Curriculum Rationale

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 that 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 that is well planned and 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 use 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 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 practices 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 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, 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 broaden each child’s experience and deepen their understanding.

Impact: what difference is our curriculum making to pupils?

The impact of our curriculum is evaluated through the 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.

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

Assessment

Rigorous assessment and tracking of children’s performance regularly take 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

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 a 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

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 community 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 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 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/

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 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/

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 visitors 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 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.

Teachers

• Become more knowledgeable.
• Have higher levels of confidence in delivering all areas of the curriculum.
• Can give senior leaders and subject leads feedback about what is working well.
• Are acutely aware of how children are coping with the taught content.*
• Teach consistently well; applying sound pedagogical 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.
• This 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).