High View Primary Learning Centre Curriculum Philosophy
Our vision is to build a school where openness, honesty, fairness and empathy, together with the development of best practice, ensure all children within our schools receive a first class education. Children are at the heart of all we do. We will provide EVERY CHILD with early help and support to remove barriers to learning and an education that raises aspiration resulting in excellence and enjoyment whilst ensuring that the social, emotional and mental health needs of the whole school community are being met. This will enable all children to fulfil their potential and maximise their life chances. Our curriculum is based around the needs of our pupils to reduce the barriers preventing some children achieving age related standards which are:
External circumstances impacting on children’s lives in school
The ability to read precisely and fluently at an early stage
Limited language acquisition including the understanding of subject specific vocabulary
Our aim is to equip children with an understanding of the wider world so that they engage effectively in modern society, moving forward with resilience, tenacity and confidence as independent thinkers who strive to become the very best they can be. We will aim to achieve this by:
Providing experts to work with children and their families to reduce the impact of home circumstances on children’s ability to learn
Prioritising the skills of reading and mathematics in the Trust’s curriculum offer to ensure that children are able to transfer and apply skills and knowledge in an inter-disciplinary approach and therefore enabling children to keep up not catch up
Ensuring that children understand and remember associated curriculum vocabulary within a rich, broad and balanced curriculum offer and are able to use this vocabulary with fluency and confidence
We achieve this through our key drivers of LEAP. Language Experience Aspire Performance Language At High View we ensure that developing language and oracy is at the core of all that we offer. We recognise that we have a responsibility to develop children who are able to communicate effectively to ensure their success as they move through their education and subsequent employment. We do this through
creating environments infused with rich vocabulary.
having high expectations for both the spoken and written word from everyone within the school community.
a progressive and inter-disciplinary approach to the development of subject specific vocabulary.
developing learners who can confidently articulate their views, opinions and emotions
to become active participants in debates and discussions whilst recognising and respecting differing opinions.
Reading is at the heart of the curriculum, listening to stories, poems and rhymes will feed children’s imagination, enhance their vocabulary and develop their comprehension. Systematic synthetic phonics will be prioritised in the early years to teach children the alphabetic code as we recognise that this knowledge is essential for spelling, early writing as well as developing fluent and accurate readers. The teaching of mathematics will also be given priority. The use of practical equipment will support children’s grasp of numbers and develop their understanding of linking concrete experience with visual and symbolic representations. More formal, written recording will be introduced when understanding at each stage is secure and automatic. Experience: We ensure that children are active participants in their learning and that each individual school takes account of the experiences with which their children enter school. We ensure that children are involved in their learning through
providing first hand and practical experiences throughout their time in school.
ensuring that these experiences are ‘real’ and meaningful, relevant to them, their learning and their community.
a curriculum which is designed to enable learners to make connections and comparisons between their lives and the lives of others both historically and the world in which they live.
reflecting honestly upon current affairs, locally and in the wider world.
carefully planned and designed use of the locality and educational visits which provide clear links to the curriculum.
Aspiration We have a firm belief that all children can succeed. To ensure this we have an underpinning ethos that promotes achievement, aspiration and hard work. We develop this through
making purposeful links with the wider community
exposing pupils to new opportunities and life chances.
having high expectations of achievement at all levels, ensuring that pupils are ready for their next stage of learning.
celebrating success to foster positivity and develop every learner’s self esteem.
Performance We are passionate about ensuring that children develop a love of learning which continues through their education and beyond. Enabling all pupils to reach age related expectation across the curriculum. Our aim, through our curriculum, is to ensure children
develop as lifelong learners who are invested in their own future.
demonstrate a desire to achieve for themselves – they are intrinsically motivated to achieve.
have self-belief, determination, resilience and tenacity and recognise these as the foundations of success.
become active contributors to their class, school, community and the wider world.
How do we achieve this throughout each year at High View? What makes our curriculum unique? We believe that every child deserves the same opportunities as all other children in the world, through the skills, knowledge and experiences necessary for them to develop into the best they can be. We endeavour to ensure that when the children go onto their next stage of life, they are equipped with the skills, responsibility and understanding of their community and the wider world to be able to engage and contribute effectively. We aim that our children develop skills to understand conflicts and resolutions through respect and enhancing aspirations through knowledge of the world and what it has to offer. This is provided by creating a curriculum that is exciting, stimulating connected learning in which the children become fully absorbed using a cross-curricular approach. We strive to encompass as many curriculum subjects into each topic, making them relevant and meaningful for our children, and which are steered and designed by the interests and questions of the pupils. We believe that if the questions are asked by the pupils then the engagement to answer those gives ownership and accountability to the quality of the answer, ensuring our pupils are resilient, inquisitive and passionate about learning, which is lifelong.
Aims of the Curriculum at High View
The curriculum will be used to increase pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding as they grow and develop and increase their contact with the world around them.
To promote with pupils the awareness and understanding of our multicultural society and the ever changing world in which they live.
The curriculum will be carefully planned and structured to ensure that learning is continuous and supports all pupils’ progress to reach their true potential.
Children will be given opportunities to practise, apply, develop and reinforce skills and knowledge through varied strategies which meet their learning needs.
The curriculum will engage the children’s interest, encourage and motivate them to want to learn both collaboratively and independently.
To be exciting and offer pupils lots of first-hand experience to reinforce their learning and to underpin their growing knowledge, skills and understanding.
To open their ears through the language development and their eyes to the wonders of the world around them through experience.
To give them skills to cope in the fast changing, technological society in which they live.
To work in line with ECM to ensure individual needs are recognised and acted upon.
To develop resilience when tackling challenging activities in a range of subjects.
Our Topics In order to deliver our Curriculum intent and give our pupils the skills, knowledge and experience we created themes that we teach. These are:
People who help us.
Crime and Punishment.
Ever-changing Technology.
Ever-changing World
High View Cares
The themes are designed through the interest and questions of their individual pupils in each year. The staff and pupils design their own topic names to ensure they meet their needs and interest.
Subject Introductions
Clicking on any of the subjects below will take you to an introduction by their subject co-ordinator.