Curriculum
We encourage higher expectations through higher levels of support.
Excellent teaching is at the core of our pupils’ success and our teaching staff benefit from the expertise and support of the Coventry and Central Warwickshire Teaching School Hub hosted at our sponsor school, Lawrence Sheriff School.
We deliver adaptive, Quality First Teaching (QFT) that encourages higher expectations through higher levels of support for all pupils to succeed and includes personalising learning to the individual needs of pupils, strategies to support the learning of pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and a robust tracking and monitoring system.
The curriculum builds on the national curriculum but adds depth, breadth and enrichment, and nurtures a love of learning at every opportunity. We aim to broaden pupils’ knowledge and experience, increase pupils’ abilities to learn for themselves, build self-esteem and self-management and promote the development of good relationships. Central to our philosophy is a desire that pupils are happy and enjoy their time at school and a highly enriching curriculum is a fundamental way in which we seek to achieve this aim.
What we want for your children by the time they leave The Griffin Primary School
Our Curriculum Intent
At The Griffin Primary School, we provide a knowledge-rich and knowledge-engaged curriculum based around the Cornerstones Curriculum. This is based on an over-arching tic approach, sequenced and mapped coherently and deliberately to build knowledge and skills year-on-year, whilst honouring the distinctiveness of individual subjects and areas of learning. We intend that our curriculum will give children the opportunity to:
- value and celebrate differences and promote inclusivity
- seek and experience challenges and enjoy learning
- understand the purpose and value of their learning
- learn new knowledge and skills through a variety of contexts, linking and building on prior learning
- develop a rich and deep subject knowledge which allows them to have many future life choices
- be critical thinkers and demonstrate their creativity and character.
Phonics at The Griffin Primary
At The Griffin Primary School, we follow the validated systematic synthetic phonics programme ‘Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised.’ Children have daily phonics sessions, following the Little Wandle progression, from Autumn term in Reception. This continues daily through Year 1 and then Year 2 children will have revision as necessary. This progression is based on ongoing assessment and also the Phonics Screening Check at the end of Year 1.
Children learn 4 new phonemes and their corresponding graphemes each week. On Friday they review the week’s learning to help build their fluency. This teach and review cycle continues throughout the scheme so that the children are always reviewing their learning. Half-termly assessments will take place through Reception and Year 1 to help inform future teaching and identify any children that may need some extra support. Daily assessment for learning takes place to help us quickly identify children that need additional ‘keep up’ sessions, so that we can offer immediate support rather than waiting until the end of term. If your child is part of an additional ‘keep up’ session, it will be a few minutes during an afternoon where they will play a game or review some graphemes or words that they need support with. We will let you know if there is anything we would like to you support with at home.
We hold a Phonics evening in September for Reception Parents to take you through the scheme, how we teach in school and how you can support at home. As this is an essential part of your child’s learning we would like to see as many parents attending as possible and so will run a hybrid meeting – in the school and also remotely.
There is a lot of support for parents through this programme and so for support with any aspect eg. the pronunciation of the phonemes taught, please see the videos in the ‘parents’ section of the Little Wandle website.
Early Reading at The Griffin Primary
Little Wandle also provides fabulous books for your children to read. They will work on these during reading sessions on a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in school. These sessions will focus on decoding (the ability to apply knowledge of letter-sound relationships, including knowledge of letter patterns, to correctly pronounce written words), prosidy (reading with expression – widely considered to be one of the hallmarks of the achievement of reading fluency), and comprehension (the ability to apply knowledge of letter-sound relationships, including knowledge of letter patterns, to correctly pronounce written words). On Thursday and Friday, the book the children have been working on in school will come home for the children to share with you and ‘show-off’ what they can read.
Children will also bring home two types of reading book each week:
A reading practice book. This will be at the correct phonic stage for your child. They should be able to read this fluently and independently and it has been carefully matched to your child’s current reading level. If your child is reading it with little help, please don’t worry that it’s too easy – your child needs to develop fluency and confidence in reading. Listen to them read the book. Remember to give them lots of praise – celebrate their success! If they can’t read a word, read it to them. After they have finished, talk about the book together.
This will come home on a Thursday, and must be returned on the following Monday.
A sharing book. In order to encourage your child to become a lifelong reader, it is important that they learn to read for pleasure. The sharing book is a book they have chosen for you to enjoy together and you shouldn’t expect your child to read this alone. Read it to or with them. Discuss the pictures, enjoy the story, predict what might happen next, use different voices for the characters, explore the facts in a non-fiction book. The main thing is that you have fun!
There is a lot of support for parents through this programme and so for support with any aspect e.g. the pronunciation of the phonemes taught. Please see the links below for further information.
Parents’ Section of Little Wandle
Mathematics at The Griffin Primary
IntentMaths pays close attention to guidance provided by the National Curriculum sequence and content. It is infused with evidence-led practice and enriched with retrieval studies to ensure long-term retention of foundational knowledge. We develop fluency in the fundamentals of Mathematics (Number, Measurement, Geometry and Statistics) enabling our children to reason mathematically and solve real-life problems. We intend that pupils gain a deeper understanding of concepts, by using concrete resources and pictures prior to abstract learning. Through excellent teaching and generative tasks, the connection between the mathematical content and the context is relevant to the everyday lives of children. The foundations of mathematics are cemented in the EYFS through learning within the Mathematics. Our ambitious interpretation of the National Curriculum places knowledge, vocabulary, working and thinking mathematically at the heart of our principles, structure and practice. Substantive Knowledge This is the subject knowledge and explicit vocabulary used to learn about the content. Misconceptions are pre-empted within our Power Maths scheme of learning. This supports teacher knowledge and enables staff to support learning. Our Mathematics subject leader receives regular updates and training to lead the subject through the local Origin Maths Hub and NCETM. The Maths lead provides regular CPD sessions to all staff through staff meetings and INSET. Disciplinary Knowledge To understand how Mathematics is underpinned, reasoning and problem-solving is embedded within every lesson to enable pupils to look for similarities, differences, make generalisations and strive to prove what a concept is or is not. This is knowing how to think like a mathematician, using their own number sense and rich connections. This is taught. It is not assumed that pupils will acquire these skills by luck or hope. Pupils construct understanding by applying substantive knowledge to reasoning tasks. The skills covered in each unit are mapped out on our school LTP with greater depth opportunities included. Principles The principle aim of our Maths curriculum is that ‘everybody can’ by using concrete objects before moving onto pictorial and abstract representations (C- P -A) to draw upon prior learning and provide the children with the understanding to enable them all to work mathematically. Our Calculation policy reflects our rationale with clear concrete, pictorial and abstract examples. For example, in the EYFS, pupils may learn about Mathematics through daily activities and exploring their environment. This is revisited and positioned so that new and potentially abstract content in Year 1 is related to what children already know. This makes it easier to cognitively process and accelerate new learning as children integrate prior understanding. All lessons start with the mathematics in a real-life concept. This helps the children to discover the Maths in a familiar way. Sequencing Our Maths curriculum is sequenced into meaningful and connected ‘chunks’ of content to reduce the load on the working memory as well as creating coherent and strong long-term memories. Each unit builds upon the previous one, allowing the children to constantly return to prior learning and build upon it. We use Power Maths scheme as our primary scheme of learning, founded on the conviction that every child can achieve. Power Maths’ cohesive approach builds on each concept in small, progressive steps, through child-centred learning. Each lesson embraces the C-P-A approach (Concrete - Pictorial - Abstract) enabling children to build on prior learning, see patterns and make connections.
Our Maths curriculum is delivered through a series of units which are deliberately spaced throughout the academic year with opportunities to introduce and revisit key concepts. This approach enables staff to deepen pupils’ understanding and embed learning. White Rose Maths and NCETM materials are used to supplement the Power Maths scheme. Clear sequencing provides the necessary steps for all learners to reach the end point as evident in our medium-term plans. The sequence of substantive and disciplinary knowledge enables pupils to become more proficient with each unit and grow an ever broadening and coherent mental model of the subject. All year groups are also following the Mastering Number programme which develops all children’s Early Number Sense to reduce the children’s cognitive load. Spaced Retrieval Approach Early Years In Early Years, early Maths content is taught through Mastering Number. Key Stage 1 and 2 As pupils progress through Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, new knowledge is integrated with pre-existing understanding. New substantive knowledge is constructed and made sense of through fluency, problem-solving and reasoning tasks.
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Live Marking
Feedback is provided at the point of teaching rather than distance marking, in line with evidence which supports this as the most effective method and which will also minimise unnecessary workloads for our staff. Children are encouraged to see feedback as an important part of the learning process and to value mistakes as a chance to make progress.
Enrichment
The curriculum is enhanced with a wide range of school clubs, activities, visits, visitors and opportunities to celebrate learning with families, such as assemblies and open days. Traditional school events such as productions, music concerts and sports days are regular features of the school year.
Pastoral Care
Pastoral care is of the highest quality, sustaining high levels of pupil self-esteem and well-being to maximise progress for all. All staff are first aid trained to the required level.
Special Educational Needs/Disability (SEND)
Mrs Paterson is the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo), working alongside the SENCO from Lawrence Sheriff School and External Consultants in Special Educational Needs, to ensure that we are ready to meet the needs of all children from day one. In partnership with parents, we will work to support any child with additional needs to the best of our ability, so that they make progress within our setting.