'No Learner Left Behind'
Intent
At Long Lane we provide a curriculum for all that aims to purposefully challenge, motivate, inspire and hold relevance for our pupils and the local context in which the community shares. We believe that good learning sits within the triangle of providing a broad and balanced curriculum, assessment for learning and quality first teaching, ensuring that there is access for all. Through our carefully planned progressive curriculum our children are able to reach their full potential so that they know more, remember more and understand more in order to become lifelong learners after they leave us, ready for the next level of their school journey.
Challenge, Motivate, Inspire
At Long Lane we believe that every child has the potential to excel from where their starting points are. We ensure that our curriculum provides challenge and support in equal measure and is inclusive of all types of learners, therefore providing a variety of learning approaches and styles. Staff understand the different strengths of pupils and plan motivating tasks and experiences with this in mind using scaffold and challenge where appropriate.
Relevance and Purpose
High Quality Texts that are tailored to the school, local context and wider world are a poignant part of our curriculum design and ensure that children are inspired through relevance and purpose. We ensure that texts are current, reflect the demographic of our pupils and are purposeful to the desired outcomes. It is important that pupils see themselves represented so diversity is a top priority in the learning experiences that we provide. It is important that children see the purpose of what they are learning and how this relates to the wider world. We refer to children as Scientists, Musicians and Artists and provide experiences such as; careers days so that links and purpose are explicit. Subjects are delivered independently with links between units of work where appropriate. This means that each subject can focus on the knowledge and skills required. This is enhanced by inspiring visitors and visits that help cement knowledge to add purpose.
Creative and Active
At Long Lane we believe that children learn best through carefully planned experiences and investigative approaches that allow pupils to use creativity and encourage critical thinking and problem-solving skills to learn and retain knowledge, skills and understanding. Teach Active and other supportive approaches are used (particularly in English and Maths) to ensure that all pupils are engaged in the learning and are able to solidify the learning intended. Across the school are dedicated areas to outdoor learning (marked by zones) to ensure that children have the opportunity to learn in an active way whether through a structured teacher led activity or through child-initiated learning.
Evolving
We believe that our curriculum is an ever-evolving approach and is regularly reviewed to ensure best practice and approaches are current. This process takes into consideration; the community with which we exist, prior knowledge and experiences, educational research and the National Curriculum. We build on prior knowledge and have spent time ensuring that the curriculum has cohesion across the school and between each subject, providing a clear journey to maximise knowledge, skills and understanding within the specific subjects. We use a spiral curriculum that both holds a consistent thread for learning (through language, teaching approaches and expectations – see teaching for learning policy) and space for creativity.
Implementation
Our school's ‘curriculum’ is all the planned activities that we organise in order to promote learning, personal growth and development with special emphasis on the basic skills of literacy and numeracy. It includes not only the formal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum and the National Curriculum 2014, but also the various extra-curricular activities that the school organises in order to enrich the children's experience. It includes the 'hidden curriculum' – what the children learn from the way they are treated and are expected to behave. We want children to grow into positive, responsible people, who can work and cooperate with others while at the same time developing their knowledge and skills, in order to achieve their true potential.
Our curriculum is broad and balanced, providing a wide range of knowledge, skills and experiences, giving each skill-based theme sufficient time to contribute to the children’s learning. The planning process is central to the effective delivery of the curriculum. Planning takes into account the key skills and foundational concepts required in each subject by the National Curriculum as well as children’s interests. The main emphasis of planning in the school is to ensure the curriculum builds on prior learning, enabling children to be fully prepared for the next stage of their education.
The needs of individual children are met through a scaffolded approach, adapting support so that all can achieve at a high level. Learning opportunities at home, when appropriate, will reinforce or extend class teaching.
Through the delivery of the policy the children will have opportunities to:
- Apply and transfer skills and knowledge across all areas of learning.
- Acquire and develop knowledge, understanding and skills as set out in the programmes of study.
- Revisit prior learning through low stakes retrieval practice.
- Develop proficiency, confidence and an appreciation of the use of Information Technology (IT) to enhance their learning.
- Learn collaboratively and independently and in so doing reflect on their own and others’ outcomes to develop and understand their next steps.
- Learn from visitors to the school and visit learning environments appropriate to specific activities.
In order to ensure the best quality teaching, staff incorporate Rosenshine principles into their teaching with a focus on experience led inquiry, scaffolding and challenge activities that promote independent learning. Staff use assessment for learning to review and plan integral learning paths for individuals so that misconceptions are dealt with in a timely manner.
EYFS – At Long Lane it is important to us that our curriculum is integrally linked with where the learning journey starts and our Early Years Curriculum. This is evident in our active and creative approach to learning, and the links that all our subjects have to their roots in the Early Learning Goals.
Metacognition and Secrets of Success – A high emphasis is put on metacognition and growth mindset at Long Lane and pupils are familiar with the process of how to improve their learning skills as this is integrated through each subject, lesson and aspect of school life from Maths to active play and friendships. Pupils are taught through each lesson how to support independence in their learning through the 7 secrets of success. This is consolidated in assemblies and celebrations with the class and whole school.
Outdoor and Active Learning – At Long Lane we provide a variety of outdoor experiences that are both structured and support creative and active learning. This starts with our youngest children where Rainbows have their own learning garden full of practical and engaging challenges. We extend this active learning into Y1 and Y2 with our bespoke continuous provision offer which allows children to remain active and creative learners for a proportion of the day. Both Y1 and Y2 have their own active outdoor learning areas. For the rest of the school, it is an essential part of our learning offer that all children are provided with opportunities for outdoor learning to continue into their unstructured time. During play and lunch children have access to a range of outdoor activities such as; Den building, creative areas, nature and music and building in our vast grounds. We actively encourage and actively teach creativity, risk taking, problem solving and team building (including conflict resolution) through this provision.
These are the essential tools upon which will be developed a multitude of learning experiences. All the requirements of the 2014 National Curriculum are adhered to for English, Maths, Science, Computing, Design Technology, History, Geography, Music, Art, PE and MFL (Modern Foreign Language) with additional time set aside for PSHE and Citizenship.
We feel that this approach enables us to balance the delivery of the statutory curriculum with the wider needs of all children. Please see our Curriculum Policy for further information.
At Long Lane Primary learning is:
- Acquiring, developing and applying knowledge and skills
- understanding through the combination of applied skills and inquiry
We have seven classes. We employ a system that divides these classes into three areas: Infants, Lower Juniors and Upper Juniors. In the Infants we operate one Foundation Stage class, one Year 1 and one Year 2 class with thei own class teachers. In the Lower Juniors, we run one Year 3 class and one Year 4 class. The Upper Juniors consist of one Year 5 class and One Year 6 class with their own teachers. Teaching Assistant support is provided according to identified need.
Phonics and Reading Schemes
In key stage 1 we use the Read Write Inc phonics scheme. Please see our Phonics and Spellings page for more details.
Further through the school we use 'Accelerated Reader' to support children's fluency and comprehension skills. Please see our English Policy for further details.
Maths
We take a Mastery approach to mathematics and ensure that pupils have access to a variety of models, concrete resources and abstract problem solving. We follow a structured calculation policy acroos the school for cohesion.
Home Learning
It is the normal practice that children will be set tasks to undertake at home. Tasks will vary according to the needs of the child and will not necessarily be written assignments.
We provide a range of ICT apps and tools to support children’s learning that can be accessed at home. We provide curriculum maps for each class so that parents/carers and pupils can research and become familiar with ideas and concepts at home.
It is important for pupils to have time to revisit and overlearn concepts and skills outside the classroom, in a ‘real life’ context or to spend time tackling misconceptions from their learning. Please ask your child’s teacher how you can best support your child at home with this.
Parent Progress Reports - In Autumn and Spring Term, parents or guardians are invited to meet the teachers to discuss their children’s progress and any other matters they wish to cover. A written report is provided for parents at the end of the school year and is sent out in the summer term. There is an opportunity to discuss the contents of the report with the Class Teacher if necessary. There are a number of other opportunities to support children's learning in school and at home.
Home Learning Exhibitions are set up at parents evenings (with a focus) as a drop in advice and support for home learning and working with your child at home.
Parent Learning Tours - These are an opportunity for parents to have a learning tour around the school and see classes and learning in action across the school. Parents will get an opportunity to talk to Learning Ambassadors from each class who will be happy to talk through their learning process with you.
