Curriculum Overviews

School Vision

Parklands Primary School believes in creating a culture of high expectation, collaboration and ambition amongst all members of the school community.

We ‎aim to instil a desire for constant improvement amongst ourselves, staff, governors and children and deliver inspired teaching that encourages positive attitudes towards lifelong learning. We want our children to feel valued and confident as individuals and ensure they feel supported, safe and cared for in ‎our school.

We aim that children leave Parklands Primary School with a clear sense of responsibility and independence and an understanding of the importance of community and how their behaviour impacts upon others. We aim to inspire success in our children by creating rounded individuals who seek out lifelong opportunities to learn in order to be the best they can be.​

School Aims

  • We value each member of the school community and aim to develop each individual’s potential and remove barriers to learning.
  • We aim to ensure that everyone is able to participate fully in school life, making reasonable adjustments wherever possible to accommodate all members of the school community.
  • The school aims to encourage positive attitudes towards diversity among staff and pupils to ensure that everyone is treated equally and achieves individual success.

Curriculum Rationale

(What do we want for our children and how will we work together to achieve this?)

At Parklands Primary School we have worked collaboratively to design our unique curriculum which is underpinned by our whole school vision and school aims and personalised to the needs of our school community. The Parklands Curriculum covers the statutory requirements of the The Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum Foundation Stage 1 and Foundation Stage 2, The National Curriculum (Years 1 to 6) and The Havering Agreed Syllabus (Religious Education), as well as providing authentic and unique learning experiences.

We have established key values for our school, otherwise known as the ‘Curriculum Drivers’. The aim of these are to ‘drive’ the decision making for our curriculum and ‘drive’ teaching and learning. As well as this we use these ‘drivers’ to underpin the development work we undertake in all areas of school life and to ensure our curriculum offer is enriched and personalised to meet the needs of our community and reflects our school location.

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Intent

Intent

At Parklands Primary School, our vision is to create a culture of high academic ambition, resilience and independence for all pupils. Our curriculum is continuous: it is carefully planned and sequenced so that new knowledge and skills build on prior learning and towards clearly defined end points. Planning and teaching covers the principles of the National Curriculum, as well as providing authentic and unique learning experiences. Our curriculum reflects the richness of the world in which we live as well as our local context.

It is designed to address any gaps in pupils’ knowledge and skills in order to give all pupils, particularly those who are disadvantaged or have SEND, the knowledge and cultural capital they require to succeed in life. Our strong emphasis on children’s personal development, including promoting pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, ensures that all children are well prepared global citizens for life in modern Britain.

 

Values

Values

Building resilience
Loving learning
Inspiring success
Respect for all
Making memories

‘Inspiring Success’ – Curriculum Drivers:

Our curriculum drivers help to drive and shape the curriculum and are incorporated across all subjects and themes. The ‘drivers’ underpin the learning and experiences we undertake in all areas of school life to ensure our curriculum offer is enriched. They are personal to the school and take into account the local area and community.

Ambitious,
resilient learners		 Ethical,
informed citizens		 Healthy,
confident individuals		 Confident,
fluent readers

set themselves high standards and demonstrate resilience when solving problems and facing challenges

build up a body of knowledge and have the skills to connect and apply that knowledge in different contexts

explain the ideas and concepts they are learning about

confidently ask questions and develop an enquiring mind

communicate their thoughts, ideas and feelings successfully in a wide range of different forms

find, evaluate and use evidence in forming views

engage with contemporary issues based upon their knowledge and values

respect and value diversity, different cultures and beliefs

are knowledgeable about their community, society and the world, now and in the past

challenge stereotypes and are committed to making their world a more sustainable equitable place

understand and consider the impact of their actions when making choices and acting

build mental and emotional well-being by developing confidence, resilience and empathy

understand that good physical health contributes to good mental wellbeing and vice versa, and apply this knowledge to their daily lives

understand how and where to find information and support to keep safe and well

have the confidence to participate in a wide range of activities, with different group sizes or individuals

form positive relationships based upon trust and mutual respect

face challenges and know how to overcome them

ave the skills and knowledge to cope as independently as they can in their daily lives

independent, confident and successful readers

read texts that consider contextual and environmental factors

decode words in order to read fluently and to comprehend what they have read

enthusiastic and motivated readers who possess a lifelong love for literature

develop and use a wide range of rich vocabulary which they transfer into all areas of the curriculum

transferable knowledge and skills that pupils obtain from their reading experiences enable them to build on their own and others’ ideas, challenging views courteously
Implementation

Implementation

Curriculum organisation and planning

The Parklands Curriculum Drivers help to drive and shape our curriculum alongside the school’s values and are incorporated across all subjects and themes.The ‘drivers’ underpin the learning experiences we undertake in all areas of school life and the decisions for implementation that we take.

Our curriculum is broad and balanced. Pupils study the basic curriculum, which includes the national curriculum, religious education and age-appropriate relationships and sex education. Pupils at Parklands Primary School are taught the following subjects:

  • Art and Design
  • Computing
  • Design and Technology
  • Geography
  • History
  • Maths
  • Music
  • MFL (French)
  • PSHE
  • PE
  • Reading (English)
  • Religious Education
  • Relationships and Sex Education
  • Science
  • Writing (English)

Senior Leaders and Subject Leaders produce long term plans and map out the requirements of the Parklands Curriculum (including national and local content) across the school. Subject Leaders then produce medium term plans providing lesson objectives for each programme of study. Year groups then use this planning to plan the curriculum to meet the needs of the pupils they are teaching. This is then adapted and adjusted for individual classes.

Subject Leaders provide training and support to ensure that staff have the necessary subject knowledge to deliver the curriculum.

The curriculum in Early Years and Key Stage One is taught thematically. The Early Years areas of learning and national curriculum subjects are taught discretely through themes. Where this is not possible or appropriate, subjects are taught discreetly.

In Key Stage Two, subjects are taught discretely. Where possible, cross curricular links are made, allowing for opportunities to deepen pupils’ knowledge and skills.

The curriculum at Parklands Primary School is carefully planned and sequenced. New knowledge and skills build upon prior learning and towards clearly defined end points. It enables all pupils to make progress; they are able to know more, remember more and do more.

Where possible learning is linked to real-life experiences to provide the children with a context for their learning and how this relates to the wider world.

Visits, visitors and themed days are planned to enrich pupils’ learning, to expose them to aspects of life they might not have experienced and to create lasting memories.

The curriculum reflects the school’s local context by identifying and addressing any gaps in pupils’ knowledge, skills and experiences.

A clear cycle of assessment is used to track pupils’ progress and is used to plan next steps. Class teachers use formative and summative assessment in order to inform planning and teaching. Gaps in learning are identified and teachers use the information to address any misconceptions and/or areas for development within learning.

The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of our children and their understanding of the fundamental British Values are woven throughout our curriculum.

Learning Environment

Learning Environment

Classroom learning environments are organised and utilised to support and further learning opportunities. We believe that a stimulating environment sets the climate for learning. An exciting classroom promotes independent use of resources and high-quality work by the children.

  • Displays are changed regularly to ensure that the classroom reflects the topics studied by the children.
  • Maths and English working walls are used to structure and encourage child / class interaction and to provide modelled examples of the learning.
  • Stimulus displays which include teaching aids and resources are used to stimulate and create pupil interest.
  • Additional displays include: class rules, class charter, visual timetable, behaviour clouds/charts and golden rules.
  • Resources and equipment stored in the classroom are readily available and labelled to promote independent learning.
  • Pupils’ work is displayed to celebrate their achievements and to show them that their work is valued which vastly enhances pupil motivation.
  • Book corners which follow the guidance of the Reading Framework.
Impact

Impact

At Parklands Primary all statutory aspects of the national curriculum are met. Our curriculum has an ambition for high achievement for all pupils irrespective of background or starting point. An increased percentage of our pupils are assessed at the national ‘expected’ level and at ‘greater depth’ across all areas of the curriculum.

Foundation subjects are assessed with the same rigour as core subjects. Achievement and progress is evidenced by Target Tracker, a comprehensive tracking system. Staff and pupils have the opportunity to reflect on the curriculum and learning to influence changes. Pupils leave Parklands ready for the next stage in their learning at secondary school and life in modern Britain.

​For further information, please view the full Curriculum Policy.

EYFS Curriculum

Curriculum Intent

At Parklands Primary School our aim is to create a learning environment and build relationships which support, enhance and invite a child’s curiosity, confidence and individual competency to flourish regardless of backgrounds, circumstances or needs. We aim to work collaboratively with parents and carers to encourage independent, enthusiastic learners who thrive and reach their full potential.

It is our intent that children who enter our EYFS begin their lifelong learning journey by developing physically, verbally, cognitively and emotionally whilst also embedding a positive attitude to school and a love of learning.

To ensure children make outstanding progress in Parklands Primary EYFS, it is our intent to take into consideration their starting points and needs of our pupils as they begin their learning journey. Every child has access to a broad, balanced and differentiated curriculum which prepares them for now and for the future in terms of opportunities and experiences. Following personal interests and individual needs, allows us to plan and provide opportunities throughout our EYFS curriculum to support learning and development and achieve their next steps.

Our EYFS curriculum aims to enable our children to be:

  • Competent and creative learners; who are curious about the world around them.
  • Secure and confident; who enjoy coming to school and learning new skills and knowledge building on their existing learning.
  • Skillful communicators; who connect with others through language and play, ensuring that they play in a vocab rich environment.
  • It is our intent to ensure that all children will receive the teaching of early reading through systematic, synthetic phonics to learn to read words and simple sentences accurately by the end of Reception.

Curriculum Overviews