Curriculum Subjects

Headlands Primary School | Art and Design Narrative

.

Headlands Primary School | Computing Narrative

The NPAT computing curriculum is based on the Teach Computing Curriculum. Children will engage in alternate terms of discrete computing units (where lessons are taught for 1 hour each week following the Teach Computing Planning), followed by embedded units (taught for approximately 2 hours a term following the NPAT planning with links made to other subject areas). The Teach Computing units for Key Stages 1 and 2 are based on a spiral curriculum. This means that each of the themes is revisited regularly (at least once in each year group), and units consolidate and build on prior learning within that theme. This style of curriculum design reduces the amount of knowledge lost through forgetting, as themes are revisited yearly. It also ensures that connections are made across consecutive years. It will support children to be competent, confident, and creative users of technology and responsible digital citizens. Children will develop the substantiative and disciplinary knowledge needed to be able to express themselves and their ideas clearly through digital media. It will enable them to see how these skills will be useful to them as active participants in both a digital world as well as in the workplace. They may be inspired to pursue further study and career paths in Programming, Engineering and Computer Science. Computing has deep links with Maths, Science and Design Technology. Children will recognise how some disciplinary knowledge is transferable and can help them to solve problems across these subject areas. The curriculum has been carefully constructed to ensure children obtain a solid understanding of key computational concepts and knowledge. This is a knowledge-rich computing curriculum; knowledge is given a high status and the aim is to empower our children and carefully build their understanding of the subject. The content is specified in detail and is taught to be remembered, not just encountered.

A high-quality computing education equips pupils to use computational thinking and creativity to understand and change the world. Computing has deep links with mathematics, science, and design and technology, and provides insights into both natural and artificial systems. The core of computing is computer science, in which pupils are taught the principles of information and computation, how digital systems work, and how to put this knowledge to use through programming. Building on this knowledge and understanding, pupils are equipped to use information technology to create programs, systems and a range of content. Computing also ensures that pupils become digitally literate – able to use, and express themselves and develop their ideas through, information and communication technology – at a level suitable for the future workplace and as active participants in a digital world. (National Curriculum 2014).

The following high dividend concepts are covered in our Computing curriculum: Computing systems and networks, Media, Data and information, Programming, and Safety and security. Common threads of disciplinary knowledge which will underpin computing learning throughout the curriculum include Decomposition, Creating, Collaborating, Evaluating, Digital resilience, and debugging. Children will learn to analyse problems in computational terms and have repeated practical experience of writing computing programs to solve problems. They will evaluate and apply information technology, including new or unfamiliar technologies analytically to solve problems.

Horizontal links will be explicitly made. E.g., Where skills are first taught then applied in different contexts (such as in Year 1, where children are taught how to move a floor robot and then apply these skills to solve problems and challenges) or where computational concepts bridge units (such as in Year 4, where repetition is encountered in the Repetition in Shapes unit and then explored in greater depth later in the same year in the Repetition in Games unit).

Vertical links will be made where knowledge and understanding are built upon from previous computing units. E.g., In Year 6, the Webpage Creation unit will build upon knowledge and understanding from the Year 3-unit, Desktop Publishing; likewise, in Year 5, the Video Editing unit will make direct references to the Animation unit coveredin Year 3 and the Audio Editing unit in Year 4.

Diagonal links will be made, particularly in our embedded units. E.g., links between computing and maths - such as Vector Drawing (Computing) with Shape and Coordinates (Maths) and Digital Writing (Computing) with Writing for Different Purposes (English).

During EYFS, pupils’ development of early computing knowledge is important. Whilst computing is not part of the latest statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage but is part of the National Curriculum from Year 1. Grover, Pea and Cooper have suggested that:

Learners’ success in future engagement with computing will depend on how well introductory curricula prepare them in both the cognitive and affective dimensions of computational learning. OFSTED Research Review Series May 2022

During KS1, children will learn the basics of computer systems and networks including the parts of a computer as well as essential keyboard and mouse skills. They will explore how to use technology responsibly. They will be given many opportunities to create digital media including digital painting, digital writing, photography and creating music. They will learn how to group data and create simple pictograms and explore programming through physical robots, simple animation, and quizzes.

During Lower KS2, children will develop their understanding of computer systems and networks by investigating routers and switches and looking at the internet as a network of networks. They will have opportunities to use digital media to create animations and desktop publishing and developing their editing skills through units looking at audio and photo. They will learn about branching databases and make links to how these are used in science. They will further develop their knowledge and understanding of programming through a series of units in Scratch, alongside applying this to other programs such as Logo.  Through these units children will be able to continually practice what they have learnt in previous years and build on this learning by adding new layers. Across Lower Key Stage 2 they will develop their knowledge and understanding of sequence, events and action, and repetition.

During Upper KS2, children will develop their understanding of computer systems and networks by exploring different ways of sharing information and communicating. They will have opportunities to use digital media to create webpages, 3D modelling and developing their editing skills further by looking at video. They will learn how to populate and manipulate data within flat files databases and then explore spreadsheets and discuss why this may be a useful tool in real life. They will further develop their knowledge and understanding of programming through a series of units in Scratch, alongside applying this to through physical computing units with Crumbles, and Micro:bits. Through these units children will be able to continually practice what they have learnt in previous years and build on this learning by adding new layers. Across Upper Key Stage 2 they will develop their knowledge and understanding of selection, variables, and sensing.

Online safety will be at the core of all learning. This will be taught explicitly through both the computing curriculum and through the PSHE/RSE curriculum, it will also be referenced and taught contextually within the computing units of work. In addition to this there is a suggested framework (Project Evolve) which is strongly recommended to ensure best practice. Computing leads work closely with RSE leads to ensure full coverage of online safety.

Key computing vocabulary is specified and explicitly taught as part of the Teach Computing full units and NPAT Embedded Units. The development of vocabulary progresses throughout the primary computing curriculum.

Subject Documents

Headlands Primary School | Design Technology Narrative 

Our NPAT Design & Technology curriculum enables our children to develop the design expertise they need in the world they live in so that they can flourish and reach their potential. It encourages children to become independent, creative problem solvers and thinkers as individuals and as part of a team. Our children are given every opportunity to build their substantive knowledge (factual content) and disciplinary knowledge (the skills) in all elements of the Design & Technology curriculum as they master the skills of how to be successful citizens in our rapidly changing word; they are encouraged to develop their design, practical and evaluation skills to help in the world of further education, work and in their future lives. They may be inspired to pursue further study and career paths in Design & Technology. Design & Technology has deep links with Maths, Science and Computing, forming a key component of the STEM curriculum. Children will recognise how some disciplinary knowledge is transferable and can help them to solve problems across these subject areas. The curriculum has been carefully constructed to ensure children obtain a solid understanding of key Design & Technology skills, concepts, and knowledge. We aim to offer rich and vibrant opportunities within the curriculum which draw upon meaningful real-life experiences.

Design & Technology is designed and taught with an understanding that the working memory is limited and that we can aid learning and the acquisition of the long-term memory with regular repeated learning experiences over time.

Design and technology is an inspiring, rigorous, and practical subject. Using creativity and imagination, pupils design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values. They acquire a broad range of subject knowledge and draw on disciplines such as mathematics, science, engineering, computing, and art. Pupils learn how to take risks, becoming resourceful, innovative, enterprising, and capable citizens. Through the evaluation of past and present design and technology, they develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world. High-quality design and technology education makes an essential contribution to the creativity, culture, wealth, and well-being of the nation. (National Curriculum 2014)

The following high-dividend concepts have been identified as an integral part of the Design & Technology curriculum: Structures, Food, Mechanisms and Mechanical Systems, Textiles, Digital World and Electrical systems. The disciplinary skills, which are progressive, are Designing, Making and Evaluating; these skills are broken down into small steps and frequently revisited and built upon in units across the year group and key stage. Teachers will make explicit reference to where children have met these concepts previously in the curriculum.

Through the Design & Technology curriculum, children will be taught the national curriculum objectives thoroughly, ensuring that each year group builds on previous learning so there is clear progression. Through this diversity of creative and practical activities, pupils should be taught the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in an iterative process of designing and making. They will also work in a range of relevant contexts. During Design & Technology units, pupils will have the opportunity to develop their technical knowledge through designing, making and evaluating a product, as well as gaining health and safety knowledge.

The NPAT Design & Technology curriculum is based on KAPOW. Children engage in alternate terms of Design & Technology which is taught weekly. The NPAT long term plan visits each Design & Technology element once in KS1, Lower KS2 and Upper KS2 building on prior learning. KAPOW units have been chosen to follow a chronological and progressive pathway ensuring all important skills and understanding are developed continually.

Horizontal links are explicitly made through each year group. The Disciplinary skills of designing, making, and evaluating will be taught, applied and developed progressively throughout each year group’s units in different contexts. For example, Year One will evaluate the product of a chair before embarking on their designs of baby bear’s chair and will then use these same skills at a higher level to evaluate puppets in the summer term.

Vertical links are made in all the high-dividend concepts of Design & Technology (Structures, Electrical Systems, Food, Textiles, Programming, Mechanics, or Mechanical Systems) throughout the key stages. These elements are taught throughout the school in alternate years. The key disciplinary skills, knowledge and understanding underpin all Design & Technology Units, each year group building on previous knowledge and skills. For example, Year 4 will use micro: bits and those skills will be built upon in the Year 6 unit on ‘The Digital World’.

Diagonal links are explicitly made with Computing, Maths and Science as part of STEM, however there are links with other areas of the curriculum for example, History and Geography. This supports their understanding and the application of the Design & Technology units. Examples of links are science (Year 4 make torches once completing their science unit on Electrical circuits, and Maths (Year 5 will use their skills of measuring in their Bridges unit)

During EYFS, with reference to the NPAT Curriculum Frameworks for EYFS, children will begin to develop their substantive, disciplinary and conceptual knowledge through playing, building blocks, junk modelling, weaving, cutting, and sticking, exploring materials, healthy eating, and mechanisms. They can underpin this understanding with the KAPOW EYFS units which introduce the high-dividend concepts of Design & Technology.

During KS1, with reference to the National Curriculum, children will develop their knowledge, understanding and skills, through a variety of creative and practical activities. These skills will help them to learn how to design, make and evaluate products for a particular purpose, using a range of tools and equipment, materials, and ingredients. The following units of work have been selected to build upon the experiences in EYFS: Baby Bear’s Chair (Structures), Smoothies (Food), Puppets (Textiles), Making a Moving Monster (Mechanisms), Pouches (Textiles), Eating Seasonally (Food)

During Lower Key Stage 2 the following units of work have been selected to build on the KS1 units: Cushions (Textiles), Pneumatic Toys (Mechanical Systems), Pavilions (Structures), Wearable Technology (Digital World), Torches (Electrical Systems), Adapting a Recipe (Food).

During Upper Key Stage 2, the following units of work have been selected to build upon lower KS2: Bridges (Structures), Fastenings (Textiles), Gears and Pulleys (Mechanical Systems), Developing a Recipe (Food), Steady Hand Game (Electrical Systems), Digital World (Navigating the World).

By the end of KS2, with reference to the National Curriculum, through a variety of creative and practical activities, children will develop their knowledge, understanding and skills. These skills will help them to learn how to research and develop design criteria, to inform the design of innovative, functional, appealing products that are fit for purpose, to generate, develop, model, and communicate their ideas through discussion, diagrams, sketches, protypes and CAD. They will be able to select from a wide range of tools, materials and equipment and investigate, analyse, and evaluate products against their own design criteria, understanding how to improve their work and understanding how individuals in Design & Technology have helped shape the world.

The Design & Technology curriculum and pedagogy will enable children to begin secondary school with a well-developed understanding of how to work collaboratively towards a common goal such as planning and developing projects. They will be able to share ideas, make comparisons, negotiate, and offer each other feedback to ensure a high-quality outcome. They will become enthusiastic, motivated independent learners, with a real love of learning.

Key Design & Technology vocabulary is specified and explicitly taught as part of the Design & Technology Curriculum. The development of vocabulary progresses throughout the Design & Technology curriculum.

Headlands Primary School | Geography Narrative

The NPAT Geography curriculum has been intentionally designed to ensure children develop substantive knowledge (factual content) alongside the development of disciplinary knowledge (the action taken within a specific subject to gain knowledge) as they learn the fundamental elements of what it is to be a geographer. Through key geographical high-dividend concepts, children will study a range of spaces including their local area and the wider world which is around them. The curriculum has been designed and sequenced to equip our children with a secure, coherent knowledge of their locality, the United Kingdom, weather patterns, and locations across the world. Units of work have been deliberately planned and sequenced within the long-term map to aid children’s retention of knowledge, using the principle of Cognitive Science.

The NPAT Geography curriculum is based on the National Curriculum 2014.

A high-quality geography education should inspire in pupils a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. Teaching should equip pupils with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes. As pupils progress, their growing knowledge about the world should help them to deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes, and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments. Geographical knowledge, understanding and skills provide the frameworks and approaches that explain how the Earth’s features at different scales are shaped, interconnected and change over time. (National Curriculum 2014)

The following high dividend concepts have been identified as part of the NPAT Geography curriculum: change, culture and diversity, scale, sense of place, space, sustainability and the environment. These will form the ‘Big Ideas’ and key conceptual understanding through which all geography will be taught. The concepts are frequently reinforced and developed. Teachers will make explicit reference to where children have met the concepts previously in the curriculum. These concepts are defined in the NPAT High-Dividend Concept Progression document. The progression of these concepts from EYFS to Upper KS2 is mapped out in the NPAT High-Dividend Concept Progression in Geography document.

The teaching of geography is driven by an enquiry question approach that seeks to capitalise on children’s curiosity and prior learning. Units of work are structured around an overarching geographical enquiry to ensure teaching is focused and children are working towards clearly defined outcomes. The overarching enquiry is broken down into smaller sub-enquiries to provide incremental progression that grows over a series of lessons to allow learning of content to be more manageable. The geography pedagogy and curriculum has been developed to ensure learning is not just encountered but remembered. The substantive knowledge content is detailed within the unit planning and knowledge organiser, disciplinary knowledge is mapped out with in the NPAT Disciplinary Knowledge progression in Geography document as well as within unit planning. At the heart of our curriculum approach is retrieval practice and revisiting knowledge. Retrieval practice involves deliberately recalling knowledge from memory to make learning stick and become connected in the schema. Units of work refer to learning from previous units to enable children to build their geographical knowledge over time as they progress through the curriculum.

The National Curriculum for Geography clearly outlines key substantive knowledge that children should gain, cumulatively, over the primary curriculum, beginning in EYFS. This is mapped in the NPAT Substantive Knowledge Progression in Geography document. The curriculum has been carefully constructed to ensure children obtain a solid understanding of key geographical concepts as well as substantive and disciplinary knowledge. The knowledge content is specified in detail and is taught to be remembered, not just encountered. Knowledge is sequenced and mapped deliberately and coherently. There are vertical and horizontal links which ensure the construction of a secure geographical schema. There will also be opportunities to make diagonal links to other disciplines which have been explicitly planned for.

Horizontal links will be explicitly made. E.g., In Year 1, children will learn about their local area in the Autumn term, which will be built upon in the summer term through a study of their local area and another area of the UK.

Vertical links will be made where knowledge and understanding are built upon from previous geography units e.g. In Year 3, the Spring unit (From North to South – how are spaces in England different?) will build upon knowledge and understanding of space from the Year 2 unit (How is Northampton different to a town in India?). In this Year 2 unit, there would be direct reference to Year 1 learning in the “Where do I live?” unit.

Diagonal links will be made, particularly where this is cross-curricular. e.g., links between Science and Geography - such as Environmental Change (Year 4 Science) with Sustainability and the Environment Units (Year 1, 3, 5 and 6 Geography) and Rocks, Soils and Fossils (Year3 Science) with Mountains, Volcanoes and Earthquakes (Year 3 Geography).

Sustainability and the Environment are at the heart of the NPAT Geography curriculum with units explicitly linked in Years 1, 3, 5 and 6. It is also explored implicitly through the journey of the curriculum.

During EYFS, with reference to the NPAT Curriculum Frameworks for EYFS, children will begin to develop their geographical substantive, disciplinary and conceptual knowledge.

During Key Stage 1, children will begin to develop knowledge of their local area, an understanding of the United Kingdom, and the names of the 7 continents and 5 oceans. They will recognise weather patterns, seasonal changes and begin to learn basic geographical terms. They will use globes, maps and atlases, begin to compare locations and have opportunities to explore their immediate environment through fieldwork. The following areas of focus have been selected: Where do I live? How can I be sustainable in my local area? Where would you rather live – Northampton or Hunstanton? From farm to fork – how does your food travel? How is Northampton different to India? Are all deserts hot? This range of units will build geographical knowledge and an awareness of the locality using fieldwork. It will provide the opportunity for children to develop their awareness of their locality to the wider world.

During Lower Key Stage 2, children will be given the opportunity to develop their knowledge of their locality and the wider world. They will use globes, maps (GIS) and atlases, begin to compare locations and have opportunities to explore their immediate environment through fieldwork. The following areas of focus have been selected: What are mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes? From North to South – how are spaces in England different? What can England learn about sustainability from Europe? Why is the Rainforest Important to Me? What is a river? Year Four will also participate in the National Gallery Take One Picture Programme with explicit geography
links made to the painting each year.

During Upper Key Stage 2, children will broaden their locational knowledge to include a wide variety of places on each continent, including their main geographical characteristics. They will explore the natural processes of the Earth and consider the impact of people on our planet. They will continue to explore the world around them interpreting a range of sources of geographical information, including maps, diagrams, globes, aerial photographs and Geographical Information Systems which they will learn to use in detail. The following areas of focus have been selected: Where would you rather live- in Northampton, England or Northampton, USA? Why is there Global trade? Global Warming and Climate Change -are they the same thing? Where is Africa and what is it like? Why is water so valuable? Sustainability and the Environment – how can I make a difference? This final Year 6 unit is a School Designed Unit allowing teachers to plan for the needs of their children in their communities.

Key Geography vocabulary is specified and explicitly taught as part of the NPAT Geography Curriculum. The development of vocabulary progresses, is revisited and embedded throughout the curriculum journey.

Through engaging with the NPAT Geography curriculum from EYFS to Year Six children will move to secondary school with a sound locational knowledge of the world and an appreciation of the geographical features and events that make each space unique. They will understand similarities and differences across the world and be able to use geographical vocabulary to discuss these. They will be confident when using a variety of sources, including a range of maps and atlases. Children will understand how they, as Geographers can use fieldwork to increase their geographical knowledge and become proficient in applying this disciplinary knowledge. They will understand the importance of being sustainable and how they can affect the world around them positively.

Headlands Primary School | History Narrative

Subject Documents

Headlands Primary School | Modern Foreign Language Narrative

Introduction

Learning a foreign language is part of the primary National Curriculum and is a requirement for all children within key stage 2 (KS2). Headlands Primary School  has adopted a whole school approach to the teaching of French to all KS2 pupils.

Aims

Our aim is to develop the confidence and competence of each child in the foreign language they are learning. Our goal is for them to be passionate, curious and confident about their own foreign language learning abilities when they finish the primary school phase of their education.

We will help them develop and demonstrate substantial progress in the 5 key language skills necessary for learning French:

• Speaking
• Listening
• Reading
• Writing
• Grammar

We aim to ensure that pupils of all abilities develop solid foundations in these key language learning skills - properly preparing them for the next stage of their language learning journey. These skills will develop children’s ability to understand what they hear and read and enable them to express themselves in speech and writing. We will extend their knowledge of how language works and explore the similarities and differences between the foreign language they are learning and English. We will also help strengthen their sense of identity through learning about culture in other countries and comparing it with their own.

Teaching and Learning Overview

Our whole school approach to language teaching and learning is in line with the recommendations of the National Curriculum and the requirements outlined in the Department for Education Languages Programme of Study for Key Stage 2.

The National Curriculum for languages aims to ensure that all pupils:

• Understand and respond to spoken and written language from a variety of authentic sources
• Speak with increasing confidence, fluency and spontaneity, finding ways of communicating what they want to say, including through discussion and asking questions, and continually improving the accuracy of their pronunciation and intonation
• Can write at varying length, for different purposes and audiences, using the variety of grammatical structures that they have learnt
• Discover and develop an appreciation of a range of authentic writing in the language studied.

By the end of key stage 2, pupils should be able to:

1. Listen attentively to spoken language and show understanding by joining in and responding.
2. Explore the patterns and sounds of language through songs and rhymes and link the spelling, sound and meaning of words.
3. Engage in conversations; ask and answer questions; express opinions and respond to those of others; seek clarification and help.
4. Speak in sentences, using familiar vocabulary, phrases and basic language structures.
5. Develop accurate pronunciation and intonation so that others understand when they are reading aloud or using familiar words and phrases.
6. Present ideas and information orally to a range of audiences.
7. Read carefully and show understanding of words, phrases and simple writing.
8. Appreciate stories, songs, poems and rhymes in the language.
9. Broaden their vocabulary and develop their ability to understand new words that are introduced into familiar written material, including through using a dictionary.
10. Write phrases from memory, and adapt these to create new sentences, to express ideas clearly.
11. Describe people, places, things and actions orally and in writing.
12. Understand basic grammar appropriate to the language being studied, including (where relevant): feminine, masculine and neuter forms and the conjugation of high-frequency verbs; key features and patterns of the language; how to apply these, for instance, to build sentences; and how these differ from or are similar to English.  

Displays of the topics being taught in French will be displayed around individual classrooms (if space allows) or will feature on a general school board.

Organisation & Delivery

French is taught in a whole-class setting by the class teacher or language specialist and is therefore not reliant on one key member of staff.

Teachers plan their lessons using the Language Angels scheme of work and can supplement this with their own ideas and experience and those of their colleagues.

The lessons are designed to motivate, captivate and interest children from the first moment. They have clear, achievable objectives and incorporate different learning styles. SEN children have access to the curriculum through variation of task, grouping or support from an adult.

Each class has a timetabled lesson of at least thirty minutes per fortnight.

French can also be revisited in short sessions throughout the week to consolidate knowledge and ensure new language is retained.

French lessons include:

• PowerPoints and interactive whiteboard materials
• Interactive games (which pupils can access from home to consolidate their learning)
• Songs & raps
• Differentiated desk-based consolidation activities
• Worksheets (at three different levels of challenge) are provided throughout each teaching unit and can be used in class or can be sent home to be completed as a homework exercise

Each lesson will focus on a combination of the 5 key language learning skills (speaking, listening, reading, writing and grammar). 

Below is an example outline of the units we will cover throughout KS2:

* Core Vocabulary lessons cover; Classroom Commands; Colours; Days Of The Week; Maths Calculations; Months Of The Year; Numbers 1 – 100; Maths Calculations.

Resources

The Language Angels scheme is a fully online resource enabling all teachers in all classes to have instant and continuous access to all the resources they need to teach whichever lesson they choose.  

Evidence of Teaching & Learning and Transition at End of Key Stage

Where appropriate worksheets completed by the children may be kept in their books which can be passed through the years and become a portfolio of their learning. Teachers can also upload scans of pupil written work along with audio and video recordings of pupils speaking and presenting in French to a centralised secure file store on their Tracking & Progression Tool.   

All of this information along with the pupil’s individual Learning & Progression Timeline and skills progress reports can be forwarded to their secondary school at time of transition.

Assessment of Pupil Learning & Progression

Two forms of assessment are available at the end of every Language Angels unit:

1. Peer and self-assessment ‘I can do…’ grids. A quick and easy way for all pupils in the class to record which units they have completed and the progress they are making.
2. More detailed skills based assessments using bespoke skills assessment worksheets. This form of assessment enables us to determine the learning and progression of all pupils in the key language learning skills as well as monitoring their progress against the 12 attainment targets stipulated in the DfE Languages Programme of Study for Key Stage 2.

Monitoring and evaluation

The Subject Leader monitors the effectiveness of the language teaching provided throughout the school via regular termly observations with feedback given to teachers delivering foreign language lessons. The Subject Leader and class teacher will together monitor the learning and progression made by pupils across the key stage.

The Subject Leader will encourage, where appropriate, class assemblies and presentations in French. They will also encourage cross-curricular topics be taught in French to knit together various areas of the curriculum.

All data, ranging from evidence of classroom teaching to individual pupil skills reports, is securely stored on a password protected database. This can be accessed by class teachers, the Subject Leader and SLT so all key stakeholders can evaluate delivery, performance and progress. This data can be presented to parents at parent-teacher meetings and will also be used to ensure the Foreign Languages SEF is updated as appropriate.

Subject Documents

Headlands Primary School | Music Narrative 

Music is a universal language. A quality music curriculum will engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians. The curriculum will enable children to perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the work of the great composers and musicians.

Each year children will study an influential composer, their life and works (Y1 Ludwig van Beethoven, Y2 John Williams, Y3 Jean Sibelius, Y4 Antonio Vivaldi, Y5 Edward Elgar, Y6 Grazyna Bacewicz) whilst listening to, reviewing and evaluating music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions. They will be taught to appreciate and understand a wide range of high-quality live and recorded music drawn from great composers and musicians and different traditions round the world, thereby developing an understanding of the history of music. These musicians will include composers such as Scott Joplin, Hans Zimmer and Anna Meredith, singers such as Frank Sinatra, Freddie Mercury and Etta James and instrumentalists such as Glenn Miller, Jake Shimabukuro, Ravi Shankar and Jess Gillam. 

Children will understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the inter-related dimensions which will form the ‘big ideas’: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations. Teachers will make explicit reference to where children have met these concepts before in the curriculum.

Every child will learn to use their voice and sing, compose music on their own and with others and have the opportunity to play several musical instruments and progress to the next level of musical excellence.

All children from Years 1-6 have the opportunity to engage in extracurricular music, including choirs and other instrumental groups.

Children will be taught to sing weekly in Reception and Key Stage 1 in a singing session. At Key Stage 2, children will be taught singing in year groups. Children will be taught music once every two weeks.

Whilst in Key Stage 1 children will be taught to use their voices expressively and creatively. They will be taught to play tuned and untuned instruments musically, including whole class ocarinas in Year 2. They will listen with concentration and understanding to a range of high-quality live and recorded music and experiment with, create, select and combine sounds using the inter-related dimensions of music.

In Key Stage 2 Children will be taught to sing and play musically with increasing confidence and control and will have the opportunity to play other musical instruments. They can have peripatetic lessons from a specialist teacher on a range of instruments. The children will receive whole class ukuleles in Year 3 and recorders in Year 4. They will also have a First Access percussion project delivered by NMPAT in Year 4. They will have opportunities to play and perform in solo and ensemble contexts, using their voices and playing musical instruments with increasing accuracy, fluency, control and expression. They will develop an understanding of musical composition, organising and manipulating ideas within musical structures and reproducing sounds from aural memory. They will improvise and compose music for a range of purposes using the inter-related dimensions of music, listen with attention to detail and recall sounds with increasing aural memory, use and understand staff and other musical notations. In Years 5 and 6 children will learn a range of songs for Young Voices and have the opportunity to perform in one of the largest choir concerts in the world to further enhance their knowledge of musical participation and performance.

Subject Documents

Headlands Primary School | Personal, Social, Health Education (PSHE) Narrative 

Intent

At Headlands Primary School, PSHE and development of character through our DARE Endeavour strategy is at the heart of everything we do. We value the importance of developing our children as individuals and preparing them to thrive in their ongoing education and careers, and for a successful life in modern Britain. We see the importance of children gaining an understanding of the world they’re growing up in and learning how to live alongside and show respect for a diverse range of people.

The overarching aims of our curriculum are that children will:

     •   Develop the knowledge, skills and attributes that they need to navigate their lives now and in the future
     •   Understand how to keep healthy and safe, including how to have purposeful and reciprocal relationships
     •   Understanding the importance of valuing similarities and differences and how to recognise and manage their emotions

Underpinning all learning and woven throughout will be the British values of:

     •   Democracy
     •   Rule of Law
     •   Individual liberty
     •   Mutual respect
     •   Tolerance

We took the strategic decision to adopt the Jigsaw programme to deliver our PSHE curriculum as it builds on our already good practice, is grounded in research and follows a comprehensive and progressive coverage of key concepts. Through the implementation of this curriculum, it is intended that children are taught how to navigate their changing world and supported to develop positive relationships with themselves and others.

It is our intention that:

By the end of Key Stage One Pupils will:

     •   Have a positive relationship with themselves, peers and adults within the school
     •   Demonstrate a healthy attitude towards school and learning
     •   Begin to demonstrate the British Values of democracy, tolerance, mutual respect, the rule of law and liberty
     •   Know how to stay safe in their physical and digital worlds
     •   Begin to have an awareness of their own mental health and well-being
     •   Begin to develop an inclusive attitude that challenges discrimination in all of its forms
     •   Understand the changes that happen to themselves and other animals and have taken part in age appropriate RSE

By the end of Key Stage Two pupils will:

     •   Have a positive relationship with themselves and the wider school community
     •   Have developed a positive body image
     •   Demonstrate a healthy attitude towards learning and its place in their future
     •   Understand what constitutes as a healthy relationship and how to seek help if they find themselves in an unhealthy situation
     •   Have respect for themselves and others
     •   Know how to stay safe in their digital and physical world
     •   Have an inclusive attitude that actively challenges discrimination in all of its forms
     •   Have an awareness and understanding of their own mental health and wellbeing and know where to turn for help should they need it
     •   Understand change and have strategies to draw on when they need to approach changes in their lives
     •   Understand the physical aspects involved with RSE at a developmentally appropriate level

Implementation:

Our PSHE programme is built around six half-termly schemes of work from Jigsaw. Each unit encompasses two strands, one specific to Relationships and Health Education and the other designed to build Emotional Literacy. The curriculum is interleaved with opportunities to learn simple mindfulness tools and techniques.

Our curriculum

Online safety

A thread throughout the Jigsaw programme to support the teaching of online safety is ‘Keeping Ourselves Safe Online’. In addition to this, Online Behaviours and Online Safety are specifically taught and addressed each half term through Project Evolve’ resources, which cover each of the 330 statements from UK Council for Internet Safety’s Framework (UKCIS): “Education for a Connected World.”

The following areas are covered through this framework:

     •   Self-Image and Identity
     •   Online Relationships
     •   Online Reputation
     •   Online Bullying
     •   Managing Online Information
     •   Health, Wellbeing and Lifestyle
     •   Privacy and Security
     •   Copyright and Ownership
 
Teaching Style

Our highly effective teaching in PSHE is developed through adopting a consistent approach and the follow up and follow through of our curriculum leaders, who monitor delivery and train and develop our teachers. Sessions are taught using a combination of quality circle time, discussion and response tasks, and key points are recorded in a class PSHE book.

PSHE content is evident in our classrooms on a daily basis, it is not constrained to timetabled sessions. In all classes, children check in for the day using a Zones of Regulation board which is followed up by the year group adults, and all year groups have access to Reflection Zones which they are trained to use in times of heightened emotion.

British Values

Children learn about the British Values through assemblies and classroom discussions. They are also covered through our PSHE, RE, History and Geography curriculum.

In PSHE, our Jigsaw and Nurture units are closely linked to the teaching of British values and more information can be found within the individual schemes of work.

At Headlands Primary School, our PSHE approach is further developed through:

     •   Our bespoke Nurture curriculum
     •   Thrive assessments, targets and small group/ 1:1 reparative emotional literacy sessions
     •   Termly e-safety lessons (National Online Safety and Project Evolve))
     •   Anti-bullying awareness
     •   NSPCC resources ‘PANTS’
     •   Liaison with outside agencies
     •   PSHE Areas in classrooms
     •   School Council
     •   Pupil Voice
     •   Our positive relationship strategy
     •   Inclusion opportunities
     •   Community links
     •   Sports Leaders
     •   Supporting local and wider world charities

Subject Documents

Headlands Primary School | Physical Education Narrative 

At Headlands, we believe PE should be experienced in a safe, supportive, and inspiring environment where every pupil can thrive. Our aim is to help all children develop a love of sport and physical activity that stays with them for life. Through PE, pupils build the fundamental movement skills they need to take part in a wide range of activities, from invasion games to dance and gymnastics.

Intent

• Be active every day and enjoy taking part in physical activity.
  
  
• Experience a wide range of sports and activities that promote lifelong participation.
  
  
• Develop essential movement, coordination and teamwork skills.
  
  
• Strive for their personal best and celebrate individual progress.
  
  
• Build confidence, resilience and respect through sport and physical challenges.

Implementation

• It’s fully aligned with the National Curriculum.
  
  
• It offers a broad range of sports and activities to keep pupils motivated.
  
  
• Lessons are inclusive, adaptable and accessible for all abilities.
  
  
• It encourages teamwork, resilience and positive sporting attitudes.
  
  
• It helps teachers track progress and celebrate success.

• Be active, confident and motivated to take part in sport.
  
  
• Enjoy physical activity both in and out of school.
  
  
• Develop strong fundamental skills that support future participation.
  
  
• The profile and expectations of PE and school sport will continue to be high.
  
  
• Represent the school with pride in sporting events.
  
  
• Lead happy, healthy and active lives.
  
  

Long Term Plan

 Reading and writing spine

 “Reading proves the master skill of school, so we need to nurture our pupils’ reading will and skill” Alex Quigley Closing the Reading Gap 2020

This document supports the English handbook which outlines in greater detail the way English is taught at Headlands including:-

• Read Write Inc Phonics
• A strategy for the teaching of reading
• A strategy for the teaching of writing
• Reading books for children
• Our library and our librarian

Why should there be a spine rather than teachers making their own choices?

“If teachers want to ensure maximum achievement in reading and maximum readiness for college, text selection needs and deserves greater attention and intentionality.” Doug Lemov Reading Reconsidered 2016

Why does the text choice matter?

“We are all made up of the stories that we tell ourselves, that have been told to us and about us. Who we are and who we become as individuals and a society is bound up in the fabric of these stories. As gatekeepers of the literature, teachers have a responsibility to nurture our readers of tomorrow through the stories that we share.” The power of a reading rich classroom CLPE 2020

Class read aloud text choices (fiction including poetry)

The text chosen have been selected to provide a breadth and range of genres, writing styles, voices and perspectives. The list includes both historical and contemporary fiction. The 5 plagues of reading (Doug Lemov) supported some choices. Books that spark emotions, allow children to experience fun, let them discover places they are not ready to go to alone have been included. Books that will affirm who they are, offer insights into worlds beyond their own and challenge and broaden their thinking are included. Most read aloud books are pitched beyond the independent reading ability of the children as reading aloud slows written language down and frees the children to imagine the scenes and moments. These books will build vocabulary by allowing the children to hear unfamiliar words in context, develop background knowledge, provide a reading role model and plant the desire to read.

Reading aloud will be developing communities of readers by ensuring that all children have shared experiences of a wide repertoire of books and can discuss these and make links between them. This shared experience will be built on each term and each year. Children will develop a sense of history and culture, an awareness of themselves and an empathy to others and (most importantly) the power of a great story or poem.

Texts to inspire writing including poetry

These texts have been chosen for most of the reasons above. They may not be pitched above the independent reading ability of the children and the illustrations have played a larger part in the choices (particularly with the older children in the school). These texts are to inspire writing and are used to develop the wider curriculum around the theme for the term. Teachers will plan writing lessons exploring the text and pictures to produce writing outcomes. The writing outcomes have been mapped over each year and throughout the school so that all children are producing all writing outcomes and making progress in the complexity of each outcome over time.

Non-fiction book choices

The texts chosen support the theme for each term and recently produced non fiction books and non fiction books that read like fiction have been included in the core texts for each term. Books have been chosen that will engage, are well presented with text and pictures, inform and stimulate children to ask questions and find out more.

Summary

This spine provides a small selection of the books that children will encounter over their time at headlands but it provides a rich and varied diet that will be embellished with many more books.

“I am part of everything that I have read.” Theodore Roosevelt

Reading Roads

Headlands Primary School | RE Narrative

Subject Documents

Headlands Primary School | Science Narrative

A quality science curriculum will support children in gaining a fascination for – and understanding of - the world around them. They will become curious about our planet and gain a desire to learn more about the physical and natural phenomena to be found both there and in the wider universe. They will learn about: the physical laws and principles which have shaped our world and maintained the systems found therein; the chemical processes and concepts controlling all forms of matter; the diversity and inter-relatedness of all living things, with particular emphasis on the life processes which are essential to the maintenance and health of the human body. They will learn about the effects that science has on our everyday lives and will develop a sense of responsibility for the care of our world, recognising how an understanding of science is essential in the preservation of our natural and human environments and of how resources can be managed sustainably.

During EYFS, with reference to the NPAT Curriculum Frameworks for EYFS, children will begin to develop their scientific substantive, disciplinary and conceptual knowledge though Understanding the World – The Natural World.

During KS1 children will be given the opportunity to experience and observe phenomena, exploring in ever-increasing detail the natural and humanly constructed world around them, as specified in the National Curriculum. They will be encouraged to be curious and to ask questions about what they notice. The following areas of focus have been selected: identifying and naming common plants and animals; identifying body parts; exploring plant structure and growth; investigating habitats and the inter-relatedness of all living things; investigating materials and their properties. This range of units will foster greater self-awareness and encourage an understanding of the natural and material world through investigation and problem-solving, hence inspiring an interest in - and a responsibility towards - the balance of nature and the wider world around them.

During Lower KS2, children will be given the opportunity to broaden their scientific view of the world around them. The following areas of focus have been selected: human biology (including nutrition, the digestive system and the functions of the skeleton and muscles); plants; classification; environmental change; states of matter; rocks; light and sound; frictional force and magnets. This range of units will provide pupils with a broad grounding in the scientific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics.

During Upper KS2, children will be given the opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of a wide range of scientific ideas. They will encounter more abstract concepts and begin to recognise how these will help them to understand and predict how the world operates. They will begin to recognise that scientific ideas change and develop over time. The following areas of focus have been selected: human biology (including the circulatory system and healthy lifestyles); evolution and inheritance; classification; life cycles; material science; forces; light; electricity; Earth and space. This range of units will complete a broad and comprehensive science education within the disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics in readiness for the challenges of secondary school science.

The following high dividend concepts have been identified as part of the NPAT science curriculum: Energy, Forces, Matter, Earth and Space, Life, Evolution. These will form the ‘Big Ideas’ through which all science will be taught.

The curriculum has been carefully sequenced to ensure a progression in substantive and disciplinary knowledge and to reveal the interplay between them. Children will obtain a solid understanding and knowledge of the key scientific concepts, laws, theories and models of science as well as the knowledge of the practices of science. This is a knowledge-rich science curriculum. The content is specified in detail and is taught to be remembered, not just encountered. Disciplinary knowledge - in the form of Enquiry (and the associated investigative skills) - is embedded within the most appropriate substantive context. Teachers will make explicit reference to prior learning and planning will identify relevant links throughout the curriculum:

• Horizontal links will be made where knowledge and understanding are built upon over the course of the academic year. E.g., Where observation over time is identified as a key concept (such as in Year 1, where Seasonal change is revisited at four points throughout the academic year) or where scientific concepts bridge units (such as in Year 5, where gravity is encountered in the Earth and Space unit and then explored in greater depth later in the same year in the Forces unit).
  
  
• Vertical links will be made where knowledge and understanding are built upon from previous science units. E.g., In Year 6, the Light unit will build upon knowledge and understanding from the Year 3 unit, Light and Shadows; likewise, in Year 4, the Digestive System unit will make direct references to the Nutrition unit covered in Year 3.
  
  
• Diagonal links will be made where knowledge and understanding are built upon across the wider curriculum. E.g., links between science and geography - such as Environmental Change (Science) with Rainforests/Deforestation (Geography) and Rocks, Soils and Fossils (Science) with Volcanoes (Geography).

Key Science vocabulary is specified and explicitly taught as part of the NPAT Science Curriculum. The development of vocabulary progresses throughout the Science curriculum.

Subject Documents