Subjects

English

Intent:Our English curriculum is designed to equip children with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and vocabulary to read, write and speak fluently and though developing these essential attributes, broaden their experiences and opinions, access and interact with the world, communicate effectively and are well-placed for the next stage of their education.

We follow an overview with a mixture of stimulus based units (reading emphasis) and genre based units (writing emphasis) which provide a balance of narrative, non-fiction and poetry forms, ensuring coverage of all aspects of the National Curriculum.  

Spelling is based on the Rising stars scheme and is set as homework weekly, with a test in this weekly too. 

Grammar and punctuation is taught through the text type, where appropriate, and discreetly, in accordance with the National Curriculum for each year group as well as in response to need, as identified by the teacher.

In EYFS we follow a story-making story-telling approach to developing language and reading which is based on current research.  

Children complete cross curricular writing in their Learning Books regularly.

Vocabulary is taught explicitly using the ‘STAR’ approach, based on the ‘Word Aware’ scheme in both English session and in topic sessions.

Texts and stimuli are chosen to follow the topics, children’s interests and current events (festivals, celebrations and weather events e.g. snow days.)

English curriculum targets for the year

EYFS

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5 

Year 6

Intent: Our reading curriculum is designed to equip children with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and vocabulary to become reflective, life long readers who, through reading, broaden their experiences and opinions, access and interact with the world, communicate effectively and are well-placed for the next stage of their education. 

Maths

Intent: Our maths curriculum encourages our children to be creative and inquisitive, preparing them for the next stage of their education with a confident, positive and enthusiastic attitude towards maths and problem solving. It develops a deep and interconnected understanding of mathematical concepts and uses practical equipment and pictorial representations to support the development from concrete to abstract understanding. The expectation of precise use of mathematical language and a focus on fluency, reasoning and solving problems in a wide variety of contexts underpin our overall methodology based in the mastery approach. Exploring, explaining, using logic, multiple methods, practice, journaling and reviewing ensure challenge for all.

Key Principles of Mathematics at William Davies

At William Davies our approach to mathematics is ‘Mastery Mathematics’. This ensures children develop procedural fluency alongside conceptual understanding in the context of reasoning, explanation and justification. Concepts are taught in depth. The key principles of our curriculum are:

• Longer Units of Work – children work on key conceptual areas for a longer period of time, rather than jumping between maths ‘topics’ so depth of understanding can be developed.
• Anchor Tasks – the starter task in a session is often set in the context of the real world and is low threshold, high ceiling – meaning can be easily accessed and has depth to challenge ‘rapid-grapsers’. Anchor Tasks also promote communication – thus developing reasoning and explanation skills; as well as promoting social interactions – children are encouraged to see things from an other’s perspective.
• High Quality Text Books – we use ‘Maths – No Problem!’ text books intelligently to underpin our curriculum.
• A range of heuristics (problem solving strategies), including bar modelling which allows children to represent and expose the mathematics in a problem.
• Mixed Ability Groupings – groups and pairings are chosen based on children who work well together, not ability.
• Swift Intervention – children who struggle receive intervention which quickly follows the initial learning with a highly qualified teachers, or possibly, in some cases, pre-teaching.
• Challenge For All – we seek to challenge all learners to deepen their understanding and make connections in their learning through specific or more general challenge activities.
• Journaling and Self Reflection – children are encouraged to journal regularly and complete other self-reflection activities to support meta cognition and self regulation. 
• Developing resilience and self-regulation – teachers will often neither confirm nor reject answers children give in order to develop their own self checking skills.
• Granular Steps – teachers take minute steps in learning based on variation theory to develop concepts soundly.
• Effective Feedback – written feedback support children in affirming their learning as well as ensuring children are self checking and supports in deepening understanding through promoting reasoning and connection building. Oral feedback seeks to achieve the same.

William Davies Maths Curriculum

Science

Intent: Our science curriculum develops children’s knowledge and teaches methods, processes and vocabulary to understand and question the world around them. Through investigations and research, they develop a sense of excitement and curiosity about the natural world. They learn that science explains what is occurring, predicts how things will behave and analyses causes.

Geography

Intent: Our Geography curriculum encourages children to be curious, open minded and challenges their view of the world. It equips them with knowledge, skills and vocabulary of diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments. It is an issue-based, action-led curriculum which provides learners with experiences and skills to navigate the world around them. It encourages and prepares them to actively participate, as responsible global citizens, in making their own communities, and the wider world, equitable and more sustainable.

History

Intent: Our history curriculum, museum visits and expert visitors equip children with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and vocabulary to become learners who are curious about the past. The analysis and evaluation of Britain’s past and that of the wider world provides a context for present day challenges. Through debate, it informs children’s opinions so that they are well-placed for the next stage of their education.

Music

Intent: Our music curriculum engages challenges and inspires our children to develop a love of music that sparks their creativity as musicians. Our children explore music in its many facets from nursery; in its most innate form, all the way through to the ‘grand finale’ performance at the end of year 6. The years in between are where children hone in on their skills within singing and instrumentation by learning to listen with discrimination, review music and explore how music is composed. Children have the opportunity to perform in sole and within ensemble contexts which builds confidence due to its social aspect and immediate sense of achievement. We intend to nurture and develop our children’s confidence in expressing themselves in response to a range of music through providing them with a creative space where they can explore and appreciate the world of music.

PE

Intent: Our physical education curriculum inspires children to enjoy a range of demanding physical activities and lead healthy and active lives. It enables children to become physically confident and competent in the aspects of gymnastics, dance, team sports, athletics, swimming and adventurous activities, often with qualified instructors. It gives opportunities to compete against others to succeed and excel and helps to embed values such as fairness and respect.

Religious Education

Intent: Our R.E. curriculum encourages children to have confidence in their own growing sense of identity as well as learning about, valuing and respecting a diverse range of others’ faiths, beliefs and cultures. Our curriculum is a safe space to express and explore views and opinions, encouraging empathy, generosity and compassion. It provides opportunities to compare and contrast religions and beliefs,neither promoting or undermining religious, spiritual or secular stances. Children learn about and from different religions and worldviews in order to allow them to participate fully in and contribute positively to life in modern Britain.

Art & Design

Intent: Our art and design curriculum encourages and enables children to explore, experiment, and engage with the creative arts as a means of personal expression and as a facet of civic engagement. It equips them with the skills and knowledge to interpret, analyse, innovate and evaluate the work of a range of artists, designers and architects, as well as reflect on their own responses and inventions. Children are supported to refine their artistic skills over time, giving them the confidence to explore and express themselves through a range of artistic media. The curriculum is founded on a belief that all children have a right to develop self-expression and flexible thinking through the arts. Our curriculum inspires children to take pleasure in becoming appreciators and creators of art and design, and empowers them by developing an understanding and appreciation of how art and design continue to reflect and shape history and the world around us.

Partnership Organisations:

 

PSHE

Intent: Our PSHE curriculum equips children with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and vocabulary for life’s challenges and changes. It helps them know and value who they are and understand how they relate to other people in the world. It explores celebrating difference, personal dreams and goals, staying healthy, maintaining positive relationships and prepares them for the changes to their emotions and bodies. It includes aspects of Philosophy for Children where debate and sharing experiences is key.

Intent:  At WDPS, our RSHE curriculum is an integral part of our wider PSHE curriculum. It aims to develop the skills needed to be good citizens, with the knowledge of how to keep themselves and others safe and healthy. Our children learn how to form and keep healthy relationships in all manner of situations (including online), as well as what to do if a relationship is not safe or healthy. Children learn about different types of relationships that make up our community and the importance of the British Values, especially respect and individual liberty. In sex education, children are taught about conception and birth, adding to what they have learned in science about life cycles and puberty. RSHE teaches the skills needed for life, most importantly, how to stay safe, happy and be kind to others. 

Design & Technology

Intent: Our design and technology curriculum is creative and practical. Using their imagination and through research, children design and make products that solve real problems in a variety of contexts. It equips children with the knowledge, skills and vocabulary necessary to become resourceful, innovative and resilient in design. It allows children to evaluate and develop critical understanding of past and present designs.

Computing

Intent: Our computing curriculum equips children to use current thinking and creativity to understand and operate safely in their online lives. They are taught how to use the principles of information, computation and programming through problem solving both online and unplugged. It teaches digital literacy and gives children the opportunity to express themselves, develop their ideas and create content competently, using cloud-based software. Our safe online learning environment with up-to-date technology enables children to become responsible members of the digital world in and out of school.

French

Intent: Our French curriculum fosters children’s curiosity and deepens their understanding of the world around them. It builds on our children’s multilingual strengths, and allows them to use other languages which they may speak as a reference point to support their learning of French. Our curriculum empowers children by enabling them to communicate in French, both for functional and expressive purposes. It encourages children to develop their confidence in written and spoken communication, and promotes the speaking and listening skills which contribute to further development of oracy at our school.