Curriculum Overview

The curriculum at Henry Hinde Infant School is all the planned activities that we organise in order to promote learning and personal growth and development.

It includes statutory requirements, extra-curricular opportunities and the ‘hidden curriculum’ (what children learn from the way they are treated and are expected to behave). Fundamentally its design and content aims to deliver our vision of ‘Be the best you can be!’.

Parents can obtain additional information about the curriculum from the school office.

What are the main principles?

• Our curriculum is built around the principle of greater learner involvement in their work. It requires deep thinking and encourages learners to learn using questions as a starting point.
• Pre-learning tasks ensure that learners are directly involved in the planning process. Well planned pre-learning tasks help to bring out what learners already know; what misconceptions they may have and what really interests them. Teachers use this knowledge to plan learning challenges for each major area of study.
• Continuity and progression in the curriculum will be built around the National Curriculum 2014 and a set of matrices known as ‘Essential Knowledge, Skills and Understanding’ within subject disciplines.
• There is an expectation that teachers apply English, Mathematics and Computing skills where it is appropriate to do so.
• Post-learning tasks give learners time to reflect on and review their learning and is central to our curriculum approach. This is in keeping with the ‘Learning to Learn’ principles where reflectionis seen as a very important part of an individual’s learning journey.

What are the non-negotiables of our curriculum?

It is vital that our school curriculum meets the specific needs of our local community as well as the needs of the national and global community. Therefore, we believe that our curriculum must:

• Be planned and delivered by qualified members of staff;
• Cover all subject content of the Early Years Foundation Stage 2024 and the National Curriculum 2014;
• Be inclusive for all and provide a breadth of experiences, including extra-curricular opportunities (*Family Dynamics);
• Provide a positive learning environment that inspires and excites and empowers learners to work independently in collaboration or individually (*Perceptions);
• Be focused on experiential learning where learners are active in their learning through high-quality first-hand experiences and play-based learning (*Early Childhood Experiences);
• Instill high aspirations for future potential and prepare children well for the next stage of their education and for the world of work (*Employment & Financial Security);
• Provide challenge and support for all learners, regardless of ability and maintain an uncompromising focus on the acquisition of core basic skills in speaking and listening, reading, writing and mathematics (*Baseline);
• Provide high quality feedback to all at every stage in the learning process (*Expectations).

*Key features of the schools local community that need to be supported/challenged through curriculum provision.

What is covered in our curriculum?

To ensure our curriculum meets national expectations, all year groups:

• Deliver the full subject content of national curriculum provision to ensure progression within and between year groups – Reception follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum; Year One and Two follow the National Curriculum 2014;
• Deliver the curriculum using the Focus Education ‘Learning Challenge’ enquiry based learning approach;
• Teach thematically wherever possible to give learning meaning and purpose – either whole school or year group themes;
• Use ReadWriteInc. to plan and teach phonics and early reading skills;
• Ensure that all learners have weekly opportunities to learn with support, unaided and away from the point of teaching;
• English and Mathematics are taught in discrete lessons (theme linked where appropriate) and children are given weekly opportunities to apply these skills throughout the curriculum;
• Cover the six predominant faiths of the world in Religious Education (RE) – these are Christianity; Judaism; Hinduism; Buddhism; Sikhism and Islam;
• Deliver Sex and Relationship Education (SRE) throughout the curriculum which is supported by discrete teaching in weekly sessions within (PSHCE) and between (Family Circle, Assembly) year groups focusing on similarities and differences, sharing feelings, recognising safe and unsafe situations and identifying and being able to talk to someone they trust;
• Deliver the ‘Taking Care’ project annually when children learn about personal safety and protective behaviours;
• Plan resources, trips, visitors and events to bring learning to life;
• Assess learner ability in an on-going way and use this evidence to form termly judgments about what each child can do and what they need to be able to do next to move their learning forward;
• Apply national assessment arrangements – Reception complete a baseline assessment on entry and the Foundation Stage Profile, Year One complete the Phonics Screening Check.