Curriculum Rationale

Curriculum Rationale

At D’Eyncourt, all stakeholders are passionate and committed to providing the children in our care with outstanding learning opportunities. Our whole school vision is ‘aiming to be our BEST’ with our ethos being:

Be Kind and Caring

Excel in Learning

Show Respect

Take on Challenges

We champion these values through assemblies and, each week, different children are celebrated for demonstrating one of our values and bringing it to life. In addition to our core values, we also promote British Values through our spiritual, moral, social and cultural education which is delivered through the schools’ curriculum. We recognise that such development is most successful when those values and attitudes are promoted by all the staff and provide role models for our pupils.

We aim to enrich every child’s school experience, to be educated citizens, by creating an environment where they are encouraged to succeed and be the best they can be. We are determined to prepare children with the essential knowledge and skills for what comes next.The exploration of new skills and experiences helps to nurture individuality, curiosity and creativity.Through this journey, children develop new forms of resilience that makes a difference in individual mind–sets, which consequently shapes their future.

Through our curriculum all children, are exposed to enrichment opportunities which allow them to experience the awe and wonder of the world in which they live. We foster an ethos of high expectations and aspirations to ensure all children achieve their full potential. We challenge all children to strive for academic, creative, sporting and personal accomplishment within a broad, vibrant and enriched curriculum.

Our  School Aims

  • To foster an ethos of the high expectations and aspirations.
  • To promote the highest academic standards through hard work, enthusiasm and the belief that everyone can
    learn and grow.
  • To provide opportunities for everyone to foster their creativity.
  • To create resilient, life-long learners.
  • To give all pupils a voice in a safe, secure and happy environment.
  • To prepare pupils to become positive citizens of the future.
  • To make sure that all members of the school community feel valued and appreciated.
  • To involve our parents in school life, working together for the best possible outcomes.
  • To celebrate our achievements both academic and personal.
  • To enrich our pupils’ lives and broaden their experiences through a wide variety of clubs, activities and visits.
  • To make learning fun!

Intent: what are we trying to achieve with our curriculum?

At D’Eyncourt, we have a shared vision for our pupils to achieve through a rich and varied curriculum. We offer a curriculum which is broad and balanced
which has roots in our school values – we aim to be our BEST – and which builds on the knowledge, understanding and skills of all children, whatever their
starting points, as they progress through each Key Stage. Our aim is to deliver an ambitious, aspirational curriculum which is well planned and the meets the
needs of all our pupils. We challenge all children to strive for academic, creative, sporting and personal accomplishment within a safe and happy community.
The curriculum, which is planned sequentially, allows children to build on previous learning and secures firm foundations for the future.

We aim to excite, inspire and empower children through a range of cultural experiences alongside offering a range of literature that reflects our values and
validates their realities. Themed weeks and days, whole school activities and opportunities within and outside school all enrich and develop the children’s
learning. We expect children to achieve the best they can using the tools and support we provide. All children should have high aspirations and we want to
encourage them to become resilient learners. Children at D’Eyncourt have a love for learning and they work well with teachers and support staff to achieve
their full potential. The aim of our curriculum is for pupils to have the requisite skills to be successful, independent and motivated learners in readiness for
their next stage of education. We want all children to leave our school as independent learners with self-belief and an abiding respect for others. We aim to
instil a life-long love for learning and a strong grounding for future success.

Implementation: how do we deliver our curriculum?

To implement the curriculum, all teachers have good subject knowledge and are supported to maintain and improve this knowledge through training, observing best practice and undertaking relevant research. During lessons, appropriate use of teacher questioning, modelling and explanations are all used and
there is an expectation that all children will develop resilience and accept responsibility for their own learning and work independently. The curriculum
incorporates the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum and each unit is mapped against the progression of skills to ensure that learners develop
detailed knowledge and skills across the full breadth of the curriculum through engaging and age-appropriate curriculum content. Lessons incorporate examples; retrieval practice and, over time, revisit teaching and knowledge skills. Steps to success help teachers to break down learning into manageable ‘chunks’
to ensure all children can access learning. We believe that an inclusive education means providing all pupils with appropriate learning opportunities and
support alongside their peers. The curriculum is planned in a way to promote a love of learning, to encourage personal growth and support the wellbeing and
development of all children.

Leaders ensure that high- quality, meaningful lessons are taught to deepen learning and encourage challenge. Subject leaders provide colleagues with support
for planning, resourcing and teaching. High quality texts are used from Reception to Year 6 building on the foundations of excellent teaching of phonics
through Read Write Inc. The school curriculum map is planned to ensure that teaching is sequential with the teacher ensuring that knowledge and skills are
taught in a logical and progressive order. The teaching of key vocabulary is a primary feature in all subjects. High levels of interaction for all children is also
encouraged and our teachers are passionate about what they teach.

To enhance our curriculum, themed weeks and days, whole school activities and opportunities within and outside school all enrich and develop the children’s
learning. After school clubs and events extend these opportunities further. Additional whole school programmes and approaches support quality teaching and
learning and the school is well resourced in terms of learning materials, books and technology. Regular use of praise and encouragement to motivate children
is used and parental engagement using Class Dojo links school and home well. We are lucky to have a fabulous site where outdoor learning is planned to

Impact: what difference is our curriculum making to pupils?

The impact of our curriculum is evaluated through end of year assessments and Government tests; through Governor meetings; visits and through our own
monitoring of teaching, learning and pupil voice. All children achieve well by developing knowledge and skills on their journey through school. This is demonstrated through outcomes at EYFS, Phonics (Year 1), Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. Children with SEND achieve the best possible outcomes and are monitored through their school journey at D’Eyncourt.

Through our core values, we instil the importance of being kind and caring, excel in learning, show respect and take on challenges. The teaching of well-being
is intrinsic to each child’s learning and how to manage their well-being with regard to wider social issues, which can affect them in their lives outside of
school. We support and prepare children for new challenges, instilling resilience and promoting good choices. We measure how effectively our curriculum
helps our pupils develop into well-rounded individuals who share our values and carry with them the knowledge, skills and attitudes which will make them
lifelong learners and valuable future citizens. Children leave D’Eyncourt ready for a successful transition to secondary school and to go on and live their lives
with a solid grounding.

ENGLISH: English underpins the school curriculum by developing students’ abilities to speak, listen, read and write for a range of purposes, using language to
learn and communicate, to think, explore and organise. We believe that a quality English curriculum should develop our children’s love of reading, writing and
discussion. We aim to equip children with the skills necessary to achieve this, throughout the curriculum.

MATHS: : At D’Eyncourt, we ensure our children have access to a high quality, broad and balanced mathematical curriculum that is both challenging and
enjoyable, with a range of mathematical contexts for pupils to explore. We provide our children with a variety of mathematical opportunities (as well as crosscurricular) which will enable them to make the connections in learning that are needed to enjoy greater depth in learning

SCIENCE: Through our curriculum, we want our children to be passionate scientists, enthused by a hands-on, enquiry-based curriculum that nurtures curiosity
and questioning. We encourage pupils to explore and discover the world around them; develop their ability to predict and rationally explain ideas; and establish
and extend their understanding of the knowledge, processes, methods and uses of Science

COMPUTING: We understand that we are progressing into a digital world where technology is becoming an integral part of our children’s futures. Therefore,
we ensure that our children are equipped with the skills and knowledge to safely develop their digital literacy, programming understanding and computer science
proficiency. Computing has a strong connection with all other curriculum areas therefore we ensure it is embedded in all curriculum areas.

GEOGRAPHY:  We encourage children to understand the meanings of human and physical geography, and review the relationships between them. We aim to
inspire pupils to explore both human and physical processes which influence the world in which they live, as well as to develop their own understanding of how
they influence the world. We aim to equip pupils with knowledge about diversity within their own environment, as well as further afield.

HISTORY:  Our teaching of history inspires children to be curious about, and connected to, the past. Through exciting lessons, we want our pupils to understand
and feel part of their local area, their country and the wider world, and to wonder at the richness and diversity of human culture. History lessons teach children
how to weigh evidence, distinguish between fact and opinion, empathise with people from the past and consider their own values and opinions, as the journey

PE:  Our curriculum focuses on social, personal, cognitive and creative skills taught through PE lessons, which provides children with
opportunities to become physically confident and support their health and fitness. We also give the children opportunities to compete in school and out of school
in sport which helps embed values such as fairness and respect.

RE:  We provide children with a Religious Education curriculum that is built strongly around tolerance and respect towards all faiths
and beliefs. Children will learn about all major religions during their time at school. Our Religious Education programme of study follows the Wolverhampton
Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education, which provides a carefully curated curriculum that represents the balance of interests in the local community.

D&T: D&T builds on the key areas of design, making and evaluation. Children are able to creatively problem solve with the purpose of
the item always at the forefront of their minds. Alongside this, and to further build on their understanding, children apply their technical knowledge to aid design
and production.

ART: At D’Eyncourt, we use art as an opportunity to reinforce inspiration and imagination across the curriculum. The creativity of art enables all learners to
express themselves in a personalised way whilst also developing their critical eye. When experimenting with different media forms in art, children are able to
grow as reflective artists.

MFL: We study French in KS2. It transports children out of their immediate environment into the wider world both linguistically and culturally. We aim to
inspire pupils to develop their foreign language skills in an active, enjoyable and informal way so that everyone feels able to participate in a supportive and
valued environment

Cultural Capital

Cultural capital is the accumulation of knowledge, behaviours, and skills that a child can draw upon and which demonstrates their cultural awareness, knowledge and competence; it is one of the key ingredients a child will draw upon to be successful in society, their career and the world of work. It promotes social mobility and success and gives the child power. It helps them achieve goals,
become successful, and rise up the social ladder without necessarily having wealth or financial capital. Cultural capital is having assets that give children the desire to aspire and achieve social mobility whatever their starting point.

Policy Rationale

At D’Eyncourt, we recognise that for children to aspire and be successful academically and in the wider areas of their lives, they need to be given rich and sustained opportunities to develop their cultural capital. The school recognises that there are six key areas of development that are interrelated and cumulatively contribute to the sum of a child’s cultural capital. These are:

  • Personal Development
  • Social Development (including political and current affairs
    awareness)
  • Physical Development
  • Spiritual Development
  • Moral Development
  • Cultural development

Social, Moral, Spiritual, Cultural (SMSC) development

– SMSC is essential for children and young people’s individual development, as well as society as a whole. It is not a separate subject that is taught explicitly but an aspect of learning that is part of our core values in school and is present in all lessons and behaviour. Some lessons lend themselves more easily to direct SMSC development such as PSHE and RE. We also aim to develop SMSC through assemblies, behaviour expectations and our attitudes in school.

At D’Eyncourt, we believe the importance of SMSC is central to the development and growth of pupils as people and at the heart of what teachers would say education is all about. Within these topics and in fact throughout the curriculum we promote British Values. We also use interviews and questionnaires to see the impact on the children’s development. At D’Eyncourt, we recognise that the personal development of children, spiritually, morally, socially and culturally, plays a significant part in their ability to learn and achieve. We want to give each child the opportunity to explore social and moral issues; develop a sense of social and moral responsibility and promote the British Values. We therefore aim to provide an education that provides children with opportunities to explore and develop with this in mind. See our SMSC document at www.deyncourtprimary.org/cultural-capital/

British Values

These are values that have a central place in the way our children learn and they are found in the content of our curriculum at D’Eyncourt. They are:

  • • Democracy – The ability to communicate is the most important area of learning. In particular, we ensure that our pupils are empowered by giving them opportunities to make choices about the things that they believe to be important.
  • Rule of law – The importance of rules and laws, whether they are those that govern our country or our school are referred to and reinforced regularly during the school day.
  • Individual liberty – Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedom and adults
    within the school community are proactive in building trusting and respectful relationships with the children to boost their self esteem and to enable them to make good, confident choices.
  • Mutual Respect – Showing respect is at the heart of our ethos – respect for individuals, for belongings, for our behaviour is a theme that is closely linked to our core values. We believe in every child’s inclusion, where possible, in a range of activities and settings and locations and we are committed to introducing our children to their wider community beyond the school gates.
  • Tolerance of different faiths and beliefs – Every child and adult within our school community is respected and valued equally without regard to ability, gender, faith, heritage or race. Cultural appreciation and development forms part of our curriculum and we place a great emphasis on providing participation in events and celebrations to broaden all pupils’ experiences and awareness of others.

Assessment

Rigorous assessment and tracking of children’s performance regularly takes place to inform classroom practice. AfL (assessment for learning) is evident; learning objectives, learning outcomes, success criteria and self/peer evaluation are used regularly.

We have a clear tracking and monitoring system in place to ensure that pupils progress and so any learning needs are identified. A wide variety of assessments inform teachers of the next steps and so they can plan for pupil support.

In school:

  • Individual children’s progress is tracked
  • Strengths and weaknesses are identified
  • Immediate intervention is implemented when necessary
  • Data is collected on a regular basis and shared with staff and children
  • Teaching, interventions and revision programmes are adjusted in the light of progress children make
  • Parents and carers are regularly updated on their child’s progress

Health and Well-being

At D’Eyncourt, pupils are supported to develop the self-esteem, awareness and self-confidence required to play an active part in school life and be valued and valuable members of their communities. The emotional health and well-being of all members of our school is fundamental to our philosophy and aims. Our policies and practices are founded in the development and sustenance of a happy, healthy school, where all learning can flourish. When a school promotes positive emotional health and wellbeing, pupils can better understand and express their feelings. This builds their confidence and emotional resilience and therefore their capacity to learn.

Emotional health and well-being cover the spectrum of activities in school and the range of educational and health/ welfare agencies who support our pupils. Our school is proactive in its approach and welcomes opportunities to promote emotional health and well-being through the formal and informal curriculum. The skills knowledge and understanding needed by our pupils to keep themselves and others physically and mentally healthy and safe are included as part of our PSHE Curriculum. We see parental engagement is a vital part of children’s emotional well-health. Therefore, regular opportunities exist to promote partnership with parents and carers in all aspects of school life. For more information regarding our approach to Health and Well-being visit www.deyncourtprimary.org/information/health-and-well-being/

PSHE

At D’Eyncourt, we offer pupils a fantastic approach to PSHE through our Jigsaw scheme. Jigsaw offers a comprehensive Programme for Primary PSHE, including statutory Relationships and Health Education, in a spiral, progressive and fully planned scheme of work, giving children relevant learning experiences to help them navigate their world and to develop positive relationships with themselves and others.With strong emphasis on emotional literacy, building resilience and nurturing mental and physical health. The Jigsaw scheme allows us to deliver engaging and relevant PSHE within a whole-school approach. Jigsaw lessons also include mindfulness allowing children to advance their emotional awareness, concentration and focus.

Jigsaw’s Units of Work are:

  • Being Me in My World
  • Celebrating Difference
  • Dreams and Goals
  • Healthy Me
  • Relationships
  • Changing Me

Curriculum enhancement

We are committed to the broadest educational offering, and that means looking beyond the National Curriculum. A very successful enrichment programme that draws upon a wide range of adult skills is offered through school trips, visiting specialists and themed days and weeks. The programme is planned throughout the year. First-hand experiences in our curriculum are absolutely essential; trips out of school are vital to our children’s understanding of the world and an essential part of our cultural capital. Each class has a trip, local visit, visitor or special experience in school each half term to supplement their subjects. We understand the value of having these experiences appropriately-placed throughout the year to maximise knowledge and learning opportunities and began lines of enquiry as a result of learning from the experience. At D’Eyncourt, we try to offer as many after school activities as possible. The majority of our clubs are free and are offered to as many children as possible. To view our exciting trips, experiences and visitors to school go to www.deyncourtprimary.org/curriculum-overview/

 

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