At Pemberley Academy, we have a thematic approach to our curriculum where each year group is working on a specific topic either termly or half-termly. The curriculum is planned around this topic, making links across a range of subject areas where possible. Teachers plan the curriculum to ensure children are building on from previous knowledge and lessons are knowledge and skills based.
Curriculum
At Pemberley Academy, our early years curriculum is based around the Areas of Learning. These areas are part of the Early Years Foundation Stage that guides children from birth to 5 years of age.
As the children begin to learn to read they start by learning the 44 letter sounds which is taught following the Letters and Sounds programme, incorporating elements of Jolly Phonics and Read, write, Inc.. Phonics is taught daily, often utilising Phonics Play which is an online interactive website to teach phonic development. As the children’s reading becomes more proficient they are introduced to a wide range of reading schemes, including Bug Club and Rigby Stars whose reading bands are followed until the children become ’Free Readers’.
Areas of Learning and Development in the Early Years
There are seven areas of learning and development that the early years curriculum is built upon. These areas are often connected and taught alongside each other using a range of play based and adult led provision. Three areas are particularly crucial for igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, and for building their capacity to learn, form relationships and thrive.
These three areas which are the prime areas consist of:
- Communication and Language – giving children opportunities to experience a rich language environment; to develop their confidence and skills in expressing themselves; and to speak and listen in a range of situations.
- Physical Development – opportunities for young children to be active and interactive; and to develop their co-ordination, control, and movement. Children must also be helped to understand the importance of physical activity, and to make healthy choices in relation to food.
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development – helping children to develop a positive sense of themselves, and others; to form positive relationships and develop respect for others; to develop social skills and learn how to manage their feelings; to understand appropriate behaviour in groups; and to have confidence in their own abilities.
Children are also supported in four specific areas, through which the three prime areas are strengthened and applied. The specific areas are:
- Literacy – encouraging children to link sounds and letters and to begin to read and write. Children must be given access to a wide range of reading materials (books, poems, and other written materials) to ignite their interest.
- Mathematics – providing children with opportunities to develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems; and to describe shapes, spaces, and measures.
- Understanding the World – guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community through opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology and the environment.
- Expressive Arts and Design – enabling children to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials, as well as providing opportunities and encouragement for sharing their thoughts, ideas and feelings through a variety of activities in art, music, movement, dance, role-play, and design and technology.
Children begin to follow the National Curriculum in Year 1 and this continues until they leave us in Year 6.
Pemberley pupils are taught the subjects of the National Curriculum which include English, Mathematics, Science, Computing, Art and Design History, Geography, Music, Physical Education, Personal Social Health and Education (PSHE), RSE and Religious Education. In order to achieve a balanced curriculum – i.e. to ensure that each subject area is given sufficient prominence and that the skills, concepts and knowledge in each subject are introduced and developed in a structured way – we base each term’s work upon a long term plan. The curriculum has been designed to promote children for life in modern Britain.
The teaching of English and Maths is taught during the two daily lessons of approximately an hour’s duration each, unless extenuating circumstances. The statutory Programmes of Study of the National Curriculum are taught but as with all our teaching it is also led by the pupils’ knowledge, needs and continuing teachers’ assessments.
Many subject areas are taught in an integrated way wherever possible, using themes or topics to give a focus to learning. However, where such an integration of subjects cannot be achieved in a cohesive way, during a particular term, then these are taught separately for that term. Parents are informed of the topics for each term through each class’ Curriculum News and the school website.
For all other subjects, there are progression grids in place to sequence learning across EYFS, KS1 and Key Stage 2. Teachers use these documents as a starting point for their planning along with our Teaching and Learning Policy, and our Curriculum Intent documents in each subject, to design sequences of lessons. These progression grids are available from the school on request.
All these documents are working documents; they are reviewed regularly and adapted as necessary to ensure they best serve the current cohort of pupils and reflect our current thinking about each subject.
Why is Relationships and Health education important?
– It helps to keep pupils safe. RHE gives pupils the knowledge to tell right from wrong, and the
skills to assess risk and seek support if they are worried. Giving pupils the language to
describe genitals helps to keep them safe. If someone touches them inappropriately, they
can seek help from an adult and accurately describe what is happening.
– It gives pupils information and skills to make healthy choices. Pupils need to have knowledge
about what is healthy and what is not, but also the skills to be able to use this information.
RHE provides the perfect environment for pupils to practice these skills safely.
– It promotes tolerance and respect. This fits in with the requirement to promote British
Values and our own school ethos. We want pupils to become adults who are accepting of all
people, even if their way of life is not the same as their own.
– It prepares pupils for the changes of puberty. Some pupils will begin the changes of puberty
in year 4, some later. Every pupil will experience these changes at some point and needs to
be prepared.
– It allows children to develop the skills to form and maintain healthy relationships. Whether
friendships, family, or future work relationships, every pupil needs these skills in order to
function effectively in society.
– Ensuring safe and effective RHE
Teachers will use their professional judgement when responding to pupils’ questions.
The most important thing is that pupils receive information that supports them in making safe and
healthy choices. Not answering questions, or dismissing them could mean that pupils will
seek answers on the internet where they could receive information that is inaccurate or potentially
harmful, or not age-appropriate. All questions that raise safeguarding or child protection concerns will
be dealt with in accordance to relevant school policies
Overview of Discovery Health and Relationships programme
We use the Discovery Health and Relationships programme because it has been written by expert practitioners in the field, has age-appropriate content for each year group, has high quality and engaging video content as well as lots of interactive learning activities. It fits with our school values and ethos and covers statutory elements of the DFE RSHE guidance.
Show us what you know
Show Us What You Know is a set of learning frames designed to help children present their learning their way. Each frame helps develop important skills such as categorizing, ordering, comparing and contrasting. They are also well-established revision tools, which help children to recall and retrieve information and build long term memory. Children are very much encouraged to take ownership of the information and design of the frames in their books, choosing the colour, layout, text and symbols they want to add, so they can recall the information in a way that is unique to them.
