CURRICULUM
AT OUR LADY’S CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL
WHAT IS A CURRICULUM?
Curriculum lies at the heart of education: it determines what children will know and what they will be able to go on to do. It includes what children learn in the classroom, and beyond, to prepare them for life in Modern Britain.
What do our pupils say about our curriculum?
“I love singing lessons with the vocal coach from Warwickshire Sings! At first I felt nervous but I have become more and more confident I like learning to sing new songs as part of a choir.”
OUR INTENT
Our carefully-planned curriculum has been designed to give all pupils a strong foundation of knowledge, whilst fostering essential values like empathy, respect and responsibility; supporting their development into the leaders of tomorrow.
Ensuring exceptional outcomes, which evidence the progression of skills and knowledge for all children, in every curriculum area
“Swimming lessons are my favourite part of the week I have learnt to swim different strokes and I can swim on my own, in deeper water now!”
“Computing lessons are my favourite As I have got older, I have got better at programming. I like de-bugging to find the errors in the codes.”
Implementing a robust framework which allows teachers to focus on adapting how to teach, in a way that meets the needs and challenges all learners, as opposed to what to teach.
Thoughtfully-planned and frequent enrichment of the curriculum, through: educational visits, in-school workshops with guest speakers, hands-on activities and extended learning opportunities.
CURRICULUM DESIGN
3D Approach
At Our Lady’s, our curriculum is meticulously crafted and carefully sequenced to embed knowledge securely in pupils' long-term memories This enables them to confidently apply and expand upon their understanding. Every aspect of our curriculum is designed to promote progression; allowing children to build upon their existing knowledge and skills, while making connections with new concepts seamlessly. To support opportunities for revisiting prior learning and strengthen long-term memory retention, our curriculum employs a 3D approach.
Vertical Links
The links within a given subject which ensure key concepts are encountered again and again For example: the substantive concept of ‘empire’ and how this is taught through many History units, across different year groups
Horizontal Links
These links are made within a year group, but across varying subjects, to ensure purposeful connections are made, where appropriate For example, in Upper Key Stage Two, pupils learn about buzzers in Science and apply this knowledge to make a Fairground Wheel within Design and Technology.
Diagonal Links
These links join concepts across both year groups and subjects. For example: Lower Key Stage Two study deforestation in Science and then in Upper Key Stage Two, this concept is revisited when reading ‘Cosmic Disco’ Poetry Anthology within English.
The approach outlined above has been chosen because it aligns with the principles of cognitive science and is specifically tailored to the unique context and community of Our Lady’s. It sets ambitious goals for all learners, whilst promoting inclusivity.
PLANNING
Teaching staff at our school are deeply committed to ensuring the highest quality of curriculum planning and implementation To achieve this, teachers have engaged with a breadth of Effective Professional Development opportunities to develop a deep understanding of each unit’s intent, the progressive lesson objectives, and strategies for both scaffolding and stretching learning. Teachers use the Knowledge Organisers as benchmarks to guide their instructional planning, with our Assessment Trackers aiding the seamless sequencing of learning; ensuring that pupils progress towards end of year expectations
Anchor Tasks are planned for the beginning of every lesson to support pupils with understanding how new learning integrates into the broader curriculum and previously taught concepts; emphasising the key concepts being cultivated.
Staff continually refine their subject knowledge through tailored Effective Professional Development sessions. These are provided internally by Subject Leaders, through Our Lady of the Magnificat Trust Working Groups for each subject, and through external providers such as: Gateway Teaching Alliance, Warwickshire Local Authority and Origins Maths Hub.
This approach to planning and Effective Professional Development, along with the way our curriculum has been meticulously designed and sequenced, helps to close the attainment gap for disadvantaged pupils; ensuring every child achieves their full potential.
Responsive Teaching
Responsive teaching at Our Lady’s involves teachers continuously adjusting instruction to ensure that all pupils are actively engaged, challenged and supported in their learning, within our mixed-aged classes. This dynamic approach allows teachers to be flexible: adapting their methods to the diverse ways which pupils learn and respond in the classroom.
Our key features include:
Learning Partners: pupils are encouraged to work together in pairs or small groups to help each other understand content; offering explanations in their own words and learning from each other.
Differentiation: this may include varying the level of difficulty, using different materials or providing additional scaffolding, where needed, to support each pupil to meet learning outcomes
Formative Assessment: teachers use informal assessment methods, such as: questioning, observations, quizzes and student feedback to assess pupils’ understanding. Teachers use their formative assessments to adjust subsequent teaching strategies and provide targeted interventions.
Varied Learning Strategies: teachers employ a range of teaching methods, such as group work, learning partners, hands-on activities, and independent projects, to meet the needs of all learners
Active Pupil Engagement: teachers encourage active participation through discussions, collaborative learning, problem-solving tasks and inquiry-based learning approaches.
INCLUSION AND ADDITIONAL NEEDS
At Our Lady’s, every pupil has an entitlement to develop their talents and skills, striving for excellence in their learning, irrespective of any difference. We treat all our pupils fairly and with respect. As a team, we work hard to create a safe, stimulating and nurturing environment which enables pupils to make progress and achieve their full potential.
When supporting pupils’ learning and behaviour, we ensure every child receives the targeted support that they need to learn, recognising their starting points, barriers, circumstances and conditions. Sometimes, children may have more specific or complex needs and need a little more support or something more personalised to help their learning. In this case, the child will be identified as having a Special Educational Need or Disability (SEND). This means that their learning and support will be overseen by Mrs. Liz Tooze our school’s Special Educational Needs Coordinator.
By making reasonable adjustments to teaching, the curriculum and the school environment, we make sure that all pupils are included in all aspects of school life.
At Our Lady’s, nobody is left behind.
Diversity is a fact. Equity is a choice. Inclusion is an action.
Belonging is an outcome.
Scaffolding and Stretching
Following their completion of the National Professional Qualification in Leading Teaching, our teaching team are highly-skilled in adapting lessons to ensure they cater to the diverse learning needs of our pupils.
For those children who need additional support and scaffolding, the teaching team use a range of techniques. These include: providing additional time to grasp concepts through pre-teaching, extended practice, using visual resources to support understanding, dual coding information, adapted tasks and the opportunity to work with an adult or peer(s). For those pupils who quickly understand a new concept, teachers and support staff provide consistent opportunities to deepen their thinking. These challenge opportunities encourage critical thinking, creativity and independent exploration. Flexible lesson structures and episodic teaching enables pupils to access tasks at a pace and stage which meets their learning needs within each lesson
All teaching and support staff have also engaged with Effective Professional Development led by our Trust’s Inclusion Lead, using the EEF’s self-scaffolding model (taken from Making the Best Use of Teaching Assistants).
Adaptations for SEND
We are deeply committed to providing an inclusive education that caters to the diverse needs of all our pupils, including those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Our curriculum is thoughtfully adapted to ensure that pupils with SEND receive the support and accommodations necessary to thrive academically as well as socially.
We implement a Graduated Approach, which consists of four elements: Assess, Plan, Do, Review. This enables our Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) and teaching team to make judgements about the SEND status of a child and whether it needs to progress
A collaborative approach to planning, which involves teachers, our SENCo and parents, ensures that each pupils’ individual needs are comprehensively addressed; leading to a more personalised and effective educational experience.
EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE
In the EYFS, our curriculum builds upon the knowledge and skills which children have acquired in their previous settings We enhance our curriculum provision by following the children’s interests and ideas; fostering a life-long love of learning. Our pupils enjoy learning through play, solving problems and working collaboratively to achieve their full potential.
At Our Lady’s, we work in partnership with families to share the children’s learning. We provide a variety of parent workshops, focussed on key areas of learning, so parents are empowered to support their children at home. Through an ambitious curriculum, we ensure children are prepared for the next step in their learning journey, into Key Stage One.
ENRICHMENT
We are immensely proud of the wealth of enrichment opportunities which are offered at Our Lady’s. They provide unique learning opportunities which develop key skills, engage pupils, provide a contextualised purpose for learning, forge positive community links and create lasting memories.
Our teachers carefully consider how they can engage the children and enhance this learning through enrichment opportunities. Enrichment opportunities often take a wide variety of forms, for example: educational visits, in-school workshops or topic-linked activity days. Teachers also make use of subject expertise to offer unique opportunities such as ‘Nature Nurture’ sessions.
Our teachers also identify how new learning will be best demonstrated or shared. Again, this often takes place in many forms, from: undertaking an investigation, holding a debate, scheduling information sessions for parents and carers or sharing learning with pupils of the same age across our Multi Academy Trust.
Our school’s Enrichment Calendar systematically plans the enrichment opportunities for each year group: term-by-term, year-by-year This ensures that leaders have a strategic oversight and can plan varied opportunities for the children, which build upon and further enhance their prior experiences.
Pupils’ engagement with enrichment activities are tracked in our school’s Inclusion Tracker. This is analysed by teachers and senior leaders so that actions can be taken to support identified pupils’ attendance and inclusion with events and initiatives, where appropriate At Our Lady’s, nobody gets left behind
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Personal Development is exceptional at Our Lady’s. It underpins our full curriculum so all pupils have access to our wide, rich set of experiences; equipping them with essential life skills and building their confidence, independence and resilience. These rich experiences are implemented in a coherently planned way: both within the curriculum and through extra curricular activities. They considerably strengthen the school’s offer.
This holistic approach is evident through various initiatives across our school, including: Chatterbooks Workshops at Alcester Library, ‘Bikeability’ lessons, Nature Nurture sessions in our on-site Forest School and Thrive sessions in our school’s Sensory Area. We also offer a wealth of after-school clubs to pupils of all ages. These clubs range from Basketball and Football, to Gardening and Dance
Beyond the classroom, SMSVC and the development of character are the focus of our school assemblies, our Young Leaders’ Programme and our school’s Relationships Policy.
Pastoral support for pupils is strong: Class Teachers and support staff have a deep understanding of the pupils they work with and are skilled in addressing issues which arise. This is coupled with external support from organisations which we have Service Level Agreements with, such as: the Mental Health in Schools Team, SEND Supported and Connect for Health.
BRITISH VALUES
At Our Lady’s, we develop the pupils’ understanding of the Fundamental British Values to help our them to understand the principles which prepare them for life in Modern Britain. Across each academic year, we offer a range of initiatives and pupil leadership roles, in addition to curriculum reflections, to develop pupils’ understanding.
Polling Day
Pupil Leadership Roles through the Young Leaders’ Programme
Gospel Virtues and Values
Catholic Social Teachings
Pupil Led Worship
Remembrance Day
Parliament Visit
Anti-Bullying Week
Safer Internet Day
Protective Behaviours
Vocations Day
Community Links (Bag2School and Father Hudson’s Charity)
Community Outreach (Arden Food Bank support)
Gifts from God Assembly
Police Visit
Fire Service Visit
Little Way Week
Bike Ability
Play Leaders
Sports Captains
Listening to one another
Making decisions together
World Languages Day
Mardi Gras celebrations
Supporting residents from Cherry Trees
Care Home
World Religions Weeks
Visits to places of worship
Chinese New Year
World Art Day
Unity of Peace Day
One Life Music retreats
ASSESSMENT: THE IMPACT
Formative Assessment
A range of formative assessment strategies are used continuously: before, during and after teaching. We pride ourselves on using assessment at every level to assess the impact of teaching and learning, identify and address misconceptions, as well as swiftly identifying any gaps in pupils’ knowledge and closing these through quality-first teaching and intervention
Summative Assessment: Core Subjects
Termly assessments are taken by pupils using standardised papers to assess what they have learnt and the progress they have made in reading, maths and GPS. Data is recorded and tracked internally using our Assessment Trackers. Writing is teacher-assessed using Teacher Assessment Frameworks for each year group and judgements are quality-assured through internal and external moderation. Data is analysed systematically by senior leaders, as well as subject leaders.
Summative Assessment: Foundation Subjects
To support staff in making a summative assessment of pupils’ achievement in the Foundation Subjects at key points throughout the year, there are key skills and knowledge outlined that a child is expected to achieve in order to be working at the expected standard or exceeding it These are recorded on the Foundation Subject Assessment Trackers which are monitored by senior and subject leaders
Teachers use questioning, outcomes in books and quizzes to make these judgements.
EXCEPTIONALITY
Our curriculum at Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School is exceptional for several reasons. Firstly, it takes pride in its commitment to diversity - proudly and proactively representing the distinctiveness of our nation, and seamlessly weaving it throughout various subjects. This approach ensures that all pupils gain a broad understanding of different cultures and perspectives; preparing them to thrive in an increasingly interconnected world.
Our curriculum is ambitious and balanced. It challenges pupils academically: motivating them to reach their full potential, whilst also emphasising the creation of lasting memories and personal development This dual focus ensures that pupils not only excel academically but also grow as well-rounded young people.
The logical and well-structured nature of our curriculum is another remarkable feature. It has been designed with careful consideration of cognitive load and working memory; facilitating effective learning and helping pupils to build on their prior knowledge. Our curriculum is deeply rooted in research and tailored to the specific needs and context of the Our Lady’s community.
Our Lady’s curriculum plays a crucial role in shaping pupils into socially-aware and compassionate individuals who excel not only academically but in their ability to contribute positively to society. It harmoniously combines academic excellence with a strong sense of responsibility; offering pupils a well-rounded education that thoroughly equips them to navigate life’s complexities and seize its opportunities.