In building our curriculum we have considered the needs of our pupils and their families and the social context within which they live. We believe that in order to enable our pupils to learn effectively, they need to have their uniqueness recognised and valued, feel safe in their environment and have the oral, social and emotional literacy skills to support them with the demands of life. We stress the importance of supporting emotional wellbeing and promoting personal development, recognising that many of our pupils do not come to school ‘ready to learn’ but have an appetite to gain skills, knowledge and understanding.
Our curriculum therefore has a number of key strands:
To enable every pupil to achieve their personal best;
To inspire enthusiasm and curiosity for learning and a determination to succeed;
To promote a values-based approach so that pupils take responsibility for themselves academically, socially and emotionally, morally and physically;
To prepare pupils to become successful and resilient members of their community and lifelong learners.
Our curriculum is underpinned by the teaching of basic skills while providing a range of opportunities through visits, visitors and practical first-hand learning experiences. Our assemblies and PHSE lessons promote positive attitudes, building a sense of belonging and community.
Community involvement is a key element enabling the pupils to be visibly contributing to the well-being of others through visits, music and joint learning with parents and carers.
Knowledge organisers are used to make learning memorable and support the learning gateway themes. They include the key vocabulary that we expect pupils to recall and use in their learning. We fundamentally believe that providing our children with a richer and more varied vocabulary along with core skills will help them to be confident and resilient in the future.
Subject Knowledge
Through research and quality professional development, our teachers are experts in the subjects that they are teaching. Their passion and depth of understanding will ensure that the children are enthused and inspired by their new found knowledge. Each year of teaching will build upon the prior learning set down.
Metacognition
‘Metacognition’ is the process of thinking about thinking. In all our learning, we provide children with the metacognitive tools (or ‘thinking’ tools) that they need to organise their understanding. By engaging with our curriculum, we will teach our children to become critical and resilient thinkers who are not only confident to ask questions, but who are informed and articulate enough to ask the right questions. Polished
Products
Throughout the curriculum, children’s learning will work towards a purposeful final product. We believe that there is much learning in the process of evaluating and editing. Carefully considered feedback from adults enables children to make substantial progress when planning, developing, honing and producing a finished product.
Oracy and Vocabulary
A love of language and effective communication is central to our curriculum. We ensure that our children speak with enthusiasm from their earliest years and rapidly acquire the skills that they need to be confident, but considered and considerate orators.
Experiences
Providing our children with memorable experiences is key to our curriculum offer. We ensure that every area of learning is supplemented with visits and trips, encounters and adventures which will equip them with the confidence, knowledge and skills they need for a successful, happy and productive life.
So that the pupils at Minerva Primary School feel completely immersed in their curriculum; achieve the highest standards; and embed new, essential knowledge, we must ensure that we have a curriculum that is designed to assess appropriately, pre-learn where appropriate and re-visit regularly (daily, weekly, termly, yearly). This curriculum design ensures that pupils get a rich curriculum where the essential knowledge is covered repeatedly, while taking steps of progress to deepen and widen their knowledge as they move through the school.
Open the link below to explore our school’s different Subject Disciplines.
Open the link below to explore how our school addresses British Values in the curriculum and wider life of the Academy.
Open the link below to explore our Reading and Phonics Scheme.
Swimming is within the national primary PE curriculum and we aim to meet the health and attainment expectations of the curriculum. As an urban town, and as the school is located on a housing estate near waterways, the school believes all children should have opportunities to develop their swimming skills for safety as well as enjoyment. Like all subjects, the provision is not optional, and we aspire that all children can have the chance to revisit and build upon their swimming skills year on year alongside their peers, regardless of their involvement in swimming opportunities beyond the school.
