Curriculum
At Southam Primary School we pride ourselves on the outstanding curriculum that we offer our children.
Children are at the heart of our school. Everything we do is aimed towards helping our children develop as individuals and to equip them for life in the future. Our purpose is to give each individual child every opportunity and encouragement to achieve their full potential intellectually and physically; to develop emotional, social, spiritual and moral values; and to become a valuable citizen.
Our curriculum design meets the needs of every child allowing them to ‘continue to get better. We promote imagination and creativity through a challenging curriculum where learning is durable and transferrable and children are encouraged to make connections, apply and reason. We recognise happy, calm confident learners are able to flourish and thrive. To encourage and promote these positive learning behaviours our learning traits (concentration, co-operation, curiosity, determination, enjoyment, imagination, practising and improving), emotional health and well-being embody the aims of our curriculum. Through immersion in these lifelong learning skills our children will have strong interpersonal and communication skills, which will enable them to become responsible and active members of our diverse society.
Learning is rooted in the needs and context of our community and learners. The foundations of our curriculum are rooted in quality first hand experiences, designed to secure knowledge and skills by encouraging all our learners to dive deeper in their learning so each individual grows and achieves their true potential.
Children are at the heart of everything that we do at Southam Primary School – we aim to give children an educational experience that they will always remember and will equip them to be lifelong learners.
A Year In The Life Of Southam Primary School 2020- 2021
A Year In The Life Of Southam Primary School
Southam Primary School Charter
All children at Southam Primary School will have the oportunity to ....
Learn to play an instrument |
Learn to swim |
Visit a farm |
Visit London and understand why it is our capital city |
Visit the seaside |
Build a sandcastle |
Jump over waves |
Walk barefoot in the sand |
Watch a theatre production |
Have art work displayed in an art gallery |
Take part in a performance in front of an audience |
Take part in a residential trip |
Cook a meal |
Listen to live music |
Build a den |
Learn basic first aid skills |
Sleep with dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum |
Grow vegetables and fruit to make a meal or a recipe |
Visit different places of worship |
Learn about different religions |
Learn to cycle safely |
Raise money for charity |
Visit a castle |
Sing in a choir |
Climb a tree |
Cook marshmallows over a camp fire |
Create wild art |
Work alongside an artist |
Meet an author |
Meet an illustrator |
Hunt for bugs |
Discover what is in a pond |
Find our way using a map and compass |
Speak to/ meet people who live in different parts of the UK |
Speak to/ meet people who live in different parts of the world |
Learn to speak a different language |
Play Pooh Sticks |
Go bird watching |
Recognise different types of birds |
Touch different animals |
Meet our MP |
Represent Southam Primary School at an event |
Grow a plant from seed |
Create a sculpture |
Recognise leaves from different trees |
Bake a cake |
Be able to send an email |
Understand how to keep safe online |
Learn about the local area |
Be able to name five favourite stories |
Make a snowman (weather permitting!) |
Know how to borrow books from a library |
Learn how to reduce and recycle. |
|
Visit a university |
Take on a responsibility in school |
Take part in an enterprise activity |
Work on a project with children from other schools |
Learn to play an instrument |
Learn to swim |
Visit a farm |
Visit London and understand why it is our capital city |
Visit the seaside |
Build a sandcastle |
Jump over waves |
Walk barefoot in the sand |
Watch a theatre production |
Have art work displayed in an art gallery |
Take part in a performance in front of an audience |
Take part in a residential trip |
Cook a meal |
Listen to live music |
Build a den |
Learn basic first aid skills |
Sleep with dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum |
Grow vegetables and fruit to make a meal or a recipe |
Visit different places of worship |
Learn about different religions |
Learn to cycle safely |
Raise money for charity |
Visit a castle |
Sing in a choir |
Climb a tree |
Cook marshmallows over a camp fire |
Create wild art |
Work alongside an artist |
Meet an author |
Meet an illustrator |
Hunt for bugs |
Discover what is in a pond |
Find our way using a map and compass |
Speak to/ meet people who live in different parts of the UK |
Speak to/ meet people who live in different parts of the world |
Learn to speak a different language |
Play Pooh Sticks |
Go bird watching |
Recognise different types of birds |
Touch different animals |
Meet our MP |
Represent Southam Primary School at an event |
Grow a plant from seed |
Create a sculpture |
Recognise leaves from different trees |
Bake a cake |
Be able to send an email |
Understand how to keep safe online |
Learn about the local area |
Be able to name five favourite stories |
Make a snowman (weather permitting!) |
Know how to borrow books from a library |
Learn how to reduce and recycle. |
|
Visit a university |
Take on a responsibility in school |
Take part in an enterprise activity |
Work on a project with children from other schools |
Southam Primary School Learning Traits
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.
Curriculum Long Term Plan Overviews 2020- 2021
Curriculum Long Term Plan Overviews 2021- 2022
- English
- Maths
- Science
- History
- Geography
- Art and Design
- Music
- Computing
- Design and Technology
- physical education
- Modern Foreign Language
- religious education
- personal, social and health education
- forest school
- British Values
English
Writers at Southam Primary:
Enjoy writing;
Write fluently, with interesting detail inspired by topics across the curriculum;
Have an extending range of vocabulary and excellent knowledge of writing techniques, used to extend details or descriptions;
Can write well organised and structure pieces of writing;
Are able to edit, improve and produce well presented pieces of writing.
Readers at Southam Primary:
Read for pleasure and research;
Use a range of strategies to use to learn to read;
Are able to talk confidently about the books that they are reading;
Are able to read fluently and accurately across a range of contexts throughout the curriculum;
Increase their knowledge and use of a wide range of vocabulary.
Reading Project with Southam College
We are working with specialist teachers from Southam College to create a Year 6 Reading Forum. As part of this project Southam College’s librarian visits our school each term to talk with selected Year 6 children about reading and to introduce a reading list. Further to this there is an opportunity for the children to visit Southam College and work with an English teacher specialising in reading with more able students. This is an exciting and challenging project that helps with the transition to secondary school as well as providing children with reading material that they might not have otherwise come across.
Visits From Authors
celebrating world book day
theatre visits
Maths
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.
Science
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.
- Dinosnores at the Natural History Museum
- Space Camp Residential
- Batsford Arboretum
- Science Museum, London
Dinosnores at the Natural History Museum
Dino Snores at the Natural History Museum
The children in years 3 and 4 experienced a VERY exciting weekend when they travelled down to London and spent the night sleeping at the Natural History Museum.
The children took part in a torch-lit trail of the Dinosaurs gallery, created their own dinosaur T-shirt to take home and enjoyed a live science show with a Museum expert.
At midnight, they snuggled down under the watchful gaze of the Diplodocus.
When they woke up the children watched a live animal show.
Space Camp Residential
Batsford Arboretum
Science Museum, London
History
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.
Geography
“Geography is all about the living, breathing essence of the world we live in. It explains the past, illuminates the present and prepares us for the future. What could be more important than that?” Michael Palin
Geographers at Southam Primary School:
Know where places are and can describe what they are like using geographical vocabulary;
Are curious to find out new places and what they are like;
Can locate different places around the world using atlases, globes and computer mapping;
Understand ways in which places are connected to each other;
Can draw and read a range of different maps;
Can carry out fieldwork;
Can describe physical and human features using geographical vocabulary.
Art and Design
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.
2020- 2021
Autumn Term
In year 1 this Autumn term the children practised drawing their facial features in the correct places using the aid of mirrors. They used the media of paint to add detail such as mixing skin colours and thinking about our different hair and eye colours.
In year 2 the portraits took a different focus as they decided to experiment with colour and textile using the inspiration of the artist Victoria Villasana. The children loved being expressive and original in their work.
Year 3/4 have really tried hard to be more accurate with their sketching of facial proportions, looking carefully at how the different features such as eyes, nose and mouth are placed in proportion to each other.
In year 5/6 the children became more expressive in their original ideas, using colour and tones to represent themselves. The portraits were combined with a written piece which was all about them as individuals.
This term the Key Artists we have studied include Vincet Van Gogh, Thomas Dambo, Erik Evensen and Andy Warhol.
Year 1 used Van Gogh’s technique of swirls and lines to create magnificent scenes of the Great Fire of London and Year 2 enjoyed getting creative with their joint DT project creating elves made from recycled materials, similar to Thomas Dambo’s giant sized troll sculptures.
Year 2 have also developed their colour mixing skills and drawing from observation to create their Nocturnal Forest scenes.
In Key Stage 2 year 3 and 4 have been developing their sketching and shading techniques, learning how to create Viking warriors similar to the comic characters of Erik Evensen.
Year 5 and 6 studied the famous artwork of “Moon Walker” by Warhol, using this piece to develop their own bold, original artworks in pastel, using a repeat theme for greater impact of contrasting colour.
Art and Design Projects
Music
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 County Music Service 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.
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 they 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 ensure the children gain a rich understanding and have many opportunities to widen their knowledge. The children are invited to show of 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. We sing songs from a variety of cultural backgrounds and constantly update our catalogue.
- Celebrating our talented children
- Professional Musical Performances
- Southam Primary School Choir
- Musical Performances
- Galanos House Bow Tie Choir
- Musical Instrument Lessons
Celebrating our talented children
Professional Musical Performances
Southam Primary School Choir
Musical Performances
Galanos House Bow Tie Choir
Musical Instrument Lessons
Computing
Design and Technology
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.
Great Fire Of London
World War II Anderson Shelters
Year 5 and 6 World War II Anderson Shelters project
As part of their World War II project, children in year five and six designed and created model Anderson Shelters. The children:
¨ Drew circuits using symbols;
¨ Investigated the impact of the voltage of cells on the brightness of a bulb;
¨ Incorporated an electrical circuit into their design;
¨ Used sketches and diagrams to develop ideas;
¨ Selected the most appropriate materials and equipment to use to make their models.
STEM Projects
physical education
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.
School Games Mark Awards
Modern Foreign Language
religious education
personal, social and health education
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.
forest school
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!
Summer Term 2020
Spring Term 2020
Autumn Term 2019
This term we have been incredibly busy with our topic 'The Great Fire of London'.
We have learnt the song, made wooden structures with our new den building skills and recreated the burning of houses with small cardboard boxes burn on our campfire. We all tried hard to put out the fire as people would have done in 1666 by passing buckets of water to each other.
Some of us decided to make modern day fire engines out of crates and pipes and also river boats from the time of the Great Fire.
The best bit was turning our mud kitchen into a Pudding Lane bakery.
British Values
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.
British Values Thread Throughout Our Curriculum and Activities
- democracy
- rule of law
- individual liberty
- Mutual Respect for the Tolerance of Those with Different Faiths and Beliefs and for Those Without Faith