Curriculum Statement
We follow the National Primary Curriculum in a way that best suits our Seven Hills children.
Curriculum Overview
We deliver a broad and balanced curriculum, which caters for the needs of all our children. Through our bespoke Intent (VALUED), our children are provided with a bespoke curriculum that comprises high achievement, solid foundations of knowledge e.g. times-tables, first-hand experiences, books linked to topics and an investigative approach. At Seven Hills Primary School, we believe that active and engaged children learn best. The National Curriculum subjects taught are: Core subjects - English, Mathematics, Science, Computing and RE. Foundation subjects - Design Technology, Geography, History, Art, Music, PSHCE and Physical Education. In addition to our VALUED Intent, our Mindmate curriculum ensures our children have the resilience, determination, hard work and bravery, within a supportive environment, to succeed as high attaining learners.
Literacy skills are used through all areas of the curriculum.
Reading
At Seven Hills we love reading and we strive to develop a love for reading in our children. Since the introduction of the new curriculum in 2014 there are higher expectations for children in reading. We have many strategies to improve your child’s reading throughout their time at Seven Hills, these include: the children being heard reading regularly in class every week; children taking home their reading book on a daily basis; phonics teaching (in conjunction with spellings for older children) throughout school; daily phonics sessions in Foundation Stage and Key Stage One; weekly guided reading sessions for all children; and, a weekly reading comprehension. In addition, the reading books scheme is organised in to Year Group sections that get progressively more challenging in order to maintain your child’s motivation and extend their reading ability and understanding.
In EYFS and Key Stage 1, phonics teaching follows the letters and sounds scheme of work. The reading schemes used are Rigby Rocket, Oxford Reading Tree, Project X and Songbirds.
Below are some useful websites you may wish to explore to help your child with reading at home.
Should you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact school.
Writing
Writing is an integral part of all areas of the curriculum. Children are involved in writing for many different purposes and in different ways. We place an emphasis on helping children to become ‘good spellers’ and to develop a fluent handwriting style. Weekly IMPROVE writing lessons encourage our pupils to use skills they have learned in Literacy Units and agree upon their next writing targets.
Spellings
To view spellings for your child's year group please click appropriate link below.
Math's
Math's is taught in throughout the school using the Schools Calculation policy to inform our planning and ensure the children continually progress well and attain high. Through the use of specific methods and resources, children understand the practical uses of Math's in a variety of real life problems and reasoning situations. We ensure that the children understand their math's learning as well as making it engaging for all. We complete weekly counts, times-tables, arithmetic cards and speed tests to ensure that children have the basic knowledge to fully move on their mathematical understanding.
Science
Science is taught through active involvement in practical work. We aim to develop children’s understanding and skills as they progress through school. They are involved in investigating in order to find out about the variety of life, materials and physical processes. We encourage the children to use a questioning approach to the world they live in. Linked closely to our science curriculum is sustainability.
Religious Education
We promote the spiritual, moral, cultural and physical development of our children. We encourage the children to understand the culture and religion of others, where they will respect themselves, other people and peoples, and the environment. Collective worship takes place on a daily basis, and religious education is taught in class.
Parents who wish to withdraw their child from the Religious Education curriculum may do so by arrangement with the Head Teacher. Children will be expected to join a parallel class and work on aspects from the curriculum excluding Religious Education.
Foundation Subjects Overview
The Foundation Subjects Curriculum ensures that there are varied opportunities for greater depth learning in specific subjects. In addition, the children recognise how their current learning builds on their previous learning - this can be seen clearly in the Foundation Subjects Overview. Similar to core subjects, the Foundation Subjects have clear year group planning and assessment criteria which further ensures opportunity for greater depth learning – as can be seen in the Curriculum subject areas.
The love of learning through reading is further enhanced through the linking of class books/novels to topics e.g. Rainforests to The Jungle Book; The Romans to The Thieves of Ostia and Human Rights to Trash. For further details click on Curriculum Information for Parents.
Physical Education and Sport
The emphasis in our Physical Education program is on individual effort and achievement and on the development of personal skills, which enable children to work as part of a team when necessary. We have a wide variety of P.E. equipment, which is used to help children to develop the skills they need in athletics, games, gymnastics and dance. We also have a large hall, a large sports court (with canopy) and a large main field.
Sporting Activities
We consider sport to be an important aspect of school life. Our PE policy gives details of all physical education activity available. In summary this includes:
- swimming in Yr 4
- an entitlement set out in the National Curriculum orders
- out of school activities
- residential, outdoor pursuit experience for Yr 6 pupils
- inter-school competitions
- swimming gala
- co-operative multi-activity sports days
We believe that good habits should be nurtured and developed throughout a child’s time with us.
Swimming
Year 4 children attend Morley Leisure Centre weekly (excluding the first and last week of each term). The expectation is for all children to be able to swim 25 metres.
Outdoor Education
As part of our Outdoor Education program we offer our Year 6 children the opportunity to have a residential visit to an Outdoor Education Centre. In accordance with our charging policy the children are required to pay some of the cost of the visit which is kept to a minimum amount.
The Arts
The Arts, including drama, dance, art and music, play an important part in school life. Our Arts curriculum not only focuses on the teaching of skills but also on individual children and groups responding to experiences and representing them uniquely in different ways. We aim to enable children to use their senses to interpret their world.
There are many opportunities for children to develop their musical abilities. All children are involved in a musical performance each year which are shown to parents and the rest of the school. KS2 attend Young Voices and sing as part of the 5000 strong school choir. As part of our community links the school also perform four times each year at Morley Methodist Church and children perform each term to the Morley Elderly Action Group at Morley Town Hall.
Personal, Social Health and Citizenship Education
We place an emphasis on promoting healthy minds and bodies and equipping children with skills to live together peacefully. This aspect of the curriculum is very much integrated into our everyday teaching and will often be seen as ‘how’ we teach. We group children to promote socialisation whilst also sometimes grouping different levels of ability.
We feel it is important for children to acquire skills such as listening, respecting and understanding in order to promote self-confidence and self-esteem. This in turn helps the children in their relationships with each other, and in their academic attainment. Circle Time meditation and yoga are often performed by our children and gives each child an opportunity to listen to others and be listened to. They also enhance our children’s mental wellbeing.
Relationships and Sex Education
Seven Hills Primary School believes that Relationships and Sex Education in this school will be developmental, reinforcing and building upon work done in PSHCE, RE and Biology, and will provide a foundation for further work in secondary school.
Year 5 and 6 RSE at Seven Hills Primary School provides a basic knowledge about the processes of reproduction and the nature of relationships. It helps children to understand the emotional and physical changes that occur in puberty so that they have knowledge of what will happen and why.
The Relationships and Sex Education program will reflect the school ethos by encouraging the following values:
- respect for self
- respect for others
- responsibility for own actions
- responsibility in relation to their family, friends, school and the wider community.
