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Curriculum Overview
At Thorncombe St Mary’s CE Primary Academy, our small rural school means that every child is known to its dedicated and enthusiastic team. Each member of this team plays an active role in nurturing and enabling every child to thrive and to achieve their full potential in a caring Christian environment. Our vision encapsulates this:
Living, Learning and Growing Together
Through living, learning and growing together, we nurture each individual’s uniqueness and potential so that they may enjoy life in all its fullness (John 10:10).
Our children gain knowledge of the wider world through the delivery of our broad and balanced curriculum which provides rich, stimulating learning experiences. We take advantage of our extensive outdoor grounds and local countryside to further enhance this as well as visits and visitors throughout each school year. Our Enrichment teachers provide expertise in their specialist areas and provide our children with the best possible learning experiences. Throughout a child’s time at Thorncombe St Mary’s, we guide them to be reflective practitioners who grow a desire for new knowledge that will stay with them throughout their lives.
We use the National Curriculum programmes of study as the basis for the children's learning and we enhance this by planning in the non-statutory requirements of the curriculum. Wherever possible, we make great use of the local area to tailor the curriculum to meet the needs of the children in our area. We provide a curriculum that develops children academically, physically, and socially. As well as teaching key skills in English and Maths, the pupils are encouraged to tackle problems and work independently in all subjects.
All national curriculum subjects are taught. We follow a rolling programme using a theme-based based approach that links the different areas of the curriculum and enables learning to build upon prior knowledge with vocabulary feeding throughout it. Each lesson is adapted to meet the needs of the children so that every child can access the curriculum. We provide a curriculum map each half term showing the learning in each subject. If parents require more detailed information about the curriculum, we invite them to ask their child's class teacher who will be more than happy to give further information.
Parents have the right to withdraw their children from religious education and should contact the Head of School to ask for this. Parents will be invited to a meeting to discuss withdrawal and to explore how their concern may be met. Parents are not obliged to attend such a meeting in which case withdrawal shall be put into effect immediately and the school will notify the parent.
In accordance with the Equality Act 2010 and the Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014, and in the pursuit of the school's mission for all pupils, the learning in each subject is provided for all pupils in the school, including those with special educational needs. Lesson planning by teachers and subject leaders ensures that learning is accessible for all: agile, adaptive approaches to learning allow all learners to focus upon the most important small steps in each lesson.
Occasionally, an individualised approach to the curriculum is designed in order to be fully inclusive of a child's needs and abilities.
Visitor and Visits
We welcome a range of visitors into school to support children in their learning. These include writers, artists, scientists musicians, and more. We also encourage the involvement of parents and our local community. We invest in as many visits as we can, so that children learn from real and exciting first hand experiences.
Assessment
We carefully monitor and assess our children so that we can plan for future lessons based on what pupils need to know next. Formative assessment happens after each lesson where we provide prompt feedback to each child and adapt the following lesson to meet their needs. We use an online tracker to record end of term summative assessments, meeting regularly to discuss progress and ensuring that early intervention is put in place where further support is needed.
A Foundation Profile is completed at the end of your child’s first year in school. There are Statutory Assessment Tasks (SATs) at the end of each Key Stage (Year 2 and Year 6). There is also a Multiplication Tables Check in Year 4.
These assessments are shared with parents on the end of year school report.
Early Years Foundation Stage (Little Acorns and Reception)
This is a stage of education designed for children in the early years. It is a distinct stage and encourages children to develop skills within a play based environment. The curriculum is divided into seven areas of learning and development.
The three prime areas are: communication and language, physical development and personal, social and emotional development.
The four specific areas are literacy, mathematics, understanding the world and expressive arts and design. At Thorncombe St Mary's, we place a great emphasis on speaking, language and listening skills when children join us, so that they have the tools to get off to a really good start.
Children in the EYFS learn by playing and exploring, being active, and through creative and critical thinking which takes place both indoors and outside.
At the end of the EYFS – in the summer term of the reception year in school – teachers complete an assessment which is known as the EYFS Profile. This assessment is carried out by the reception teachers and is based on what they, and other staff caring for your child, have observed over a period of time.
Personal, Social and Emotional Development involves helping children develop a positive sense of themselves, and others; to form positive relationships and develop respect for others; to develop social skills and learn how to manage their feelings.
Communication and language involves providing opportunities for children to experience a rich language environment; to develop their confidence and skills in expressing themselves and to speak and listen in a range of situations.
Physical development involves providing opportunities for children to be active and develop their co-ordination, control and movement through a range of PE activities such as gymnastics. Children should be helped to understand the importance of physical activity and to make healthy choices in relation to food.
Literacy involves encouraging children to link sounds and letters and to begin to read and write. We follow a well-established and successful Early Reading phonic programme: Read, Write, Inc. We start this in the summer term of nursery, or the start of the year in September.
Mathematics involves providing children with opportunities to develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems and to be able to describe shapes, spaces and measures.
Understanding the world involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community through opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology and the environment.
Expressive arts and design involves enabling children to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials. They also have opportunities to share their thoughts, ideas and feelings through art, music, movement, dance, role-play and design technology.
Key Stage 1 (Pippin Class - Year 1 and 2)
At the start of Year 1, we teach the National Curriculum by incorporating continuous provision to ensure a smooth transition. Children are set ambitious targets and are taught in differentiated phonics and maths groups so that they can continue the excellent progress they made in Reception.
In Year 1, we continue to expect children to read regularly with an adult at home every week. We also expect children to practise their phonic sounds and maths skills. We provide guidance for parents on this through links to a 'virtual phonics classroom' and lots of practical ideas to use maths in their everyday lives.
At the end of Year 1, children are tested on their phonic knowledge using the statutory Year 1 Phonics Screening Test. The results of this are reported to parents and carers at the end of the year.
In Year 1 and Year 2, we teach phonics using the Read Write Inc (RWI) scheme.
In Year 2, children follow the National Curriculum and we continue to expect children to read regularly with an adult at home every week.
At the end of Year 2, children are assessed in reading, writing and maths, along with the teacher’s ongoing formative assessment of their work in class. The results of these assessments are reported to parents and carers at the end of the year as part of their end of year report.
Maths is taught to each year group within Year 2 and 3. English is taught to a mixed class and is then adapted to meet the National Curriculum requirements for each year group. Our foundation subjects are taught on a 2 year rolling programme in Key Stage 1 and learning is adapted to meet the needs of our mixed age classes through a sequential and progressive approach. You can see what this looks like by clicking on our 'Subjects' page.
Lower Key Stage 2 (Orchard Class - Year 3 and 4)
In Year 3, the children move into Lower Key Stage 2. The children continue to follow the National Curriculum and teachers use the school's long term curriculum and progression grids to provide a broad and balanced experience that covers all curriculum areas. Children build on the prior learning from Key Stage 1 and have opportunities to embed this whilst learning new information.
The children complete the multiplication tables check in Year 4 which assesses their times tables knowledge up to 12 x 12. We use Times Table Rockstars (TTRS) as a fun way of practising these tables and take part in inter-MAT tournaments through the year!
Maths is taught to each year group within Year 3 and 4. English is taught to a mixed class and is then adapted to meet the National Curriculum requirements for each year group. Science and PSHCE are taught on a 2 year rolling programme that ensures coverage. Our other foundation subjects are taught on a 4 year rolling programme in Key Stage 2 and learning is adapted to meet the needs of our mixed age classes through a sequential and progressive approach. You can see what this looks like by clicking on our 'Subjects' page.
Upper Key Stage 2 (Orchard Class - Year 5 and 6)
In Year 5, the children move into Upper Key Stage 2. They continue to build on prior learning and teachers make links across the curriculum vertically, horizontally and diagonally to maximise these opportunities.
In Year 6, the children undertake the SATS. These tests do not put pressure on the pupils and are simply to ascertain if the school has taught the children well in KS2. Children often refer to this week in school as being one of their school highlights as they recieve a daily breakfast of various delicious food options!
Upper Key Stage 2 children are given several opportunities to meet children from our other local primary schools. Residentials and activity weeks in Upper Key Stage 2 are something that our children particularly look forward to as they near the end of their primary school days.
Maths is taught to each year group within Year 5 and 6. English is taught to a mixed class and is then adapted to meet the National Curriculum requirements for each year group. Science and PSHCE are taught on a 2 year rolling programme that ensures coverage. Our other foundation subjects are taught on a 4 year rolling programme in Key Stage 2 and learning is adapted to meet the needs of our mixed age classes through a sequential and progressive approach. You can see what this looks like by clicking on our 'Subjects' page.