Eatock School Curriculum

• The Eatock Curriculum meets all statutory requirements and the National Curriculum is used as a starting point for all planning, teaching and learning. Our curriculum is customised, personalised and designed to build upon the experiences and backgrounds of our children. The curriculum is organised to ensure the children have a breadth of learning opportunities and experiences and it supports children’s growing depth of learning and understanding. Our curriculum is a progressive model so that children build their knowledge, skills and vocabulary as they move through the school. The children’s understanding of SMSC ( Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural) and Fundamental British Values is promoted across all subjects.
• The Eatock curriculum has a high focus on the development of oracy. This is a result of our belief that if a child is unable to articulate their ideas, then they will not be able to read or write. Our learning environment is set up to ensure that there are many opportunities for speaking and listening activities e.g. role play areas, reading areas, listening stations and Learning Outside the Classroom.
• Our Cross curricular topics are initiated by the children’s existing knowledge, understanding and skills. Curriculum topics are led by the interests of the children and the curriculum is highly differentiated to ensure that we meet the learning needs of all children. The breadth of our curriculum ensures that children have the opportunity to refine their skills, knowledge and understanding in a variety of ways.
• The outdoor learning curriculum is a key element in our curriculum and has a high focus on the spoken word, presentations, social skills, collaboration and cooperation. It also allows learning from the National Curriculum to be developed and explored in a practical manner and lifelong skills taught.
• At Eatock we recognise that children are growing up in a world based around technology. We recognise that it is vital to develop key computing skills and ensure that children are aware of how to keep themselves safe online. We ensure that all children have access to modern technology and are taught how to use it to enhance their learning.
• Throughout our curriculum we have a high focus on the development of reading and spelling skills. We acknowledge that these skills are key to enable children to access all other areas of learning. Opportunities for children to develop subject specific vocabulary are interwoven throughout the curriculum and children are encouraged to develop their subject specific vocabulary. All subjects are taught through a balanced curriculum allowing children to develop both academically and personally, this allows children to develop understanding, accuracy and fluency is all areas of learning.
• Mastery approaches in maths allow children to use their skills and knowledge in a variety of ways. This allows the teacher the opportunity to plan learning experiences that consolidate and challenge children’s understanding.
• It is our duty to ensure that the Eatock curriculum equips children with a secure understanding of Fundamental British Values so enabling them to be citizens of the future. We also ensure that children are equipped with the knowledge they need to live long and healthy lives and give them the skills and understanding they need to achieve this e.g. through sport, healthy eating and mindfulness.
• Throughout our curriculum we ensure that children are given the opportunity to develop GRIT (Perseverance) and determination. We allow children to learn through their mistakes and understand the power of ‘Yet’. Children’s efforts are always recognised and rewarded and positive growth mind set is promoted throughout school.
• It is our duty to ensure that children leave Eatock with a good understanding of a range of cultural and Multi-cultural knowledge and understanding. We do this through carefully planned trips and visitors and ensure experiences underpin the children’s learning.
• The ultimate aim is that children leave Eatock being very well prepared for future learning and development.

Throughout their time at Eatock, your child will be encouraged and supported to apply their English and maths skills to real and practical situations. Although some of the time they will experience skills learning in English and maths lessons, much of this will be integrated into cross-curricular themes and topics.

These will be directly linked to the National Curriculum Programmes of Study and the children will be encouraged to develop good understanding of subject elements within this format. For some areas of the curriculum, the children will sometimes be set into age or ability groups. This ensures that all children are given work that is suitable and challenges them. Teaching methods are flexible in order to accommodate the variety of situations that occur in Primary Education. Throughout a typical week your child is likely to experience individual, small group and whole class teaching.

Class teachers will teach the whole curriculum to their class, with a focus on developing the children’s basic skills of English and maths via application across the whole curriculum.

Developing the children’s oracy skills is a key element of the curriculum. Opportunities are planned in school for children to discuss, explain and describe, so that they may develop confidence and coherence. Listening attentively is a vital skill to language development and children are encouraged to understand that listening is both necessary and courteous.

Ensuring the children are able to read at an age appropriate level is a high priority in our curriculum. We aim to equip children with the skills and the desire to read. Children are well supported to be able to read accurately with fluency and to make efficient use of the well stocked class libraries, computers and the school library. As a parent it is extremely important that you offer your child a quiet time when they can read with you on a regular basis. It is our
wish to present reading in such a way as to instill a love and respect for books and reading that will provide a rich sources of pleasure for life.

Children need to write as a means of communication and recording. Our aim at Eatock is to help children write fluently for a wide variety of audiences and purposes. The children at Eatock will develop their skills in writing creatively and informatively across all areas of the curriculum. We also have a high focus on children developing a clear handwriting style, which reflects pride in the presentation of the written word.

Our aim in the teaching of mathematics is to ensure that children show breadth and depth in their understanding of mathematical and numerical concepts. We want them to be able to do this confidently in both their mental and written work. Children will learn the basic mathematical skills and concepts and then be given many opportunities to apply these skills both within maths lessons and across the curriculum.

Eatock Primary School is a non-denominational community school. Children are taught RE according to Bolton’s Agreed Syllabus (S.A.C.R.E). This covers Christianity and other world religions. Our daily assemblies have a weekly theme and an act of collective worship (Reflection). Children do not have to pray to God or sing if it is not
appropriate to them. If you would like to withdraw your child from the daily assembly, please see the Headteacher.

The health and well-being of our pupils is a priority for us at Eatock. Personal, social and health education and citizenship is taught both directly and sensitively through a cross curricular approach.

First hand, experiential and practical learning opportunities underpin our school’s Curriculum Intent. Learning Outside the Classroom is a key element of the Eatock curriculum. Out of school visits for children are organised regularly and visitors of interest are invited into school to enhance children’s learning experiences. The school holds the Learning Outside The Classroom GOLD national award.

Each school trip is carefully planned and risk assessed by the staff. Details of the visit, including safety aspects, are scrutinised in advance by a senior teacher, who has designated responsibility for the co-ordination of all educational visits or the Headteacher. Particular attention is paid to the care of each child during such visits and therefore a generous number of adult supervisors (usually parents) accompany the school staff on such educational trips.
Generally speaking, younger pupils receive more supervision than older ones and, depending on the visit, the ratio can be as high as 1 supervisor to 2 children. The school always seeks written parental consent before taking children out of school on visits or to games matches.
When the cost of educational trips causes any difficulty, parents are encouraged to contact the class teacher or Headteacher in strictest confidence. Our charging policy is available for you to see.

Assessments of children’s abilities begin as soon as they arrive in our Early Years. This includes The National Reception Baseline Assessment, as well as teacher baseline assessment in-line with the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework.  
Assessments are carried out continually throughout the children’s school life, in order to inform planning for teaching and learning. Assessments of learning are both summative (testing, quizzes etc.) and formative (on-going via questioning and verbal feedback). The school uses a range of formative (on going) assessment techniques, which encourage the children to become independent learners.

Within EYFS, pupils have portfolios of evidence of their learning experiences and progress, which are shared with parents /carers. In addition, parents / carers are invited in to take part in a variety of curriculum workshops. Across KS1 and KS2, parents / carers are invited into school to attend ‘showcase’ assemblies, which provide the opportunity for the children to share their learning and examples of their work with their parents / carers.

Parents are also invited into school to discuss their child’s attainment and progress at Parents’ Evenings and Target Setting evenings during the autumn and spring term. A written report is produced at the end of each year, which informs parents of their child’s attainment and progress at the end of the summer term.

A National KS2 Assessment is administered to Year 6 pupils during May – these are known as End of KS2 SATS. The results of these assessments are shared with parents /carers once they are released to school and within in their child’s End of Year Report.