Curriculum
CURRICULUM INTENT
At Castle Primary School our intention is to provide a unique curriculum that extends opportunities, raises aspirations, opens children’s eyes to the world beyond their immediate environment, enables them to live happy, healthy and productive lives and inspires them to be passionate and ambitious learners. Our curriculum celebrates the diversity and utilises the skills, knowledge and cultural wealth of the community while supporting the children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, ensuring that children are well prepared for life in modern Britain.
It ensures academic success, the development of creativity and problem solving skills, alongside responsibility and resilience. This is enhanced by our commitment to physical development, well-being and mental health support and the promotion of a positive attitude to learning. Cultural Capital is evident throughout our curriculum together with a diverse range of educational visits, residential trips, visits to the theatre and workshops within school.
We are a reflective, forward thinking school and we intend to continually improve our teaching and learning in light of the latest research and changes to the National Curriculum. Our curriculum has been designed so that all pupils including disadvantaged pupils and those with special needs or disabilities are well-supported with extra support and/or resources deployed where necessary, to gain knowledge and Cultural Capital to assist them to succeed in life. Castle’s curriculum is coherently planned and sequenced to ensure every child has the same opportunities to reach their individual potential. Our school has enthusiastic, innovative staff who provide active, stimulating and challenging lessons, which inspire children’s imaginations, creativity and performance talents.
Teamwork, independence, confidence and responsibility are an essential part of the curriculum enabling our children to make effective contributions to their community and to live a full and active life. We have high expectations not only of academic success but with regard to safeguarding, behaviour and personal attitudes towards learning and cooperating. Children are taught about and how to deal with discrimination, prejudice, equality and bullying.
Our extended curriculum offers children the opportunity to experience a wide range of activities to enhance their learning and recognise their individuality. Our children have access to Forest School sessions, a wide variety of sporting activities and clubs, performance opportunities both in school and at local theatres, alongside yoga and mindfulness and cookery classes.
Our families are key partners in developing children’s knowledge and interests and we welcome their assistance and support.
Phonics
Our school has chosen Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised as our systematic, synthetic phonics (SSP) programme to teach early reading and spelling on a daily basis in the EYFS and Year 1 classes.
Click the link below to access the programme's overview:
LITTLE WANDLE OVERVIEW FOR RECEPTION AND YEAR 1
At Castle, children are taught to make connections between the sounds of our spoken words and the letters that are used to write them down. Our Nursery children use Little Wandle's Foundation for Phonics. Children who require more support in their learning of phonics, follow the 'Keep-Up' programmes provided by Little Wandle.
Reading
Our school reading schemes are:
- Collins Big Cat Phonics for Little Wandle for Nursery to Year 1 children
- Collins Big Cats and Oxford Reading Tree for children from Year 2 upwards.
These schemes offer a wide range of texts suitable for all ages and abilities. This ensures pupils have every opportunity to access a range of genres, and to ultimately develop a confidence and love of reading for life. Our children also have access to e-books from the Collins Cats library.
In Reception and Year 1 Reading practice sessions are:
- timetabled three times a week
- taught by a trained teacher/teaching assistant
- taught in small groups.We use assessment to match your child the right level of book.
This means that your child should:
- Know all the sounds and tricky words in their phonics book well
- Read many of the words by silent blending (in their head) – their reading will be automatic
- Only need to stop and sound out about 5% of the words by the time they bring the book home – but they should be able to do this on their own.
- Your child should be able to read their book without your help.
- If they can’t read a word read it to them.
- Talk about the book and celebrate their success.
The children will also bring a book home for YOU to share and read to them:
- Make the story sound as exciting as you can by changing your voice.
- Talk with your child as much as you can:
- Introduce new and exciting language
- Encourage your child to use new vocabulary
- Make up sentences together
- Find different words to use
- Describe things you see.
For further information regarding our curriculum please see curriculum policies on this website or email [email protected] with your request.
