Curriculum Intent
The West Rainton Primary School curriculum, and extensive wider offer, is ambitious, vibrant and engaging for all learners. Every child will be nurtured and challenged to thrive across our four key drivers and head out to their future steps with confidence.
Curriculum Key Drivers
At West Rainton Primary, the following four key drivers underpin our learning, and are developed through the school’s individual subject curriculum planning, our extensive extra-curricular provision and our abundantly rich ‘hidden’ curriculum:
Aiming high
We want our pupils to be inspired by our provision, and to ignite strong aspirations and high expectations of themselves and their future. Promotion of strong attendance is fundamental in this. Through the use of visits, visitors and enriching experiences, we will build knowledge and understanding of career possibilities as well as a hunger to embrace new and exciting opportunities. We will ensure we plan regular opportunities for children to develop self-belief and to see the benefits of taking risks and overcoming challenge. Our pupils will be supported to light up future pathways to fulfilling lives of employment choices, prosperity and future happiness.
Skills for learning and life
We want pupils to leave our school with a bank of knowledge and a skillset specific to each individual subject, whilst also making transferable connections across other areas of learning and life. Fundamental to this, is a curriculum rich in core skills of language, vocabulary, communication, literacy and numeracy. Our pupils will be taught to be inquisitive, follow a line of enquiry to reach answers, and to recall and present their learning in a vibrant range of ways. Opportunities to develop resilience, organisation, leadership, teamwork, adaptability, patience and initiative are all interwoven into our subjects and wider school life in order for our children to adjust to new learning situations.
Growing healthily
Equally as important to us is the development of the whole child. Feeling safe, happy and valued is a fundamental right of all pupils. Our inclusive-rich ethos provides the backdrop to our personal development and wellbeing provision which is skilfully interwoven into all that we do. All pupils are supported to develop a strong understanding of the importance of good physical and mental health, whilst also learning a whole range of factors and influences that can have a negative impact on us. Making, nurturing and maintaining healthy relationships, both on and offline, equips children with the strength and security to recognise what they want and need in life. We believe a strong understanding of e-safety forms a crucial part of being a healthy, well-rounded 21st century global citizen.
Knowledge of the world
When our pupils leave us at the end of Y6, we want them to feel so proud of themselves as people that they have the personal strength and self-confidence to find their place as positive global citizens. Through our carefully-planned provision, our pupils will experience a diverse and inclusive-rich experience that allows them to bank cultural capital as well as developing a secure understanding of the importance of equality. As well as a secure knowledge of British values, our pupils will have their minds and horizons broadened through diverse social, moral, spiritual and cultural experiences. Pupils will be regularly encouraged to revisit and extend their world-view, fostering tolerance, sensitivity and empathy to interact positively with others.
If you would like to read more about our overarching curriculum mission and key drivers, please look at the following document:
Our curriculum is so broad and ambitious and you may prefer to look at it by class rather than by subject. If so, we recommend you visit the class pages and click on curriculum maps to find out what each individual class is doing that term.
Our Curriculum is all the planned activities that we organise in order to promote learning, personal growth and development.
This arrangement ensures steady progression and continuity throughout the Foundation Stage, Key Stages 1 and 2. We also plan and deliver whole school projects which provide children of different ages with an exciting, common learning focus.
It includes not only the formal requirements of the National Curriculum, but also the range of additional opportunities that the school organises in order to enrich the experiences of our children. Our curriculum also includes the social aspects that are essential for life-long learning.
All pupils follow the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum in nursery and reception, and National Curriculum from years one to six, at a level and pace that is appropriate to their ability. The structure of our classes reflects our philosophy on this, to ensure that teaching and learning is matched very closely to the needs of our children. We strive to ensure that all children, regardless of ability, make at least good progress throughout their time with us, as we prepare our children for a bright, positive future.
Parents and other members of the public can find out more about our curriculum provision in our half-termly newsletters, by scrolling below to areas such as curriculum maps, SMSC provision and British Values, or by visiting individual class pages.
Our remote-learning offer remains in place in the rare occasion of prolonged absence due to covid.
It is vitally important to us to minimise the disruption to our pupils’ learning. Since 2020, we have built a robust and ambitious remote-learning system set up to offer seamless continuity to our learners and their families. You can read about our detailed offer here:
Phonics
At West Rainton Primary School we use the Read, Write Inc. program of phonics teaching and learning. We begin this provision in nursery where children begin ear training to hear initial sounds and rhyming strings. Some may even begin to blend a short series of sounds to read words. In Reception and Year 1 this is continued through set 2 and 3 sounds, building up the children’s skills to read and write full sentences. Children also undertake full literacy lessons alongside Read, Write Inc. provision in Reception and Year 1. By the end of Year 1, the vast majority of our pupils no longer require Read, Write Inc. phonics and progress to working from class texts in Year 2.
SMSC
At West Rainton Primary School the experience we offer is far more than the development of academic skills. Just as rich and engaging is our SMSC (spiritual, moral, social and cultural) provision.
British Values
Schools have been asked to explain how they promote British values. Find out how we promote British values at West Rainton Primary School.
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
At West Rainton Primary School we believe that inclusive education means providing all pupils with appropriate education and support alongside their peers. The Curriculum is all the planned activities that the school organises in order to promote learning, personal growth and development. Further information can be found in the SEND Information Report.
Wherever necessary, modifications to the curriculum may be implemented. To successfully match pupil ability to the curriculum, West Rainton Primary School remain committed to:
- A wide range of teaching and learning styles, to ensure that high quality first teaching is at the heart of every classroom.
- Differentiated learning materials and resources, according to individual needs.
- Interventions including the delivery of Fresh Start, and the Read, Write Inc programme, which has proven successful for our SEN pupils, as 100% of our SEN pupils in Year One passed the National Phonics Screening Check in June 2014.
- Access to ICT and Technology throughout the curriculum.
- Additional support in class from experienced Teaching Assistants in addition to our experienced teaching staff.
- Additional out of class support when necessary.
- Flexible groupings – including small group support work.
- An innovative and supportive curriculum, as reflected in our class structure.
- The appropriate use of rewards, including Commendations, Celebration Assembly, motivational stickers and certificates.
- Mentoring and counselling through the local authority’s schools’ counselling service.
- A broad range of extra-curricular activities including booster sessions.
- Assessment procedures that emphasise pupils’ strengths and achievements, and reflect their attainment across the curriculum.
- Applications during national testing at Key Stage 2 to obtain access arrangements as appropriate.
If you would like to discuss your SEND requirements in detail please contact the school to arrange an appointment.
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