OUR CURRIUCLUM

‘You can do things I cannot, I can do things you cannot; together we can do great things’

‘Shoot for the moon, even if you miss you’ll land amongst the stars!’

OUR AIM

At All Saints’, our children are at the heart of everything we do. We share high expectations of, and aspirations for, everyone who works here, and firmly believe that with a growth mindset, hard work, self-belief and determination, our learners can achieve their greatest dreams.

It is our intention that our curriculum extends opportunity, raises aspiration and opens children’s eyes to the world beyond their immediate environment, enabling them to live happy, healthy and productive lives, inspiring them to be ambitious and to want to learn more.

We are determined to continue to develop caring, well-rounded, articulate, confident children, intent on achieving their best. Our curriculum focusses on the ‘powerful knowledge’ children need to not only effectively understand concepts but to also enable them to apply knowledge, form considered explanations, make useful links and notice important patterns. It effectively builds the essential foundations for the next part of their educational journey and life beyond. 

HOW WE DO THIS

Using the National Curriculum as our backbone, we plan planning rich, stimulating, exciting and challenging knowledge based learning, where pupils are encouraged to ‘have a go’, to be courageous, to take risks, recognizing it is often through mistakes that we learn the most. Opportunities for participation, discussion, independent learning and working with peers are provided in all subjects. Learners are encouraged to ask as well as to answer questions, and to enter into dialogue to extend thinking. Originality is encouraged, as well as going beyond the task set, to extend the scope of their learning. Our learners routinely reflect on what they have learnt, what has helped them to learn, their attitudes to learning and how they can use their knowledge to further improve.

We recognise that learners progress in different ways, and pride ourselves on the thorough knowledge we gain of our children and their individual abilities at any time, enabling us to ensure all learning is appropriate, accessible and has the right level of challenge and support. We have high expectations of all our children and include them all in the full range of educational opportunities offered.

Relationships at All Saints’ are an enormous strength of the school. Everyone is treated fairly and with respect, and given equal opportunity to take part in activities. We praise and reward learners for effort applied to learning, helping to build positive attitudes as all children feel they can be successful.

Teachers ensure the pitch and expectation of the learning they provide is appropriate by considering and checking the knowledge children have already acquired. With carefully crafted, probing questions which inform the pace and content of lessons, planning is used flexibly, ensuring learning is relevant, ambition and appropriate. 

Teaching Assistants are highly skilled and use their talents in a variety of ways: they sometimes work with individual children, support small groups or teach whole classes. They are fully involved in the delivery of interventions and support programmes, with groups and individuals.

Older pupils mentor and coach younger pupils as well as their own peers. They organize sessions before school and during lunchtimes to help reinforce basis skills - under the direction of teaching staff.

Our learning environments are carefully organised with elements consistent throughout the school allowing the children to feel comfortable and familiar with our approach to learning across the curriculum, and ensure transition from class to class is smooth and without stress. Learning areas reflect a variety of current or recent curriculum themes to facilitate and celebrate learning. Displays are often interactive, used as learning tools, stimulating discussion, often accompanied by children’s questions and answers.

THE IMPACT

Children do very well at All Saints’. As previously said, they are at the heart of everything we do and all who work here strive to plan and deliver the best teaching and learning experiences possible for our wonderful children.

To ensure our curriculum is successful, we use a range of strategies including:

• Regular assessment of our children on an on-going basis. Clearly structured tracking systems, with regular, useful, formative and summative assessments, using a combination of test results, work in books and pupil responses and involvement in class, are in place. Information gathered is clearly recorded and regularly updated using National Curriculum expectations.
• Senior Leaders organise ‘Pupil Progress Meetings’, which take place, at least once each term. Rates of progress being made by individuals, and groups, can therefore be monitored and discussed, with measures to address any perceived underachievement being quickly and efficiently put into place.
• Monitoring and evaluation activities, including pupil feedback, clearly indicate that the children take a pride in their learning and have very positive attitudes towards school. This has been supported in both Peer Review events, as part of our involvement with the Education Endowment Trust which has been ongoing since 2018.
• Regular Subject Leader release time – organised with the use of a PE specialist to cover learning in classes. During this time the Subject Leader monitors their curriculum using Learning Walks, Lesson Observations, Book Scrutinies, Pupil Interviews or questionnaires and an analysis of data.
• Regular learning walks by Senior Leaders.
• Moderation events to ensure consistency in approach and expectations.

These strategies enable us to make alterations and adaptations to our curriculum accordingly.

Past pupils, parents, secondary schools and through our involvement in the TTSA Secondary Transition Project, we know our children are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage of their educational journey. All Saints’ consistently achieves results, including progress measures, above the national average at Foundation Stage, Year 1 Phonics, Year 2 and Year 6. Attendance at All Saints’ is also above local and national averages, clearly demonstrating that our children thoroughly enjoy coming to this school!