Curriculum
We are passionate about teaching an ambitious, creative and knowledge-rich curriculum. Our children are given opportunities to practise, discuss and develop their knowledge and skills through a wide range of subjects. Children are encouraged to reflect on what they have learnt and on how their knowledge and skills can be applied to different subjects and real life situations.
Our academy vision and values lie at the heart of our curriculum.
Teaching and learning takes place through a range of exciting topics, which encourage an enquiry-based approach. Across our curriculum, high priority is given to ensuring excellent levels of reading and comprehension. We ensure core academic subjects such as English, maths and science are given sufficient weighting. However, we are also proud of our provision for the arts, humanities, physical activity, technology and languages.
Our aim is to provide the children with a relevant and enjoyable experience which can extend and nurture their curiosity about the world in which they live. We place a great emphasis on questioning, communication and observation, and also on meaningful links made between subjects to ensure learning has a shared context.
Our Subjects
- Art
- Computing
- Design & Technology
- English
- Geography
- History
- Languages
- Maths
- Music
- PE
- PHSE & RSE
- RE
- Science
Art
Art RationaleAs art forms an integral part of the curriculum, we wish to inspire, engage and challenge pupils by equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment and create their own works of art. As they move up through the school, children will build on their skills and develop an understanding of art and design over different times and cultures. We want to give children the opportunity to explore and develop their own creativity, seeing themselves as artists.
Our academy follows the programmes of study from national curriculum that acts as guidance on what skills children should develop.
Computing
Computing Rationale
We want to prepare all our children to contribute positively to our rapidly changing and increasingly digital world. By highlighting and exposing children to the breadth of technology around them, we aim for them to understand how it has shaped the modern world and begin to inspire children to imagine what they could do in the future.
Our academy follows the programmes of study from the national curriculum which specifies what to teach in each key stage. From this, our engaging curriculum map promotes a cross-curricular and creative approach to teaching computing. Our topics and other subjects provide meaningful and relevant contexts and opportunities for regular application of technology.
Design & Technology
Design and Technology Rationale
Our children develop skills and knowledge in design, structures, mechanisms and food and are actively encouraged to think about issues such as sustainability and enterprise. With these aspirations, our intent for the design and technology curriculum is:
- To develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world.
- To build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users.
- To critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and the work of others.
- To understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook.
English
English Rationale
The overarching aim for English in the national curriculum is to promote high standards of language and literacy by equipping pupils with a strong command of the spoken and written word, and to develop their love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment.’ (DFE, 2014).
Quality texts lie at the heart of our curriculum. The wide variety of texts we use across each year group not only underpin children’s learning in reading, writing, speaking and listening, but enhance learning across the wider curriculum. Our approach to reading, phonics, writing and speaking and listening is interlinked, purposeful and inspired by our creative curriculum. Reading and writing are both promoted and celebrated and children are encouraged to read and write regularly both in school and at home. Learning is based on quality texts and authentic, engaging experiences.
Geography
Geography Rationale
Geography is a foundation subject within the national curriculum. Through our curriculum map we adopt a creative approach fostering links with other curriculum subjects such as science, history and English, to make the children’s learning both exciting and meaningful. Our academy follows the programmes of study from national curriculum that specifies what to teach in each year group.
History
History Rationale
History is an exciting and engaging part of our Academy’s curriculum and that a high-quality history education will help our pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding about Britain’s past and that of the wider world.
We promote the learning of History through cross-curricular activities and an enrichment programme of visits, visitors and workshops, designed to awaken and inspire our pupils’ inquisitiveness about the past.
Through the study of history, pupils will also develop the key skills of enquiring and posing questions, thinking critically, considering evidence and evaluating arguments. We hope that these skills will support pupils to reflect on the constant process of historical change and the diverse nature of societies and relationships, equipping them as global citizens to face the challenges of their lifetime.
Our academy follows the programmes of study from national curriculum that specifies what to teach in each year group.
Languages
Maths
Intent
- To ensure all pupils are fluent mathematicians who are confident in the fundamentals of mathematics through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time. In order that pupils develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately.
- To promote mathematical reasoning by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language.
- To solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of routine and non-routine problems with increasing sophistication, including breaking down problems into a series of simpler steps and persevering in seeking solutions.
- To encourage a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about mathematics.
- To develop links between maths and other curriculum areas such as science, computing or P.E.
- To make sure that all children leave the academy as confident mathematicians.
Implementation
We take a CONCRETE – PICTORIAL – ABSTRACT approach to maths lessons. The children are first introduced to new concepts throughout concrete, physical resources before moving onto to pictorial, visual representations to further solidify the children’s understanding. Finally, the children will be introduced to abstract ideas on paper where they can apply their knowledge throughout a range of fluency, reasoning and problem-solving activities.
Impact
We believe that every child has the potential to become a confident and successful mathematician. During their time here, the children will develop their fluency and learn how to reason and problem solve effectively and efficiently. Using these skills to solve real life problems will help them succeed with mathematical challenges in the future. At Lindfield Primary Academy we will help children develop the tools they need so they are ready for the challenges of secondary school and beyond.
Fluency
At Lindfield we know how important it is to be fluent mathematicians. Every maths lesson will have some element of fluency within it to support our learning and continue to help us make progress. We also have separate ‘fluency time’ sessions throughout the day where we practice and remember previous learning.
Reasoning & Problem Solving
We also love reasoning and problem solving at Lindfield and this also takes place in all maths lessons. The Problem-Solving Pineapple or PSP helps all the children of Lindfield Primary Academy when solving mathematical problems. The PSP is there to help identify misconceptions, develop our reasoning skills and set us challenging problems in our maths lessons.
Calculation Policy
Our progression in calculation policy has been written to meet the requirements of the national curriculum for the teaching and learning of Mathematics. It is designed to give a consistent and smooth progression of learning in calculations from EYFS through to Year 6.
Music
Music Rationale
Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. As pupils progress, they should develop a critical engagement with music, allowing them to compose, and to listen with discrimination to the best in the musical canon. (The National Curriculum).
Music teaching at Lindfield Primary Academy aims to follow the specifications of the National Curriculum; providing a broad, balanced and differentiated curriculum and ensuring the progressive development of musical concepts, knowledge and skills. We use the Charanga scheme to enable children to develop their skills, appreciate a wide variety of music and begin to appraise a range of musical genres. This Scheme provides clearly-sequenced units and lessons with week-by-week support for each year group. Our Scheme follows a spiral approach to musical learning, with children revisiting, building and extending their knowledge and skills incrementally. In this manner, their learning is consolidated and augmented, increasing musical confidence and enabling them to go further. The golden threads of our music curriculum that are visited each year are: composing, listening and appreciating, singing and performing.
Here at Lindfield Primary Academy we believe that music plays an integral role in helping children to feel part of a community, therefore we provide opportunities for all children to create, play, perform and enjoy music both in class and to an audience. Through assemblies, key stage performances and a multitude of extra – curricular activities, children showcase their talent and their understanding of performing with awareness of others. Creative practice is an integral part of our curriculum and therefore is used to support learning across the curriculum, particularly in English, history, art and drama.
At Lindfield we are passionate about giving children singing opportunities. We celebrate this through giving the opportunity for all children in years 2 -6 to join our Nightingale and Skylarks choir club. The choir put on a variety of performances throughout the year, not just for the school, but also for our community. Further community links at Lindfield include: workshops from local orchestras, performances at our local church and care homes and our work with local secondary schools and colleges. We have also given children the opportunity for perform at Wembley stadium as part of Voice in a Million and locally as part of The Big Sing and The Little Big Sing. Our PTA enriches the opportunities given to children by holding a variety of events throughout the year, such as, talent shows and schools fairs.
There are a wide range of West Sussex County Council music lessons, a link to which can be found on our useful links page
PE
PE Rationale
We intend to teach our children to understand the importance of physical activity, health and well-being. We aim to give the children the fundamental skills that they will need and the ability to apply these skills to both individual and team games. We believe that not only should children have the physical skills but also the ability to be resilient, recognise their areas of development and take pride in their achievements.
Our Implementation of the PE Curriculum
We aim to do this through implementing and delivering an engaging and inclusive PE curriculum across the academy that inspires children to succeed in physical activity. All children take part in two hours of PE each week. We deliver the Real PE scheme which is a unique, child centred approach and includes challenge and support for every child. We focus on the development of agility, balance and coordination, healthy competition and cooperative learning. Children are taught transferable skills and values such as personal challenge, team work and social skills.
Our children are given many opportunities to take part in physical activity each day which are included in their daily learning. We have taken an active approach to learning and as a result of ‘The Childhood Obesity Plan’, we now include The Daily Run into our school day; an initiative that we have adopted to encourage pupils to increase the amount of physical activity they participate in daily.
We provide opportunities for all children to engage in extra-curricular activities before, during and after school, in addition to competitive and non-competitive sporting events. This is an inclusive approach which endeavours to encourage not only physical development but also well-being.
The Impact of our PE Curriculum
- All of our children are given the opportunity to participate in physical activity every day.
- Whole school celebration and rewards have encouraged children’s participation in sport and as a result, the profile of physical activity has been raised.
- Staff feel confident in teaching PE due to ongoing career professional development sessions throughout the year.
- Children have many opportunities to take part in competitive and non-competitive sporting events.
- Children have become more aware of their areas of development and are more confident in finding ways to improve their performance.
Active 30:30
We are committed to helping children live a healthy and active lifestyle. The Government Childhood Obesity Plan has set out the ambition for all children to achieve 60 minutes of physical activity every day, with schools being responsible for delivering an additional 30 minutes of exercise a day on top of their 2 hours of PE sessions each week.
Lindfield has been dedicated to increasing the enjoyment of physical activity and incorporating this within lessons, playtimes, and after school activities.
PHSE & RSE
PSHE Rationale
Teaching personal, social, health and economic (PHSE) education, we believe, is integral to providing a board and balanced curriculum. We believe that good quality PSHE education prepares children for opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life, whilst also supporting the well-being of the children throughout their school career.
The Jigsaw PSHE scheme taught at Lindfield, covers many spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) issues that affect the children as they progress in their school career. Additionally, the Jigsaw scheme significantly contributes to the British values agenda through direct teaching of information and through the experiential learning the children take part in.
Our PSHE curriculum also will equip children with an age appropriate understanding of RSE (Relationships and Sex education), stretching from EYFS to Year 6. We believe that relationships education should teach the fundamental building blocks and characteristics of positive relationships, with particular reference to friendships, family relationships, and relationships with other peers and adults.
RE
Religious Education Rationale
The teaching of religious education (RE) is enormously important to providing children with a broad, balanced and creative curriculum, as well as significantly contributing to the British values. We believe that all children, from any faith or culture, should feel welcomed into the school community and this is fostered through the learning and exposure to a variety of religions and world views. The teaching of RE is integral for children to understand the huge diversity within our communities, societies and whole country, it increases cultural capital within education and aid's children's understanding of difference, tolerance and multicultural importance within our society. In their learning, children will also engage with our golden threads of spiritual, moral, social and cultural concepts.
Through our curriculum, the children will explore four main religions across their school life, reflecting those that make up the foundations within our country and community. We follow the Jigsaw RE scheme of work, which provides an enquiry-approach, where children are allowed to examine moral issues and challenge their thinking by considering world views and by thinking about their own responsibilities to society.
Science
Science Rationale
We want to prepare our children for life in an increasingly scientific world. We want our children to foster concern and care for our environment and help them develop a growing understanding of scientific ideas. We aim to achieve this through our exciting curriculum map, which promotes a cross curricular and creative approach to learning. Our academy follows the programmes of study from the national curriculum that specifies what to teach in each year group.