Our Curriculum Intent

At Racemeadow Primary Academy, we believe that our curriculum is one that is broad, balanced and ambitious for all. It is exciting, relevant, meaningful and responds to the needs of the individuals within our learning community, enabling them to excel academically and flourish socially, emotionally, physically, morally and culturally.

At Racemeadow, we believe that the curriculum should be seen in its widest sense – as the entire planned learning experience, including formal learning opportunities as well as events, routines and enrichment activities that take place outside the classroom.

Also, running throughout our curriculum are the core values of our school - Relationships, Pride and Ambition, together with the British Values of Individual Liberty, Mutual Respect, Democracy and the Rule of Law.

Key Principles of our Curriculum:

• Raises aspirations
• Is purposeful and relevant and ensures that learning is contextualised
• Develops a growth mindset
• Celebrates the process of learning rather than just the end product and ensures that failing is seen as an opportunity for new learning
• Is memorable and experiential
• Enables children to become mentally and physically healthy, resilient citizens
• Develops strong relations with the community- the school, local and wider community
• Promotes SMSC and British Values throughout
• Ensures that children are ready for their next stage of education (EYFS-KS1, KS1-KS2, KS2-secondary education)

Using the EYFS Framework, the Sonar Curriculum and a variety of other carefully selected materials, the full range of core and foundation subjects have been carefully mapped out across school ensuring clear progression in knowledge, understanding, skills and concepts.

We also ensure that we provide all children with opportunities for wider experiences through activities such as trips, residential visits, the daily mile, extra-curricular sports, arts and music clubs and our REAch2 11B411 initiative which aims to offer all pupils 11 amazing activities during their time at Racemeadow. These include hiking hero, messing about on the water, 10 good deeds, create something amazing, cross a border, flash mob dance, make or break a REAch2 record, ride a large animal, seeds to support, shake it up Shakespeare and sleep under the stars.

Our Curriculum Implementation

Within the EYFS, there is a combination of adult-led, teacher taught sessions and a wealth of stimulating continuous provision opportunities when adults scaffold learning through skillful interactions and questioning. The EYFS curriculum covers the Prime Areas of Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Communication and Language and Physical Development and the Specific Areas of Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World and Expressive Arts. Throughout all of these areas of learning and at the heart of our EYFS are the “Characteristics of Effective Learning”. We strive to develop these key characteristics of “Playing and Learning”, “Active Learning” and “Thinking Critically” in order to give the children the skills that they will continue to draw upon throughout their next stages of education.

Throughout KS1 and KS2, we have carefully adapted the ‘Sonar Curriculum’ ensuring it is bespoke to Racemeadow in order to motivate, engage and inspire pupils through a series of learning journeys that we call 'Mini Missions'. Each Mini Mission lasts half a term except in Autumn 2 when children also complete a Christmas themed Mini Mission.

We use the carefully sequenced objectives within the  ‘Sonar Curriculum’ as our vehicle to deliver learning in Writing, Science, History, Geography, Art and Design and Design Technology.

The beginning of each 'Mini Mission' is designed to hook all children in and acts as the launch to their learning. All learning (except Art) related to the 'Mini Mission' is captured in one book.

To prevent the creation of tenuous links, discrete subjects are taught where appropriate. RE is taught following the Warwickshire Agreed Syllabus, Maths follows the White Rose Maths Hub planning sequence, Music is based on the Charanga scheme of work and online resources, Get Set 4 PE is used to ensure high quality PE provision, Purple Mash is used to deliver the Computing curriculum and KS2 French is planned and delivered using Primary Language Network.

Our PSHE curriculum has been created by a working party of PSHE subject leaders from across REAch2 and comprehensively covers the statutory guidance outlining the content that schools must cover. In addition, it includes non-statutory aspects such as economic well-being, careers and enterprise education and personal safety, including assessing and managing risk.

Providing children with access to a range of high-quality texts is an integral part of our curriculum. We believe it is our role to ensure children leave us being able to articulate themselves clearly and read and write confidently and effectively. In addition to key texts linked to Mini Missions and those used in Guided Reading Sessions, each year group has a carefully planned selection of texts which are used during class story times.

Across the school, high quality learning environments support and celebrate children’s learning across all curriculum areas.

Central to all of the above is an expectation of well thought out quality first teaching and learning delivered by all. Continuing Professional Development is a priority for our staff to ensure they have the skills and knowledge necessary to deliver the highest standards across the entire curriculum. Subject leaders have the necessary expertise to play a pivotal role in both the design and delivery of their subject area; ensuring a clear progression of both skills and knowledge across all year groups, underpinned by a robust assessment system. They can articulate how learning is revisited and developed year on year, to ensure a real depth of learning across the school.

We ensure that continued improvement is the focus of our monitoring schedule by focusing on how staff can share good practice between each other, what areas for improvement they have and what high quality CPD can be provided to support their improvement.

We believe that parents play a crucial role in their child’s learning and as a result do all that we can to keep parents informed about our curriculum. This includes: sharing half termly topic webs and vocabulary sheets, holding regular parent’s evenings, inviting parents to assemblies and school productions, inviting them to parent partnerships sessions where they can work alongside their child and ensuring that informative reports are sent home at the end of the academic year.

Our Curriculum Impact

As a result of our carefully planned and skilfully implemented curriculum, we would expect the impact to be that:

• Children build positive relationships within the school, local and wider community
• Children take pride in themselves, their learning, and their community
• Children have high aspirations for the future and know that these can be realised with hard work and determination
• Children achieve well – making strong progress from their starting points and being ready for their next stage of education

• Children are mentally and physically healthy and demonstrate resilience

• Our families work in partnership with us to ensure their child’s journey at Racemeadow is a positive one and prepares them to contribute positively to the world in which they live

We will measure the impact of curriculum through:

• Learning walks
• Book looks
• Pupil achievement data
• Pupil Voice
• Attendance tracking
• Behaviour tracking
• Extra Curriculum registers
• Parent questionnaires

Religious Education

At Racemeadow Primary Academy, pupils develop their knowledge and understanding of the the key religions.

• Buddhism
• Christianity
• Hinduism
• Islam
• Judaism
• Sikhism

We follow the SACRE Warwickshire Agreed Syllabus.

A range of teaching methods are employed including opportunities for pupils to take part in art, drama, cooking and visits to local places of worship.

We have developed a partnership with our local church, St Mary's and the children take part in celebrations such as Harvest, Christmas and Easter, as well as visiting the church to explore aspects of the RE syllabus.

PSHE

Click on the document below for information about our PSHE curriculum.

Music

We use the Charanga online platform to plan and deliver our Music curriculum. This ensure that non-specialist staff are confident at planning and facilitating high quality music lessons.

Phonics

At Racemeadow Primary Academy, we use Read Write Inc.

Read Write Inc. Phonics is a highly successful literacy programmes for 4-13 year-olds created by Ruth Miskin and published by Oxford University Press. The training and support from Ruth Miskin Training, rated Outstanding by the Department for Education, ensure the programme has the best chance of success in schools.

The Read Write Inc. programme is carefully matched to the new curriculum, giving your children the best chance of success in the national tests. It shows teachers, teaching assistants and parents step-by-step how to teach all children to become fluent readers, confident speakers and willing writers.

Our school uses Read Write Inc. Phonics for our children in Reception to Year 1 and for our children in Years 2,3 and 4 who need to catch up

French

We use the Primary Languages Network website to teach French in KS2.

PE

We use the Get Set 4 PE sheme of work and online platform to deliver our PE curriculum.

EYFS- Reception

We aim to provide a safe and stimulating environment where children can become independent learners. They are encouraged to explore and experiment whilst their knowledge is extended by careful adult interaction and intervention. The adults observe the children learning through play and use these observations to plan next steps in each child’s development.

The Early Years framework is split into three ‘prime’ areas of learning and development and four ‘specific’ areas of learning and development.

Prime Areas

• Personal, Social and Emotional Development
• Physical Development
• Communication and Language

Specific Areas

• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding of the World
• Expressive Arts and Design

Learning in all areas takes place inside and outside everyday. Both indoor and outdoor environments enable children to learn through a balance of adult led and child initiated activities. We also aim to use the children’s interests to make their learning more exciting and appealing.

We work closely with parents/carers and have an open-door policy where staff can address any concerns and share magic moments of development whether during the school day or at home.

For more information about the EYFS you can download a copy of What to expect, when? from www.foundationyears.org.uk which suggests ways that parents can support their children in Nursery and Reception.