Curriculum
At Spring Bank Primary School, we want to make sure that children go off to High School as confident young people with a love of learning, the academic skills they need to do well in their studies and the social skills to make the best of the opportunities that are offered.
As well as core skills in English, Maths, Computing and Science, we ensure our curriculum is balanced with a broad range of subjects and learning experiences.
Our school follows the 2014 National Curriculum (Y1 – Y6) and the Early Years Foundation Stage for Reception.
Our children participate in a curriculum that takes full account of the richness and variety of the world’s racial, ethnic, cultural and religious groups and develops understanding of some of the main causes of global inequality, disadvantage and poverty. Our children learn how to recognise and challenge racism, racial discrimination and stereotyping and in doing so develop the knowledge and understanding, skills and attitudes necessary for life in Britain’s multi-ethnic society and as global citizens in an increasingly interdependent world.
Within our curriculum we embrace imagination and creativity and aim for all children to achieve their potential, developing future passions and talents. Our broad and balanced curriculum provides practical and inspirational ways of teaching which in turn encourages and fosters enthusiasm, perseverance and resilience. We aim for all our children to work collaboratively together and to communicate effectively. By the time our children leave Spring Bank they will have developed the skills to become lifelong learners and to have a love of learning.
How we implement our Curriculum at Spring Bank Primary School
We organise our Curriculum into topics and make meaningful links between subjects where appropriate. Each topic has a driver which is either Geography, History or Science and within this we also make links to Art, DT and Literacy. Where appropriate, we also make links to other curriculum areas.
Through providing pupils with a range of stimulating activities covering all curriculum areas, we aim to enable children to develop new skills, assimilate knowledge and develop the ability and understanding to make informed choices and judgements.
Our curriculum is rooted in the local community and is designed to enable pupils to make links, develop their ideas, extend their learning and identify their strengths and areas for development with independence and increasing confidence.
We offer rich and vibrant opportunities which draw upon meaningful real-life experiences. The curriculum is designed so that it is ambitious for all learners. Knowledge, skills and concepts are clearly outlined in a sequential and progressive way from Reception – Y6 so that the children’s understanding is extended, year upon year.
Within each topic skills and knowledge are taught discretely in subject areas, so that our children gain a broad understanding of each subject and know when they are learning about science, history or geography for example.
English Work includes: oracy (speaking and listening); writing (across the curriculum) and reading (group reading sessions and skills taught explicitly). We use the National Curriculum for Maths and teach this through the White Rose Maths Hub. We are also part of the Teaching for Mastery Hub.
Educational visits and visitors are an important feature of the curriculum; this enables all our children to gain a sense of cultural capital and a sense of belonging within their own local and wider community. In the past two years these have included (amongst others):
Leeds City Museum; Planetarium in school; Young Shakespeare visit to Years 5 and 6, Herd Farm, Tropical World, York Castle Museum, Peace Museum into school, Lotherton Hall (WW1 and Florence Nightingale), Royal Armouries in Leeds, Sound Workshop, Headingley Literature Festival (James Nash – Poet in school), Samba Workshop, Wildlife Ranger, Viking Day, Meteorologist in school, Teddy Bear Hospital, Toy workshop, Nell Bank (outdoor activities), Ingleborough (Year 6 5 day residential), Library visits, Guide dog in school, Heart visit (singing with Choir); Bikeability; Meanwood Valley Urban Farm; Temple Newsam (the Princess and the Pea and Kings and Queens); Armley Mills and hatching chicks in school.
Our school structure includes an active School Council, Curriculum Ambassadors and a newly appointed Eco Council – children who are members of these groups often get the opportunity to feed back their views of the school to staff and visitors.
At Spring Bank Primary School, we strive for all pupils to achieve their maximum potential, by having high expectations and excellent standards. Our stimulating curriculum teaches core skills in English, Maths and Science whilst actively promoting all other curriculum areas.
Our children enjoy lessons and learning in our school and we believe this early love of learning stimulates children to become life-long learners.
Our work on promoting social skills includes good manners, resilience, self-awareness, consideration and cooperation throughout the curriculum and our rolling programme of values (including the five British values). This enables most children to become fantastic role models and be the very best version of themselves.
Monitoring Impact of the curriculum:
At Spring Bank, children are assessed by their teacher in every lesson which helps the teacher plan the next steps to be taught. At the end of each term, assessment data is gathered for Reading, Writing and Maths and progress is checked by the senior leadership team. Progress in all other curriculum areas is assessed three times a year.
Children are expected to make good or better progress in all subjects and this individual progress is tracked and reported to parents and carers at parents’ evening and on the end of year report. We also ensure that for those children who are finding aspects of learning trickier that we talk to the parents and work together to find ways in which they can be supported at home as well as in school.
Please follow the link below if you would like to find out more about the National Curriculum.