At Newlaithes Junior School, our curriculum is derived from a precise understanding of the context of which we serve. Our curriculum is designed to engage and enthuse learners, providing children with the ability to become independent, confident, reflective, creative and resilient learners, who aim high.

Throughout units of history, geography and science, children work their way through a range of learning-led challenge questions, which provide opportunities for children to develop a strong sense of enquiry.

When exploited through rich literacy opportunities, this provides a broad and balanced knowledge rich curriculum, fulfilling the requirements of the National Curriculum and further, expanding on opportunities to enhance their wider knowledge and Cultural Capital. 

Over their time at Newlaithes Junior School, children will build on their knowledge, regularly reflecting and building upon previous work.

Our curriculum is planned and sequenced to develop deep, long-lasting learning, building upon prior knowledge, which our children can use today, tomorrow and for the rest of their lives. By developing links across their studies, children learn more, remember more and do more.

We aim to equip our children with the knowledge and Cultural Capital they need to succeed in life and in effect, provide them with social mobility. Our understanding of “knowledge and cultural capital” is that it is the essential knowledge that pupils need to be educated citizens. We promote children to have high aspiration for themselves and their learning, ensuring they can excel despite any socio-economic constraints.

We aim to address social disadvantage and as a result, our curriculum reflects the school`s local context. Children in our local area are not typically exposed to a wide vocabulary or have a rich exposure to quality reading materials. This can lead to difficulties when comprehending and inferring from texts and when writing with understanding and creativity. It is therefore crucial that children are taught explicit and key vocabulary across the curriculum. Words have the power to ignite imaginations and unlock doors to a world of understanding, in all subjects.

Many of our children are unable to be taken on holidays, trips or to clubs that will expose them to finding out about local, national or international environments, art, history, science, sport, technology or music. We therefore introduce our children to a range of visitors and experiences in school and take them on trips which enrich their subject knowledge and curiosity about the world around them.

Visits, visitors and ‘hooks’ for learning provide a variety of first-hand experiences for our children, to spark their interest, relate new learning to their own experience and to reflect upon and respond to the things that they see and hear and touch.

Our curriculum outlines the knowledge and skills that children need to enable them to take advantage of opportunities, responsibilities and experiences in later life. There is a difference between knowledge which is retained close to the point of teaching and that which will be retained forever.

Curriculum is designed so that our teaching models successful learning. The consistent use of high quality contextually based, inspiring texts, linked to our driver topics/challenges, ensures the curriculum is mapped and timetabled appropriately to facilitate the acquisition of key knowledge and the transference of knowledge to long term memory.

Our subject leaders are knowledgeable about the curriculum they lead and their expertise has been used to plan appropriate sequences of learning that match the outcomes of the National Curriculum and beyond. Therefore, curriculum plans are succinct in outlining the component knowledge and composite skills which must be taught. In many cases, this has been adapted to break down learning on a lesson-by-lesson basis, making clear the outcomes and vocabulary to be taught.  This good subject knowledge also supports the professional development of colleagues in each year group, who can rely on subject leaders to support them in delivering high quality teaching and learning.

Frequency of lessons is an important factor in ensuring that children are given adequate opportunities to return to previous knowledge and develop links and connections. While we recognise the importance of providing themed days, where children can be fully immersed in learning experiences, our core learning of knowledge and skills are developed through the carefully planned sequences that run regularly throughout each term.

The transfer of knowledge to long term memory depends upon rich processes. In order to develop understanding, our children need to connect new knowledge with existing knowledge and then develop fluency and unconsciously apply their knowledge and skills. We want our children to learn more, remember more and do more. Each lesson uses retrieval practices, where children are given the opportunity to recall knowledge previously learnt, which will then connect to their new learning.  Children have opportunities to recap on learning from the previous lesson, term and year.  As a result of implementing this learning model, our curriculum has been planned and sequenced so that new knowledge and skills will build upon what has been taught before.

Inclusion at Newlaithes Junior School

Teachers set high expectations for all pupils. They will use appropriate assessment to set ambitious targets and plan challenging work for all groups, including:

• Pupils with low prior attainment
• Pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds
• Pupils with SEN
• Pupils with English as an additional language (EAL)
• Pupils with gaps in their previous learning.
• More able pupils

Teachers will plan lessons so that pupils with SEN and/or disabilities can study every National Curriculum subject, wherever possible, and ensure that there are no barriers to every pupil achieving their very best.

Teachers will also take into account the needs of pupils whose first language is not English. Lessons will be planned so that teaching opportunities help pupils to develop their English, and to support pupils to take part in all subjects.

Further information can be found in our statement of equality and in our SEN policy and information report.

Our curriculum is high quality, well thought-out and is planned to demonstrate progression.

The children will make progress by knowing more, remembering more and being able to do more. They will be able to transfer and embed key concepts into their long-term memory and apply them fluently.

We measure and monitor the impact of our curriculum in the following ways:

• We routinely assess against National Curriculum objectives.
• Opportunities for children to continually engage and respond will provide teachers with an insight into the links that children can make across current and past learning.
• Subject leaders, who are specialists in their field, will conduct pupil voice activities to identify how successfully children can apply their knowledge of the curriculum.
• Teachers assessing children’s understanding of topic linked concepts at regular intervals, throughout sequences of learning through regular retrieval practice.
• Regular pupil voice exercises using evidence, when available, where children are challenged to recall their knowledge and discuss composite skills that they have been learning about in current, recent and previous learning.

• For specific units of work, our monitor, review, evaluate and implement cycle identifies which children are not meeting the expected standards and areas of the curriculum/teaching that require further development by subject leaders and teachers.
• Triangulation between the subject leaders’ vision, implementation by the teacher and the resulting children’s development of knowledge and skills.
• Moderation staff meetings where pupil’s books are scrutinised and there is the opportunity for a dialogue between teachers to reflect and compare their classes work, identifying next steps in teaching and learning.
• Annual reporting of standards across the curriculum.
• Marking of written work in books.