Curriculum
The school curriculum for Bridgewater Primary provides all pupils with opportunities to learn and achieve, and to fulfil their potential. It includes not only the formal requirements of the EYFS and National Curriculum, but also the range of extra-curricular activities that the school organises in order to enrich the experience of the children. It also includes what the children learn from the way they are treated and how they are expected to behave.
Curriculum Intent
At Bridgewater it is our intent that children are encouraged to enjoy all aspects of the curriculum and become enthusiastic about all subjects, by developing their knowledge, skills and understanding through a range of activities and experiences. It is a desire to secure high standards through effective teaching and learning across the school.
We provide an enjoyable and enriching educational experience, offering a curriculum that provides opportunities for all and cultivates talent: allowing the musically inclined child to play an instrument and sing in our choirs; the sports enthusiast to develop their athleticism and compete, the budding artist to be inspired and create the inquisitive mind to be fulfilled by challenge and purpose. We achieve all of this through opportunity, challenge and expert teaching.
At Bridgewater, we are committed to enabling every child to learn to speak well, read and write with understanding and flair and to be able to use numbers to calculate and solve problems. These are non-negotiable and are taught systematically throughout school by our highly skilled teachers and learning support assistants. We accept only the very best for and from all of our pupils, fostering high expectations of what can be achieved. We believe that all children can succeed given the right support, opportunities and learning environment. Yet at the heart of our practice are the core values of our 5R’s – readiness, respect, resilience, reflection and responsibility– as we understand these to be key to future success.
Unlocking potential and removing barriers to learning is the promise and commitment of our school. We work in partnership with families to make high aspirations a reality for every child.
A broad and balanced curriculum
The curriculum, whilst paying due regard to achieving improved standards in English and Maths, is also a broad, exciting and challenging curriculum. At Bridgewater Primary School, we strive to educate the ‘whole child’. We wish to provide them with an education that not only equips them with the skills to achieve academically but one that provides them with developments in their spiritual, moral, social and cultural beliefs and promotes fundamental British values.
We do this by:
• Providing a fun, stimulating and challenging learning environment
• Reflecting our high expectations through encouraging independent learning and self-discipline. Establishing a mutually supportive partnership in which parents, carers, governors and staff share responsibility for the education of our children.
• Promoting an awareness of and respect for a diversity of cultures, values beliefs and abilities.
• Working together to create a caring community of learners where every child feels safe and valued. Ensuring that all children have appropriate and equal access to the curriculum.
Implementation
As a maintained school we are required to implement the National Curriculum, provide religious education, sex education and collective worship. Games activities are compulsory and children take part in competitive games, when appropriate, during Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.The curriculum is organised according to three key stages - Foundation (age 3 –5), KS1 (age 5-7) and KS2 (age 7-11).
The school promotes active, independent learning, enabling pupils to pose their own questions and pursue their own ideas and issues. We encourage:
• Learning by discussion
• Variety in approach and delivery.
• Teaching that is directed towards an individual‛s needs and capabilities.
• Cross curricular approaches that blend several skills and learning objectives.
• Pupils to take responsibility for their own learning and have confidence in their own abilities.
• Teacher’s promote the development of the 5R’s within all aspects of teaching: reflection, resilience, resourcefulness, responsibility, reasoning
The following subjects are, in the main, taught as discrete subjects as well as contributing to the creative curriculum; English/phonics , Mathematics , PE and Games , Science, Computing, Music, RE, Spanish (KS2)
We have a text-based approach within our English curriculum to inspire a love of reading and to teach the children the skills to read and write like authors.
We utilise and embed a variety of resources for English, Maths, Science, History and Geography to make sure pupils are engaged in learning using up to date resources. Staff receive CPD (matched to their current requirements) and training to ensure that they are up to date with current strategies and legislation to facilitate effective delivery of the curriculum for their year group.
Non-denominational Religious Education is provided for all children as part of the curriculum and is in accordance with the local agreed County Religious Education syllabus. Assembly is an important part of the school day when we meet together as a community. It is a time when we place emphasis on the development of values and attitudes towards each other and the world around us. Assemblies are non-denominational and although they are of a broadly Christian nature due consideration is given to the multicultural society in which we live.
A modern foreign language or ancient language (Latin or Greek) is statutory in KS2. Children are expected to master basic grammar and accurate pronunciation and to converse, present, read and write in the language. We teach Spanish to the children at Bridgewater.
The Learning Challenge Curriculum. At Bridgewater the following subjects are mainly taught through our creative Learning Challenge curriculum; History, Geography, Art , Design Technology, Computing (some discrete lessons)
The Learning Challenge concept is built around the principle of greater learner involvement in their work. It requires deep thinking and encourages learners to work using a question as the starting point. We have adapted this from the Focus Learning Challenge Curriculum.
Extra-curricular Activities
We offer a wide variety of clubs that take place before school, during lunch break and after school. These are run by members of staff, parents and outside agencies. Some of the clubs we offer are: Art and Craft, Pyramid Club, Eco-Action, Cartoon Illustration, First Aid, Choir, Dance, Football, Cooking Clubs and many, many more.
Impact
Children‛s progress is constantly monitored through a programme of continuous assessment, both formative and summative. Children are assessed against Year group expectations. Pupils are also assessed according to the requirements of the Foundation Stage and Key Stages 1 and 2 of the National Curriculum, at ages 7 and 11. The results of these assessments are reported to parents. (See Assessment policy)
For further information about the school Curriculum, please see the Curriculum Policy or speak to your child's class teacher.