Curriculum Rationale
Each curriculum areas has been carefully mapped out using a ‘road map’ so it is clear what units children will learn about through each phase at D’Eyncourt. This document is underpinned by the progression of skills documents and vocabulary builders so it is clear what steps children need to learn in each phase. Concept maps have also been developed to share how ideas can link across topics and across subjects. Subject leaders work with the curriculum lead to enhance their subject with trips, visitors and extra curricular activities. Read more about each subject here: https://www.deyncourtprimary.org/curriculum/our-subjects/
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 our engaging curriculum.
MATHS: At D’Eyncourt, we ensure our children have access to a high quality, a 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 (with cross-curricular links) which will enable them to make the connections in learning that are needed to enjoy greater depth understanding.
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.
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.
COMPUTING: 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.
DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY: Our Design and Technology curriculum 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, production and then evaluation.
GEOGRAPHY: Children 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, our pupils understand and feel part of their local area, their country and the wider world, and wonder at the richness and diversity of human culture. We teach children how to weigh evidence, distinguish facts and opinions, empathise with people from the past and consider their own values.
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.
MUSIC: We provide a high-quality music education. During the year, children experience a wide range of genres and a broad and balanced curriculum for music is in place. We adopt the online scheme of work, Charanga, which provides current and relevant material to the children. This allows all children to develop their singing, listening, composing and performance skills.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION: Our curriculum, with the support of the Wolves foundation, 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 sporting competitions which helps embed values such as fairness and respect
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION: Our Religious Education curriculum 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.
PSHE: At D’Eyncourt, we follow the 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.
Health and Wellbeing – A whole school approach
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 community are fundamental to our philosophy and aims. Our policies and practices are founded on the development and sustenance of a happy, healthy school, where all learning can flourish. Teaching pupils about physical health and mental well-being is to give them the information that they need to make good decisions about their own health and well-being. It enables them to recognise what is normal and what is an issue in themselves and others and, when issues arise, know how to seek support as early as possible from appropriate sources. Physical health and mental well-being are interlinked, and it is important that our pupils understand that good physical health contributes to good mental well-being and vice versa.Emotional health and well-being cover the spectrum of activities in school and the range of educational and health/ welfare agencies that 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 partnerships with parents and carers in all aspects of school life.
Healthy – Having the highest attainable standards of physical and mental health and support in learning how to make healthy and safe choices
- I can express my feelings and talk about them to others
- I know that we all experience a variety of thoughts and emotions that affect how we feel and behave
- I know who I can talk to when I need help and advice
- I understand that talking to others is important for my mental health and wellbeing
- I understand the value of a good nights sleep to support a healthy lifestyle
- I understand the importance of a balanced diet and exercise for a healthy body and mind
Nurtured – Having a nurturing place to live and attend, with additional help if needed
- I know who I can talk to when I need help and advice
- I understand the importance of friendships and building positive relationships
- I know that we all experience a variety of thoughts and emotions that affect how we feel and behave
- I know that friendship, caring, sharing, fairness, equality and love are important in building relationships
- I understand the importance of mental
Mindful – Having opportunities to play active and responsible roles in school
- I can express my feelings and talk about them
- I know that we all experience a variety of thoughts and emotions that affect how we feel and behave
- I know that friendship, caring, sharing, fairness, equality and love are important in building rela-tionships
- I understand the importance of mental wellbeing and this can be nurtured through positive relation-ships and personal coping skills.
- I understand that people can feel alone and can be misunderstood and left out by others
- I am learning to give appropriate support to others
- I recognise that each individual has their own talents and abilities
Responsible – Having opportunities to play active and responsible roles in school
- I can express my feelings and talk about them to others
- I know that we all experience a variety of thoughts and emotions that affect how we feel and behave
- I know that friendship, caring, sharing, fairness, equality and love are important in building relationships
- I understand the importance of mental well-being and this can be nurtured through positive relationships and personal coping skills
- I understand that people can feel alone and can be misunderstood and left out by others
- I am learning to give appropriate support to others
- I recognise that each individual has their own talents and abilities
Safe – Being protected from abuse, neglect or harm at home, at school and in the community
- I can express my feelings and talk about them to others
- I know who I can talk to when I need help and advice
- I understand that talking to others is important for my mental health and wellbeing
- I understand that my feelings and reactions can change depending on what is happening around me. This helps me to understand my own behaviour and the way others behave
- I understand the importance of mental well-being and this can be nurtured through positive relationships and personal coping skills.
- I am learning skills that will support me in challenging times, particularly in times of change
Achieving – Being supported and guided in learning and developing skills, confidence in my own abilities and self-esteem
- I am aware of my abilities and how I need to work on my insecurities
- I am learning ways to cope with uncertainty and hope to cope in certain situations
- I am learning skills and strategies to support my academic achievements
- I understand the importance of positivity and gratefulness
- I understand the value of a good nights sleep to support a healthy lifestyle
- I understand the importance of a balanced diet and exercise for a healthy body and mind
- I recognise that each individual has their own talents and abilities
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 learn-ing 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 British Values. We there-fore 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/
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 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 trips, experiences and visitor see www.deyncourtprimary.org/curriculum-overview
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 enable them to make good, confident choices.
- Mutual Respect – Showing respect is at the heart of our ethos – respect for individuals, for belongings, and 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.
How do we know that our curriculum is having the desired impact?
Teachers
- Become more knowledgeable.
- Have higher levels of confidence in delivering all areas of the curriculum.
- Can give senior leaders and subject leads feed-back about what is working well.
- Are acutely aware of how children are coping with the taught content.*
- Teach consistently well; applying sound peda-gogical practices in all lessons.
- Plan coherent learning journeys based on the unit overviews.
- Seek support from subject leads when they are less confident
Children
- Can talk with confidence about what they have learned, using correct terminology.
- Are enthused and interested in a wide range of curriculum areas.
- Can talk about the specific characteristics of subjects and the disciplines associated with them.
- Can show adults examples of their learning and describe the ‘why’ behind work they have produced.
- Demonstrate good learning behaviours in all lessons.
- Are able to explain how their learning within a subject builds on previous learning.
- Are able to make thoughtful links between subjects.
- Can all access, enjoy and make progress within the curriculum – regardless of their starting points, or any additional needs they may have
Children’s Work
- Demonstrates that they take pride in what they produce. Children show the same effort as they would in Maths or English, for example.
- Captures their increasing understanding of key concepts within each subject.
- Illustrates their developing understanding of the disciplines of each subject, as well as the declarative knowledge content.
- Shows that a coherent teaching sequence has taken place within each unit of work.
- Demonstrates our curriculum’s emphasis on subject-specific terminology.
Visitors and Governors
- Give us positive feedback about pupil engagement and behaviour in lessons.
- Comment on the high-quality work that they see.
- Report that leaders are clear about strengths and weaknesses, and have clear plans to address areas for development.
Parents and Carers
- Give us positive feedback about their children’s attitudes to school.
- Share examples of when their children have been enthused by the curriculum (e.g. they’ve been talking about learning at home, or carrying out their own research because of their interest).
*The curriculum is the progression model and is pitched to be appropriately challenging. Therefore, if teachers know that children are coping well and are able to demonstrate their understanding, then we know it is working and that children are making progress.
