Curriculum

EYFS

Reception

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Year 6

Every human is an artist

Don Miguel Ruiz

Art, craft and design embody some of the highest forms of human creativity. A high-quality art and design education should engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design. As pupils progress, they should be able to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of art and design. They should also know how art and design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation.

All pupils at Robsack Wood will: 

• Produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences
• Become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques
• Evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art, craft and design
• Know about great artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms

We strongly believe that each and every pupil has a unique creative voice. Through our arts curriculum, we intend to foster and develop their full artist potential. 

We also recognise the integral value of art in supporting and developing the wellbeing of each of our pupils but particularly the most vulnerable.

Computers themselves and software yet to be developed will revolutionise the way we learn

Steve Jobs

We aim to provide our pupils with a high quality education in computing which will allow them to be technologically literate and become active and successful participants within the global workforce.

Pupils will develop important life skills which they will be able to apply within a range of contexts in our rapidly changing digital world. They have the opportunity to learn skills that will enable them to create programs, systems and content using a range of different multimedia tools.

There is also a keen focus on e-safety throughout all computing teaching to ensure that all pupils are able to access technology in a way that protects them and others from potential risks that come with living in a digital society. We also strive to provide cross-curricular experiences and we value the links that can be shared with maths, science and design and technology.  

Good buildings come from good people, and all problems are solved by good design

Stephen Gardiner

We believe that design and technology education should inspire, challenge and motivate. We aim to provide all pupils with a relevant and high quality curriculum which provides opportunities for pupils to develop vital transferable skills through both independent and collaborative working. We believe design and technology develops pupil’s skills and knowledge in design, structures, mechanisms, electrical control and a range of materials, including food. Design and technology encourages pupil’s creativity and encourages them to think about important issues.

Our pupils will be actively encouraged to become problem solvers and risk-takers through thinking creatively and innovatively. They will explore the world in which we live whilst being encouraged to consider important issues relevant to our rapidly changing world.

We aim to ensure that all pupils:

• Develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world. 
• 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. 
• Critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and the work of others. 
• Understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook. 

We aim to teach these skills through facilitating opportunities for all pupils to engage with activities which involve investigating and evaluating existing products. This will include focussed tasks whereby students will progressively develop particular aspects of knowledge and skills through designing and making activities whereby they design and make a practical product.

When I read great literature, great drama, speeches, or sermons, I feel that the human mind has not achieved anything greater than the ability to share feelings and thoughts through languageJames Earl Jones

Through our English curriculum, we promote high standards of language and literacy by equipping pupils with a strong command of the spoken and written language. Pupils are supported develop their love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment, as well as through our rich text approach to writing (Power of Reading).

We believe reading is the key to unlock limitless learning. We are proud to offer the pupils at our academy a rich reading environment where imagination and creativity can be fuelled. In order to promote a love of reading, teachers across the academy read to pupils on a daily basis. All staff within the academy are reading role models for our pupils and are expected to engage with recent children’s literature in order to be able to share that interest with all pupils.

Our sharp focus is on ensuring that younger children gain the phonemic knowledge and language comprehension necessary to read, and the skills to communicate so that they have the foundations necessary for all future learning. Alongside high quality phonics, teachers promote early book talk using the Aiden Chambers approach (Tell Me Grids). Reading is taught robustly across the academy through the Daily Supported Reading Programme (DSR) and Destination Reader Programme. Pupils are taught to deepen their understanding through predicting, inferring, asking questions, evaluating, clarifying, making connections and summarising.

Life is a journey to be experienced, not a problem to be solved

Winnie the Pooh

We recognise the importance of RSHE (Relationships Sex and Health Education) in preparing our pupils to live safe, fulfilled and healthy lives. We have chosen to refer to RSHE as ‘Evolution of Me’. 
 
Evolution of Me supports our pupils through a journey of physical, emotional and moral development via the teaching of essential knowledge, skills and values needed to establish and maintain positive relationships. It also equips our pupils with the knowledge that will help them make responsible and informed decisions about their health and wellbeing both now and in the future. The Evolution of Me curriculum is further enriched with learning opportunities formally taught through the personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) curriculum such as citizenship, economics and careers related learning, and encompasses British values and SMSC (Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural) aspects of learning. 
 
Evolution of Me is taught through a spiral curriculum. This approach means that pupils will gain knowledge, develop values and acquire skills gradually and in an age and stage appropriate manner, by re-visiting core themes to build on prior to learning. It is delivered using a wide range of teaching methodologies in order to promote engagement for all pupils including storytelling, drama, discussions, individual private reflection, quizzes, fact finding, value spectrums, debating, independent research and artistic presentations.

The subject supports the academy’s commitment to safeguard pupils through an age-appropriate curriculum that prepares them to live safely in the modern world. We are currently working towards achieving our Healthy Schools Award. 

A different language is a different vision of life

federico Fellini

Learning a foreign language is part of the primary national curriculum and is a requirement for all children within key stage 2. Robsack Wood Primary Academy has adopted a whole school approach to the teaching of French to all ks2 pupils. 

Aims 

Our aim is to develop the confidence and competence of each child in the foreign language they are learning. Our goal is for them to be passionate, curious and confident about their own foreign language learning abilities.

We will help them develop and demonstrate substantial progress in the 5 key language skills necessary for learning French: 

• Speaking 
• Listening 
• Reading 
• Writing 
• Grammar 

We aim to ensure that pupils of all abilities develop solid foundations in these key language learning skills - properly preparing them for the next stage of their language learning journey. These skills will develop children’s ability to understand what they hear and read and enable them to express themselves in speech and writing. We will extend their knowledge of how language works and explore the similarities and differences between French and English. We will also help strengthen their sense of identity through learning about culture in other countries and comparing it with their own. 

Geography underpins a lifelong 'conversation' about the earth as the home of humankindGeography Association

Our geography curriculum is designed to develop knowledge and skills that are progressive, as well as transferable, throughout their time here and also to their secondary education and beyond. In this subject, children investigate a range of places – both in Britain and worldwide – to help develop their knowledge and understanding of the Earth’s physical and human processes. We are committed to providing children with opportunities to investigate and make enquiries about their local area of Hastings so that they can develop of real sense of who they are, their heritage and what makes our coastal area unique and special. Through high quality teaching, we develop the following essential characteristics of geographers:  

• A genuine interest in geography and a real sense of curiosity about the world and the people who live here. 
• An extensive base of geographical knowledge and vocabulary.
• An excellent knowledge of where places are and what they are like, both in Britain and the wider world.
• An comprehensive understanding of the ways in which places are interdependent and interconnected.
• A growing understanding of how humans affect the planet and ways in which we can help.
• Excellent fieldwork skills. 

A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots

Marcus Garvey

We believe history should be concerned with stimulating pupil’s interest and understanding about the life of people who lived in the past. We aim for pupils to develop a sense of identity and cultural understanding based on their historical heritage. We teach pupils to investigate these past events and, by so doing, develop the skills of enquiry, analysis, interpretation and problem solving.

Through high quality teaching and an ambitious curriculum we develop children with the following essential characteristics to help them become historians:

• A knowledge and understanding of people, events and contexts from a range of historical periods.
• The ability to think critically about history and communicate ideas confidently to a range of audiences.
• The ability to support, evaluate and challenge their own and others’ views using historical evidence from a range of sources.
• A respect for historical evidence and the ability to make critical use of it to support their learning.
• A developing sense of curiosity about the past and how and why people interpret the past in different ways.

Anyone can become an excellent mathematician

This is a firm belief that we hold at Robsack Wood Primary Academy

We have high expectations for all of our pupils and believe that all pupils can achieve highly and become confident and skilled mathematicians. We strive for all pupils to be curious about mathematics and to understand the importance of mathematics in their everyday lives.

Maths (in many different forms) is taught every day, allowing significant time for each concept or skill to be taught. Our curriculum is designed to promote mathematical thinking and within each lesson concepts are explored in depth. Carefully designed challenges promote fluency, reasoning and problem solving. Discussion within the classroom is valued, giving the opportunity for deeper understanding. Representation is a vital part of the pupils’ learning in maths, moving through the concrete, abstract, pictorial approach. 

Physically educated persons are those who have learned to arrange their lives in such a way that the habitual physical activities they freely engage in make a distinctive contribution to their wider flourishing

James MacAllister

Safe and supportive physical education can provide a unique environment where all children can not only improve their physical ability but also their wider skills. We intend to foster and develop the potential of every pupil by promoting resilience, confidence and independence in PE and beyond through a mix of individual, team, co-operative and competitive activities which allow pupils to develop in a variety of ways.

 Aims:

• All children develop competence to excel in a broad range of physical activities. 
• All children will develop skills which they can use across their lives through engaging and challenging physical education. 
• All children will be physically active for sustained periods of time and engage in competitive sports and activities. 
• All children will understand the importance of leading healthy, active lives.  

The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you’ll go. Dr Suess

Throughout our  Academy, we adopt a quality first phonics programme, with a linguistic approach called Sounds Write. 

Phonics is taught right from the very start at Robsack Wood. In our Nursery, children are supported to develop key speaking and listening skills helping them to tune into sounds and differentiate what they hear. In Reception the children begin daily phonics sessions early in their first term where they learn to spell and read longer words. This continues into Year 1 and 2 where pupils build upon their previous knowledge to extend their reading and spelling abilities.  

In key stage 2,  phonics teaching continues as an intervention and an approach to reading and spelling. Pupils continue to build and analyse polysyllabic words as a step up to fluent word recognition and effortless spelling. 

Throughout the school journey, we believe that reading is the key that unlocks all limitless learning for pupils, and for this reason we place reading at the heart of our curriculum. We ensure that early reading skills are systematically developed through high quality phonics to support pupils to develop the decoding skills they need, alongside systematic opportunities to develop their language comprehension through their engagement with quality texts. We believe in the importance of investing in inspiring texts for pupils to enjoy. At key stage 2, we use high quality fiction and non-fiction texts – linked to subjects across the curriculum – to further enrich our broad and balanced wider curriculum and to ensure that pupils have access to the powerful knowledge they need to thrive as learners.

RE is like an iceberg. As you unpack ideas, you come to understand deeper meaningPupil

We believe that Religious Education contributes to the development of the whole person, central to this is the promotion of self-esteem for all pupils. RE encourages the development of values and attitudes, knowledge and understanding that will prepare pupils for their role in our diverse and culturally rich society. Our aim is for all aspects of academy life to promote RE and its importance in society. 
 
The aims and purpose of RE are: 

• To provide a whole academy approach to ensure depth and balance across the curriculum. 
• To provide a high quality provision that all pupils can access. 
• To develop pupil’s knowledge and understanding of world religions in depth and at appropriate times throughout the year. 
• To promote RE through a range of learning activities and opportunities. These include visits, visitors, pictures, stories, music, exploring artefacts, circle time, puppets, drama, role play and collective worship. 
• To promote pupil’s self-esteem, spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, respect, open-mindedness and sensitivity and towards others. 
• To provide pupils with opportunities for reflection. 
• To promote our Academy values of kindness, respect, determination, courage and honesty. 
• To enable pupils to appreciate their own and others’ beliefs and cultures, and how these impact on individuals and the wider community. 
• To promote pupil’s awareness of themselves and others and develop an understanding of the role religion plays in today’s society. 
• To help pupils develop a curiosity and sense of wonder at the world in which they live. 
• To develop the pupil’s independent learning and an enquiring approach that considers issues of belief and truth in religion. 
• To prepare pupils for life as ‘global citizens’. 

It is important to view knowledge as sort of a semantic tree – make sure you understand the fundamental principles, i.e. the trunk and big branches, before you get into the leaves/details or there is nothing for them to hang on to 

Elon Musk

It is our belief that science should inspire our pupils by giving them the opportunities to explore their natural curiosity; promoting the experience of enquiry and investigating scientific phenomena, in a range of environments, to ensure a continually evolving knowledge and understanding of the world around them.

Our intention is to provide high quality teaching and learning of science. We aim to ensure that:

• Science is fun, practical and child led 
• Pupils are encouraged to ask questions and be curious, changing what they think about the world 
• Pupils use a variety of resources to investigate topics and take risks 
• Science is recorded in a range of ways 
• Pupils are making connections to existing knowledge and are able to explain what they are learning, why it is important and how it connects to what they already know   
• All pupils use scientific vocabulary to predict, reason and conclude 
• Everyone is a scientist and can explain what this means