Curriculum

The National Curriculum

Shiplake School provides an ambitious, broad and balanced curriculum in line with Local Authority policy and national requirements. The National Curriculum sets out the statutory entitlement to learning for all pupils in Years 1 to 6 and determines the content of what is taught and the attainment targets for learning. The National Curriculum is designed to ensure that all children develop the essential literacy and numeracy skills they need in order to learn, as well as to foster a sense of enthusiasm and commitment to learning.

Children are taught the core subjects of the National Curriculum 2014 – English, Mathematics and Science, and the foundation subjects – Computing, Geography, History, Design and Technology, Music, Art and Physical Education.  Opportunities are provided for all the pupils to apply and develop their Computing knowledge and skills to support their learning across the whole curriculum.  The curriculum focuses on the progression of both skills and knowledge through the school.  Pupils learn French as their Modern Foreign Language following the CGP (Coordination Group Publications) Scheme of Work and Key Stage 2 classes receive outreach support via an MFL specialist teacher from our partnership secondary school.   We also teach children Personal, Social and Health Education, linking in themes of Citizenship which is also linked into our Collective Worship termly plans.  Relationship and Sex Education (RSE) has been introduced from September 2020.  Children develop an understanding of our school’s Christian values through Collective Worship, Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education (PSHCE), Religious Education (RE) and through engaging in life at our school.  We follow the Oxfordshire Agreed Syllabus for RE which plays an important part in our pupils’ education. Parents are entitled to withdraw their child from Collective Worship and RE if this causes conflict with personally held beliefs.  Parents who wish to withdraw their child should write to the Headteacher and we will provide for these children in another part of the school.  The school also teaches and actively promotes British values through both the curriculum and the expectations/routines.

All the National Curriculum subjects provide opportunities to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Across the two Key Stages pupils learn, practise, combine and refine a wide range of skills, some of which are subject specific and others common to many subject areas.  The way subjects are delivered is designed to develop communication, number application, ICT, co-operation, self-motivation and problem solving skills.  They also demand a number of ‘thinking skills’ such as processing information, reasoning, enquiry, creative thinking and evaluation.  More able pupils are continually being stretched and pupils with specific learning needs catered for.  The principles of inclusion and the value of cross curricular learning are essential elements. Children are assessed according to the School’s assessment schedule which includes three formal assessments in reading, writing, mathematics and Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling (GPS) per academic year for all year groups. Science is assessed after each topic, and one final assessment at the end of the year.  A consistent approach for Assessment for Learning is used and embedded across the school. The Senior Leadership Team (SLT) monitor progress data throughout the year for classes and specific groups, with progress meetings taking place across all year groups.

Policies for each subject are continually updated to reflect changes in the National Curriculum and reviews of subject areas take place as established in our policy review schedule.

Sex and Relationships Education:  The Governors and staff have agreed a sex education policy for the school. In Years 3 and 4 children learn about health, hygiene and their bodies.  In Years 5 and 6 pupils watch videos and discuss issues about growing up with their class teacher .The content of these lessons cover the physical and emotional changes that boys and girls undergo at puberty, considers morals involved and the value of family life.  Parents have the right to withdraw their child from these lessons except for those elements taught as part of National Curriculum for Science.

Full Curriculum Policy  (reviewed September 2021)