Pelynt
Primary Academy
Our Curriculum
Learning at Pelynt
Situated in the heart of Pelynt village, our school provides a warm, welcoming and friendly atmosphere. We aim to provide a happy, safe environment where children feel secure to explore, experiment and develop curiosity so that learning comes naturally. Our very own Outdoor Learning area provides us with an additional classroom where we learn, explore, create, develop social skills and enjoy nature.
We strive to deliver a broad and balanced ambitious, diverse and inclusive curriculum with daily Maths and English learning which is enhanced and supported by the wider curriculum. Keeping our children physically active is also important, so we promote active lifestyles with opportunities throughout the day to get their heart rates pumping. In addition to this our PE curriculum is taught by our class teachers and supported by the expertise of qualified coaches through Arena.
Phonics and Early Reading
The Twinkl phonics programme is used to support the teaching of phonics from Nursery, to Reception and Year 1, as well as any children who need this in older year groups. All children participate in daily phonics sessions, which follow this scheme.
We draw upon observations and continuous assessment to ensure our children are stretched and challenged. Children are identified early if they may need additional support. Different levels are worked through: learning and developing phonological knowledge and understanding.
The opportunity to apply their growing knowledge in school guided reading sessions is continued at home through home reading books that closely match children’s phonic ability.
Once children have passed their phonics screening check, they receive daily spelling lessons which follow ‘Spelling Shed.’ This is a structured spelling scheme, which ensures good continuity and progression from Y2 – Y6, and is supported by the use of ICT, so that spelling activities can be easily accessed at home.
Please go to the 'English' tab to find more documentation about teaching Phonics and Early Reading at Pelynt Primary.
Reading
Reading is a key life skill and is the bedrock for learning new knowledge. It enables and empowers our children in becoming independent learners and broadens their experiences beyond that of their immediate surroundings.
It is our aim, by the end of their primary education, for all pupils to be able to read fluently with a good level of understanding of what they read. In school all pupils are taught the skills of reading using Reciprocal Reading methods. This includes using VIPERS (Vocabulary, Inference, Prediction, Explanation, Retrieval, Summarise/sequence). Children are immersed in a range of broad and rich books, written by a range of authors. Children are read to regularly by their teacher, they engage in regular guided reading sessions where pupils work in small groups with an adult to read texts together and engage in discussions and activities about the text.
These extensive reading experiences provide our children with the chance to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually through carefully chosen texts.
We are dedicated to supporting our children in gaining a love and enjoyment of reading; leading to become lifelong readers. This commitment of learning allows our children to acquire new knowledge and develop their understanding of language: helping them to build upon what they already know.
Please go to the 'English' tab to find more documentation about teaching Reading at Pelynt Primary.
Writing
At Pelynt, we believe it is important for pupils to have engaging and purposeful writing experiences. The wider curriculum is therefore often used as a stimuli for writing. We also follow the principles of the storytelling approach, where children are immersed in a text through speaking and listening activities alongside unpicking the text collaboratively. Children then follow the features of that genre to innovate and invent their own version. We use high quality examples of these different genres of writing, to ensure that children are engaged and interested.
Spelling, punctuation, grammar and handwriting are taught discretely but are also woven through the units of writing. We use writing learning journeys, so that children are fully involved in the process of their writing, and so that they are able to see the next steps and the purpose of each step of their learning.
Spelling, punctuation, grammar and handwriting are taught discretely but are also woven through the units of writing. We encourage children to apply their writing skills across a range of subjects to understand that writing is an integral part of being a successful citizen.
Please go to the 'English' tab to find more documentation about teaching Writing at Pelynt Primary.
Maths
We use White Rose to structure the sequence of mathematics teaching. This provides us with consistency and continuity. We have calculation policies that ensure that we build upon skills and provide all adults with a clear model for teaching. Our use of resources enables our children to access learning in a concrete form which they then translate to the abstract and written form. We all start the year by looking at Place Value as this is fundamental to the skills for calculation. We block our planning to build skills and knowledge.
Our mathematics is planned and delivered to help pupils to master the skills. We achieve this by building through fluency activities to reasoning and problem solving. All of our children are able to access maths learning at their level and have opportunities to deepen their understanding.
Wider Curriculum
We use progression ladders, which we have developed with the support of the Bridge Academy Trust. These ladders were developed by exploring successful curriculums, carrying our research and trialling ideas. The ladders show how skills and knowledge progress and develop over the years at Primary School.
Our learning is driven by an enquiry question to engage pupils and give them a purpose for their learning. We plan our questions to be relevant, current and engaging. We also try to ensure a balance of local knowledge and broader knowledge.
Outdoor Learning
Outdoor learning
We believe the outdoors gives pupils the opportunity to develop responsibility, confidence, problem solving skills, learn from mistakes and find new interests/skills. We are blessed with wonderful grounds, including a forest school area and our new Under The Sea Garden. All children take part in regular outdoor learning across the year.
Where possible we use our outdoor space to enrich our curriculum. The children love learning and spending time outdoors. They are actively involved in developing the area and take ownership and responsibility for its upkeep.
Pelynt Primary Academy: Our Curriculum Statement
Staff have spent a considerable amount of time developing and working towards embedding an effective curriculum. This continues to be an ongoing journey for us as a school. Leaders have used a range of materials (such as educational books and studies) to help shape our curriculum. Therefore, please note that our curriculum is not static. We are always looking to make it relevant in the ever-changing world that we encounter. Our current priority is to ensure that we have sufficient cultural diversity reflected (please see our working document). If you have any questions or you would like more information about our curriculum, please contact secretary@pelyntprimary.co.uk. For subject specific information, such as our Reading and Maths Policy, please follow the links at the bottom of the subject pages.
Our Curriculum
What is the intent of our curriculum?
At Pelynt Primary Academy, our curriculum is designed with knowledge at its heart to ensure that children develop a strong vocabulary base and extensive understanding of the world. We appreciate that a knowledge-rich curriculum does not simply mean memorising disconnected facts. Pupils develop relationships with knowledge so that they can put their knowledge to work in powerful, meaningful ways. Our curriculum provides opportunities for pupils to develop understanding by connecting new knowledge with existing knowledge in order to develop fluency and the ability to apply their knowledge as skills. Therefore, Teachers and Subject Leaders have thought carefully about the sequence of our curriculum to ensure that new knowledge builds on what has been taught before and what may come after. We aim to deliver a broad, balanced and inclusive curriculum which empowers pupils to achieve their full potential and make informed and responsible decisions throughout their lives. Our overall aim is for pupils to learn, thrive and excel.
How do we implement our curriculum?
Our curriculum is underpinned by the National Curriculum alongside our ‘Knowledge Progression Ladders’, which helps to sequence the knowledge delivered as children progress through the school, along with ‘end points’ in our curriculum. The National Curriculum informs the knowledge progression ladders- detailing the knowledge that each child will learn in each year group. This knowledge is progressive.
The knowledge is then mapped across a spiral 2 year rolling programme to ensure that every child has their full entitlement. This map revisits key aspects of the knowledge to help children to embed the vital aspects of the curriculum, supporting planning and implementation in a mixed age classroom. Knowledge is taught in subject specific lessons, built into an overarching enquiry question. Knowledge is taught to be remembered, not merely encountered. Our curriculum values long-term learning and we recognise that progress means knowing more and remembering more. We recognise that learning can be defined as an alteration in long-term memory and if nothing has been altered in the long-term memory, then nothing has been learned.
Staff use this rolling programme to guide them in their coverage of what needs to be taught and when. It is tailored to suit the needs of the children at that time, in teacher’s Medium Term Plans. The plans support teachers when they write Learning Journeys in English, science, art/dt, history/geography- which are the main enquiry drivers. Teachers use their pedagogical knowledge of how children learn best to enable pupils to understand key concepts, presenting information clearly to help embed key knowledge into long- term memory, so that pupils can develop fluency and automaticity. Feedback, retrieval practice and assessment are prioritised so that teachers can check pupils’ understanding effectively and identify any misunderstandings and misconceptions.
Our broad, balanced, inclusive and exciting curriculum is taught through a ‘themed’ approach whereby only genuine and authentic cross curricular links are made between subjects. When it is more appropriate, subjects are taught discreetly. Teachers ensure there is coverage of all the knowledge and break this into learning objectives with age-appropriate statements and use the ladders to guide their planning each day/week and throughout the year. Each 'theme' is led by an enquiry question such as 'How has Cornwall changed over time?' and 'Are rainforests the lungs of the world?' Our themes are represented as 'Learning Journeys' which are displayed within each classroom and in books. These 'Learning Journeys' show the pupils' 'current thinking in time.' Pupils are encouraged to reflect on: the knowledge and skills they have acquired so far; any misconceptions along the way and; where they are heading (a purposeful outcome). Revisiting of this learning journey at the start of each lesson provides retrieval opportunities to recap important tier 2 and tier 3 vocabulary. For example, in Class 2 (Years 1 and 2), pupils are led by the question 'What is it like to live on an island?'. The teachers use the 'Knowledge and Progression Ladders' to sequence the knowledge and vocabulary that they will teach the children, in order for them to answer this question. The learning includes enriching experiences, in this case a boat trip to Looe Island to talk to the rangers who live there. The purposeful outcome includes writing an end of enquiry letter to the rangers to share their learning and a Celebration Assembly for families, followed by Show and Share for more detailed discussions in the classroom, where the children share their comparisons of physical and human geographical features of different islands to explain how they have answered the question.
These 'Learning Journeys' have been developed by Teachers and Leaders to ensure that the key knowledge, themes and concepts have been sequenced effectively across the school so that pupils make connection between prior and new learning.
After teaching each unit, staff assess using the assessment ladders, mapping out a child’s journey in each subject and across the range of the curriculum. This is used when planning the next unit, to identify gaps for individuals and classes. It is also passed up to the next teacher, in preparation for transition before September.
Whilst we adopt a ‘themed’ approach to some areas of our curriculum, we make efforts to ensure that children fully understand the subject in which they learning, in order to develop subject disciplinary knowledge. For example, teachers help pupils to ‘think like a scientist’ or ‘think like a historian’ by discussing the different skills needed to do so.
Our curriculum is further enhanced by:
- Visitors, educational visits and ‘hands on’ experiences.
- WOW days and events to inspire and engage pupils
- Opportunities for pupils to share the questions that they would like to explore, in order to encourage curiosity
- Links to the local community
- Purposeful outcomes that include the wider community
- Learning Values and Learning Characters
Through our implementation of the curriculum, we aim to equip pupils with the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life.
What is the impact?
The impact of our curriculum can be seen in the pupils’ development of detailed knowledge and skills across the curriculum. This impact is reflected in the work that pupils produce, along with national test scores improving and key assessment points during the school year. At Pelynt Primary Academy, we strive to ensure that pupil attainment is improving and that pupils are fully prepared for their next stage of education and ready to contribute positively to society as a whole. Our values (curiosity, creativity, excellence, responsibility, determination and enthusiasm) help to enable the pupils to become the very best version of themselves. Through the use of monitoring (pupil voice, lesson observations, outcomes, data analysis etc), leaders review and reflect on the intent and implementation of our curriculum to ensure that it has the desired impact. Subject leaders have developed a 3 Is document for their subject area and use action plans throughout the school year to build upon and develop their subject area.
If you would like any more information about our curriculum at Pelynt, please contact the school office who will put you in contact with the appropriate leaders.
Documents
View the following documents within your web browser or download to read later
Our Values...
Creative
We are bold and innovative in our approach to find new solutions to the challenges we face.
Curious
We are inspired by the awe and wonder of the world.
Responsible
We take responsibility for our actions in an environment of mutual respect.
Enthusiastic
We are passionate about learning.
Excellent
We are the best we can be.
Determined
We overcome all barriers to reach our potential, developing a capacity to improve further.
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