OUR CURRICULUM
Our Curriculum Vision - B R A C E
Click on BRACE - to learn more about the overarching vision for our curriculum.
At Marion Richardson Primary School, we offer an exciting, rich, challenging and experiential curriculum which inspires learning, identifies talents, promotes achievement and celebrates success.
Our curriculum offer ensures that all our children become engaged, active and responsible citizens who recognise and value their contribution to British society and its institutions and that they gain a perspective of themselves as both local and global citizens.
Our curriculum endeavours to fulfil the potential of every child academically, socially, morally, spiritually and culturally in order to prepare them for the next stage of their education and their life beyond school.
All our children will study the 2014 National Curriculum for both core and foundation stage subjects.
In the Early Years Foundation Stage children will experience the seven areas of learning that are required:
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development
- Communication and Language
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding the World
- Physical Development
- Expressive Art and Design
These areas underpin the organisation of the learning environment; the activities provided for children and the monitoring of children’s’ progress and development.
In Key Stage One and Key Stage Two, children are taught all the elements of the National Curriculum for both core (English, Maths and Science) and foundation subjects (history, geography, music, art, physical education (PE), design technology and religious education).
In our curriculum planning we always endeavour to ensure that activities are matched to the individual needs, development and ability of the children.
Details of the units taught are contained within our curriculum overviews (please click to view):
Progression documents and Learning Journeys
Carefully planned progression documents are in place for all areas of the curriculum. These are supported by learning journeys for each unit.
Please click on the links below for an extract of these that detail how these support the implementation of the curriculum:
Teaching Methods
Teachers in each year group plan meticulously to meet the needs of your child and to satisfy the requirements of the National Curriculum. There are times when an individual child or a small group of children may work with a teacher or an additional adult away from the classroom.
The key to which method is used in our school is a combination of the needs of the children and the requirements of the subject being taught. We will always attempt to match our teaching to the learning styles of our pupils.
English and Maths
All children have a daily maths and English lesson. Maths and English are also taught through other subjects as part of our cross curricular topics and children are provided with opportunities to apply basic skills across the curriculum.
Our approach to the teaching of reading is through group guided reading in class and whole class shared reading, but there are also individual programmes for children who have not yet achieved at least an average standard in reading. Phonics is formally taught in small groups (see section on teaching of reading and phonics). All children are taught spelling as a weekly activity. The school has agreed approaches to the teaching of writing known as Modelled, Shared and Guided Writing.
Please click HERE to look at the 'Statutory Spelling Lists' for children in Years 3 to 6.
For more information about 'Reading at Marion Richardson' please click HERE
Assessment
Children’s progress is assessed against attainment targets and will be formally reported to parents in Parent Consultation meetings during the year and one detailed written report. Informal consultations may take place at other times.
Enriching and Extending Learning
In addition to the compulsory National Curriculum Programmes of Study, the school has a comprehensive programme of enrichment activities. These include
- Residential trips to Stubbers Activity Centre in Essex
- A programme of day trips, visits and visitors in every year group
- A selection of clubs after school
- Cycle training
- Themed days such as World Book Day and Number Day
- Competitive sporting events
- Inclusive inter-school sports days
- Chess
- Reading Partners and Writing Partners
Teaching
Teachers in each year group plan meticulously to meet the needs of your child and to satisfy the requirements of the National Curriculum. Teachers may work with their own class or they may work with children from the whole year group. There are times when an individual child or a small group of children may work with a teacher or learning support assistant away from the classroom.
Often a teacher with a particular expertise, e.g. music and P.E. will take another teacher’s class for a specific lesson.
English and Maths
All children have daily maths and English lessons. Maths and English are also taught through other subjects as part of our wider curriculum.
Please click on the tab below for more information.
Computing
The school has a computer suite with at least one computer per child for computing lessons. Within each classroom, there is a computer attached to a large interactive screen with a visualiser attached. Computers are used to teach computing skills but also to facilitate and enhance learning across the curriculum- we have a range of iPads, chrome books and laptops to enable this.
We aim for the children at Marion Richardson School to become confident, competent, creative and responsible users of technology. They will use their computing skills across many areas of the curriculum to solve problems, investigate ideas and create their own and collaborative pieces of work. Children will experience high quality lessons in computing skills and their lessons will involve a wide range of hardware and software.
Pupils are taught the principles of information and computation through the core of computing: computer science. They learn how digital systems work and are equipped to use information technology to create programs, systems and a range of content: they will be able to analytically and logically solve problems which may arise. Children will become digitally literate: they will be able to use and express themselves and develop their own ideas through information communication technology. They will be discerning in evaluating digital content
Children at Marion Richardson recognise that the internet is an incredibly powerful tool which provides many exciting opportunities but they also understand that there are some risks involved. We teach them to understand these risks and know what to do if they encounter something that makes them feel uncomfortable. Staff and parents also benefit from regular online safety training so that they can teach/support the children about how to stay safe online.
Assessment
Children’s progress is assessed against attainment targets and will be formally reported to parents in Parent Consultation meetings during the year and through a written report in the summer term. Informal consultations may take place at other times.
More information on our approaches can be found on the assessment page. Please click here.