Implementation

How the school intends to deliver the curriculum throughout the school

We offer wide opportunities through our school as well as a broad and balanced teaching curriculum. Over a decade we have developed a curriculum that is inspiring and engaging for our pupils. We teach core skills and knowledge, using the National Curriculum as our starting point with carefully chosen topics designed to offer cross-curricular opportunities. This enables the children to see the relevance of their learning and the ‘bigger picture’. Our topics are exciting and motivational and all support the development of pupils’ communication and language skills

We have designed termly Topic overviews for each Year Group. These list the core skills and knowledge that children should learn in that term, showing appropriate progression from Nursery to Y6. The overviews are underpinned by subject specific knowledge / skills progression grids which note the key knowledge and vocabulary and concepts to be taught and links with previous and future learning. The overviews also show the cross-curricular links.

We ‘immerse’ the children in experiences, offering a wide range of exciting learning and cultural opportunities: exciting trips, visitors, themed days and – in every classroom – a stimulating themed area that links with the main topic and offers a variety of additional ‘SMART’. The ‘smarts’ include:

Word Smart, 2D/3D Smart, Music Smart, Number Smart, Body Smart, Nature Smart, Self Smart and People Smart

Children are encouraged to discover their individual talents with opportunities that most would not have access to as part of their life experiences such as our school orchestra, recorder groups, peripatetic music lessons, gymnastics and dance groups and the various sports teams / events.

Performance is key in developing the self- worth, confidence and communication skills of pupils of all abilities: The Shakespeare Festival, Music and Dance Festivals, Young Voices and end of term productions.

The development of Communication and Language Skills is core to our curriculum offer as we aim to give the children the skills to become confident communicators. Vocabulary is a core element of our curriculum. Key topic-linked vocabulary is listed on our termly overviews and is taught during that term. Vocabulary is further consolidated in our cross-curricular links with English and in Guided Reading texts. Weekly ‘P4C’ Philosophy lessons are used as a tool to develop pupils’ thinking, reasoning and communication skills: creative, collaboration, caring and critical.

Regular assessments show the progress in the acquisition of key knowledge and skills that term. Teachers use Excel Skills Trackers to plan for and assess the topic-linked skills taught that term. Again, these trackers show appropriate progression. As part of end of term ‘projects’ children develop their skills across the curriculum and home their communication skills – presenting their finding to their class friends.

Pupils with Special Educational Needs receive additional support and are supported to help them to become successful and independent learners.  

Though most pupils enter our Nursery with skills well below those of their peers they leave Gladstone as confident, well-motivated and ambitious learners; aware of their own particular strengths as well as their areas for development. They enjoy school and are eager to move on to the next stage of their education.

Supporting the mental health needs of our pupils is vital with 2 learning mentors and a team of Nurture Leaders supporting as many as 90 pupils. The school has the Boxall National Whole School Nurture Award and specific elements of the Sandwell Mental Health Project are used to support the needs of our children and staff.