Curriculum

Our aim is to engage our children in an exciting and motivating curriculum that provides the experiences they need to develop skills, concepts and knowledge. A global perspective throughout the curriculum will empower them for their lives today and in the future. Our needs -based curriculum is designed to provide memorable learning experiences that build on the characteristics of effective learning.

Underpinned by our school values, we provide a wide range of opportunities to enrich learning, both during the school day and beyond. Whether our children join the  school with English as their home language, or whether they learn the English language for the first time, we ensure they are all provided with the teaching and nurture they need. Our aim is to help all children to become independent, resilient learners who relish new experiences and challenges.

Early Reading

At Nelson Primary School early reading is embedded using synthetic phonics in Reception and in KS1. We use the highly successful phonics programme, Read Write Inc, to teach our children to read, write and spell. 

English 

We  follow a book based approach for the teaching of English. Careful selection of rich and diverse texts develop children’s love of reading and writing. The use of high quality texts equip our children with the necessary speaking and listening, reading and writing skills for school and later life.

Maths

We follow the evidence-based Teaching for Mastery approach which deepens children’s understanding of concepts alongside procedures. Through coherent small steps and the use of concrete resources and drawings children are better able to understand how and why maths works. This deeper understanding ensures strong foundations are built before moving on, which is crucial for success in a spiral curriculum model. Lessons are designed to encourage all children to solve problems, explain their thinking and work with others. There are also opportunities to look for patterns, make links between ideas (both within maths and across other subjects) and develop their curiosity about the subject.

The Learning Challenge Curriculum 

To teach Geography, History, Science, Art and DT we follow ‘The Learning Challenge Curriculum’.

‘The Learning Challenge Curriculum’ is a question based approach to structuring and delivering the National Curriculum. The ‘Learning Challenge’ concept is built around the principle of greater learner involvement in their work. It requires deep thinking and encourages learners to work using a question as the starting point. The Learning Challenge Curriculum is organised as a series of lessons which captures the interests of the children and makes the learning relevant to them, whilst meeting the National Curriculum requirements. This cross curricular approach makes learning more meaningful for our children as they are able to see how everything fits together.

The ‘Learning Challenge Curriculum’ requires teachers to actively think about what the curriculum for their year group needs in order to meet the needs of the children, leading to high standards across the curriculum. Teachers plan exciting and engaging learning opportunities so that children can be independent and explore the various topics. In order for children to know about their locality and community, some of our Learning Challenges are very specific to East Ham.

We make use of the local area and local people to bring the learning alive. At the end of each Learning Challenge, children celebrate the learning journey they have been on. They report, share and present their new skills in ways that suit the genre of the challenge.

PE, RE, PSHE (including RSE), Computing, Music and Mandarin are taught discretely.

The development of SMSC is intrinsic in all aspects of school life including a wide range of opportunities for children to engage in extra-curricular activity and supporting others in their local and global communities.

 

Enrichment

We consider enrichment activities to be an important aspect of a child’s learning. It often provides the “wow factor” for providing the children with stimulating and essential practical experiences that support the curriculum. The school funds all educational visits as we believe that these are an important part of a child’s education. Throughout the year, children take part in a variety of enrichment activities.  These include: workshops, visits from authors, educational visits, poetry retreats, competitions, debating, performances and work week.

We know we have succeeded when children leave the school with the skills and confidence to reflect, make decisions, and continue on their journey of lifelong learning.

For more information about our curriculum please contact Rhian Dickeson, Assistant Head Teacher, via the school  on 02084720642