Curriculum Statement
Intent
At Veritas Primary Academy we have designed our curriculum with pupils’ learning at the centre. We recognise that a curriculum has to be broad, balanced and offer pupils opportunities to grow as individuals as well as learners. Our Curriculum gives pupils the opportunity to develop deep knowledge through a wide range of subjects, topics and learning experiences. Our curriculum is progressive, consistent and challenging, and all pupils are taught the full content of the National Curriculum for each year group.
We use Cornerstones Curriculum Maestro to provide a bespoke curriculum which is tailored to the needs, strengths and interests of our pupils and our school community.
Through a combination of learning techniques, we aim to ensure pupils enjoy learning and feel prepared for life after school. We also intend to offer our pupils new and exciting experiences through extra-curricular activities that are designed to build resilience, confidence and self-esteem.
We recognise that pupils should be challenged in their schooling; learning from failures and celebrating successes. We intend for our curriculum to be empowering, enabling pupils to develop their interpersonal skills, creativity and independence.
Big ideas
The Cornerstones Curriculum takes the form of 10 big ideas that provide a purpose for the aspects, skills, knowledge and contexts chosen to form the substance of the curriculum. These big ideas form a series of multi-dimensional interconnected threads across the curriculum, allowing children to encounter and revisit their learning through a variety of subject lenses. Over time, these encounters help children to build conceptual frameworks that will enable a better understanding of increasingly sophisticated information and ideas.
Implementation
At Veritas Primary Academy we follow the National Curriculum, which is covered in full through a range of Knowledge Rich Projects. These projects cover a range of subjects including Science, History, Geography, Art and Design Technology. Some subjects (English, Maths, Music, Computing, French, PSHE, PE and RE) are taught outside of these projects but teachers make cross curricular links with these where possible. In addition to this, we complete a range of whole school projects which take place throughout the year such as Black History Month, our annual Whole School Topic, Maths Week and Art Week. These projects enrich learning, deepen knowledge and enable up to provide bespoke learning experiences that meet the specific needs of our school community. Subjects within our curriculum are carefully sequenced to ensure that knowledge and skills and built upon throughout key stages and year groups. Class timetables are organised so that there is adequate time given to all curriculum subjects.
Our teachers plan engaging learning opportunities to meet the needs of their class. There is a focus on developing deep subject knowledge and the application of knowledge and skills. We also have a clear focus on the teaching and acquisition of new vocabulary. Lessons are structured to meet the children’s needs and teachers consider their starting points, strengths and areas of difficulty at the planning and delivery stage of each lesson. We use knowledge organisers (a set of key facts or information that pupils need to know and be able to recall in order to master a unit or topic) and make them available to the children during each project. This way, we help our pupils remember what they are learning and see the bigger learning journey in their subjects. The curriculum is closely monitored by subject leaders to ensure full coverage of the national curriculum, that there is depth to children’s learning and to ensure that appropriate adaptions are made to suit the learning needs of our pupils.
At Veritas Primary Academy, we are mindful of teacher workload and use supporting schemes of work for curriculum planning:
- Cornerstones Curriculum Maestro to plan and deliver foundation subjects
- KAPOW Music
- KAPOW PSHE
- Love to Celebrate (Cornerstones) for RE
- KAPOW Computing
- Philosophy 4 Children
- White Rose Maths
- Little Wandle
Impact
Through our curriculum, all children will gain a secure knowledge in a range of subjects which they can use in their lives moving forward. They leave Veritas Primary Academy as empowered individuals, keen to explore the next stage of life and learning. The majority of the children will be able to reach age related expectations and will be prepared for the children for the next stage of learning at all key stages.
The impact of our curriculum is measured by monitoring the following areas:
- Attendance data (including school and trips and residentials).
- Attainment data.
- Progress measures KS1 - KS2.
- NTS standardised tests (Reading and Maths)
- Progress and attainment outcomes for all pupil groups.
- Foundation subject assessments.
- Engagement in enrichment activities.
- Lesson observations
- Book looks
- Displays
- Pupil Voice
- Behaviour analysis
- Parent feedback
- Staff feedback