Organisation and Planning of the curriculum
We plan our curriculum in long, medium and short-term phases.
Long-term planning: We agree a long-term plan for each key stage (Foundation Stage, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2). This indicates what topics are to be taught in each term, and to which groups of children. The aims of a long-term plan are to ensure curriculum coverage over an academic year and to enable class teachers to identify links between ‘themes’ and ‘topics’ where appropriate. This might mean, for example, making a link between the History topic ‘Tudors’ and a PE topic of country dancing. We review our long-term plan on an annual basis – it has been reviewed in June 2013 in preparation for the academic year 2013/14 which begins on 4th September.
Medium-term planning: The aim of medium term plans is to give clear guidance on the coverage, learning objectives, and teaching strategies for each subject. National schemes of work, including the Primary Framework and published schemes/modules (for example Heinemann Literacy World, Collins New Primary Maths) are all used and form the basis for our medium-term plans. There is no fixed format – a medium-term plan might take the form of a topic-web or be a printout of a published scheme.
Short-term planning: Short-term plans are those that our teachers write on a weekly or daily basis.
We use these to set out the learning objectives for each session, to identify what resources and activities we are going to use in the lesson, to establish how the lesson will meet the needs of individuals of different abilities and to identify assessment opportunities. Short-term plans are for the teacher’s personal use and as such do not have to follow any prescribed format - teachers are free to design and use their own short-term planning formats and procedures. However, it is good practice to have them available for any visitor/observer as appropriate.
Published Curriculum Plans:
In addition to the above planning, all teachers are required to produce an ‘overview’ of the curriculum for their class and year groups for each term. This contains information about what will be covered in each subject and any special activities or trips which might take place. These termly overviews are published in the ‘Learning’ section of the school website.
Foundation Stage:
The curriculum that we teach in Class 1 meets the requirements set out in the revised Early Years Foundation Stage Framework. Our curriculum planning focuses on the Early Learning Goals and on developing children’s skills and experiences, as set out in this document.
Long-term planning in the Foundation Stage is based upon a rolling programme, where ‘themes’ are identified and developed according to the children’s interests and also considering the need to ensure coverage of the EYFS framework. Medium-term planning, based on these themes, is then produced and includes ideas for activities, visits etc. while taking the need to encourage children’s development through ‘Development Matters’ objectives. Short-term planning then specifies objectives and activities for phonics sessions, number-time, writing activities and other adult-led activities in addition to free-flow and child initiated activities.
During the Foundation Stage, all staff make continual observations to record the children’s progress. These assessments form an important part of the future curriculum planning for each child and are shared with staff, parents and carers and the Governing Body.
