Details of the school's Curriculum

Intent 

As a Trauma Informed School it is the intent of the school to:

• Deliver a curriculum that utilises the care and play seeking system through *PACE so all children can engage with learning.
• To incite curiousity for learning by having a safe environment in which children and the wider community can take considered risks in education.
• To embed our Christian Values in all areas of learning

We are a school that celebrates all styles of learning the creative, active and academic.

We encourage enquiry and support children to have an insatiable curiousity and are actively encouraged to ask why.

We believe that by delivering the curriculum that encourages PACE children will develop the necessary skills and knowledge for the future.

Implementation

Our curriculum is bespoke to the needs of the children within St Michael's C of E First School and we draw upon consistent approaches that have been proven to embed high expectations and standards.

Reading

At St Michael's we know that reading is the lynchpin for all independent learning.

In Reception to Year 2 we use Read, Write Inc to support the development of reading and writing through systematic phonics. Each child is assessed against the Read Write Inc progression regularly to ensure that there are no gaps in their understanding.

When children come to the end of their Read, Write Inc Journey they progress to Accelerated Reader. Goals are set for each child to achieve within a set period of time.  The child's progress against the goals is then reviewed and each child's Zone of Proximal Development is adjusted to enable their learning journey to continue.

As a whole school we use Talk for Reading to support every child's understanding of vocabulary and comprehension, this builds on the children's understanding of the core text by enabling them to explore it in detail. This is enriched with planned, core reading texts in every class that the teacher reads, aloud regularly.

Writing

As a school we use Talk for Writing from Reception to Year 4. Talk for Writing compliments Talk for Reading. Teachers ensure that each child makes clear progress from their individual starting points by using a clear progression of procedural knowledge from Reception to Year 4.   We have had a bespoke Talk for Writing Long Term Plan designed by Maria Richards (Talk for Writing Consultant).  To compliment the Long Term Plan every teacher uses the model texts and adapts them to meet the needs of children within their specific class. 

Maths

The staff at St Michael's C of E First School teach maths using an additive and multiplicative approach. As a school we use the White Rose Maths Long Term Plan in conjunction with the Cornerstones Curriculum. 

We teach maths using concrete and pictorial strategies before we move into abstract.