Our Curriculum at Millfield Primary School
At Millfield Primary School it is vital to us that we provide children with opportunities that will enable them to remember more of their learning through an implementation of a sequenced, knowledge-rich, in-depth curriculum which takes advantage of quality texts. This is why we use Cornerstones to help design and sequence our foundation and science curriculum.
Main and mini projects are used to support children to develop a deeper understanding of what they are learning and to raise the profile of foundation subjects.
Science is delivered through mini projects as well as some aspects being delivered as part of the main Geography or History projects in order to give meaningful links and to support children’s knowledge and understanding.
We have taken steps to ensure that our curriculum is well sequenced so that children know more and can do more.
Each project begins with a focus on our knowledge organisers and a vocabulary assessment. ‘Introductory knowledge’ lessons are also built into our curriculum to provide children with the required knowledge to build upon for the remainder of the project.
We use our ‘Knowledge Ninjas’ theme to recap and summarise learning between lessons and during projects where teachers use a variety of engaging strategies and discussion.
There is a strong focus on reading, vocabulary, grammar and punctuation in our foundation curriculum and each Geography and History main project is delivered alongside an English focus which is designed to expose children to rich, challenging texts and give them the opportunity to write across a range of genres that link to their learning across the curriculum.
Additional reading lessons support this through the use of Reading VIPERS skills (Vocabulary, Inference, Prediction, Explanation, Sequence / Summarise).
Teachers are responsible for using their project for designing and adapting their English curriculum to suit the needs of their children.
Curriculum Intent
At Millfield Primary School we believe that all pupils should thrive academically, socially and emotionally - learning how to make a positive contribution to our local community.
Our curriculum has been created to achieve this through inspirational and engaging experiences which build pupils knowledge and skills and prepare them for life in the 21st Century in Tamworth and beyond.
At the start of this academic year in September 2021 we redesigned our curriculum further to ensure that is fully sequenced and connected, spanning from Reception to Year 6. The purpose of this was to ensure that our curriculum was having maximum impact and giving pupils an in depth and effective learning experience.
When designing our curriculum, we have looked to use our local area to support learning experiences.
For example, we make a link with Elford Hall garden project to learn about growing, Tamworth Castle to support children’s Geography learning and in science, children also visit Drayton Manor’s Zoo when learning about animal survival.
On our doorstep we have the Birmingham and Fazeley canal and of course Tolson's Mill so as part of our local area study we learn about why the canal was built and why the mill was constructed next to it. This supports our Geography learning of how, in Tamworth, we are connected within the United Kingdom.
It is vital that our curriculum gives pupils knowledge and understanding to allow them to begin to see what they are learning now - could help them in the future as regards to their careers.
Promoting British Values
The DfE have recently reinforced the need “to create and enforce a clear and rigorous expectation on all schools to promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.”
The Government set out its definition of British values in the 2011 Prevent Strategy, and these values were reiterated in 2014.
At Millfield Primary School, we ensure that these values are reinforced throughout everything we do at school but in particular regularly through PSHE lessons, assembly themes and school council activities.
Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) and Relationships and Sex Education
As a part our children’s education at Millfield Primary School, we promote personal wellbeing and development through a comprehensive Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education programme.
PSHE education is the curriculum subject that gives children the knowledge, understanding, attitudes and practical skills to live safe, healthy, productive lives and meet their full potential.
The government have made certain aspects of PSHE compulsory for schools to teach and as a result, we have designed a new curriculum for the children to follow.
We have given summaries of the key points in our PSHE /RSE parent information area of the website which you can access by clicking here, but please read the curriculum teaching plan (available by clicking here) which shows the areas the children will be covering and the Relationships and Sex Education planning we will follow to teach puberty.
Our vision for teaching reading at our school
Reading is the most important skill that we must teach our pupils to ensure that they become fluent readers as quickly as possible.
We want every pupil at this school to be a confident, fluent reader who not only reads to learn but also reads for pleasure.
Fluent readers will learn more, because they can read and gain knowledge for themselves.
In order to achieve this aim of every pupil being a strong confident fluent reader we use a range of approaches including:
- teachers reading a class book regularly, which allows all children to listen and respond to texts beyond their own reading age and to expose our learners to the vast array of book types, authors and genres that will tempt them to become lifelong readers;
- guided reading where the teacher explicitly explores texts with a group of learners each day an where our learners read and respond to the text;
- whole class shared reading as part of English learning which aims to engage learners in to a specific text or genre which is enhanced through text marking/exploration as well as incidental writing and linked writing to the text;
- planned and incidental reading throughout the day such as: curriculum project research, including ipads/internet and books, independent reading, paired reading, buddy reading;
- daily reinforcement of phonics across EYFS to Year 2
To find out more about the teaching reading at our school please click here to access our reading policy.
Millfield Primary School - The teaching of Early Reading
Our vision for the teaching of phonics / early reading at our school
We want all children at our school become confident and fluent readers as quickly as possible. To achieve this we use a rigorous and systematic approach to phonics. This ensures learners are prepared for other curriculum experiences and opportunities as they progress through the school.
Since September 2016 we have been using the Read, Write Inc literacy programme to help teach our EYFS and KS1 pupils to read as well as an intervention to support pupils in other year groups who require extra support.
Read Write Inc. Phonics is a complete literacy programme written by Ruth Miskin, for 4 to 7 year-olds learning to read and write and for 7 and 8 year-olds needing to catch up quickly.
It involves interactive phonics lessons, handwriting, grammar and extended writing activities using highly stimulating storybooks, phonics cards, rhymes and actions.
Lessons are well paced, highly structured and follow a consistent approach across all groups. Teachers and Teaching Assistants are trained to a high standard by qualified Read, Write Inc trainers, who continue to provide support to the school in the form of development days during the year. Teachers and Teaching assistants who are delivering the Read, Write Inc. programme will have responsibility for the progress of the children in their group.
For more information regarding the teaching of phonics at our school please contact our Early Reading lead teacher - Mrs B Griffin.
Millfield Primary School - English - The Millfield Write
'Big Writing' is an innovative approach to the teaching of the skills of writing devised by leading educationalist Ros Wilson. The school has adapted elements of this approach to meet the needs of our pupils.
Every Friday our pupils across KS1 and KS2 complete the 'Millfield Write' where after a period of planning and direct teaching (as well as completing learning in preparation across the week) they are given an opportunity to write for a sustained period. It is designed to motivate children and make them want to write through a very structured approach.
We have found this approach highly effective for pupils across the school and it has a direct impact on raising the writing standard of all pupils.
For further information regarding the Millfield Write please contact our English subject leader - Mrs K Smith
Science, Geography, History, Art & Design, D&T
Our curriculum content is organised into a range of main and mini-subject-driven projects. Main projects span a whole term and are focused on geography and history. Mini projects are taught during subject-focused theme weeks for art and design and design technology. To see what children are learning this half term, please go to the year group links for curriculum newsletters.
Our Science curriculum is taught in half or termly mini projects where lessons are delivered weekly.
Click here to see our whole school overview and to see our progression maps for each curriculum area, please click on the links below.
Geography
History
Science
Art & Design
Design & Technology
Religious Education
RE
At Millfield Primary School, we follow The Staffordshire Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education which is broken down into year groups and themes allowing exploring, engaging and reflecting on subject knowledge and faith concepts. The three curriculum aims are supported by six broad dimensions:
Beliefs, teachings and sources
Practices and ways of life
Expressing meaning
Identity, diversity and belonging
Meaning, purpose and truth
Values and commitments
Teachers plan lessons which are taught during subject-focused theme weeks.
For more information about the Staffordshire Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education, please click here.
Mathematics
Our vision for Mathematics teaching at our school
At our school we want all our pupils to become strong, confident mathematicians who have the necessary mathematical skills and knowledge needed for their future learning.
At Millfield Primary School, we use the White Rose scheme, This scheme helps our pupils to gain a firm understanding of number and allows them to make progress towards mastery in those skills and concepts they have learned.
The scheme requires high quality teaching with high expectations of all pupils. Support is given through the use of adult supervision and concrete / pictorial resources in order to scaffold learning to meet the needs of each learner.
We ensure there are opportunities for all children to apply their mathematical reasoning, linked to their current learning or prior knowledge, across the week.
Science
Our vision for science teaching and learning at our school:
At Millfield Primary School we seek to create confident, excited scientists who can observe and explain phenomena and raise further questions which they then go on to investigate. We strive to equip the pupils with the necessary skills so that they can follow scientific lines of enquiry in all 3 fields of biology, physics and chemistry.
Our science curriculum provides pupils with a range of learning activities that help foster and encourage a love of science. We aim to ensure that pupils are able to apply their knowledge to a range of investigations and are continually prompted to raise questions so that they are excited to find out: What happens if? or I wonder what? All pupils are supported if necessary so that they are actively engaged in their science learning and are able to use this learning to make sense of the world around them.
To find out more about the science curriculum at our school and how it is sequenced and connected please click here.
For further information regarding our science curriculum please contact our science subject leader Mrs Fisher.
Millfield Primary School - Geography
Our vision for geography teaching and learning at our school:
At Millfield Primary School we will provide learning opportunities and experiences that help children grow and develop as individuals and as members of the local and global community. Our aim is to ensure that there are no limits or barriers to the children’s achievements, regardless of their backgrounds, circumstances or needs.
Our geography curriculum encourages children’s curiosity about the world and its people. It aims to equip children with the knowledge and understanding of the world, people, places and environment. It enables children to extend their knowledge and understanding beyond the United Kingdom to include the characteristics of the world’s most significant human and physical features.
To find out more about the geography curriculum at our school and how it is sequenced and connected please click here.
History
Our vision for history teaching and learning at our school:
At Millfield Primary School we want to develop pupils understanding of key events and people in the past, how this shaped society and how it impacts on our local community past, present and future. We will encourage pupils to think like a historian, be inquisitive, ask questions and find answers using historical sources.
To find out more about the history curriculum at our school and how it is sequenced and connected please click here.
Computing
Our vision for computing teaching and learning at our school:
At our school we aim to provide a high-quality computing education which equips pupils with the skills to make them digitally literate and ready for the next stage in their education. The core of computing is computer science / coding, in which pupils are taught the principles of information and computation, how digital systems work, and how to put this knowledge to use through programming. Building on this knowledge and understanding, pupils will be equipped to use information technology to create programs, systems and a range of content.
In the future even more of our pupils lives will involve technology and being online and as part of being digitally literate we have a strong emphasis on teaching pupils how to stay safe online and how social media platforms should be used responsibly.
Personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE)
Our vision for PSHE teaching and learning at our school:
Our vision for PSHE at Millfield Primary School is for it to enable pupils to be confident, positive, tolerant individuals who are unafraid to ask questions or discuss their views and who will mature and grow and thrive as members of the community.
The teaching and learning of PSHE at our school supports and upholds this vision.
PSHE deals with the diverse beliefs, values and attitudes that individuals and societies hold and helps pupils to develop themselves, their understanding of the world, and their ability to communicate their feelings. It also allows pupils to learn about rights and responsibilities and appreciate what it means to be a member of a diverse society.
Click the image above to visit the DfE website for information about the National Curriculum.
Parents / carers can find out more about the Read Write Inc programme that we use in school. as well as ways to support their child with their reading at home by clicking on the image above.
Click the image above to find out more about the philosophy behind the Cornerstones Curriculum.
