Curriculum

Curriculum Statement 

Sharow CE Primary School’s vision is modelled in our curriculum, where we promise to flourish together. 

We will do this with a creative and relevant curriculum which will inspire and motivate all pupils to become the best that they can be and achieve academic excellence. We will nurture and support our children and equip them with the knowledge they need to become confident, determined and respectful young adults who have exciting and ambitious aspirations for their futures in modern Britain. 

Our curriculum is rooted in the acquisition of substantive and disciplinary knowledge and skills that pupils need to take advantage of the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life. As such, it is a broad and deep curriculum which gives equal value to each foundation subject.  Pupils are supported throughout their learning to remember connected and essential knowledge, incrementally building their long-term memory.

The school has a rolling 2-year long term plan due to having mixed age classes. (The long term plan can be found as an attachment at the bottom of the page.)

Sequenced units of work following a knowledge rich approach with clearly defined progression from Reception to Y6.   (Progression documents can be found in individual subject pages.)  This is supported by the use of knowledge organisers showing the essential learning for each unit of work.

Recalls are integrated into planning to aid retrieval and support the development of pupils’ long-term memory. Lessons are planned so that they meet the needs of all learners whilst ensuring that they do not overload pupils’ working memory. A mastery approach to deepen learning is applied throughout the curriculum. 

Through the support and nurture provided in Early Years, pupils begin to develop their knowledge, thinking and skills through play-based activities and focused sessions which build their phonic and number knowledge. Pupils learn to share and work independently and learn to play with others. In doing so, they are learning to engage with the world around them. We believe that being able to read to an age-appropriate level and fluency is vital for pupils to fully access the curriculum. A key priority in Early Years is the development of reading for all pupils.  

In KS1, reading continues to be the focus of the curriculum alongside writing and mathematical knowledge, ideas and operations. Our curriculum provides opportunities for all pupils to read and be read to regularly, thus enabling them to develop a wide vocabulary and a rich understanding of the meaning of words encountered. 

Creativity is a strong thread that permeates our curriculum. Teachers plan opportunities in all subjects for pupils to think in different ways, find different solutions, create original designs and make links and connections between knowledge gained in different subjects. Special events and visits are planned to fit within a sequence of work to enhance the acquisition of knowledge. Music, drama and sport activities are highly valued as part of the broader curriculum. They enrich the knowledge and skills taught in other subjects. 

Our curriculum is designed to fully meet the needs of the national curriculum and also to ensure that we provide knowledge rich learning opportunities which deepen and extend understanding through deliberate practice. Our evidenced based approach to curriculum design has enabled us to better understand how to develop subject progression across the school so that important concepts are well taught and revisited regularly through a planned series of recalls giving pupils the opportunity to further embed key knowledge into long term memory. 

Most of the curriculum is delivered through block planning.  However, music, PE, PSHE, music and French are taught weekly to maintain fitness, provide opportunity for personal reflection and support gradual knowledge acquisition. 

As our context is predominantly White/British, our curriculum promotes the rich diversity of Britain and an inclusive culture and ethos built upon respect and consideration of all others.  It enables pupils to develop the cultural capital required to engage with society and understand the importance of being a good UK and global citizen. Our curriculum is ambitious for learners with SEND and disadvantaged pupils: extra support and/or resources are provided where necessary to close individual learning gaps. 

Assessment is an integral part of planning and teaching and learning. Our culture is based on assessment for learning. We ensure that pupils are provided with quality feedback which enables them to progress. Questioning plays an important role in identifying pupils’ understanding and next steps. We use low risk assessments such as quizzes and puzzles to assess the development of pupils’ knowledge. We use summative assessments in a balanced way with three data collection points over the year. 

 At Sharow School, we place great importance on the health, safety and well-being of our pupils. Our provision is designed to prevent our pupils from spending too long on computer games and tablets. We encourage our pupils to experience a wide range of activities both during and after the school day. Through our teaching, learning and behaviour expectations, we give pupils the knowledge and understanding of how discrimination and prejudiced behaviour is dealt with, including the prevention of bullying.  

Our curriculum strives for our pupils to be the best that they can be so that on transition to secondary school they will be: 

• considerate and respectful, taking responsibility for their behaviour 

• open to new ideas and respect and value differences 
• resourceful, resilient and know how to keep safe 
• actively demonstrating citizenship at all levels 
• showing strong attitudes to learning and taking responsibility for their own learning 
• willing to embrace setbacks and mistakes 

At secondary school, students will have good subject knowledge across the curriculum. They will have made good progress from their starting points with an above average percentage attaining the expected standard and above in reading, writing and maths at the end of KS2 and therefore able to access the KS3 curriculum.  Disadvantaged and SEND students will have made good progress from their starting points and acquired essential knowledge. 

Further information about each area of the curriculum can be found in the subject areas on the website.

If you would like any further information regarding the curriculum please speak to your child’s class teacher.

Please take a look at our curriculum subjects in the sub menu of our curriculum section.