Curriculum Overview
Here at Framlingham Sir Robert Hitcham’s CEVAP School we provide an enriched curriculum underpinned by our Curriculum Drivers.
Our Curriculum Drivers underpin the learning and experiences we undertake in all areas of school life and to ensure our curriculum offer is enriched. These key drivers are personal to our school and reflect the social and educational needs of our local area.
Our Curriculum Aims are taken from the National Curriculum. They are important to consider when we are planning how we are going to deliver the curriculum, in order to ensure that the children are being taught the key skills that are key to each subject area.
Our Curriculum Statement
Intent - What do we want children to learn?
At the heart of our curriculum is community. We believe that each child is a unique individual who has a role to play in their school, local, national and global community. We aim for our children to have a strong spiritual and moral compass, be aspirational, be curious and reflective about their learning, be resilient and persevere and to become independent thinkers and learners. Our curriculum is knowledge and skills rich equipping each child, irrelevant of needs, with a passion and enthusiasm for learning. The children are exposed to learning beyond their own experiences, particularly as we are a rural town school. We want each child to see themselves as communicators, readers, writers, mathematicians, scientists, theologians, artists, designers, linguists, geographers, historians, musicians, sportspeople, IT technicians and unique individuals. We also provide opportunities for developing their learning journey through special focus days or weeks, extra-curricular activities, pupil voice, home learning and responses to local, national and global events.
The curriculum is designed to provide coverage of the National Curriculum 2014 and EYFS framework. The learning is sequenced and when appropriate, there is a cross curricular approach that allows children to make connections between their learning across different subjects. All subjects have progression plans that ensure that there is sequencing and children build upon the knowledge, skills and concepts that they have already learnt.
Implementation - How are we going to achieve our intent?
Our SRH curriculum is based on the ‘Cornerstones’ Curriculum Maestro projects. However, it has been adapted to make it personal to our school. Some projects are entirely bespoke. In addition to this, several subjects follow dedicated schemes. Subject leaders have worked together to develop the curriculum, ensuring that there is curriculum progression and depth and coverage across all subjects. Subject leaders have identified opportunities to expose the children to a wider understanding of the world, including equality and diversity.
There are two-year rolling programmes in the Nursery, Reception and in Key Stage 1 and a four-year rolling programme in Key Stage 2. However, some subjects are year of phase specific to reflect the need for specific sequenced learning.
Subjects leaders review the quality of children’s learning through learning walks, pupil voice, reviewing medium term plans, observations and monitoring of work. They review resources and their impact on the learning and will identify when further resources may be needed. They are able to support colleagues to ensure that there is understanding, depth and challenge. Subject leaders track and monitor the learning of each child within their subjects. They guide colleagues with assessment and next steps.
Teaching is adapted to meet the needs of the children, whether it is children with SEND, children who need greater depth and challenge, or children who may need extra support with specific learning. Staff monitor and assess to ensure effective next steps.
The school identifies opportunities for further learning and engagement through initiatives such as science week, STEM challenge days, maths week, Anti-bullying and on-line safety week, European day of languages, class poetry recitals, writing competitions, inter house sports competitions, external sports events and musical performances. Using our class kitchen, all children are given opportunities to cook, in addition to what is planned within the curriculum.
Specialists are used to support music and PE within the school.
All children in the EYFS and Key Stage One have an opportunity to take part in forest school.
There are a wide range of clubs available for children to take part in such as netball, football, science, reading, singing, maths wizards.
In Key Stage 2 Home Learning Tasks are related to the project and allow for parents and pupils to explore their learning in greater depth.
There are strong ties with our local community. The church is used for services such as Harvest, when the children donate food to the local foodbank, whole school assemblies and Easter. Children have participated in town events such as performing at the Christmas Tree Lighting and visiting the local care home to sing to the residents. There are strong links with our feeder secondary school in terms of y5 Enrichment, year 6 transition and taster days, sporting opportunities, and work experience students from the feeder school volunteering in our school.
Pupil Voice teams within the school are strong. Children are introduced to the democratic process through voting for roles, such as house captaincy. They are expected to share minutes from meetings and hold class discussions for the next meeting. The Teams are active in their roles, such as the school council suggested a toy sale to raise money for charity which recognised the need for recycling of toys and the need to save money in the run up to Christmas. They worked together with the eco-council to run this. Money raised was donated to a charity the children chose.
Year 6 pupils are given the opportunity to go to Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament, take part in a school production and attend a residential camp. They are invited to watch the feeder school’s productions.
Each project has a ‘WOW’ opportunity to enhance the learning. These may be special activity days, speakers coming in or visits.
The school identifies and celebrates events of national importance. The children are given opportunities to learn more about what the celebration is and some of the customs and traditions linked to them. Class discussions and assemblies incorporate current worldwide and local issues to promote wider awareness. Debate is an important part of these class discussions, trying to see others points of view.
Impact - What will it look like when we have achieved our intent?
Children will leave our school feeling that they are a part of a ‘school family’ within their community. They will be responsible, respectful and active citizens. They will be empathetic, resilient and will continue to be engaged in their learning. They will be independent thinkers who are reflective. They will transition into Year 7 with confidence and a sense of being a part of a community and their responsibility within it.
Children will be passionate and enthusiastic, able to make connections and build on previous knowledge and this will be reflected in their progress and attainment. Children will have a thirst for knowledge but also have the skills to question and reflect on their what they learn and develop their own thoughts and make their own decisions. They will become life-long learners.
See our 'Intent, Implementation & Impact' for each subject area by selecting from the menu to the right.
Our Curriculum Projects for KS1 & KS2
Key Stage 1 pupils follow a 2-year rolling programme of projects:
Key Stage 2 pupils follow a 4-year rolling programme of projects:
See more information on Curriculum Progression, Maths, and English or any other subject area from the list in the related pages on the right.
Our projects are based on the Cornerstones Curriculum as well as internally created projects.
The main reading schemes used are Big Cats and Phonics Bugs, however these are supplemented by GINN, Oxford Reading Tree plus banded free readers.
Spelling Shed is the scheme we use in Key Stage 2 to teach spellings and pupils are able to use the scheme on-line from home to practise and embed the spellings.
Our Maths scheme is supplemented by Maths Shed as a home learning practice tool to support the mathematical development of the pupils
Phonics in the EYFS and Key Stage 1 is taught using Supersonic Phonic Friends.
We may change elements of the curriculum during the year to reflect the children’s own interests and/or current local, national or international events.
Specialist teachers work alongside class teachers to provide high quality provision in some subjects.
Our Early Years Curriculum Statement
Click below to see more on the curriculum for the Early Years children:
Early Years Intent - What do we want children to learn?
’Magic’ is what we aspire to achieve in the Foundation Stage at SRH through igniting a passion for life-long learning!
We carefully consider the unique needs of our children before embarking on planning our learning journey, ensuring our plans are relevant, specific and meaningful, but most importantly instil a sense of awe and wonder.
Our favourite element as practitioners is taking the time to get to know the children to help make this magic happen! We want them to be brave, to love their planet and to love themselves. To know how to look after themselves and how to be a good friend, kind and considerate of others.
We aim for our children to leave us feeling ambitious and excited learners, capable communicators, book lovers, imaginative story tellers, and dexterous writers’ masterful mathematicians and problem solvers. Scientists and explorers with a sense of understanding, but also wonder and awe about the world around them. Reflective and thoughtful global citizens with a basic understanding of Religions, cultures and places. Happy to be expressive through the medium of art, music, drama and dance. Agile and competent movers through PE.
For the goals at the end of the Foundation Stage we ask ourselves the questions:
- What is it we want our children to learn?
- What do we want our children to be able to do?
Early Years Implementation - How are we going to achieve our intent?
All of our aspirations from above create the basis for our Nursery and Reception Outcomes, which incorporate each of the 7 areas of learning detailed in the EYFS Framework 2021.
Our curriculum is developed accordingly, inspired by the needs and interests of the children. We also have a Story based element and a thematic approach supported by the Cornerstones Curriculum, which is used across the school.
We initiate phonic learning through the Supersonic Phonic Friends scheme starting with Phase 1 in Nursery and progressing through the phases in Reception and then Key Stage 1.
We introduce the Zones of Regulation to develop the children’s emotional literacy and we also incorporate a seasonal Nature Study element to our learning including Forest School. In Nursery this also helps to strengthen our Home/School links.
We ensure we respect the children’s ideas and learning needs, whilst also introducing new ideas and concepts to extend learning, vocabulary, experiences and enjoyment.
The curriculum is additionally informed by the children’s starting points and ongoing assessments as unique individuals. We believe that children are powerful learners and play is absolutely central to this. We carefully plan teaching and learning opportunities and also prioritise time to become deeply involved in the children’s self-initiated activities. In this way we can encourage sustained shared thinking to develop the children’s learning skills and knowledge.
Continuous provision and enhancements are planned based on our curriculum and the children’s needs and interests. They are provided in the setting both outside and inside for the children to access freely, enabling child initiated and adult supported learning. Carefully planned adult led activities and interventions ensure consolidation and extension of skills with the word challenge being one children are comfortable with and excited by. Specific feedback, higher level questioning skills and encouragement to the children about their learning and how they have learnt is a crucial part of our pedagogy, as well as sharing this with parents to encourage ongoing conversations.
Early Years Impact - What will it look like when we have achieved our intent?
The impact of our curriculum, learning, and teaching on our children is constantly assessed and any concerns are flagged and addressed promptly. Conversely, we also note any gifts, talents or abilities and nurture these. Ongoing concerns or learning differences are monitored and shared with parents, addressed and reviewed regularly. Where appropriate we will share concerns with our SENCO and consider referrals to other support agencies.
The “assess, plan, do, review” cycle is constant throughout the school, but will be documented in greater depth if learning differences are considered for a child. We aim for our impact to enable our children to reach their full potential with ease and joy!
Our Curriculum Projects for Early Years
Reception & Nursery pupils follow a 2-year rolling programme of projects:
Additional School Curriculum information
Parent Information Session "What is the SRH Currciulum?"
Further Curriculum Information from GOV.UK
PSHE and RSE Curriculum
PSHE Education (Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education) is a planned programme of learning through which children and young people acquire the knowledge, understanding and skills they need to successfully manage their lives – now and in the future. As part of a whole-school approach, PSHE Education develops the qualities and attributes pupils need to thrive as individuals, family members and members of society.
From September 2022, SRH will be following the ‘Jigsaw’ PSHE curriculum. Jigsaw is a whole-school approach and embodies a positive philosophy and creative teaching and learning activities to nurture children’s development as compassionate and well-rounded human beings as well as building their capacity to learn.
Jigsaw brings together PSHE Education, compulsory Relationships and Health Education, emotional literacy, mindfulness, social skills and spiritual development. It is designed as a whole school approach, with all year groups working on the same theme (Puzzle) at the same time at their own level. There are six Puzzles (half-term units of work) and each year group is taught one lesson per week. All lessons are delivered in an age- and stage-appropriate way so that they meet children’s needs. PSHE and RSE (Relationships and Sex Education) at Framlingham Sir Robert Hitcham's is taught within the context of our school Christian values and ethos.