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Curriculum Overview Page Header

Curriculum Overview

In everything we do, we set high expectations for all pupils under our care and guidance. As a result, we ensure all pupils develop a love for learning. 

At Summerville Primary School, we aim to make every day full of wonder, excitement, challenge and fun, equipping today’s children for tomorrow’s world. 

The aim of the curriculum at Summerville Primary School is to provide the knowledge and skills needed for our pupils to develop as independent, confident, successful learners with high aspirations, who know how to make a positive contribution to their community and the wider society. 

If parents and carers would like to know more about our curriculum please contact Mrs Bryden through the school office.

 

Intent, Implementation & Impact 

Curriculum Intent

At Summerville we follow the CUSP (Curriculum with Unity Schools Partnership) which has been designed so that it: 

  • is relevant and useful, enabling children to develop sustainable skills and knowledge for life in the 21st century; is based on current evidence-based research around cognitive learning; 
  • develops children’s moral, spiritual, social and cultural understanding alongside physical development, well-being and mental health; 
  • provides a highly inclusive environment where learners enjoy their education and pupils at all levels are helped to achieve their potential; 
  • develops critical, creative, philosophical thinkers who have something to think and talk about;
    takes into account the context of the school, our community and the local area;
    promotes diversity and reflects our commitment that ‘there are no outsiders here’;
    develops kind, brave, humanitarian, active members of the school, local, national and global community; 
  • recognises that development of reading and vocabulary is essential so that children can access all learning and read well enough to question and challenge what is written in publications, social media, online and in the press. We will develop proficient readers who love literature and read widely, crossing the gateway into knowledge that has been set down for us in print; 
  • at all times endorses high expectations, quality support and challenge to motivate children to produce their best work; 
  • nurtures and challenges children, teaching them essential life skills so that they can and will look after themselves, others and the planet; 
  • provides our children with wider experiences, adventures and an insight into a range of cultures so that, as young people and later as adults, they believe they can join in with all that life offers, transcending social boundaries. 

In the CUSP curriculum, the development of knowledge, skills and understanding is carefully planned to ensure coverage and progression through a 3D curriculum. This is structured in a way that makes remembering inevitable. From EYFS to Year 6, the children revisit content and skills, building on what has been taught before to ensure learning is transferred to pupils’ long-term memory. Subject leaders play a crucial part in the success of the curriculum by sequencing, planning, monitoring and evaluating the knowledge and skills that are built upon across school in their subject and between other subjects. 

Our curriculum provides pupils with memorable experiences, in addition to diverse and rich opportunities, from which children can learn and develop a range of transferable skills. The children's own community and its heritage and traditions are frequently used as a starting point for engaging interest. A primary focus of our curriculum is to raise aspirations, engender a sense of personal pride in achievement, and provide a purpose and relevance for learning. 

We actively promote British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs to prepare our pupils for life in modern day Britain. We also provide opportunities for our pupils to learn about the contribution of Britons to innovation, excellence and changes in the world. 

The school provides the full core offer of extended school provision. To promote physical health and wellbeing, a range of clubs gives learners an opportunity to access a wide variety of sports clubs and activities after school hours and during lunch times. 

In the event of an extended school closure home learning will be set via Seesaw and every child will receive a personal and a family log in.

Curriculum Implementation

Links & Downloads

Our curriculum which has been designed by our subject leaders and SLT is based on the EYFS Framework and the National Curriculum, which can be found by clicking the relevant links on this page.

The National Curriculum document shows the statutory objectives for the knowledge, skills and understanding that we teach at Summerville Primary School from Year 1 to Year 6. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are taught using the EYFS framework with an emphasis on developing key skills, knowledge and understanding through direct teaching and structured continuous provision.

At Summerville, we want to define our curriculum more widely than just statutory requirements alone, reflecting our context and vision. We offer a broad, balanced curriculum for all our learners which is carefully sequenced and designed with knowledge, creativity and life skills at its heart. We want the children to learn about a wide range of subjects and develop a wide range of skills. Reading is at the heart of our curriculum and children are encouraged to read widely and regularly to ensure that they develop a strong vocabulary base and understanding of the world.

Cognitive Research

Our curriculum promotes long-term learning and we believe that progress means knowing more and remembering more. We have designed a curriculum built on current cognitive research regarding how memory works to ensure that children not only have access to 'the best that has been thought and said', but are taught this in a way that ensures they can remember the curriculum content in future years. We make use of knowledge organisers (which are sent home regularly) to ensure children know exactly which information is expected to be learned over the course of their study in a particular subject. We also revisit and reinforce key knowledge, prior learning, skills and concepts to ensure children securely grasp what they learn.

One of the central aims of the curriculum at Summerville is to ensure that our pupils are both "interesting and interested". We want them to be 'interesting' to talk to, because they know a great deal about the world and 'interested' in finding out more. We understand that knowledge is 'sticky', in other words, the more pupils know the easier it is for them to know more. This is why we place particular emphasis on children knowing by heart and building rich webs of knowledge as they progress through the curriculum. Then they are able to make connections and develop their own schema as they move through school.

Planning

All our units of work have been carefully planned by the subject leaders to ensure full curriculum coverage and progression within units, within year groups and throughout the school. The subject leaders have also made the explicit links within and between subjects and included these in the medium term plans so teachers can share them with the children.

Quality First Teaching

At Summerville we provide high quality, inclusive teaching for all our pupils and all our staff have the highest possible expectations for the children. Teachers are expected to impart knowledge accurately and with enthusiasm and take into account prior knowledge and build upon this in a systematic way.

Each lesson has clear, concise learning objectives and the children will be supported in a variety of ways so that everyone can achieve their potential. Teachers are highly skilled in how they explain, model and question the pupils to move the learning on.

We expect that children will develop resilience and accept responsibility for their own learning and work independently.

Assessment

Assessment for learning is continuous throughout the planning, teaching and learning cycle.

Assessment may be formative or summative and is supported by use of the following strategies:

• observing children at work, individually, in pairs, in a group and in class during whole class teaching;
• using differentiated, open-ended questions that require children to explain and unpick their understanding;
• providing effective feedback during the lesson and through marking;
• providing opportunities for self-assessment;
• using retrieval activities to establish prior knowledge;
• end of unit mini quizzes;
• diagnostic testing to identify gaps in learning;
• use of more formal standardised assessments including PIRA and PiXL termly tests;
• moderation and monitoring of written work, to evaluate the range and balance of work and to ensure that tasks meet the needs of different learners.

Interventions

In some subjects, individuals and groups who are not making sufficient progress are identified and provision for a suitable intervention is mapped according to need which will allow the child/children to progress. Detailed plans are put into place and the intervention evaluated and adjusted if necessary.

Monitoring

The subject leader will be responsible for monitoring the quality of teaching and learning in their subject. They will regularly undertake book scrutinies, lesson observations/learning walks and review and improve units that have been taught.

Pupil and Staff Voice

We regularly conduct pupil and staff voice questionnaires to seek views on our curriculum and identify areas in which we could improve.

Parental Involvement

Parents will be given opportunities to support and be involved in pupils’ learning at Summerville through our open door policy, parents’ evenings and regular communication and publication of information electronically.

Balance of our curriculum

Balance in the curriculum is about the amount of time dedicated to each curriculum area and how it is used. At Summerville, we have allocated time for each subject in order to meet statutory requirements. Consideration has been given to the frequency of subjects taught and whether some subjects can be taught in blocks.

Curriculum Impact

As a result of our curriculum, all children will make at least good progress from their starting points. By the time the children leave Year 6, they will be equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge that will enable them to be ready for the curriculum at Key Stage 3 and for life as an adult in the wider world. We want the children to have thoroughly enjoyed learning about their world and have a secure grasp of reading, writing and mathematics. They will be confident and motivated learners ready for the next stage of their education.

The children will demonstrate knowledge, skills and understanding across a wide range of subjects and state that they have enjoyed their time at Summerville Primary School, have fond memories and a platform to confidently access opportunities in the future.

Evidence of work will show that the National Curriculum has been met and a wide range of topics covered. Standards will be high and the quality of learning in the foundation subjects will match the standards in the core subjects such as English and maths.

Key Stage Overviews

EYFS

Links & Downloads

Our children in Nursery and Reception are taught using the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Statutory Framework. This government document sets standards for the learning, development and care of children from birth to 5 years old and ensures they learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe.

The EYFS framework outlines seven areas of learning and development and educational programmes. There are three prime areas of learning, which are particularly important for children’s development and future learning:

  • Communication and Language
  • Personal, social and emotional development
  • Physical Development


There are four specific areas of learning, through which the prime areas are strengthened and applied:

  • Maths
  • Literacy
  • Understanding the World
  • Expressive arts and design

Three characteristics of learning are also fostered to enable the best development in every child. These are:

  • Playing and exploring
  • Active Learning
  • Creating and Thinking Critically


The EYFS framework identifies the essential role of play in children’s development including child-led play and play guided by an adult. This play based learning develops confidence and relationships with others, extends vocabulary and develops communication skills.

In our EYFS Unit, we provide a curriculum which:

  • is carefully planned by the teachers and covers all areas of the curriculum, with opportunities to learn inside and outside, pursuing self-initiated and adult directed activities;
  • allows the children to learn through play sometimes for extended periods;
  • provides activities which allow children to explore, be active learners, be creative and think critically;
  • encourages children to take responsibility for their learning;
  • is planned weekly, taking into account the children’s' interests;
  • meets the diverse learning needs of all the children;
  • respects the cultural differences of all children and communities.
  • is dependent on practitioners and parent/carers working together;
  • ensures all children feel secure and confident;
  • builds on what children already know and can do and takes them to the next steps uses varied approaches and teaching methods.


Click on the links to find out more information about the EYFS curriculum.

Key Stage 1 & 2

Links & Downloads

In Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 we follow the National Curriculum. We focus on English and mathematics as the foundations for all learning and these lessons are taught every day. The skills learnt in these lessons are then applied across the curriculum.

Lessons in geography, history, art, design technology, science, computing, religious education, music, physical education and Spanish (KS2) are taught as discrete lessons.

We follow the Salford Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education. Copies of the RE curriculum can be provided to parents/carers through the school office. Parents/carers have the right to withdraw their child from RE lessons.

We ensure the curriculum is creative, exciting and fun. Out of school visits and enrichment activities are an integral part of our curriculum and these are carefully mapped into our yearly teaching programme.

Click on the links to find out more about the National Curriculum at Summerville Primary School.

Click on the links below to see the progression from the EYFS framework to the National Curriculum in Y1.

Inclusion and SEND

We provide a curriculum that is successfully adapted, designed and developed for pupils with special educational needs, disadvantaged backgrounds and/or disabilities and that challenges the more able children. We recognise the fact that children have different abilities and at Summerville we teach the full curriculum to all children, whatever their ability. We provide suitable learning opportunities for them by matching the challenge of the task to the ability of the child and removing any potential barriers. We achieve this by:

  • setting common tasks, which are open ended and can have a variety of responses;
  • setting tasks of increasing difficulty with some children not expected to complete all the tasks;
  • grouping children by ability and setting different tasks to each ability group;
  • providing resources of different complexity according to the ability of the child;
  • challenging more able children;
  • supporting children with EAL;
  • using learning support assistants to support the work of individual children or groups of children.

Teachers will plan lessons so that pupils with SEN and/or disabilities can study every National Curriculum subject, wherever possible, and ensure that there are no barriers to every pupil achieving.

Teachers will also take account of the needs of pupils whose first language is not English. Lessons will be planned so that teaching opportunities help pupils to develop their English, and to support pupils to take part in all subjects.

Further information can be found in our statement of equality information and objectives, and in our SEN policy and information report. At Summerville Primary School, we are committed to providing a teaching environment which ensures all children are provided with the same learning opportunities regardless of social class, gender, culture, race, special educational need or disability.