Stokenchurch Primary School Curriculum Statement

At Stokenchurch Primary School, our vision is for every child to achieve their full potential across all areas of the curriculum. We want every child to experience learning in a positive, stimulating and caring environment and we strive to ensure that all children have access to a wide range of opportunities throughout their time at our school. We want children to acquire the knowledge, skills, concepts and attitudes needed for school, and for life, through offering a broad curriculum enriched with exciting opportunities.

We also want children to learn the importance of responsibility and offer opportunities for them to harness this skill in a variety of ways including buddying, playmakers, school council, prefects and head boy/head girl.

Our curriculum has been planned to suit our needs as a school. It is underpinned by Government statutory requirements as set out within the National Curriculum. Our curriculum map (at the bottom of this page) shows the coverage across all subjects.

We cover the three stages of the National Curriculum:

Our Curriculum

Early Years Foundation Stage

Children in Reception classes follow seven areas of learning; three prime and four specific areas. The prime areas are Personal, Social and Emotional Development; Communication and Language and Physical Development. The specific areas are English, Mathematics, Understanding the World and Expressive Arts and Design.

Key Stage One and Two

Children in Years 1 to 6 cover the full range of National Curriculum subjects; English, Mathematics, Science, Computing, History, Geography, RE, PSHCE (Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education), Music, MFL (Modern Foreign Languages), Art, Design Technology, PE and Games.

Blocked Teaching

At STOKENCHURCH we teach the following subjects as blocked units; History, Geography, Art and Design Technology with several hours taught each week of each topic. The rationale for this way of working is to allow children to engage fully with a subject or topic over a concentrated block of time. We strongly believe that children get immersed into the learning, and it allows teachers greater flexibility when planning.

Planning, Preparation and Assessment Time (PPA)

We offer PPA once a week to all year groups. This time allows teachers to plan in year group teams whilst giving children the experience of specialist teaching. During the sessions children are taught Music, Computing and PE with specialist teachers.

Sport

At STOKENCHURCH we believe in providing a wide range of sporting opportunities both within the school day when delivering the curriculum, and outside of the school day. Our provision may vary year on year but we ensure through careful monitoring that all children across every age range gain access to different sporting opportunities. Children in our football, netball and cricket teams have taken part in local and national competitions. We currently have a sports coaching company who deliver PE across the school along with class teachers.

Assessment and Monitoring

Throughout their time at STOKENCHURCH, children’s work is constantly monitored and assessed through teacher observations, marking, feedback and regular summative testing. We use teacher assessment to track on-going progress against National Curriculum statements. Through Foundation Stage, teachers make observations and gather evidence of development and attainment, which is used to complete the children’s EYFS Profile at the end of the year. In Year 1, children undertake the National Phonics Screening test. In Year 4, children sit the Multiplication Tables Check (MTC). At the end of KS2 (Year 6), children sit SATs (Standard Assessment Tests). Summative tests are also used. Year 6 children sit the Secondary School Transfer (11+) test in the autumn term, unless withdrawn at parents’ request.

Extending and Enriching our Curriculum

Educational Visits

Within our curriculum, educational visits are of significant importance. We believe that children gain so much from learning outside of the classroom, meeting and working with specialists from a range of different fields. The scope of our educational visits link closely to our curriculum, and where possible we visit locally, for example, our Year 2 children visit the local war memorial on Remembrance Day and our Year 6 children deliver Harvest hampers to local elderly residents. In Year 5 we also offer the challenge of a 2-day non-residential water sports experience and in Year 6 we offer a 5-day residential trip, which in recent years has been in France and the Isle of Wight.

History Days

Every year we work with a specialist company who come to school to create our History days. The children are invited to arrive in costume, and throughout the day they experience life in a different era. Previously, Year 1 children learnt about 1953 and Queen Elizabeth's coronation, culminating in a street party celebration. Year 2 children learnt about the great fire of London and an Egyptian experience is offered to Year 3. Our Year 4 children experience life as Roman apprentices and in Year 5 children learn about life in Viking times. Finally, in Year 6 children experience life in a Tudor world for the day.

Performances

It is part of our ethos that children should have the opportunity to participate in a show, be it an assembly, production or seasonal celebration, enabling all children to experience the process of auditioning, rehearsing and performing to parents and family - a truly invaluable learning and life experience.

Real Projects

At STOKENCHURCH, we strive to develop ‘live’ projects working closely with our local community. The range varies year on year but in recent years children have worked with a local advertising agency on a project for BMW and with Garsington Opera, putting on performances at the Wormsley Estate.

Interhouse Tournaments

Every year the school hosts an ‘inter-house tournament week’ (the school has four houses; Earth, Wind, Fire and Air) where children compete to win the much coveted trophy. We hold competitions in a range of different skill sets including football, netball, chess, DT, public speaking and cookery. In addition to this, we hold an annual 'inter-house' cricket competition where the children compete against a staff team.  We also hold an annual Sports Day, where each house competes in field and track events.

Charity Events

Every year, the school supports a range of charity events including Sports Relief, Children in Need and many more. Our School Council representatives lead these events supported by teachers across the school. We see these events as an important part of our annual calendar.

After School Clubs

We offer a wide range of after school clubs that are both sports and non-sports based; such as choir, netball, football, coding  swimming, Lego, ornithology, gardening, crochet, ukulele and yoga. These are run by teachers and the provision year on year varies but we ensure through careful monitoring that all children across every age range gain access to different opportunities throughout the year.

Choir

At STOKENCHURCH, music is very important. Over the last few years we have built up a strong and active choir. The choir participates in a range of events across the year including concerts at the O2 Arena and the Royal Albert Hall as well as smaller events both in school and locally for example, at our school fairs.

For more information about our curriculum, please contact the office.