Curriculum – Green Gates Academy
At Green Gates Academy we firmly believe that our children should, ‘Strive, Believe, Achieve’. We offer a curriculum which is broad and balanced and which builds on the knowledge, understanding and skills of all children regardless of their starting points, as they progress through each Key Stage. The curriculum incorporates the statutory requirements of the new National Curriculum 2014 and other experiences and opportunities which best meet the learning and developmental needs of the pupils in our school. The aim of our curriculum is for pupils to have the requisite skills to be successful, independent and motivated learners in readiness for their next stage of education. Our curriculum intent supports the needs of our children to ensure they can be the best they can be.
The National Curriculum is delivered through a cross-curricular approach to ensure coverage and progression throughout the school. The tracking of progress is carefully monitored throughout the school year rigorously to ensure that the more able are challenged further in their learning and children who find aspects of their learning more difficult are appropriately supported so that they too are enabled to experience success. National requirements and school requirements are mapped out as a whole school and then individual year groups plan the curriculum for their pupils accordingly. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of our pupils and their understanding of the core values of our society are woven through the curriculum through a variety of awareness days and also our PSHE curriculum.
English and Maths are taught in mixed ability groups in both Key Stage 1 Key Stage 2. In all year groups there are small group interventions in order to support pupils in gaining the key skills to become successful readers, writers and mathematicians. Children can access national primary testing where this is suitable for the individual child
Pupils make good progress in reading and their phonics skills. All pupils have bespoke interventions in order to allow most pupils to make good progress in reading. Pupils enjoy reading every day in school, pupils receive targeted questioning according to their academic level. Some children continue developing their phonic knowledge. These children receive additional phonics teaching when required to support their reading and writing. Green Gates uses “Read Write Inc.” as their systematic phonics programme for some pupils, following the recent recommendations from the DFE reading framework “Teaching the foundations of literacy”. Due to the different starting points of pupils and their prior learning, phonic teaching is adapted to the needs of the individual. Green Gates Academy follows the Oxford Owl Tree Reading Scheme.
Maths at Green Gates Academy is based around the White Rose Scheme of Work. The basis of which is to develop a culture of deep understanding, confidence and competence. Staff have accessed a range of training for maths to develop subject knowledge and improve teaching and learning. Pupils, are confident with the method of concrete, pictorial and abstract which is used to enhance understanding and support the concepts of fluency, reasoning and problem solving. A range of resources/Power Maths textbooks is used in school and all classes have maths boxes to promote these methods. We continue to work successfully with the Archimedes Maths Hub to expand further on staffs’ knowledge of maths mastery and applying the NCETMs five big ideas in teaching. We continue to work in partnership to access further curriculum developments within maths and share good practice with local schools through the regular maths hub meetings. Our maths teaching has been validated by the Archimedes Maths Hub as successfully demonstrating maths mastery. Year 4 pupils in June 2021 accessed the Year 4 Multiplication testing. In order to support all our learners, the method of concrete, pictorial and visual is used to enhance understanding and support in the concepts of fluency, reasoning and problem solving.
The development of reading and writing skills are interwoven into every aspect of the curriculum at Green Gates. All children participate in an intervention programme that is specifically tailored to their needs and monitored closely.
Theme weeks, whole school activities and opportunities within and outside school all enrich and develop the children’s learning. After school clubs and events extend these opportunities further. Additional whole school programmes and approaches support quality teaching and learning and the school is well resourced in terms of learning materials, books and technology. A strong emphasis is placed upon encouraging our pupils to become confident and engaged in the world around them, and further develop their reasoning and problem solving skills. This is supported through our weekly ‘Picture News’ sessions and assemblies. These sessions encourage our pupils to apply their knowledge and skills to ‘real life’ situations as well as making learning fun, enjoyable and relevant.
The outdoor environment and the local community are considered an opportunity for active learning for all our pupils. The school grounds have been developed so they can enrich different curriculum areas, and outside learning initiatives such as Forest School are deeply embedded in our school curriculum. Children also access Bee Keeping and Horse-riding
Pupils have opportunities to share their learning with each other, their parents and carers and other learners through school-based and external exhibitions, performances, competitions and events. Developing their independence and motivation as learners and their sense of responsibility as future citizens is at the heart of all our teaching and learning.
Please read the Curriculum map. It details the topics to be studied in each subject for years 1 to 6.
Please also see the impact our curriculum has on the children through our Green Gates Academy Curriculum Impact Report