Digital Newsletters

Intent

The school believes that art is a vital part of children’s education, with a significant and valuable role in the taught curriculum and the enrichment opportunities we offer our pupils. The art curriculum will develop children’s critical abilities, as well as an understanding of their own and others’ cultural heritages through the study of a diverse range of artists.
Children will develop their understanding of the visual language of art with effective teaching and considered sequences of lessons and experiences. Understanding of the visual elements of art and design (line, tone, texture, colour, pattern, shape, 3D form) will be developed by providing a curriculum which will enable children to reach their full potential.

Implementation

The skills and knowledge that children will develop throughout each art topic are mapped across each year group and are progressive throughout the school. The emphasis on knowledge ensures that children understand the context of the artwork, as well as the artists that they are learning about and being inspired by. This enables links to other curriculum areas, including humanities, with children developing a considerable knowledge of individual artists, as well as individual works and art movements. A similar systematic approach to the development of artistic skills means that children are given opportunities to express their creative imagination, as well as practise and develop mastery in the key processes of art: drawing, painting, printing, textiles and sculpture.
Coordinated whole-school project work ensures that art is given high status in the curriculum. This includes the school’s participation in the annual ‘Big Arts Day’ which enables further focus on children’s artistic skills and knowledge in collaboration with other local schools.
The school’s high-quality art curriculum is supported through the availability of a wide range of quality resources, which are used to support children’s confidence in the use of different media. The school’s unique locality is also utilised, with planned opportunities for learning outside the classroom, as well as the involvement of adults with specialist skills from the local and wider community.

Subject Documents

Intent 

Our aim is to provide a high-quality computing curriculum which is ambitious, creative and inclusive. It should equip children with relevant skills and prepare them for an ever-evolving digital world. They should become effective computational thinkers and be digitally literate.

The curriculum will teach children to be competent, confident and creative users of technology and responsible digital citizens. Learners will have the opportunity to gain an understanding of different kinds of computational systems. Children will develop the knowledge and skills needed to be able to express themselves and their ideas clearly through digital media. It will enable them to see how these skills will be useful to them as active participants in both a digital world as well as in the workplace, such as being inspired to pursue further study and career paths in Programming, Engineering and Computer Science. Computing has deep links with maths, science and design technology. Children will recognise how some skills are transferable and can help them to solve problems across these subject areas and in real-life situations. By the time they leave Lings Primary School, children will understand and apply core principles and concepts of computer science, including logic, algorithms and data representation. They will learn to analyse problems in computational terms and have repeated practical experience of writing computing programs to solve problems. They will evaluate and apply information technology, including new or unfamiliar technologies analytically to solve problems.

Implementation

At Lings Primary School, Children will engage in alternate terms of full computing teaching, followed by shorter embedding terms in which computing knowledge and skills are applied to other subject areas. Employing cross-curricular links supports children to make connections and remember the steps they have been taught. Lings Primary School’s computing curriculum is based on the Teach Computing Curriculum, which is aligned to match the breadth and ambition of the National Curriculum, and we have developed this using the expertise of the Denbigh School Computing Hub.

The Teach Computing units for Key Stages 1 and 2 are based on a spiral curriculum. Substantive and disciplinary knowledge are mapped across each topic and year group to ensure systematic progression. This means that each of the themes is revisited regularly (at least once in each year group), and pupils revisit each theme through a new unit that consolidates and builds on prior learning within that theme. This style of curriculum design reduces the amount of knowledge lost through forgetting, as topics are revisited yearly. The implementation of the curriculum also ensures a balanced coverage of computer science, information technology and digital literacy. The children will have experiences of all three strands in each year group, but the subject knowledge imparted becomes increasingly specific and in depth, with more complex skills being taught, thus ensuring that learning is built upon.

The following high dividend concepts are covered in this Computing curriculum: Computing systems and networks, Creating media, Data and information and Programming. These will form the ‘Big Ideas’ through which all science will be taught. Predicting, problem-solving, decision-making, communicating, thinking critically and evaluating will form common threads which will underpin the learning of computing throughout the curriculum.

Online Safety

Online safety will be at the heart of all learning. These are taught every term through the Teach Computing curriculum where online safety forms a part of each unit. We also use Project Evolve resources, which cover each of the 330 statements from the UK Council for Internet Safety’s Framework: Education for a Connected World”. These focus on the themes of self-image and identity, online relationships, online reputation, online bullying, managing online information, health, wellbeing and lifestyle, privacy and security, and copyright and ownership.

Early Years

Our children will begin their computing journey in the Early Years and Foundation Stage.

They will have access to a wide range of digital devices and will explore technology in real-life contexts, such as a supermarket checkout, pelican crossing, microphones, speakers and CD player. Children will use navigational vocabulary through use of Beebots and will use technology to communicate by using walkie-talkies/phones. They will be encouraged and supported to navigate around a programme or piece of software to enhance learning in other curriculum areas, as well as being taught about keeping safe online, such as through use of screen time.

Subject Documents

Intent:

Through our DT curriculum, learners use their creativity and imagination to design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a wide variety of contexts.

We aim for all learners:

• To develop a curiosity about how things are made and how they work, as well as thinking creatively to problem solve and make products even better.
• To be able to consider their own and other's needs, wants and values within the designing and making process, ensuring their product has a purpose.
• To be equipped with the technical knowledge and vocabulary in relation to structural design, mechanical and electrical systems, textiles, food production and nutrition.
• To build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users.
• To make connections and apply their knowledge of Mathematics, Science, Computing, and Art.
• to know how to take risks, develop new innovative designs and be reflective, evaluating their own work, as well as the design and work of others within school and the wider world.
• To understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook.

Implementation:

We have chosen to implement our DT curriculum using the planning, guidance and resources supplied through the scheme: PlanBee. We have chosen this scheme carefully because we feel it aligns with our intent and curriculum approach; it also meets the scope and ambition of the National Curriculum.

Our curriculum is progressive, providing opportunities for learners to revisit, build on and strengthen knowledge and skills they have previously learned. Learning is divided into units of textiles, structures, mechanical and electrical systems and nutrition/food technology. Through each unit, learners also develop and apply the skills of investigating, designing, making and evaluating their products.

Design and Technology will be taught in all year groups, in blocks of approximately 6 lessons, three times a year – usually alternating with the teaching of Art and Design.

Design and Technology learning in the Early Years:

In Early Years, they will learn, through Expressive Arts and Design and Physical Development (fine motor skills), to:

• Use a range of small tools, including scissors, paintbrushes, cutlery and cooking utensils.
• Safely explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques, experimenting with colour, texture, form and function.
• Share their creations, explaining the process they have used.

There are also regular opportunities for children in the Early Years to develop knowledge of how to keep themselves healthy, including daily, structured snack time.

Subject Documents

At Lings Primary School, we believe that a quality English curriculum should develop children’s love of reading, writing and speaking and listening. We have a rigorous and well-organised phonics, reading and writing curriculum that provides many purposeful opportunities for children to become skilled across all areas of English including phonics. Our curriculum closely follows the aims of the National Curriculum for English (2014) to enable all children to:

• read easily, fluently and with good understanding;
  ● develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information;
  ● acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language;
  ● appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage;
  ● write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences;
  ● use discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas;
  ● are competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate.

These aims are embedded across our English lessons and throughout the wider curriculum, which includes many opportunities for reading and writing. We will provide the means for children to develop a secure knowledge base in Literacy, which follows a clear pathway of progression as they advance through the primary curriculum. Rigorous assessment and review, alongside current research, will ensure that we are able to provide effective, targeted support so that all children experience success in literacy; we believe that a secure basis in literacy skills is crucial to a high quality education and will give our children the tools they need to succeed not only in their education but also in later life.

Reading

Learning to read at primary school gives children the opportunity to access all areas of the curriculum. Our vision at Lings is that by the end of KS2, children will have developed life-long reading habits and a love of reading and books. Our text rich curriculum will expose children to new worlds, experiences and ideas and give them the opportunities to expand their horizon. Through our choice of texts and other reading opportunities, such as author visits, we will transport children on a reading journey. 

Writing including SPaG

By the time our Year Six children leave we intend for them to have developed a love of writing and to be able to express their thoughts clearly and creatively through written word. Through their reading sessions and drama, children will enrich their vocabulary in their talk and this will help scaffold to their writing. With the implementation of the writing journey being well established and taught through both key stages, children will become more confident writers, and as the children reach Upper Key stage 2, they will be familiar with most genres of writing and teaching to focus on creativity, sustained writing and manipulation of grammar and punctuation skills. Children to be able to transfer and embed grammar, punctuation and spelling skills consistently in all aspects of their learning.

Phonics

At Lings Primary School, we strive to teach children to read effectively and quickly using Sounds-Write. Sounds-Write is a quality first phonics programme. Its purpose is to provide classroom professionals with a comprehensive system with which to teach reading, spelling and writing.

It teaches all key elements of

• conceptual understanding
• factual knowledge
• segmenting
• blending
• phoneme manipulation

These are necessary for learning to read and spell until all children achieve the automaticity that underlies the fluency of every successful reader.

Find out more about named phonics programmes

Subject Documents

A quality Geography curriculum will support children in understanding the world around them. They will become curious about our planet and fascinated by its many places, people, resources and environments. They will understand human and physical processes, and their impact on our world. Children will learn how the Earth’s features are formed and how they have changed over time. They will understand the effect that geography has on our everyday lives and that without it, other events and subjects have much less meaning. Children will develop an understanding and appreciation of their local area and the wider world which is around them.

During Key Stage 1, children will begin to develop knowledge of their local area, an understanding of the United Kingdom, and the names of the 7 continents and 5 oceans. They will recognise weather patterns, seasonal changes and begin to learn basic geographical terms. They will use globes, maps and atlases, begin to compare locations and have opportunities to explore their immediate environment through fieldwork. The following areas of focus have been selected: Where I live. Where would you rather live – Northampton or Hunstanton? How is Northampton different to India? From farm to fork – how does your food travel? Mapping Northampton and Inner London and Compare the climates of Antarctica and the Sahara Desert. This range of units will build geographical knowledge and an awareness of the locality using fieldwork. It will provide the opportunity for children to develop their awareness of their locality to the wider world.

During Lower Key Stage 2, children will be given the opportunity to develop their knowledge of their locality and the wider world. The following areas of focus have been selected: HS2 Impact on the landscape and settlements, natural disasters – Pompeii, recycling the environment, why is the rainforest important to me and from the Nene to the Nile. Year Four will also participate in the National Gallery Take One Picture Programme with explicit geography links made to the painting each year.

During Upper Key Stage 2, children will broaden their locational knowledge to include a wide variety of places on each continent, including their main geographical characteristics. They will explore the natural processes of the Earth and consider the impact of people on our planet. They will continue to explore the world around them using a wider variety of geographical sources which they will learn to use in detail. The following areas of focus have been selected: North America from East to West, Sustainability – Natural Resources, Global Warming, African continent, Exploitation of Natural Resources and Legacy – making a difference.

Children will therefore move to secondary school with a sound locational knowledge of the world and an appreciation of the geographical features and events that make each place unique. They will understand similarities and differences across the world and be able to use geographical vocabulary to discuss these. They will be confident when using a variety of sources, including a range of maps and atlases.

The following high dividend concepts have been identified as part of the Lings Geography curriculum: Sense of Place, Global Links, Diversity, Representations of the World, Sustainability, Change, Travel, Commerce and Trade, Community, Settlement, Locality and Environment. These will form the ‘Big Ideas’ through which all geography will be taught.

The curriculum has been carefully constructed to ensure children obtain a solid understanding of key geographical concepts and knowledge. This is a knowledge-rich Geography curriculum. Knowledge is given a high status and the aim is to empower our children and carefully build their understanding of the subject. The knowledge content is specified in detail and is taught to be remembered, not just encountered. Knowledge is sequenced and mapped deliberately and coherently so that beyond the knowledge specified for each unit. There are vertical and horizontal links which ensure the construction of a secure geographical schema. There will also be opportunities to make diagonal links to other disciplines which have been explicitly planned for.

Horizontal links will be explicitly made. E.g., In Year 6, children will learn about the natural resources of Africa which will be built upon in the next unit through a study of their distribution and UK trade links.

Vertical links will be made where knowledge and understanding are built upon from previous geography units. E.g., In Year 5, the USA unit will build upon knowledge and understanding from the Year 2 unit (Mapping Northampton and Inner London). In this Year 2 unit, there would be direct reference to the Year 1 learning in the “How is Northampton different to India” unit.

Diagonal links will be made, particularly where this is cross-curricular. e.g., links between Science and Geography - such as Environmental Change (Science) with Rainforests/Deforestation (Geography) and Rocks, Soils and Fossils (Science) with Volcanoes (Geography). In Year 2 pupils learn about the geography of London and this then supports their understanding of the Great Fire of London in History.

Subject Documents

Intent

At Lings we believe that an understanding of local, national and global history is vital to an understanding of ourselves. Teaching beings where the child is, so KS1 topics focus mainly on local (the Great fire of Northampton, the Boot and Shoe industry) and national (Queen Elizabeth, Christopher Colombus, the Great fire of London) events and people.  In Lower KS2, children will being to explore longer periods of time (The Stone Age, The Iron Age, The Vikings) but also events and periods in other countries (the Romans, the Egyptians). By upper KS2, children will explore periods of conflict and the impact of these on a global scale (World War 1, World War 2).  Meanwhile, local history will continue to be developed, where relevant during national topic,  but will also be celebrated with work on Walter Tull during the Year 5 World War 1 unit.

History is taught at Lings in line with the NPAT History curriculum (which is, in term, informed by the National Curriculum). This enables children to know more about the past, to think critically, weigh evidence and to develop their own perspective and judgement. 

Connections in the curriculum are made in three ways. First,  horizontally - e.g. in Year 3 term 1, children will learn about Romans and their impact on Britain, followed by an investigation into the Anglo-Saxons, later in the year, during which they will compare and contrast the two civilastions. Then, vertical links will also be made explicit through teaching, for example in Year 6 children will compare aspcts of World War Two to World War One which is studied in Year 5. Finally, diagonal links will be made, particularly where this is cross-curricular. e.g. links between history and geography - such as The Romans (History) with Natural Disasters - Pompeii (Geography) and Ancient Egypt (History) with From Nene to Nile (Geography).

Implementation

History is taught in 3 terms throughout the year, alternating with the study of geography. The key knowledge and skills that children acquire and develop throughout each block have been mapped to ensure progression between year groups throughout the school.

At the beginning of each new history topic, teachers refer to timelines to develop children’s understanding of chronology. Each topic is introduced with reference to the chronology of previous topics (including those from previous years – see Vertical links above).  

Knowledge organisers will be shared with pupils and parents and used thoughout the topic - with quizzes,  fill in the gap and regular retrieval activities. Each organizer will have a similar layout but also with a sense of progression across the school.

Cross curricular outcomes in history are specifically planned for including work with maps, use of online resources, use of graphs/tables, sketching of historical artefacts, links to Art (e.g. Clay modelling in Year 5 linked to Ancient Greece) and regular reading and writing opportunities.

The history curriculum at Lings is designed to ensure diversity in the historical figures that children learn about throughout their time at Lings. 

Planning and resources are provided to give every teacher the knowledge and resources needed to teach the subject well.  However teachers will continue to cater for the needs of their learners, including ensuring an appropriate level of challenge and differentiating tasks as necessary.

Monitoring of work is carried out regularly through lesson drop ins, pupil interviews and book moderation.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) follows the ‘Development Matters in the EYFS’ guidance which aims for all children in reception to have an ‘Understanding of the World; people and communities, the world and technology’ by the end of the academic year.

Impact

Outcomes in topic and literacy books (where relevant) evidence a broad and balanced history curriculum across the school, with clear progression in the level of work,  depth of coverage and acquisition of key knowledge.

Children in our school display a curiosity for the past and a coherent knowledge and understanding of their own local, national and global history. 

Subject Documents

At Lings Primary School we believe that all children have the potential to become able mathematicians. We aim for children to be able to:

• Build a sense of enjoyment and curiosity towards Mathematics.
• Recognise the importance of Maths in the wider world.
• Use mathematical skills and knowledge effectively in their own lives.
• Be fluent in the fundamental key skills of Maths such as recall of number facts and use of the number system.
• Develop the ability to reason mathematically, make generalisations and make sense of solutions.
• Solve problems by applying their mathematical knowledge.
• Have high expectations of themselves.
• Believe that they can learn and succeed mathematically to a high level.
• Be able to apply what they have learned to the wider curriculum.
• Develop independence when working mathematically.
• Persevere when doing Maths and see struggle and being stuck as positive and important experiences.
• Build their mathematical skills, knowledge and understanding consistently over time.

Subject Documents

Year Group Schemes of Work

Intent

Learning a foreign language is a valuable educational, social and cultural experience for all pupils. It provides an opening to other cultures and encourages children's curiousity and creativity about language. The 2014 National Curriculum for Modern Foreign Languages aims to ensure that all children:

• Understand and respond to spoken and written language from a variety of authentic sources.
• Are able to speak with increasing confidence, fluency and spontaneity, finding ways of communicating what they want to say, including through discussion and asking questions, and that they are continually improving the accuracy of their pronunciation and intonation.
• Can write at varying length, for different purposes and audiences, using the variety of grammatical structures that they have learnt.
• Discover and develop an appreciation of a range of writing in the language studied.

A high-quality languages education should foster children’s curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world. At Lings Primary, we are committed to ensuring that learning a foreign language enables pupils to express their ideas and thoughts, and to understand and respond to its speakers, both in speech and in writing. We recognise that competence in another language enables children to interpret, create and exchange meaning within and across cultures.

At Lings Primary, we are committed to ensuring our MFL teaching provides the foundation for learning further languages, as well as the means to access international opportunities for study and work later in life. The teaching of Spanish in Key Stage 2 (KS2) provides an appropriate balance of spoken and written language and lays the foundations for further foreign language teaching at KS3.

Implementation

Children are introduced to Spanish in KS2 and children receive a 30-minute lesson every week. We use the Primary Languages Network (https://primarylanguages.network/premium-plus) to support our teaching and learning of Spanish. This is supplemented through the use of spoken Spanish in the classroom beyond the timetabled lesson, which includes its use to give basic instructions and refer to familiar objects in the classroom. This enables the children to develop early language acquisition skills that facilitate their understanding of the patterns of language and how these differ from, or are similar to, English. 

Lessons across the Key Stage support the skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing:

• Children are taught to listen attentively to spoken language and respond, joining in with songs, rhymes and games.
• Children develop an appreciation of a variety of stories, songs, poems and rhymes in Spanish that are delivered through the curriculum content, as well as by native Spanish speakers within the wider school community.

Knowledge and skills in Spanish are progressive from one year to the next and are mapped across the school, in line with the scheme of work. Cross curricular links have been identified and the school’s own context is considered as part of curriculum planning, including, for example, how the grounds of the school and local resources can be used to enhance and enrich Spanish learning.

Primary MFL teaching at Lings is fully inclusive and no child is excluded. Learning activities are planned in a way that encourages the full and active participation of all pupils.

MFL Documents

Music is a universal language. A quality music curriculum will engage and inspire pupils to develop a love and curiosity of music and discover their talent as musicians. An engagement with music will also increase their self-confidence, creativity, and sense of achievement. 

Children will be taught to appreciate and understand a wide range of high-quality music drawn from great composers and musicians, created in a variety of periods, and originating from different parts and traditions around the world. They will also develop their understanding of the history of music. We are committed to ensuring children understand the value and importance of music in the wider community and world around them.

Children will understand and explore how music is created, produced, and communicated, including developing their knowledge of inter-related dimensions in music, such as pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure, and appropriate musical notation. Children will revisit these key musical terms throughout their musical education at Lings. Our music curriculum will enable children to perform, listen to, review, and evaluate music.

Every child will learn to use their voice effectively and sing, compose music both on their own and with others, as well as having the opportunities to play a variety of musical instruments.

All children from Years 1 to 6 have the chance to engage with extracurricular music through our partnership with NMPAT (Northamptonshire Music and Performing Arts Trust), including a school choir and peripatetic lessons. Children in Year 3 work with a musician and songwriter from the Notivate charity to create music. In Year 4, children take part in a First Access percussion project delivered by NMPAT.

Subject Documents

At Lings Primary School, we believe that PE is a subject that every child can enjoy and be successful in. This means that all children can create a positive relationship with physical activity and movement, and that their effort, work and progress will be recognised and celebrated. We feel that the role of PE lessons is to equip children with the skills, knowledge, behaviours and attitudes for them to choose to be active when staff are not around. We provide an inclusive and positive learning environment containing inclusive language and make every child feel valued. Lessons provide a clear focus for learning which every child feels is achievable and relevant. Every child can access all parts of the lesson and praise is mostly based around positive behaviours and progress.

We also believe that there should be opportunities for all children to be stretched and challenged to make the most amount of personal progress. This means that children may start an activity doing the same thing but can then progress through an appropriate level of challenge which will usually be different for different children. This personalised approach includes both their physical development as well as their broader skills and abilities, with children of all ages encouraged to take ownership of when they feel ready to move onto a greater challenge. Activities should be purposeful, enable children to have lots of goes and there should be large amounts of cumulative time where children have high heart rates and their muscles are warm and tired.

In PE lessons, activities are deliberately chosen and sequenced because they are age appropriate and engaging, they meet the needs of all children in the lesson, and are aligned to support the particular learning focus. For example, if the focus is on creativity, the activity will provide opportunities for children to explore, use their imaginations and develop their own ideas. Skills learned are applied in as many contexts as possible. Children are given opportunities to learn and practise skills in isolation but these are soon applied in fun and engaging activities which also allow children to work on broader abilities including making decisions, problem solving, exploring adapting and adjusting, and learning from and with others.

The child is very much placed at the centre of all learning. Younger children can apply and develop new skills in stories, songs, adventures and thematic games, as well as in gym or dance contexts. Later, paired or small group activities using cooperative and collaborative opportunities as well as personal best challenges by themselves or in teams. Small sided non-traditional games, athletic challenges and outdoor and adventurous activity contexts then work well for those who are ready. Even our most able children will be better served later if they experience a broad base of early activities.

Subject Documents

PSHE Education (Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education) is a planned programme of learning through which children and young people acquire the knowledge, understanding and skills they need to successfully manage their lives, both now and in the future. As part of a whole-school approach, PSHE Education develops the qualities and attributes pupils need to thrive as individuals, family members and members of society. A quality PHSE curriculum is at the heart of our pastoral curriculum offer which also supports the schools vision and values that transcend across all aspects of school life at Lings Primary School.

The National Curriculum says that every school needs to have a broad and balanced curriculum that:

• promotes the spiritual, moral, social, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school;
• prepares pupils at the school for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life;
• promotes British values.

From September 2020, primary schools in England also need to teach Relationships and Health Education as compulsory subjects and the Department for Education strongly recommends this should also include age-appropriate Sex Education.

At Lings Primary we follow The Jigsaw Programme as the basis for our PHSE lessons. Jigsaw holds children at its heart, and its cohesive vision helps children understand and value how they fit into and contribute to the world. With strong emphasis on emotional literacy, building resilience and nurturing mental and physical health, Jigsaw properly equips schools to deliver engaging and relevant PSHE within a whole-school approach. Lessons also include mindfulness allowing children to advance their emotional awareness, concentration and focus.

Jigsaw is comprehensive programme, including statutory Relationships and Health Education, Internet safety and anti-bullying. It is planned in a spiral, progressive and fully planned scheme of work, giving children relevant learning experiences to help them navigate their world and to develop positive relationships with themselves and others. 

Jigsaw consists of six half-term units of work (known as Puzzles), each containing six lessons (known as Pieces) covering each academic year. The six units are consistent across the school and the subject is taught for one hour per week. Term 1- Being me in my world, Term 2- Celebrating difference, Term 3- Dreams and goals, Term 4- Healthy Me, Term 5- Relationships Term 6- Changing me. Every piece has two Learning Intentions, one specific to PSHE and the other designed to develop emotional literacy and social skills.

In addition to Jigsaw, the children are taught protective behaviours through a structured programme for one hour per term. The children understand the two protective behaviour statements ‘We all have the right to feel safe all of the time’, and ‘We can talk with someone about anything, even if it feels awful or small’. 

Furthermore, children from Year Two onwards learn about important first aid skills within one PSHE lesson each term. The skills that are learned are Calling for Help, Bites and Stings, Asthma, Bleeding and Life Support. 

Although regular time-tabled sessions will be a necessity, PSHE must also be taught incidentally and teachers must be flexible and respond to pupils’ needs and current world affairs.  Our School values and Celebration Assemblies which promote our values will also support the teaching of PSHE across the school.

It is also important that PSHE is taught in other areas of the curriculum, not just as a discrete lesson. At Lings Primary School, we aim to promote and reflect British Values in all that we do, including within PSHE lessons. We pride ourselves on a whole school approach to promoting the spiritual, moral, cultural and social development of our pupils.

Jigsaw, protective behaviours and age-appropriate information about keeping safe is promoted on display boards in each classroom. Jigsaw and protective behaviours also support internet safety and anti-bullying (friendship week) events in school.

Subject Documents

Intent

The RE curriculum at Lings Primary School is organised to support the development of children’s knowledge of religious and non-religious beliefs and worldviews, practices and ways of life and enable children to make links between these. It also develops children’s knowledge and understanding of the different members of our rich and diverse community. Knowledge and skills are supported by first-hand experiences, including visits to local places of worship and visits from faith communities. Knowledge and skills are mapped to support children’s understanding of religion and faith. The RE curriculum is also designed to support positive attitudes and values, as well as encouraging children to reflect and relate learning to their own experience. Children learn that there are those who do not hold religious beliefs and have their own philosophical perspectives, as part of its commitment to ensure mutual respect and tolerance for those with different faiths.

Implementation

RE is taught in a weekly lesson every half term. Work is recorded in topic books and is evidenced with a variety of outcomes, including written pieces, artwork and photographs. In addition to this, teachers identify, plan for and utilise further cross-curricular links which are stated on the school’s NPAT planning. As children progress through the programme of study, they can look deeper into spiritual, ethical, moral and social issues and with increasing breadth across different religions and worldviews through time and around the world. Learning is planned and sequenced to support pupils in building an ever-increasing picture over time, constantly building their knowledge and understanding of key subject knowledge and specialist vocabulary around concepts focusing on Believing, Living and Thinking. As pupils move through the Religious Education curriculum and the content of the learning increases in complexity, depth and breadth, the expectations of pupils to explain ‘what’ the beliefs, practices and values are and the relationships between them, as well as explaining ‘why’ these are important and may make a difference to people, and ‘how’ they relate, change or impact on a wider world view also increases.

During KS1, children will explore and develop their knowledge and understanding of beliefs and practices of Christianity, Judaism and Islam. They will be encouraged to raise questions and begin to express their own views in response to the material they learn about and in response to questions about their ideas. The following areas of focus have been selected: Belonging to communities, caring for the world and others, Bible stories, Christmas through gifts and messages, Judaism, Islam, Easter, How Christians put their beliefs into action and Sacred Places. During KS2, the  RE  curriculum  provides  opportunities  for  children  to  make connections between  their  knowledge  and  understanding  of  Christianity  and  the  religious traditions and beliefs in Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism and those of no faith. They will be provided with learning opportunities to make connections between the beliefs of others and their own lives and their way of understanding the world.

Subject Documents

Intent

The 2014 National Curriculum for science aims to ensure that all pupils during their time in primary school:

● Develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the specific scientific areas of biology, chemistry and physics
● Develop an understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science through different types of scientific enquiry that help them to answer scientific questions about the world around them
● Are equipped with the scientific skills required to understand the uses and implications of science, in the past, today and for the future. We understand that it is important for lessons to have a skills-based focus, and that the scientific knowledge and vocabulary can be taught through this. 

At Lings Primary School, we encourage all our children to be inquisitive throughout their time at our school and beyond. The Science curriculum helps develop a healthy curiosity in children about our universe and it helps to promote respect for the living and non-living. We believe science encompasses the acquisition of knowledge, concepts, skills and positive attitudes. Throughout the areas of study, the children will acquire and develop the key knowledge that has been identified within each unit and across each year group. The key knowledge identified by each year group is informed by the National Curriculum, and it builds towards identified phase ‘end points’ in accordance with NC expectations. Key skills are mapped for each year group, and these are progressive as pupils move through the school. Each year builds upon the previous and sets the foundation for the next. This helps to create systematic progression in accordance with the Working Scientifically skills expectations of the National Curriculum. The Science curriculum taught at Lings Primary, is designed to ensure that all children can acquire key scientific knowledge through practical experiences, using equipment, conducting experiments, building arguments and explaining concepts confidently. Across the areas of study, cross-curricular opportunities are identified, and these are mapped and planned to ensure contextual relevance to our pupils. All our children are encouraged to ask challenging questions and to enjoy being curious about their surroundings and Science in the world around them. Every child is encouraged and helped to grow a love of science, and this is nurtured through a whole school ethos and a varied and inspiring science curriculum.

Implementation

All teachers create a positive and inquisitive attitude to science learning within their classrooms and reinforce an expectation that all pupils are capable of achieving high standards in science. Our whole school approach to the teaching and learning of science involves the following:

• Science will be taught in planned and arranged topic blocks by the class teacher. This is a strategy to enable the achievement of a greater depth of knowledge. Topics will last half-termly and may feature cross-curricular opportunities if relevant.
•  Existing scientific knowledge is checked at the beginning of each topic as part of a retrieval of knowledge task in the first lesson. The children’s starting points inform teaching for that half term. It will inform us of the need to work with those children requiring support in retrieving prior knowledge and skills before progressing. It will also help identify any pre-existing misconceptions we may need to address.
• Through our thorough planning and discussions, we involve problem solving opportunities that allow children to apply their knowledge and find out answers for themselves. Children are at all times encouraged to ask their own questions and they will be given varied opportunities to use their scientific skills and research to discover the answers. All within the classroom celebrate this curiosity. Teachers plan engaging lessons, often involving high-quality resources to aid understanding of conceptual knowledge. Teachers will use targeted questioning and model the use of scientific language in class to test conceptual knowledge and skills, and to assess pupils regularly to identify those children with gaps in learning. Tasks are selected and designed to provide appropriate challenge to all learners, in line with the school’s inclusion policy.
• We build upon the knowledge and skill development of the previous years. As the children’s scientific knowledge and understanding increases, they become more confident in selecting and using scientific equipment, collating and interpreting results, and they become increasingly confident in their growing ability to come to conclusions based on real evidence that they have been a part of collecting.
• Working Scientifically is embedded into lessons to ensure that skills are systematically developed throughout the children’s school career, and that new vocabulary and challenging concepts are introduced through direct teaching. This is developed through the years, in-keeping with the topics.
• Teachers demonstrate how to use scientific equipment correctly and safely and model the various Working Scientifically skills in order to secure the pupil’s scientific understanding. Teachers find many opportunities to develop children’s understanding of their surroundings by accessing outdoor learning and workshops with experts.
• Children are offered a wide range of extra-curricular activities, visits, trips and visitors to complement and broaden the curriculum. These are purposeful and link with the knowledge being taught in class.
• Regular events, such as Science Week allow all pupils to come off-timetable, to provide broader provision and the acquisition and application of knowledge and skills. These events often involve families and the wider community and are delivered by staff in a highly engaging and enthusiastic manner.
• At the end of each topic, key knowledge is reviewed by the children and checked by the teacher often though a final work piece, to ensure knowledge and skills for that topic have been embedded.

Impact

This approach to Science at Lings Primary School results in a fun, engaging, high-quality science education and it provides our children with the foundations and knowledge for understanding their world. Our engagement with the local environment ensures that all of our children learn through varied and first-hand experiences of the world around them. Frequent and progressive learning outside the classroom is embedded throughout the science curriculum. Through various workshops, trips and interactions with experts, children have the understanding that science has changed our lives and the world we live in and that it is vital to the world’s future development. Children learn of the possibilities for careers in science, as a result of our community links and connection with local and national agencies including the local university and STEM Ambassadors. They learn from and work with professionals, ensuring access to positive role models within the field of science from the immediate and wider local community. From this exposure to science and scientists from all backgrounds and disciplines, all children can feel they are scientists and capable of achieving. Children at Lings Primary overwhelmingly enjoy science, and this results in motivated learners with sound scientific understanding.

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