Curriculum Statement

At Eastlands Primary School we seek to provide a broad, balanced differentiated curriculum and offer a wide range of exciting, challenging activities and experiences to all pupils irrespective of ability, background, ethnic origin or gender.  

Our curriculum incorporates the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum and other experiences and opportunities which best meet the learning and developmental needs of the pupils in school.  The aim of our curriculum is for pupils to have the requisite skills to be successful, independent and motivated learners in readiness for their next stage of education and beyond. In fact, our shared vision is “Empowering and preparing for success in a changing world” and so, in this endeavour, we create stimulating learning environments for the children in partnership with parents, the wider community and providers.

 We believe Eastlands is a caring, listening school where the children feel safe, are valued and can achieve their very best.  Our children develop their understanding of how they learn best (metacognition), together we celebrate success and also demonstrate that ‘making mistakes’ are opportunities for growth and learning.  At Eastlands, we learn that there are different pathways to success and develop perseverance by overcoming barriers.  Through the curriculum, we aim to prepare pupils for the opportunities, experiences and responsibilities of adult life and to lay a firm foundation for future learning. 

We believe the best learning follows four modes of learning foundational, conceptual, collaborative and personal. Teachers and support staff are receiving training in the key areas of curriculum change to meet the needs of our pupils.  Our aim is that learning is always effective and taught in a meaningful context for children. The rehearsal and application of skills learned in the core subject areas is a key feature of the curriculum. The children are taught a planned programme of work throughout their years at Eastlands Primary School.  At certain times of the school day small groups may be withdrawn from the main lesson.  These intervention groups receive additional literacy and numeracy support. We acknowledge that people learn in many different ways and we recognise the need to develop strategies that allow all children to learn in ways that suits them. Opportunities are planned to cater for a range of different learning styles to ensure that all children can access the curriculum and learn in a way that is best for them. We enhance this with planned opportunities that make up the wider school curriculum.

There are more details on the curriculum for each year group within the year group pages.  Please take a look.

Assessment

We regularly assess pupils and recently have become part of the PIXL club.  The data and information we collect is used in our Pupil Progress Meetings and through our regular Achievement Team meetings to check that all our children are achieving the expected standards and making the appropriate progress in reading, writing and maths. Timely interventions are put in place as appropriate. Assessment is shared with the right adults so that decisions can be made quickly and our children receive the support they need.

Termly Themed Weeks/Days

Each year we run a number of Themed Weeks/Days to enrich and enhance the curriculum and to ensure that it is broad and balanced. These provide exciting learning experiences for the children and opportunities for families to get involved.

Educational Visits and Visitors

Visitors into school and visits outside of the school; in the immediate locality, the Town Centre and further afield, are seen as an important and valuable part of school life. They widen the children’s horizons and motivate the children to learn, our Key Stage Two children for example, have the extremely exciting opportunity to take part in Young Voices each year, joining a choir of thousands and performing at the Resorts World arena in Birmingham. There are also opportunities to take part in residential visits which are offered to the Year 5 & Year 6 pupils. The school has strong community links with Rugby Gym, Diamond Jubilee Centre, St. Peter & St John Church, local care homes and local schools.

Special Educational Needs / Disability (SEND)

To ensure that all children achieve their full potential, arrangements are made for children with special educational needs across the whole range of abilities to be supported, both in the classroom and in intervention groups.  Our Special Educational Needs policy and practice are in line with the 'SEND Code of Practice (2015)'  and is regularly reviewed in the light of national changes to SEND legislation.  The school publishes information for parents about what it can offer pupils with Special Educational Needs on the school website.

Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE)

This element of the curriculum incorporating both Health Education and Citizenship is provided through a planned, continuous programme throughout the School.  Once again it emphasises the development and value of relationships. PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education) forms an integral part of the curriculum at Eastlands Primary.  It helps to give pupils the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to lead confident, healthy, independent lives and to become informed, active, responsible citizens, whilst promoting British values.  All members of staff are committed to encouraging in the children a knowledge of right and wrong and to take responsibility for their own behaviour. We follow the Warwickshire Protective Behaviours Programme and Cambridgeshire Primary Personal Development Programme to support this area of the curriculum.

Relationships and Sex Education (RSE)

Relationships and Sex Education will provide information which is easy to understand and is relevant to the age and maturity of pupils. It will be taught through topics and themes, some of which will be developed for specific age groups and will be repeated each year. At no stage do we promote sexual orientation or sexual activity, nor do we teach children explicit sexual terms other than to use the correct body part names during science or during Sex Education.  We follow the Cambridgeshire Primary Personal Development Programme scheme to support this area of the curriculum.

Discrete teaching of Sex and Relationships Education happens in each year group. Meetings are held for parents/carers of pupils in all year groups to discuss the programme of lessons, to explain what the issues are and how and when they will be taught, and to see the materials the school uses in its teaching.

Religious Education (RE)

The Warwickshire Agreed Syllabus forms the cornerstone of RE teaching. The R.E. taught in school reflects the beliefs and values in Britain, being broadly Christian but taking into account the teaching and practices of the principal religions in Britain. We endeavour to promote respect for the individual / each other and our assemblies take account of all people, with or without beliefs.  R.E. and Collective Worship is for all people, of all abilities, all backgrounds, all faiths and none. Our assemblies promote the Spiritual, Moral, social and Cultural development of the pupils and provide very clear messages on what is right and what is wrong.

Appropriate arrangements can be made for the withdrawal of pupils from R.E. lessons and acts of Collective Worship, where parents request this. 

Extra-Curricular Activities

A number of after school activities are organised to develop specific aspects of the curriculum, for example sport, drama and music.  These activities are optional and parental permission is sought. We are very proud of the wide range of extra-curricular clubs we are able to offer at Eastlands Primary. These are run after school and at lunch times and are all well attended. Most clubs are run by our dedicated teachers and teaching assistants but we also have some clubs run by external coaches, for which there is sometimes a small fee.

Clubs which have been available recently have included:

‘Impact’ dance, ‘Hotshots basketball’, football, netball, choir, handbells, cookery, football, multisport, art, booster classes, Eco, and Kids In the Community (KIC).

Assemblies

We build in opportunities to promote the spiritual, moral and cultural development of all our pupils, especially through our daily acts of Collective Worship and our Religious Education scheme or work.  Children are encouraged to develop their own beliefs. Throughout our assemblies, we deliver our Cambridgeshire scheme of work as well as assemblies that promote British Values, a healthy lifestyle, staying safe, being good citizens, etc.

Home-school links

We firmly believe that the education of the children is a partnership between children, staff and parents.   Support from home is vital in maximising children’s chances of fulfilling their potential.  In order to facilitate this partnership, we offer an open-door policy where parents are welcome to visit school to discuss their children’s progress with staff at a mutually convenient time. 

Each class have two termly learning conferences in Autumn and Spring term followed by an open evening and report at the end of the year. A child’s report from the Termly learning conference is sent home at the end of each term which provides agreed targets and an overview of current achievement.