Curriculum INtent
At Lane End Primary School, we use the National Curriculum in such a way to deliver a ‘small steps’ curriculum which supports the acquisition of mastery for each subject.
Within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) we focus on the prime areas (Personal, social and emotional development, Communication & Language, Physical Development) as without these being secure by the time they reach KS1, children are unlikely to succeed in Reading, Writing and Maths. A majority of the children that start with us in the EYFS are working below age related expectations and so it is our responsibility to ensure the gaps are closed as quickly as possible. This starts with the Prime Areas. Phonics is also taught in Nursery with an emphasis on hearing sounds and being able to orally blend sounds by the time children move into Reception.
Every subject in the National Curriculum from Y1 to Y6 is taught discreetly every week. This is achieved through a two weekly timetable that provides opportunities for children to revisit learning for subjects taught the previous week in ‘mini-lessons’. It also gives frequent opportunities for knowledge recall, ensuring that new knowledge is moved from the working memory into the long-term memory – or ‘learnt’. By running a two-weekly timetable, time is also freed up for consolidation or challenge opportunities depending on what is required and when, giving teachers autonomy and trusting in the knowledge they have of their children and what they need next to make best progress.
The curriculum has been planned across subjects in such a way that when new knowledge is introduced in, for example, Science such as Electricity, it is then revisited the following term in Design & Technology when the children create Lighthouses. This ensures children are able to develop schema using prior knowledge to build new knowledge and make sense of the subjects studied.
In September 2021, the school moved to mixed age classes in KS2 due to the impact of COVID 19. A conscious decision was made to keep Reception and KS1 classes as small single year groups to ensure the children had the best opportunity to close the gaps in Communication & Language and reading at an early stage. We believe that by being confident readers, this will prepare children best for their transition into KS2.
The curriculum in KS2 is organised into a two year rolling programme, Year A and Year B to ensure progression as the children move through the key stage.
Curriculum Subjects
Click on a subject below for more information:
