis and elaborate on all of the knowledge that they have acquired throughout the unit 

• Each unit has a variety of enrichment activities that can be used to extend children’s learning. 

  Impact 

  By the time the children leave Silchester at the end of Key Stage 2 they should have extended their knowledge and understanding beyond the local area to include the United Kingdom, Europe, North and South America.  They will know the location and characteristics of a range of the world’s most significant human and physical features.  The pupils will have used their geographical knowledge, understanding and skills to enhance their locational and place knowledge. 

Intent of the History curriculum  

At Silchester the history curriculum aims to inspire pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past and to increase their self-confidence, creativity and understanding of history.  

History teaching enables pupils to: 

• develop a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world 

• know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world e.g. the nature of ancient civilizations 

• gain and deploy a historically grounded understanding of abstract terms such as ‘empire’, ‘civilisation’, ‘parliament’ and ‘peasantry’ 

• understand historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence 

• understand the methods of historical enquiry 

• gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts e.g. understanding the connections between local, regional, national and international history 

Implementation of the History curriculum 

Within KS1: 

• History is taught through half termly units 

• Planning is adapted from Kapow and Pearson Schemes to meet the needs of their cohort 

Within KS2:

• History is taught following the REACH OUT Curriculum  

• It is taught each term within a half termly unit of work. 

• Each Unit has a knowledge organiser which acts as a planning, teaching and assessment tool. It provides complete clarity to leaders, teachers, pupils and parents about what is expected to be learnt and remembered by the end of the lesson, the unit, and in the long term. 

• Each unit consists of six, carefully sequenced ‘knowledge lessons’. Each lesson is chunked into small sessions of explicit teaching followed by regular opportunities for all children to think, apply and practice key skills and knowledge. 

• Teachers can draw on a variety of resources e.g. slide shows, work booklets to support them in delivering the content of the lessons clearly and precisely  

• Each unit has a variety of enrichment activities that can be used to extend children’s learning. 

Impact

By the time the children leave Silchester at the end of Key Stage 2 they should have a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history. They should be aware of connections, contrasts and trends over time and develop the appropriate use of historical terms. They should be able to devise historically valid questions about change, cause, similarity and difference, and significance. They should be able to select and organise historical information in response to such questions. They should understand how our knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of sources. 

Intent of the MFL curriculum  

All Children in KS2 will take part in weekly, and dedicated high quality MFL lessons, using the JMB education Hola! program. At Silchester our focus will be on listening to, speaking and writing Spanish. Through learning a language children will value the importance of communication in a foreign language, as well as developing their “Cultural Capital”. They will be confident in using their knowledge of Spanish to form simple sentences and responses. They will be able to apply what they have learnt to other languages. 

Implementation of the MFL curriculum 

Children’s learning builds progressively on previously taught and learnt vocabulary and phrases. The emphasis is on the spoken work, and making learning fun through songs and games, varied resources and practical activities. The culture and traditions of Spain are taught as an integral part of learning the language. Spanish is also introduced in KS1 during a Spanish Day in the Summer term where they cover basic words and phrases, songs, dance, colours and art. Different languages may also be introduced throughout the school as part of geography and world topics, as well as through whole school singing.  

Impact 

Children will have covered the aspects of learning as set out in the National Curriculum for Modern Foreign Languages. They will have developed a recall of relevant vocabulary, and formulate simple phrases and become engaged in simple conversational Spanish, ask questions, and are able to write sentences and phrases relating to a range of topics. They will be confident in moving onto KS3 to further develop their language skills in Spanish and other MFLs. They have become resilient language learners and are not afraid to “have a go” both is terms of pronunciation, trying out phrases and sentences and producing written tasks.  

Intent of the Art and Design curriculum  

At Silchester the Art and Design curriculum aims to engage and inspire pupils to develop a wealth of skills and to increase their self-confidence, creativity and understanding of Art and design. It is every child’s entitlement, regardless of age, nationality or background, to have access to a broad and balanced curriculum. We recognise the value that an exciting and enriched curriculum gives to children. At our school, we wish to inspire children to go on to have careers within Art and Design and make use of art effectively in their everyday lives. Through Art and Design, we are providing children with opportunities to explore their imagination, generate ideas, acquire, develop and extend skills. Through Art and Design, the children will be able to discover their creativity and values and develop the ability to think critically and imaginatively, and to have an empathic commitment to cultural diversity. The creative tasks will help children understand themselves, build confidence and self-esteem, and contribute to their own well-being. They will be encouraged to think independently, taking risks, experience successes and celebrate their creativity. These skills will be transferable and enhance learning in other curriculum areas.  

Art and Design teaching enables pupils to:  

• Produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences  

• Become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques  

• Evaluate and analyse artistic works using the language of art, craft and design  

• Know about great artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical development of their art forms 

Implementation of the Art and Design curriculum 

The teaching and implementation of the Art and Design Curriculum at Silchester CofE (aided) Primary School is broad and balanced and builds on previous learning and provides both support and challenge for learners. Occasionally, Art and Design is linked to topics to ensure a well-structured approach to this creative subject. We follow an Art and Design scheme that ensures a progression of skills and covers all aspects of the Art and Design curriculum.  

Areas covered include working in 3 dimensions, painting, drawing, photography, collage and printing. The work of local, national and international artists are explored to enhance the children’s learning.  

We alternate our Art and Design and Design and Technology provision each half term. Sometimes Art and Design is taught alongside other curriculum subjects.  

All pupils in Years 1-6 are given a sketch book to record their observations and use them to review and revisit ideas. This sketchbook follows them through the stages of our school therefore showing progression. 

We aim for all pupils to attend an art gallery during their time at Silchester as well as inviting in local artists to allow children to experience potential art careers.  

Impact 

At Silchester CofE (aided) Primary School, our children enjoy and value Art and Design. Displays reflect both the quality of art created and children’s sense of pride in their artwork and this is also demonstrated by creative outcomes across the wider curriculum.  

Progress in Art and Design is demonstrated through termly reviewing and scrutinising children’s work to ensure that progression of skills are taking place. Namely through: 

• Looking at pupils’ work, especially over time as they gain skills and knowledge 

• Observing how they perform in lessons  

• Talking to them about what they know. 

The consistent use of children’s sketchbooks means that children can review, modify and develop their initial ideas in order to achieve high-quality outcomes. Being able to see them talk confidently about their work and sharing their work with others will show the child's personal development in creativity, independence, judgement and self-reflection.  

Intent of the PSHE curriculum  

PSHE enables our children to become healthy, independent and responsible members of society. It aims to help them understand how they are developing personally and socially, and tackles many of the moral, social and cultural issues that are part of growing up. We provide our children with opportunities for them to learn about rights and responsibilities and appreciate what it means to be a member of a diverse society. Our children are encouraged to develop their sense of self-worth by playing a positive role in contributing to school life and the wider community. 

At Silchester, we share the values: 

1. We will tell the truth, even when it is hard - HONESTY 

2. We will push ourselves to be the best we can - CHALLENGE 

3. We will be loyal friends and care for others - FRIENDSHIP 

4. We will value our world, people and belongings - RESPECT 

5. We will accept each other and value our differences - TOLERANCE 

6. We will calm ourselves and help others to be calm - PEACE

Implementation of the PSHE curriculum 

At Silchester we deliver the PSHE curriculum by utilising first-hand experience and sharing good practice and it is every staff members responsibility to do this by being a role model and having high expectations of Silchester’s pupils. 

All staff should actively promote, ‘The Kindness coin’ and celebrate these with the children.  

The delivered curriculum (Kapow) reflects the needs of our pupils and is tailored to meet specific needs. We expect teachers to use the PSHE programme to equip pupils with a sound understanding of risk and with the knowledge and skills necessary to make safe and informed decisions. 

The curriculum is split into three core themes of:  Health and Wellbeing, Relationships and Living in the Wider World.  The children will meet these themes throughout the course of the year and the themes are built upon as the children move through school.  

At Silchester, we believe that PSHE plays a vital part of primary education and needs to be taught at least weekly; although there will also be opportunity to make cross curricular links and these opportunities should not be missed. This enables staff to ensure full coverage of the PSHE scheme of work. There are always occasions where staff may feel it necessary to teach PSHE as a result of an issue which has arisen in their own class. 

PSHE is an important part of school assemblies and collective worship were children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural curiosity is stimulated, challenged and nurtured.

Impact 

By the time our children leave our school they will: 

• be able to approach a range of real life situations and apply their skills and attributes to help navigate themselves through modern life 

• be on their way to becoming healthy, open minded, respectful, socially and morally responsible, active members of society 

• appreciate difference and diversity 

• be able to understand and manage their emotions 

• be able to look after their mental health and well-being 

• be able to develop positive, healthy relationship with their peers both now and in the future. 

•  have respect for themselves and others. 

•  have a positive self esteem 

Intent of the Design and Technology curriculum  

At Silchester the Design and Technology curriculum aims to engage and inspire pupils to develop their imaginations, creativity, independence and to increase their self-confidence, creativity and understanding of cooking and nutrition, mechanisms, structures, textiles, electrical systems (KS2) and digital world (KS2). Children are challenged to plan, design and make products which solve real world problems.  

Design and Technology teaching enables pupils to: 

• develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world.  

• build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users.  

• critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and the work of others.  

• understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook. 

Implementation of the Design and Technology curriculum 

The teaching and implementation of the Design and Technology Curriculum at Silchester CofE (aided) Primary School is broad and balanced and builds on previous learning and provides both support and challenge for learners. Occasionally, Design and Technology is linked to topics to ensure a well-structured approach to this creative subject. We follow Kapow, a Design and Technology scheme, that ensures a progression of skills and covers all aspects of the Design and Technology curriculum.   

We alternate our Art and Design and Design and Technology provision each half term. However, sometimes Design and Technology is taught alongside other curriculum subjects.  

At Silchester children visit the Science Museum in Winchester where Y1 pupils design and build rockets. We also liaise closely with Science Coordinator so that we can provide high quality STEM activities.  

Impact 

Our Design and Technology curriculum is high quality, well thought out and is planned to demonstrate progression.  

In addition, 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;  

• Pupil discussions about their learning; which includes discussion of their thoughts, ideas, processing and evaluations of work. 

Intent of the Music curriculum  

Silchester is a ‘Music Mark’ School and our Music curriculum aims to engage, inspire and challenge pupils to develop a universal language that is collaborative, creative and celebratory. We aim to develop a love of music which increases self-confidence and a sense of achievement.  

Music teaching enables pupils to: 

• perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians  

• learn to sing and to use their voices on their own and with others 

• create and compose music on their own and with others  

• have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, use technology appropriately and have the opportunity to progress to the next level of musical excellence  

• understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the inter-related dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations. 

Implementation of the Music curriculum 

• Music is taught for a minimum of one hour each week in units which are closely linked to termly topics. This may take the form of short sessions spread across the week.  

• We follow the Hampshire music Service, “Pathways to musical independence” Curriculum which ensures progression through the key stages. 

• Music is also taught through additional listening units and whole class instrumental teaching.  

• Pupils have opportunities to use both rhythmic and melodic instruments within music lessons.  

• Teachers demonstrate expert modelling and explanations of the musical dimensions and appropriate notation.  

• Children practice musical skills to develop increasing fluency and learn to discuss and share their response to pieces of music. 

• There will be opportunities for the pupils to apply their musical understanding in other areas of the curriculum. 

• High-quality musical vocabulary is demonstrated and accurately used by the teachers and pupils will be supported to use these in their own work. 

• All children in year 1-6 have the opportunity to attend a live musical performance. 

• There are opportunities throughout the year to participate in and watch musical performances

Impact 

By the time the children leave Silchester at the end of Key Stage 2 Music will have had a positive impact on their quality of life. They will have extended their knowledge and understanding of singing, listening, composing, performing and discussing music and have had opportunities to make and listen to music for pleasure and for performance.  

Intent of the Religious Education curriculum  

At Silchester, the Religious Education curriculum aims to engage and inspire pupils to embrace excellence and academic rigour as they develop their spiritual, moral, social and cultural character. It helps them to make sense of their place in the world and to develop their own thoughts, beliefs and values. Our biblically linked core Christian values of; challenge, friendship, peace, tolerance, honesty and respect are woven through the curriculum.  

Religious Education teaching enables pupils to: 

• Share their thoughts and listen to others with respect 

• Consider their own life experiences 

• Engage with challenging questions of meaning and purpose in order to deepen and broaden their understanding 

• Understand that there is a diversity of religious and other ways of life and that everybody does not think or act in the same ways 

• See things from another person’s point of view 

• Develop qualities of attentiveness, interestedness, curiosity and independence 

• Collaborate with others 

• Respond creatively 

Implementation of the Religious Education curriculum 

• Religious education is taught using the Hampshire agreed syllabus, ‘Living Difference IV’ supplemented by the resource ‘Understanding Christianity’ 

• Units may be blocked over a few weeks or taught as weekly lessons; teachers will use their professional judgement to decide how best to deliver the concept being taught. e.g. Christmas and Easter units might be blocked closer to the time of the festival rather than being spread over several weeks 

• Religious Education will be taught for a minimum number of hours as follows: 

Foundation Stage (EYFS) approximately 36 hours per year 

Key stage 1 - 36 hours per year, Key Stage 2 – 45 hours per year 

• The curriculum is designed to study Christianity and other world religions and philosophies as follows: Foundation stage and Key stage 1 study Christianity and The Hindu tradition; Lower Key Stage 2 Study Christianity and Judaism; Upper Key Stage 2 Study Christianity, Islam and The Humanist way of life. There are also opportunities at each key stage to revisit the other world religion(s) taught earlier. 

• Tasks will be differentiated through adult support and scaffolding to ensure that all pupils are able to achieve and make appropriate progress. 

• There will be opportunities during the year for children to explore topics, questions or themes at their own speed or together with others  

Impact 

By the time the children leave Silchester at the end of Key Stage 2, they should have had the opportunity to explore their own lives in relation to what it can mean to live with a religious orientation on life as well as other ways of life, including a non-religious perspective, in order to be better able to discern what is desirable for their own lives as they speak, think and act in the world.