Welcome to the Kenn Church of England Primary School Curriculum

From these pages, we intend to share in detail what our children learn, when they learn it, how it is taught, and why it is important. We aim to deliver our curriculum in an exciting, clear an inspirational way that engages learners and promotes a life long love of learning.

The children learn in our classrooms, using a wide range of resources, in our extensive outdoor spaces, at home through homework and parental engagement, and out of school on trips and educational visits. Our children have told us that they learn best when they have a variety of experiences, and given a mixed diet of learning opportunities.

We have organised our curriculum in a manner that ensures that children learn the skills and knowledge to be able to access the wealth of information and opportunities outside of school, and to prepare our learners for the next chapters in their educational careers.

As well as containing the vital skills and knowledge found in the national curriculum, our curriculum also helps children develop an understanding of various key themes: our locality, diversity, our community, our Christian vision and sustainability. This is all delivered in an inclusive way – we strongly believe that all children at school are equally entitled to be able to access the full breadth of learning. We aim to break down any barriers that children may face, whether it is a disability, a specific learning need, coming from a vulnerable family or social and emotional challenges.

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

At Kenn C of E School we believe that every child has a right to access the full curriculum and we welcome applications from children with special needs.  We include all children in all aspects of school life and give the support necessary to help them succeed.  We work closely with professionals from many different specialist areas and monitor individual needs and progress closely.

Provision is led and monitored by our designated Special Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO), the Head of School and by the Governor responsible for Special Needs, but all members of staff and teaching assistants have experience of working with children with a range of needs. The school works hard to ensure that it is well prepared to meet the needs of all its children.  Above all, our policy of inclusion means Kenn C of E School is a particularly caring environment where children respect and accept difference and welcome all newcomers into the school community.

The school’s Special Educational Needs Policy is available under the Federation Governors Policies tab.

Some children may be working at a much higher level than would be the expectation of their age group and experience. We identify such children and work with parents to provide a stimulating and appropriately challenging curriculum. It is not always advisable to move children onto a higher level of work but rather give them investigations and challenges that broaden their knowledge and enable them to apply this to new situations.

The Curriculum

Early Years Foundation Stage

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets the standards that schools must meet to ensure that children learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe. It promotes teaching and learning to ensure children’s ‘school readiness’ and gives children the broad range of knowledge and skills that provide the right foundation for good future progress through school and life.

What does the EYFS cover? The EYFS framework covers the education and care of all children in early years provision, including children with special educational needs and disabilities.  It incorporates:

• The legal welfare requirements that everyone registered to look after children must follow to keep your child safe and promote their welfare.
• The 7 areas of learning and development which guide professionals’ engagement with your child’s play and activities as they learn new skills and knowledge.
• Assessments that will tell you about your child’s progress through the EYFS.
• Expected levels that your child should reach at age 5, usually the end of the reception year; these expectations are called the “Early Learning Goals (ELGs)”
• the seven areas of learning and development and the educational programmes (described below);
• the early learning goals, which summarise the knowledge, skills and understanding that all young children should have gained by the end of the Reception year; and
• the assessment requirements (when and how practitioners must assess children’s achievements, and when and how they should discuss children’s progress with parents and/or carers).
• The legal welfare requirements that everyone registered to look after children must follow to keep your child safe and promote their welfare
• The 7 areas of learning and development which guide professionals’ engagement with your child’s play and activities as they learn new skills and knowledge.
• Assessments that will tell you about your child’s progress through the EYFS.

Expected levels that your child should reach at age 5, usually the end of the reception year; these expectations are called the “Early Learning Goals (ELGs)”

Areas of Learning. There are seven areas of learning and development. All areas of learning and development are important and inter-connected. Three areas are particularly crucial for igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, and for building their capacity to learn, form relationships and thrive. These three areas, the prime areas, are:

• communication and language
• physical development
• personal, social and emotional development.

There are also four specific areas, through which the three prime areas are strengthened and applied. The specific areas are:

• literacy
• mathematics
• understanding the world
• expressive arts and design.

Planning. Activities and experiences for children are based on the seven areas of learning. Planning is based on children’s interests. Topic webs are designed to ensure that all areas of learning are provided for through exciting and stimulating experiences and opportunities. Half termly curriculum letters are sent home and published on our website and these give you an insight as to what you may do to support your child and facilitate learning at home.

The importance of play. Each area of learning and development is implemented through planned, purposeful play and through a mix of adult-led and child-initiated activity.

Play is essential for children’s development, building their confidence as they learn to explore, to think about problems, and relate to others. Children learn by leading their own play, and by taking part in play which is guided by adults.

When planning children’s activities, we reflect on the different ways that children learn. Three characteristics of effective teaching and learning are:

1. playing and exploring– children investigate and experience things, and ‘have a go.’
2. active learning– children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties, and enjoy achievements.
3. creating and thinking critically– children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things.

When you look in your child’s Learning Journey you will see a mix of independent and adult initiated activities which are documented through photographs, observations and written work.

Assessment. Assessment plays an important part in helping parents and teachers to recognise children’s progress, understand their needs, and to plan activities and support. Ongoing assessment is an integral part of the learning and development process. It involves teachers observing children to understand their level of achievement, interests and learning styles, and to then shape learning experiences for each child reflecting those observations.

Assessment at the end of the EYFS. In the final term of the year the EYFS Profile must be completed for each child. The Profile provides parents and teachers with a well-rounded picture of a child’s knowledge, understanding and abilities, their progress against expected levels, and their readiness for Year 1. Each child’s level of development must be assessed against the early learning goals. In the EYFS Profile, teachers must indicate whether children are meeting expected levels of development, or if they are exceeding expected levels, or not yet reaching expected levels (‘emerging’).

Key Stage 1 and 2 Curriculum

The National Curriculum does not formally start until children have completed their reception year. The curriculum is made up of the following subjects in line with the National Curriculum:

English

Language development is the key to success in many areas of learning. Each day, all children learn the skills of reading, writing and oracy for a range of purposes on paper and using a range of IT.

Reading

Children are taught to read with accuracy, fluency and understanding, using a variety of approaches including word recognition and grammatical/context clues. The teaching of phonics is however the primary methodology. In addition to word reading, the children learn comprehension skills and are encouraged to read across both fiction and non-fiction for pleasure.

Speaking and Listening

‘Talk for writing’ and drama are powerful tools. Children learn to express their ideas and opinions with widening vocabulary, clarity and confidence, and to listen, question and respond, and respect the views of others.

Writing

Children are taught to write confidently and fluently, using Standard English, for a variety of purposes. They learn to develop proficiency in spelling, punctuation and grammar.  We encourage children to develop a fluent cursive style in handwriting from an early age and attempt their own spellings using their grapheme/phoneme knowledge and other spelling strategies and rules.

Mathematics

Here at Kenn CE Primary School, we take a maths mastery approach to teaching and learning mathematics. We teach the National Curriculum, supported by a clear skills and knowledge progression starting in EYFS, centred on the EYFS Statutory Framework and Development Matters (2020). Our EYFS and Years 1-6 maths progressions are, by necessity, organised into apparently distinct domains, but pupils should make rich connections across mathematical ideas to develop fluency, mathematical reasoning and competence in solving increasingly sophisticated problems.

We believe that all children can be successful in the study of mathematics. Our intent is for every child to gain mastery of the primary maths curriculum and for children to become confident, resilient mathematicians; well equipped to become successful in their future adventures. We aim to prepare them for a successful working life.

Maths lessons are taught regularly, according to the needs of their year group. Formative assessment plays an important role in ensuring that all children are exposed to the right level of mathematics, with opportunities to go ‘deeper’ into a concept for those who have grasped the initial structure of a concept, including by use of questioning to probe deeper understanding.

We create a vocabulary rich environment, where talk for maths is a key learning tool for all pupils and gives them the confidence to explain mathematically.

Staff provide opportunities for our pupils to develop a deepened understanding for mathematics, to become fluent with the fundamentals of mathematics, to reason mathematically (often using concrete objects) and to solve problems. Maths is taught across the curriculum ensuring that skills taught in these lessons are applied in other subjects and real-life opportunities such as role play, the Virgin Money Challenge and school fundraising events.

As a staff, we continuously strive to better ourselves and frequently share ideas and strategies that have been particularly effective. We ensure staff have a secure understanding of maths mastery teaching through continued professional development opportunities.

Staff ensure teaching promotes a growth mindset and enables all children to achieve in and enjoy mathematics.

Formative assessment takes place in every lesson and is an integral component to our mastery approach. Staff utilise carefully crafted questions to assess and challenge our children. Prerequisite and summative assessments take place at key points in the year within our school’s monitoring and evaluating cycle. Staff use Target Tracker to ensure all maths objectives are being covered.

Science

Science is a core subject.  We aim to provide each child with a broad range of experiences  to provide the foundations for understanding the world.   The three main areas covered are:

Life processes and living things

Materials and their properties

Physical processes

As well as developing scientific knowledge, we encourage children to develop an enquiring and investigative approach.

Computing and Technology

Children have access to the internet, digital cameras and a wide variety of software to develop their expertise.  They are taught to make decisions as to when it is appropriate to use technology to enhance their leaning and rules for using IT safely. We want to prepare your children for life in this increasingly technological world.  There is a developmental scheme of work and children are encouraged to apply their ICT skills across the curriculum.

Modern Foreign Languages

At Kenn School, all children gain knowledge of French language and culture through a range of speaking and listening opportunities.

Design and Technology

Design and Technology prepares pupils to participate in tomorrow’s rapidly changing technologies.  Children are encouraged to:

• Learn skills and techniques to assist in their design and making
• Explore existing products
• Make and design using the above acquired knowledge
• Learn cooking skills and apply their understanding of nutrition
• Links with other areas of the curriculum are encouraged and children are taught to handle tools and materials safely

Art

Art should be an enriching, exciting experience. Developing children’s creativity is very important. From Reception we encourage children to access a wide range of materials, media, tools and techniques.  There is a planned programme of work, linked to other areas of the curriculum.  Using a variety of stimuli, children need to have the opportunity to look, see, touch and enjoy, experiment and be taught as they produce their work throughout the school.

Physical Education

Our aim in PE is to promote physical activity and healthy lifestyles.

The National Curriculum requires pupils to plan, perform and evaluate a range of physical skills.  All our pupils study games, gymnastics, dance and swimming.  Key Stage 2 pupils also study athletics, outdoor and adventurous activities.  In all activities we encourage positive attitudes, high attainment, good sporting behaviour, co-operation, health awareness and safe practice.  It is essential that appropriate PE kit is in school at all times.

At KS2 we compete in a range of sports with our other learning community schools, and beyond.

Music

The areas covered are:

• Performing and composing
• Listening and appraising

At Key Stage 1 children are encouraged to focus on maintaining a steady beat and rhythm, pitch and composition.  At Key Stage 2 children extend the skills already acquired and develop an understanding of graphic scores and notation.

Children are encouraged to learn an instrument. Currently woodwind, brass,  guitar and piano are taught in school by arrangement with the relevant tutor.

Religious Education

R.E. is taught throughout the school in accordance with the diocesan guidelines. It helps the children to gain a better understanding of Christianity and other faiths. As a church school, our local vicar Father John leads an Act of Collective worship on a weekly basis as part of our daily Collective Worship cycle in school.

Religious Education at Kenn C of E  is concerned with putting our children on a pathway to understanding religion and with making a contribution to the development of their own beliefs and values.

The school follows the RE curriculum agreed by Devon.  There are two strands:

• Feelings and emotions
• Knowledge of particular religions

Children undertake a focused study of Christianity across both Key Stages and at Key Stage 2 there are also in-depth studies of Hinduism, Judaism and a focus on Islam.

Each term there are Class sharing assemblies; parents are invited to share in the celebration of work and achievements by the children.  This is an informal occasion, bringing the school community together to reflect on the week’s learning.

Parents have the right to request that their child should be partly or wholly excused from either the act of worship or Religious Education.  Any request should be made to the Head of School.

History

Through learning about different periods and cultures, children develop a sense of time and an understanding of how the past affects our lives today.  Opportunities will be given to all children to find out about the past from a variety of resources available in the school; artefacts, books, internet, picture slides and videos.  Fieldwork and visits are encouraged to extend this knowledge.

Geography

The children investigate and learn about people, places and the environment in the UK and abroad.  They study how and why physical and man-made features are arranged and how places are linked to each other. They also recognise how people are influenced by and affect the environment.

A wide variety of resources are available for them to utilise – maps, videos, photographs, and the internet.

Kenn C of E School aims to develop children’s geographical skills, enabling them to observe, record and to communicate their ideas and information.

Personal, Social and Health Education

At Kenn, we use the SCARF programme of study to teach the children about a variety of areas of their social and emotional development. This includes many areas, all designed to help children navigate friendship issues, learn to stay safe and how to care for themselves.    

Sex and Relationships Education

Our delivery of a Sex Education programme is set in the whole school context of a Health Education Programme, which is planned through Personal, Social and Health Education, Physical Education, Science and Religious Education.

The school will endeavour to ensure that it is presented in such a manner as to encourage children to have due regard to moral considerations and family life.

Throughout their time in school our children are taught using video material ‘Living and Growing’ (as recommended by Devon Curriculum Services) together with supporting topic work. Parents are welcome to view this material at any time.

Parents have the right to withdraw their children from all or part of any sex education provided (but not from teaching of the biological aspects of human growth and reproduction necessary under National Curriculum Science).

Subject Curriculum Design Documents

Please find each subject area in this website, with a specific curriculum document. This document will show the intention, implementation and impact of that area of the curriculum. It will also demonstrate what is taught over a year or two-yearly basis, and how the skills and knowledge build and progress for the learners as they make their way up through the school.