Curriculum Statement

Our Curriculum Statement is below. It has been shared with staff and we are in the process of sharing with children and parents.

Curriculum Rationale

The curriculum at New End is designed to provide a broad and balanced education that meets the needs of all pupils and gives them the skills, knowledge and understanding to prepare them for their future lives.

It ensures that academic success, creativity and problem solving, reliability, responsibility and resilience, as well as physical development, well-being and mental health are key elements that support the development of the whole child and promote a positive attitude to learning.

The curriculum celebrates the diversity of our community and utilises its skills, knowledge and cultural wealth while supporting the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development under the umbrella of British Values.

Curriculum Statement

At New End Primary School we offer a curriculum which is broad and balanced and which builds on the knowledge, understanding and skills of all children, whatever their starting points, as they progress through each Key Stage. The curriculum incorporates the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum 2014 and other experiences and opportunities which best meet the learning and developmental needs of the pupils in our school. The aim of our curriculum is for pupils to have the requisite skills to be successful, independent and motivated learners in readiness for their next stage of education. It is important that the curriculum considers the development of the whole child and not only concentrates on academic success.

Pupils are still working on the Early Learning Goals of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum as they enter Year 1. There is a period in the Autumn Term where the majority of children progress to the National Curriculum. Throughout this period and beyond all children are still developing their phonic knowledge through the Letters and Sounds Programme and developing their fluency in reading through the daily supported reading practice.

The National Curriculum is delivered using a combination of discrete subjects and integrated topics and assessed against National Curriculum subject programmes of study as a basis to ensure coverage and progression throughout the school. The more able are challenged further in their learning and children who find aspects of their learning more difficult are appropriately supported so that they too are enabled to experience success. National requirements and school requirements are mapped out as a whole school and then individual year groups plan the curriculum for their pupils accordingly. The curriculum is underpinned by the school’s core values of mutual respect, tolerance and fairness, and these are taught on their own and through other areas of the curriculum, including assemblies. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of our pupils and their understanding of the core values of our society are woven through the curriculum. As an accredited P4C school, we additionally offer structured philosophical enquiry to children of all ages.

The English curriculum is taught using a strategy that incorporates the approach developed by the CLPE which uses rich fiction, non-fiction and poetry texts to develop children’s writing skills through imitation, innovation and independence. Alongside this children experience lessons on grammar, punctuation, spelling and handwriting. Daily supported reading in EYFS and KS1 and guided reading practice in KS2 form the basis of our teaching of reading across the school.

The mathematics curriculum is currently delivered and supported by the White Rose Scheme of Work and its considerable resource base. We are developing a teaching for mastery curriculum which enables children to develop their reasoning, investigative and problem solving skills.

These subjects are taught in mixed ability groups in Key Stage 1 and Lower Key Stage 2 but there is targeted ability grouping in Upper Key Stage 2. In all year groups there are small group interventions in order to support pupils in gaining the key skills to become successful readers, writers and mathematicians.

Specialist teachers and instructors support music, coding, physical education and chess. All subject leaders have access to training and opportunity to keep developing their own subject knowledge, skills and understanding so they can support curriculum development and their colleagues throughout the school. Theme weeks, whole school activities and opportunities within and outside school all enrich and develop the children’s learning. After school clubs and events extend these opportunities further. Additional whole school programmes and approaches support quality teaching and learning and the school is well resourced in terms of learning materials, books and technology.

The outdoor environment and the local community are considered an opportunity for active learning for all our pupils. The school is fortunate to be in easy reach of Hampstead Heath.

Pupils have opportunities to share their learning with each other, their parents and carers and other learners through school-based and external exhibitions, performances, competitions and events involving other schools. Developing their independence and motivation as learners and their sense of responsibility as future citizens is at the heart of all our teaching and learning.