Curriculum Information
The curriculum at Princess Frederica
From September 2020, Princess Frederica is offering different curriculum offers for different purposes and scenarios. The main school curriculum taught within school can be read about in the main body of this page. Below you will find guidance through an overview document on the different curriculums that might apply in different circumstances. The best plaec to start is by clicking on the link below. This gives an overview of the different approaches and when each is applicable.
After reading this, if you need further information or guidance on the school's remote learning curriculum or if your child needs to engage with remote learning, please click on the link below.
The Curriculum at Princess Frederica
Princess Frederica follows the National Curriculum and associated programmes of study. The school curriculum is a knowledge based curriculum which stimulates our children into asking searching questions. Questioning and listening are skills worked on throughout the curriculum with the intention of children developing into independent, critical thinkers who understand the importance and value of backing up opinions and answers with evidence and questioning respectfully the thoughts and opinions of others.
Our curriculum has been designed to encompass knowledge and understanding of the world in which we live, the diversity of our local area, our Christian ethos, and also the events that have shaped our past to make it what it is today. The topics have been designed to complement and build on one another with clear progression and links so that in subsequent year groups, they will be able to explore concepts deeper, applying their knowledge in different contexts.
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 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 e-mailed out to parents and carers at the start of half-term so parents/carers can support with pre-teaching. This includes knowledge organisers for science, geography, history and RE. This will be in place and part of normal practise as of January 2020. Another example is in maths, where the approach is centred around the concrete, pictorial and abstract. Children will move through this process on a daily basis ensuring understanding of mathematical concepts is secure before moving on to new areas.
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.
--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.
Our curriculum has been designed to encompass knowledge and understanding of the world in which we live, the diversity of our local area, our Christian ethos, and also the events that have shaped our past to make it what it is today. The topics have been designed to complement and build on one another with clear progression and links so that in subsequent year groups, they will be able to explore concepts deeper, applying their knowledge in different contexts.
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 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 e-mailed out to parents and carers at the start of half-term so parents/carers can support with pre-teaching. This includes knowledge organisers for science, geography, history and RE. This will be in place and part of normal practise as of January 2020. Another example is in maths, where the approach is centred around the concrete, pictorial and abstract. Children will move through this process on a daily basis ensuring understanding of mathematical concepts is secure before moving on to new areas.
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.
--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.
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The National Curriculum
Curriculum Workshops
The school runs sessions every year on the school curriculum. These generally happen in the autumn term.
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.
Assessment at Princess Frederica
The document contains an overview of assessment at Princess Frederica. Please take some time to read about the statutory assessments the school follows, how the school uses both formative and summative assessment and what the overall aims are for assessment at the school.
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