At Westlands, we endeavour to provide a highly tailored curriculum which meets the needs of our children. We strive to develop and prepare our children for the future, enabling them to acquire knowledge whilst developing skills and understanding. We aim for our pupils to have a strong desire to learn, developing their aspirations and increasing their curiosity. Providing key life skills and experiences for our pupils promotes independence and resilience through real life opportunities.

Reading and Phonics

In Early Years and Key Stage 1, staff follow the Read Write Inc Programme for phonics and reading. Please follow this link for more information about the Read Write Inc Programme https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/reading/reading-schemes-oxford-levels/read-write-inc-phonics-guide/ 

KS2 children who are not yet secure with phonics continue with RWI, but may also learn using the 'action words' scheme. 

Once children have completed the Read Write Inc programme, teachers plan whole-class reading sessions.  These sessions aim to improve children’s love of reading, enhance their reading fluency and teach them how to understand and interpret a wide range of texts.

Writing

As a school, we follow the National Curriculum which sets out clear expectations for each year. Teachers select texts which engage and motivate the pupils and enable them to teach the key aspects of the curriculum in a meaningful way. You can find out which texts are used in the Year group spines below. 

Our writing sequences follow a structured approach. We explore the text type, identify features of the key texts and teach any key skills needed within that text type. Children will be taught key vocabulary and orally rehearse sentences before planning and writing in the style of the text. 

Please click on the following link for information about the English Curriculum https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7de93840f0b62305b7f8ee/PRIMARY_national_curriculum_-_English_220714.pdf  

Maths

Teachers plan maths using a mastery approach, supported by the GLOW maths hub. During maths sequences of learning, children are encouraged to develop their skills using concrete, pictorial and abstract methods. Within every lesson, children master their learning by completing 'DO IT', 'SECURE IT' and 'DEEPEN IT' tasks.   We encourage children to think for themselves, to discuss ideas and to use reasoning when justifying their ideas. We follow the National Curriculum expectations for maths. Please click this link for information about what is taught in each year group. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-mathematics-programmes-of-study/national-curriculum-in-england-mathematics-programmes-of-study

    Science

In Science, we learn about everything in the universe through evidence, observations and experiments.

Science is taught every half-term in our school. We are proud to have developed our own unique way of helping children move through the process of scientific enquiry. Children are familiar with recording through the TASC wheel approach, which takes what the children already know, generates new ideas, tests their thoughts and gives an answer to their learning at the end of the process. We pride our science on being hands-on, relevant and fun!

More information about what is covered in each area of science can be seen in Science Spine linked below.

We also ensure that each year studies a key scientist which is linked to a national curriculum area of learning pertinent to the year group. A link to the STEM suggestions can be found here or by following this link.

Scientists across the Curriculum | PSEC

 

How do we organise our curriculum?

Teachers aim to ‘hook’ pupils into their learning and often begin a sequence with a key learning experience.  Children are encouraged to celebrate their learning in a variety of ways – often inviting parents/carers into school for a specific event. We aim to develop lifelong learning behaviours such as resilience, independence, application of skills and team work.

To enable children to access the curriculum and make links, the school also promotes the development of language and vocabulary whilst attempting to enhance memory skills and teach children how to apply their knowledge and their ability to transfer skills from one subject to another.

National Curriculum statutory requirements are fulfilled and, in addition to this, the ‘Westlands curriculum’ ensures opportunities are broad and balanced as well as fit for purpose for our pupils, so that they can understand, appreciate and succeed in modern Britain. Our year group curriculum maps show the range of what is taught in every year group.

For more insight regarding the way, details and combination of the subjects taught in each half-term, please see the links to their 'Year group spines' below.  These are working documents which will be updated and amended throughout the year, but give an indication of the curriculum coverage for each subject in each term.  

If you do have any further questions about our curriculum, please contact the Assistant Headteacher, Miss Freestone, either by making an appointment with our office, or by sending an e-mail to the school address.

     Year group spines

     Other subject areas 

Curriculum Overview

At Westlands we strive to provide a broad and balanced curriculum for every child, regardless of need or ability.  To ensure that learning is progressive from one year to the next, our teachers plan from our progression documents.  

All subjects are taught discretely, to ensure that pupils develop an understanding of the subject area and are able to make links within these subjects. Reading, Writing, Maths, Science, RE, PE, PSHE, MfL and computing are taught every half-term. Other subjects (History, Geography, Art, DT, Music) are taught at least 3 times a year.  

Each subject has an identified lead teacher, who monitors and evaluates how well their subject is being taught across the school.  These subject leaders ensure that all areas of their subject are covered and taught in depth, building skills and knowledge over time.  If they identify gaps or areas for improvement, then they plan how to improve their subject as part of their yearly action planning.