Curriculum

Southam Primary School Learning Traits

To be a successful learner the children at Southam Primary School know that they have to:

Enjoy learning

Be imaginative

Practise

Show determination

Concentrate

Be curious

Co-operate

Improve

These are the learning traits that the children suggested and then agreed were needed to be successful learners.

 In Key Stage 1 children are encouraged to acquire a love of books. Books are used to stimulate children's imaginations. We introduce children to the conventions of books, reading from left to right, turning pages, identifying authors, illustrators, contents pages etc. Whilst following the Letters and Sounds and  Read, Write, Inc. programme for phonics, children also build a sight vocabulary, which is supported by the Oxford Reading Tree scheme. The school is moving to all year groups being taught phonics through the Read Write Inc phonics scheme in September 2022. We place high importance on teaching children how to decode through daily phonics lessons (including in KS2 where required).

Southam Primary School Genres Overview

Southam Primary School Reading and Writing Overview- Early Years 

Southam Primary School Writing Skills and Knowledge Progression Overview

 

Mathematicians at Southam Primary:

Are able to make connections within mathematics;

Use a broad range of skills in using and applying mathematics;

Have fluent knowledge and recall of number facts and the number system;

Show initiative in solving problems in a wide range of contexts; 

Are able to reason and generalise;

Demonstrate fluency when carrying outwritten and mental calculations;

Can use a range of mathematical vocabulary.

Southam Primary School Maths Skills and Knowledge Progression Overview

Scientists at Southam Primary School:

Can suggest ways you can plan and carry out a scientific investigation;

Can explain what has happened in an investigation using scientific vocabulary;

Are curious, ask questions and think about how to work scientifically to find answers; 

Are resilient, they know that sometimes the first method used to find an answer to a question may not work;

Appreciate the contribution of great scientists to the world of science. 

Southam Primary School Science Skills and Knowledge Progression Overview

Scientists Across The Curriculum 

Historians at Southam Primary School:

Understand and talk about different people and events from different historical periods;

Understand chronology; 

Find out about different periods of history using a range of sources- internet, books, oral;

Have a sense of curiosity about the past; 

Understand how events in history have shaped the world that we live in.

Southam Primary School History Skills and Knowledge Progression Overview

Southam Primary School Geography Skills and Knowledge Progression Overview

Artists at Southam Primary School:

Can use art as a way to communicate;

Can draw and paint confidentially and with imagination from observation, memory and imagination;

Can use a range of materials, techniques and processes to create pieces of art;

Can reflect and evaluate their work and that of others;

Appreciate and discuss the work of a range of artists.

Southam Primary School Art and Design Skills and Knowledge Progression Overview

Southam Primary School Artists Overview 

Musicians at Southam Primary School can:

Improvise and compose music;

Play, sing and perform with accuracy and expression;

Appreciate different musical traditions and genres;

Appreciate the contribution of great musicians and composers to the world of music;

use musical vocabulary effectively, accurately and appropriately.

 

 

Music Curriculum

Intent

The National Curriculum for music aims to ensure that all children:

·        perform, listen to, review and evaluate music

·        be taught to sing, create and compose music

·        understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated

We want our children to appreciate a wide range of music, from varying genres, and be able to perform with instruments confidently in groups and by themselves.

The music curriculum is tailored to the specific needs of the children at this school. Through qualitative research, including interviewing staff, children and parents, it is evident that the children have limited exposure to varying genres of music, apart from some music heard on the radio or television. The school intent is to give children a level playing field.

At Southam Primary, children gain a firm understanding of what music is through: listening, singing, playing, evaluating, analysing, and composing across a wide variety of historical periods, styles, traditions, and musical genres. We are committed to developing a curiosity for the subject, as well as an understanding and acceptance of the validity and importance of all types of music, and an unbiased respect for the role that music may wish to be expressed in any person’s life. We are committed to ensuring children understand the value and importance of music in the wider community and are able to use their musical skills, knowledge, and experiences to involve themselves in music, in a variety of different contexts.

Sharing our musical skills with the local community is a huge part of this school; we have links with care homes in the areas and children also have the opportunity to perform with their peers from the other SVMAT schools.

Implementation

We want teachers to be confident when teaching and discussing music with our children and to open their eyes to the wider musical world.

The music curriculum ensures children sing, listen, play, perform and evaluate. This is embedded throughout the school curriculum with classroom teachers with strong subject knowledge as well as peripatetic learning taking place in Key Stage Two. The use of the UpBeat program from the Warwickshire Music Hub ensures that the children can learn an instrument from a professional teacher. This enables them to play in solo and ensemble contexts. Directed by the music co-ordinator, year groups show strong cross-curricular links, especially with topic, where children can be found; singing Viking Chants; composing music to ‘going on a bear hunt’; studying Holst’s ‘The Planets’; singing sea-shanties as well as many other topic links.

They also learn how to compose, focusing on different dimensions of music, which in turn feeds their understanding when listening, playing, or analysing music. Composing or performing using body percussion and vocal sounds is also part of the curriculum, which develops the understanding of musical elements without the added complexity of an instrument. These aspects of the curriculum also benefit from specialist teaching from the Warwickshire Music Hub.

Progression grids show the music progression throughout the school from EYFS up to Year Six and these are cross-referenced with the work produced by these year groups. Key skills are also split over the year and are closely monitored to ensure coverage and progression over the academic year, with feedback given to teachers to ensure coverage. A portfolio of progression also demonstrates the expectations of each year group and can be witnessed by any member of staff to aid their planning.

Music is celebrated on many occasions throughout the year including: weekly singing assemblies; class assemblies; visits from national music groups; winter and summer performances; singing playgrounds; visits to local care homes and shops; as well as other performances in the local area.

Impact

We want children to not only develop their practical instrument skills, but also to gain an insight into how and why music is created in a certain way. We want them to form their own opinions and feel confident to critique the music of others.

How the music curriculum improves knowledge and skills

The music curriculum at this school is high quality: it ensures the children gain a rich understanding and have many opportunities to widen their knowledge. The children are invited to show off the learning by performing to their peers and feel proud of their newly gained skills. Pupils express a high level of engagement in the music curriculum and enjoy their varied experiences.

The integral nature of music and the learner creates an enormously rich palette from which a child may access fundamental abilities such as: achievement, self-confidence, interaction with and awareness of others, and self-reflection. Music will also develop an understanding of culture and history, both in relation to children individually, as well as ethnicities from across the world. Children are able to enjoy music in as many ways as they choose – either as listener, creator or performer. They can dissect music and comprehend its parts. They can sing and feel a pulse. They have an understanding of how to further develop skills less known to them, should they ever develop an interest in their lives

Cultural Capital and Music

Music  is interpretive and allows children to lean through the expression of others (music appreciation) and themselves in creating their own compositions. In connection with St James’ church, spiritual songs form the main singing at the festivals of Harvest, Christmas and Easter. By organising visits by various artists ranging from Tudor ensembles to string quartets, the children gain a wide cultural awareness and learn about different points of history across the world. Weekly assemblies focus on songs to do with friendship, equality and navigating life, along with an introduction to the life and works of a diverse range of composers. We sing songs from a variety of cultural backgrounds and constantly update our catalogue.

Southam Primary School Music Skills and Knowledge Progression Overview

Music and British Values at Southam Primary School

Users of Technology at Southam Primary School:

Use technology safely;

Can design and write programs; 

Can collect and organise data;

Can navigate the internet;

Can use media creatively for different purposes.

Southam Primary School Computing Skills and Knowledge Progression Overview

On line safety overview (updated in response Covid-19)

Designers at Southam Primary School:

Have imaginative and original ideas;

are willing to try out new ideas;

Carry out research and plan designs;

Use different tools, equipment and materials;

Evaluate designs and look for ways to improve them;

Apply mathematical skills to designs. 

Physically active children at Southam Primary:

Have high levels of physical fitness;

Know how to lead a healthy lifestyle; 

Are willing to practise skills in a wide range of different activities and situations;

Are able to compete;

Are enthusiastic to try out a range of physically active activities; 

Are able to reflect and use guidance to improve their performance;

Support and motivate each other.

Southam Primary School PE Skills and Knowledge Progression Overview

Linguists at Southam Primary School:

Can speak with the correct pronunciation;

Can read with increasing fluency;

Can write phrases;

Understand the culture of the country where the language is spoken;

Are enthusiast about languages and understand the importance to learn other languages. 

Southam Primary School Modern Foreign Language Skills and Knowledge Progression Overview

Children at Southam Primary:

Develop a strong knowledge of the beliefs, values, practices and ways of life for different religions;

Are able to reflect on their own beliefs and those of different religions; 

Be able ask questions about different religions;

Be able to think for themselves. 

Southam Primary School Religious Education Skills and Knowledge Progression Overview

What is Jigsaw PSHE?

Jigsaw PSHE is a comprehensive and completely original Scheme of Work for the whole Primary School from Reception through to Year 6. It brings together PSHE Education, emotional literacy, social skills and spiritual development in a comprehensive scheme of learning.

SMSC (Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural) development opportunities are mapped throughout. All of these pieces of learning are brought together to form a cohesive picture, helping children to know and value who they are and understand how they relate to other people in the world.

 

British Values

Jigsaw contributes, as a good PSHE programme should, to the British Values agenda very significantly, both through the direct teaching of information and through the experiential learning children will enjoy.

The 5 strands of the British Values agenda have been mapped across every Puzzle and every Piece (lesson).

 

We are proud of the way we promote emotional wellbeing for all our pupils through our Jigsaw programme which underpins the whole of our curriculum.

Taking Care: Protective Behaviours programme

At Southam Primary School, we also follow the Warwickshire schools’ Taking Care: Protective Behaviours Programme, which forms part of our PSHE curriculum.

Protective Behaviours is a practical and down to earth approach to personal safety.  The aim of the programme is to teach our children about how to feel safe, how to talk about their feelings and how to recognise safe and unsafe feelings.  This helps children to feel safe to have an adventurous approach to life that satisfies their desire for fun and excitement without living in fear.  Protective Behaviours helps children to recognise and trust their intuitive feelings – early warning signs – and to support them in developing a range of strategies for self-protection.

The programme focuses on two key themes:

·         We all have a right to feel safe all of the time; and

·         We can talk with someone about anything, even if it feels awful or small.

The sessions are specifically tailored to meet the needs of the different year groups, from Reception to Year 6, and usually take place over a four-week block in the spring term.  

Jigsaw Overview

Jigsaw Information Booklet for Parents and Carers

UK British Values Links and Jigsaw

SMSC and Emotional Literacy Opportunities in Jigsaw

Relationships and Health Education in Jigsaw

 

Southam Primary Forest School

 

Three years ago, as staff, we decided that we were not utilising our school grounds to their full potential. We are in a fantastic position of having a lot of space that can be used for different activities, and because of this children who enjoy being and working outside, were missing out. We therefore set about developing a forest area on the back field which involved the whole school planting hedging and saplings. Mrs Lucas also underwent training to become a Forest School Leader.

 

The aim of a Forest School project is to encourage and inspire individuals of any age through positive outdoor experiences. Through the activities that the children take part in they will develop self awareness, self regulation, intrinsic motivation, empathy, good communication skills, positive mental attitude, self esteem and confidence.

 

Mrs Lucas and myself have designed an activity programme where children will be actively involved in a wide range of practical bush-craft tasks: setting up camps, designing and building natural shelters and furnishing them with seating, building and using fire-pits, learning how to tie knots, identify trees and plants, animals and birds....the possibilities are endless....the children who attend these sessions always have fun!

At Southam Primary School we value the diversity and backgrounds of all children, families and the wider community. Our school reflects British values in all that we do. We aim to support and nurture our children on their journey through life so that they can grow into responsible, tolerant, caring adults who make a positive difference to British society and to the world. We encourage our children to be unique, open minded and independent, respectful of themselves and of others in our school, our local community and the wider world.

The Department for Education defines British Values as:

• Democracy
• The rule of law
• Individual liberty
• Mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs

Democracy

• We encourage a democratic culture where children are empowered to make a meaningful contribution to decisions that directly relate to themselves. Children have the opportunity to have their voices heard through pupil surveys, School Council, focus groups.
• We have an active School Council who make a valuable contribution to our school. Members are elected by their peers and all children have an involvement in this democratic process.
• Children at Southam Primary School are encouraged to develop an open mind in an environment where enquiry is encouraged and questions valued.
• Children at Southam Primary School are involved in the selection proves of new members of staff.
• Processes where children are encouraged to vote are embedded in to our curriculum and additional opportunities are identified in line with local and national events.

 

The Rule of Law

• Children are supported to distinguish between right and wrong in the classroom, in assemblies and on the playground.
• Expectations of our children are clear, fair, actively promoted and positively reinforced. Expectations are reinforced through discussion between children and staff.
• Children are encouraged to respect civil and criminal law. Children enjoy visits from the local police to help reinforce this understanding.
• Our children develop an understanding of how the law keeps them safe and the importance of the law in their futures.

 

Individual Liberty

• Our children are encouraged to be independent learners and are given the freedom to make their own choices knowing they are in a safe and supportive environment.
• Children are encouraged to take responsibility for their own behaviours- social and learning and explore the language of emotions, enabling them to reflect on differences and understand that we are all free to have our own opinions.
• Stereotypes are challenged and a strong anti-bullying culture is embedded where children are encouraged to challenge any form of bullying.
• Children have key roles and responsibilities e.g. buddy readers, reception buddies, class councillors, learning detectives, e cadets, peer mentors.
• Our safe and supportive environment promotes a culture where positive self-image and self-esteem are nurtured to increase children’s confidence in their own abilities.

 

Mutual Respect and Tolerance

• We expect all children to show respect to each other and members of the community. Children develop a thorough understanding of what is expected and how to demonstrate respect.
• Diversity and equality are valued. Children discuss their understanding of other cultures, faiths, ethnicity, disability, gender and develop respectful attitudes.
• Through celebrations our children acquire a respect for their own and other cultures.
• Links, visitors and visits are actively promoted with local faith communities and places of worship.
• We offer a culturally rich and diverse curriculum in which a range if religions, national and global communities are studies and respected.
• We encourage our children to have a positive influence on the local community and to engage in community wide projects.