Simmondley Primary School

Curriculum

At Simmondley Primary School we are committed to ensuring our children have a broad and balanced curriculum. Our work with Ignite Teaching School Alliance led us to developing a 'Three Layered Curriculum' including opportunities for our children to learn about British Values, Diversity, Social Justice and Conservation. The Three Layered Curriculum includes:

Layer 1- The National Curriculum which defines the programmes of study for key subjects in maintained state primary and secondary schools in England. Fundamentally, it sets out what your child is supposed to learn and when; The curriculum, covers English and Maths but also encompasses other subjects too including Science, History, Geography, Music, Personal Social and Health Education (PSHE), Physical Education ( PE), Modern Foreign Language (MFL) and Religious Education (RE.)

Layer 2 – We have also thought about our distinctiveness here at Simmondley in line with our core framework and values and considered what else we want our children to learn. For example; playing a musical instrument, performing in a play, accessing The Arts, developing children as leaders.

Layer 3- Which we see as 'The Icing on the Cake' where we are looking to develop partnerships with other organisations that our children can become involved in. For example; Mountain Rescue, Chester Zoo.

Our work with Ignite Teaching School Alliance led us to developing a knowledge rich curriculum that that creates ‘botheredness, investment, passion and curiosity in our children about their learning so that they learn more, know more and remember more over time.

Reading at Simmondley

Reading for pleasure is at the heart of our curriculum at Simmondley School. Ensuring that all children are engaged with reading, from the very beginning, is one of the most important ways to make a difference to their life chances.

Reading begins in the first weeks of Foundation Stage, where children begin blending and segmenting phonemes through the Monster Phonics Scheme. Children take home a Monster Phonics reading book, based on the letters and sounds they have learnt, so that they can practise and consolidate with their parents. We aim to inform and involve parents as much as possible through a school information session and links to guidance online.

We aim for all our children to master Phonics in Key Stage 1. However for those children who need additional support 'Catch Up' Phonics sessions are timetabled, in order to close gaps and continue to prioritise early reading.

Once children are able to decode, we have a wide range of books available for them to choose from. Our books are colour banded across school, all the way up to Year 6. This helps to guide teachers and children to choose reading material which will be suitable- not just in terms of stamina, vocabulary and comprehension but with themes appropriate for different age ranges. Books are available in classroom libraries and children are encouraged to choose according to their preferences. These books are carefully chosen and updated regularly in order to give our children a wide and varied ‘reading diet’.

Children who are at risk of not meeting age related expectations in reading are identified and will have focused support, depending on their need – this might be a phonics intervention or extra 1:1 reading with an adult or to develop fluency.

In KS2, reading lessons are taught through whole class 'reading’ lessons. Active reading strategies, such as prediction and visualisation, are referred to, in order to help children to keep track of their own understanding as they engage with texts. Rich discussion, about a wide range of texts, ensures that children develop an understanding of the world, with links to learning across the curriculum. The class novel is another important component of reading lessons. These are chosen each term by the teacher and children enjoy a timetabled session every day, where the focus is on actively understanding and enjoying the book, which would be challenging for most of class to read independently.

We have a good sized and well stocked library in school. In addition to their class reading book, children are also able to take out a library book each week. A group of Year 6 volunteers helps to keep the library tidy and organised, as well as making recommendations for younger children. In the summer term, these children will also run outdoor reading sessions during playtimes.

Art

Art Curriculum Map Cycle A

Art Curriculum Map Cycle B

Art Curriculum Map Cycle C

Curriculum Maps

Please see the links below to see what our children are learning. More details about the subjects being taught can be found in our Class Newsletters.

Apples Class Curriculum Map 24/25

Rowan Class Curricum Map 24/25

Elm Class Curriculum Map 24/25

Beech Class Curriculum Map 24/25

Hazel Class Curriculum Map 24/25

Willow Class Curriculum Map 24/25