Curriculum Overview
Learning together, Growing together, Aiming high
Our school aims to provide its children with a wide and varied curriculum which allows them to have as many experiences as possible to help them to be engaged and actively involved in their education.
It is a school where all children are encouraged to express ideas and opinions, to look beyond themselves, to be independent, where a lifelong love of learning is the norm and all children reach their full potential, academically, socially and emotionally, in a rich, non-judgemental and supportive learning environment, providing high-quality education where all are challenged.
Curriculum 2013
In September 2013 the revised National Curriculum came into effect. The National Curriculum lies at the heart of the Government’s policy to raise standards. It determines the content of what will be taught.
Learning Challenge Curriculum
At Highwoods we use The Learning Challenge approach – it has helped us to match the curriculum to the needs of our children – it brings engagement and life into our curriculum. The key to its success is getting it right for our school, and keeping it under review to ensure it does not become routine.
Our imaginative curriculum successfully builds on pupils’ skills and knowledge as they move through the school. It meets the needs and interests of all pupils because it is effectively linked to national and local events. The imaginative curriculum underpins effective teaching across the whole school. Subjects are creatively linked and teachers present exciting activities which fire pupils’ enthusiasm. Learning in our school is fun, because every day is different.
Highwoods adopted a more skills-based ‘challenge’ curriculum which pupils enjoy and gain much from. Teachers are constantly adapting our ‘challenge’ curriculum and are teaching it with skill and enthusiasm.
Subjects are linked cohesively, giving meaning and purpose to pupils’ learning. Opportunities to extend pupils’ reading, writing and mathematical skills through other subjects are utilised regularly and effectively.
Stimulating writing tasks, often based on interesting and innovative questions, are helping to raise standards. The ‘challenge’ curriculum addresses pupils’ learning needs well by providing frequent opportunities for problem solving and skills development.
English
English is delivered through a text-led approach. Each class plans for literacy activities using a chosen book as the stimulus. The text can be fiction or non-fiction, classic or modern. Older children study the same book in detail for a term, whereas the text is changed more frequently for younger children.
The text is chosen to link to the learning challenge and follows a similar theme.
Speaking, reading and writing (including grammar and spelling) activities are inspired by the text and opportunities for drama are planned for.
There is a focus on writing across the curriculum with audience and purpose made explicit.
Phonics
The school uses Read Write Inc. Phonics as its foundation for phonics teaching.
This edition of Read Write Inc. Phonics draws upon experience gained in more than 4000 schools over 10 year
- More than phonics – integrated comprehension, writing, grammar, spelling, vocabulary and handwriting
- Engaging partner work, role-play and drama so every child participates in the whole lesson
- Brand new Storytime and Poetry Time to develop children’s knowledge of traditional tales and a wide range of poetry
- Simple assessment, clear tracking and straightforward grouping so every child learns rapidly at the right level
- Sustained Professional Development from Ruth Miskin Training to create an outstanding team of teachers.
Reading
Reading is at the heart of our curriculum. We immerse children in high-quality texts to instil a love for reading, a passion for discovery and a confidence to explore their imagination through our text-led curriculum.
We value reading as a key life skill and we are dedicated to enabling our children to become life-long readers. Through reading, our children have the opportunity to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually.
Our core reading scheme is Oxford Reading Tree but this is supplemented by books from other publishers. We foster a love of reading and children take books home from our school library to share their reading activities with their parents.
Mathematics Mastery at Highwoods
We continue to develop mastery in mathematics Highwoods
Underpinning our whole curriculum is high expectations of all pupils and ensuring that all pupils are offered a rich diet of content appropriate to their age.
Within Maths our curriculum is cumulative and works in cycles which allow for greater opportunity to revisit and deepen pupils understanding around concepts and aspects of mathematics. It is also interconnected through pupils being required to recall knowledge and facts, as well as applying their skills and knowledge across the curriculum.
All pupils work towards the same learning intention ensuring high expectation and access for all. In some classrooms you will see some pupils who may be working towards the intended objective as the adult will have used assessment for learning in order to judge where the pupils’ knowledge base is.
Our ‘Growth Mindset’ approach, empowers pupils to become resilient and learn from their mistakes and see them as part of the learning process. This is true for all pupils regardless of their starting point or current attainment.
Science
The science curriculum is delivered through out Learning Challenge approach, it may be the main focus for the half-term’s work or may run alongside the main theme. Other aspects of the curriculum are linked to and are included in our science work – such as maths, design technology and writing
The approach demands pupils to be inquisitive and to raise their own questions as well as answer the. Each unit links with an excellent quality text and provides additional support for the English curriculum. The units provide learners with subject specific vocabulary and the sticky knowledge for the topic.
Humanities – History and Geography
The humanities curriculum is delivered through out Learning Challenge approach, it may be the main focus for the half-term’s work or may run alongside the main theme. Other aspects of the curriculum are linked to and are included in our humanities work – such as maths, design technology art, music and writing.
The approach demands pupils to be inquisitive and to raise their own questions as well as answer the. Each unit links with an excellent quality text and provides additional support for the English curriculum. The units provide learners with subject specific vocabulary and the sticky knowledge for the topic.
Religious Education
Religious Education is taught as part of the Doncaster Agreed Syllabus delivered through our Discovery RE programme of work – and enquiry based approach that dovetails with our Learning Challenge curriculum. :
Discovery RE
- makes RE a learning experience to look forward to;
- provides a safe enquiry space;
- encourages deep questioning;
- enhances critical thinking and evaluation skills;
- supports spiritual development
- equips children to celebrate diversity
Click here to see an overview of the units
Music
The Charanga scheme is the foundation of our music curriculum.
The learning in our curriculum is based on:
- Listening and Appraising;
- Musical Activities — creating and exploring;
- Singing and Performing
All children have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument in school – currently in Year 3 this is the recorder and in Year 5 the ukulele.
Each key stage has weekly singing assemblies and music forms a key element of our Harvest Festival and Christmas productions.
Children have the opportunity to perform to a wider audience through our involvement with Young Voices, Sing to Sing and the Big Sing.
Art & Design, Design Technology
These are incorporated into our Learning Challenges but there may be other times when specific skills are taught in these areas.
Computing
Our computing curriculum is delivered through our Switched on Computing creative units. These units are half-termly and include programming and computational thinking. There is a clear progression of skills from Year 1 to Year 6. Our curriculum embeds e-Safety to ensure safe and responsible use of technology
Click here to see an overview of the units.
PE
Our Your-PE programme focuses on the development of agility, balance and coordination, healthy competition and cooperative learning. The skills progression-based learning, the level of challenge for more-able children and the self-assessment tools in particular enable our pupils to take real ownership of their own development. Pupils thoroughly enjoy PE and Sport and have gain enormous self-confidence and invaluable teamwork, coordination and spatial awareness skills through the real PE approach.
Units of work focus on:
- Gymnastics
- Dance
- Football
- Basketball
- Netball
- Hockey
- Tag rugby
- Cricket
- OAA
- Athletics
- Yoga
- Volleyball
- Tennis
Children in Years 4 and 5 have swimming tuition. This is a one-hour session for 12 weeks. This is a temporary measure to enable catch-up after covid.
Languages – French
French is taught through Key Stage 2 we focus on speaking, listening and verbal communication skills, with some written French in upper key stage 2.
PSHCE
PSHCE education contributes to personal development by helping children to build their personal identities, confidence and self-esteem, make career choices and understand what influences their decisions including financial ones. Developing self-understanding, empathy and the ability to work with others will help young people to enjoy healthy and productive relationships in all aspects of their lives.
The school uses Jigsaw PSHE as the basis of its PSHCE curriculum – Jigsaw 3-11 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, Jigsaw 3-11 properly equips schools 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.
Curriculum Intent, Implementation and Impact Statements
Intent refers to what we teach and why we teach it – our curriculum is a framework for setting out the aims of a programme of education, including the knowledge and skills to be gained at each stage
Implementation is what it looks like in practice in the classroom.
Impact is the detailed knowledge and skills that the children acquire across the whole curriculum.
Below are links to the Intent, Implementation and Impact statements for our curriculum subjects:
Click on the button to the left to view our overarching Curriculum Intent, Implementation and Impact Statement
Click on the buttons below to view the individual subject Intent, Implementation and Impact Statements