The Curriculum at Princess Frederica
Our curriculum has been designed to create a love of learning that ensures positive engagement in subjects that build a sequential bank of knowledge and skills that help children access more complex learning as they move through their time at the school. The curriculum uses vehicles such as reading, music, residential visits, project based homework, workshops, dress up days, focus weeks and day trips to create excitement, confidence and engagement in what is being learnt to support in moving knowledge learnt from the short term to the long term memory and support children to know more and remember more.
How has the school curriculum content been decided on?
The school curriculum is developed based on a continual evaluative process. This is based on input from a number of different sources including:
How is the curriculum constructed?
Curriculum construction is based on building blocks being in place ensuring children are ready for the next step in their educational journey. This means clear progression from year to year in all subjects. The following outlines its construction.
How the curriculum has been created for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)?
Focus has been put into the school curriculum on the importance of all children being able to successfully access the learning. The use of knowledge organisers ensures that children come into a unit of work with a level of knowledge and understanding that prepares them to be able to engage with skills being taught in class rather than focusing purely on the knowledge. These knowledge organisers are uploaded onto the website before the start of half-term so parents/carers can support with pre-teaching. This includes knowledge organisers for science, geography, history, Art and Design, Design and Technology and RE. The overviews in different subjects also outline minimum expectations for all children and minimum expectations for children with SEND. Teachers assess against these milestones as well as against objectives set from baseline assessment so progress can be accurately measured and new objectives set.
What teaching and learning strategies are used to deliver the school curriculum?
The school's approach to how the curriculum is delivered is driven by a commitment to the following key areas. They are:
--ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING: AFL is a process of children being involved in their assessment of their learning while giving teachers continued opportunities to assess children's understanding. Techniques used include children having partners that change on a regular basis so they experience paired working with many different children, a combination of targeted and random questioning, marking involving peer and self-assessment using success criteria and mixed ability learning. To ensure children are always involved in discussions in partner time, teachers will frequently ask children what their partner has said rather then focusing on their answer. This is one way that AFL encourages the learner to listen to others and engage in the discussion rather then simply relying on their own thoughts and opinions.
--PHILOSOPHY FOR CHILDREN (Including the 4c's): P4C is an approach to learning and teaching which enhances children’s thinking, questioning and communication skills, boosts their self-esteem, and improves their academic attainment. It is taught as a stand alone subject with a specific stimulus that creates enquiries to be investigated but is also used to create other key skills that are then utilised across the curriculum. These skills include children addressing children, children using each other's names, maintaining debate backed up by evidence and listening to the key points of others with the confidence to report back to others.
--SCHOOL VALUES BASED ON CHRISTIANITY: Our school values are central to the expectations that the school holds for all stake-holders. It drives the methodology around school decision making throughout the school, both in operational situations and strategic direction. It gives guidance to us all as we strive to both maintain and enhance the experience all children have at the school.
Growth
Unity
Kindness
Faith
--A GROWTH MINDSET: This is the belief that you can succeed. The school recognises the importance of all children believing that they can succeed at something even if they have not mastered it yet. Teachers remind children about the importance of not saying 'I can't do it' but rather than 'I can't do it...yet.'
--A LOVE OF READING: Children are encouraged to read in a number of different ways. Teachers read regularly to their class and visit the library on a weekly basis. Writing is also based around enjoyment in quality texts. Please follow the link on reading to find out more information.
--CONCRETE BASED UNDERSTANDING: Princess Frederica recognises the importance of children learning in a concrete way to ensure that when children apply their understanding in a more abstract way, they are doing so with a secure understanding of their learning. This also increases the chances of knowledge becoming consolidated and stored rather than all learning being new and being reliant on working memory which can only store small amounts of information (holding between three and seven pieces of new information) at a time.
--AN APPROACH TO HOW CHILDREN LEARN BASED ON COGNITION: We are aware at Princess Frederica of progression being defined as 'knowing more, remembering more'. School staff use different strategies to support the movement of short-term learning to long-term memory.
How has the school curriculum content been decided on?
The school curriculum is developed based on a continual evaluative process. This is based on input from a number of different sources including:
- Staff meetings designed to look at how the curriculum reflects the local area, the national agenda, the demands and needs of the school and the make-up of the school and local community.
- School leaders and subject leaders making a clear decision on how the curriculum works for reflecting the diverse nature of the school and local area as well as how it appeals and can be accessed by children with SEND.
- Feedback from the children through the school council. These thoughts and ideas are based on gaining feedback directly from the classes that school councillors represent.
- Annual parental/carer feedback giving their thoughts and opinions on the school curriculum including strengths and areas to work on.
How is the curriculum constructed?
Curriculum construction is based on building blocks being in place ensuring children are ready for the next step in their educational journey. This means clear progression from year to year in all subjects. The following outlines its construction.
- It is based on the National Curriculum.
- It includes clear expected milestones for the end of the year in all subject areas.
- Assessment questions within foundation subjects that ensure children are learning knowledge and skills that can be used to answer a question or problem. They can then demonstrate learning they have done in the unit.
- It is focused on reading as a golden thread throughout.
- It is designed to be accessible for SEND children. It is further adapted through targets highlighted in foundation subjects that are a minimum expectation for SEND children by the end of the year.
- It is heavily influenced by music and the positive impact this has on discipline in learning, enjoyment and engagement. It also develops confidence and creates opportunities to learn a specialism to a good standard.
- Enrichment and fulfilment through trips, residential outings, performances, writing scripts and attending a wide variety of after school clubs.
- It is focused on developing well rounded individuals who care about each other and the environment they live and learn in and are aware of their responsibilities as citizens when they leave.
How the curriculum has been created for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)?
Focus has been put into the school curriculum on the importance of all children being able to successfully access the learning. The use of knowledge organisers ensures that children come into a unit of work with a level of knowledge and understanding that prepares them to be able to engage with skills being taught in class rather than focusing purely on the knowledge. These knowledge organisers are uploaded onto the website before the start of half-term so parents/carers can support with pre-teaching. This includes knowledge organisers for science, geography, history, Art and Design, Design and Technology and RE. The overviews in different subjects also outline minimum expectations for all children and minimum expectations for children with SEND. Teachers assess against these milestones as well as against objectives set from baseline assessment so progress can be accurately measured and new objectives set.
What teaching and learning strategies are used to deliver the school curriculum?
The school's approach to how the curriculum is delivered is driven by a commitment to the following key areas. They are:
--ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING: AFL is a process of children being involved in their assessment of their learning while giving teachers continued opportunities to assess children's understanding. Techniques used include children having partners that change on a regular basis so they experience paired working with many different children, a combination of targeted and random questioning, marking involving peer and self-assessment using success criteria and mixed ability learning. To ensure children are always involved in discussions in partner time, teachers will frequently ask children what their partner has said rather then focusing on their answer. This is one way that AFL encourages the learner to listen to others and engage in the discussion rather then simply relying on their own thoughts and opinions.
--PHILOSOPHY FOR CHILDREN (Including the 4c's): P4C is an approach to learning and teaching which enhances children’s thinking, questioning and communication skills, boosts their self-esteem, and improves their academic attainment. It is taught as a stand alone subject with a specific stimulus that creates enquiries to be investigated but is also used to create other key skills that are then utilised across the curriculum. These skills include children addressing children, children using each other's names, maintaining debate backed up by evidence and listening to the key points of others with the confidence to report back to others.
--SCHOOL VALUES BASED ON CHRISTIANITY: Our school values are central to the expectations that the school holds for all stake-holders. It drives the methodology around school decision making throughout the school, both in operational situations and strategic direction. It gives guidance to us all as we strive to both maintain and enhance the experience all children have at the school.
Growth
Unity
Kindness
Faith
--A GROWTH MINDSET: This is the belief that you can succeed. The school recognises the importance of all children believing that they can succeed at something even if they have not mastered it yet. Teachers remind children about the importance of not saying 'I can't do it' but rather than 'I can't do it...yet.'
--A LOVE OF READING: Children are encouraged to read in a number of different ways. Teachers read regularly to their class and visit the library on a weekly basis. Writing is also based around enjoyment in quality texts. Please follow the link on reading to find out more information.
--CONCRETE BASED UNDERSTANDING: Princess Frederica recognises the importance of children learning in a concrete way to ensure that when children apply their understanding in a more abstract way, they are doing so with a secure understanding of their learning. This also increases the chances of knowledge becoming consolidated and stored rather than all learning being new and being reliant on working memory which can only store small amounts of information (holding between three and seven pieces of new information) at a time.
--AN APPROACH TO HOW CHILDREN LEARN BASED ON COGNITION: We are aware at Princess Frederica of progression being defined as 'knowing more, remembering more'. School staff use different strategies to support the movement of short-term learning to long-term memory.
The Curriculum
Curriculum Overview: Y1-Y6
Click on the link below for the current curriculum overview for Y1-Y6.
Key Subject Information
Please click on the links below to find out about a subject area.
The following links are key areas of interest that parents and carers may want to read more about.