Curriculum
What is our intent?
To ensure children learn in a progressive manner, covering the knowledge and skills of each subject to a depth that enables them to access the next stage of learning. This is supported through our Long Term and Medium Term Plans and the links we have with our local secondary schools in understanding what a Year 7 child needs to attain. We also use our local area to support our curriculum and ensure we study a wide range of topics that include race and diversity. We look towards the National Curriculum, to ensure we cover the statutory requirements as set out by the Department for Education and we further supplement our curriculum with rich experiences based on our local area.
How do we implement our curriculum?
We plan our learning carefully, discussing potential topics with each other and the children. Our curriculum uses a mixture of knowledge and skills based learning to allow children to build on what they have learnt and apply this to new situations. This approach is constantly reviewed and we revisit how well children have learnt new knowledge and skills, how well they have retained this information, and how this can be adapted for our planning. We have produced a document that shows what we teach in each year group and the knowledge and Big Questions that might be associated with that learning. Please click this link to have a look at what we are teaching. This plan is reviewed throughout the year when changes occur, and is a working document.
How do we assess the impact of our curriculum?
The school looks at children's books, responses in lessons and any other information from assessments to inform us of how well we feel children have retained knowledge and skills and how they may have adapted these to new learning situations. This information is then used to support further learning throughout the year. The school divides its year in to 4 blocks of 10 weeks to enable children enough time to practice their learning and teachers to assess how well they have done. Our subject champions (teacher in charge of a subject such as Geography) spend time watching teaching and providing professional development to staff when they have identified an area of need. The school allows each subject champion between 1 and 0.5 days release each 10 weeks to further develop their subject.
British Values
From September 2014, schools within England have had a duty to promote British Values. The Department for Education (DfE) define them as:
- Democracy
- The rule of law
- Individual liberty
- Mutual respect
- Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs
Please click on the following link to see how we promote British Values at Hamilton Primary School.
English and Maths Curriculum
The school uses a number of resources and available schemes to plan learning in English and Maths. These are used to set learning that best suits each class and individual pupils. Currently the school uses White Rose Maths materials as its main scheme of work for maths supplemented by other resources in school. In English the school uses a number of different materials to support planning and teaching.
Phonics Teaching
The school uses Little Wandle as its phonics programme. This is taught in Key Stage 1 to help our children to develop their reading skills. Information on this can be found on the Little Wandle website.
Foundation Subjects
Foundation Subjects are taught through topics. Each topic has a main focus; such as Science, Geography or History. Some topics are taught as whole school units whilst others are taught as year group topics. Where possible, links are made to the English and Maths that is being taught in each class. The school uses visitors and trips to further extend pupils' experiences.
Our music curriculum is delivered through an online package called Charanga. Please click the link to find out more information about the scheme.
Whole Class Learning - we value music in our school and aim to provide a high quality curriculum. Music lessons are taught using Charanga, a virtual learning tool created and run by the Essex Music Services. While singing and playing both tuned and untuned musical instruments, our children experiment with and explore the dimensions of music and are given opportunities to compose and improvise music too. The children listen to music from a range of genres, styles and traditions and learn to discuss it using their developing musical vocabulary. We learn to form an understanding of basic musical notations and develop an introductory understanding of the history of music.
Singing - We sing regularly in school as part of our learning, assemblies and productions. The children develop skills of unison, rounds, volume, pitch and tone through these opportunities. The children perform to an audience in each year group from EYFS singing Christmas Songs to their parents and the residents of Lancer House through to a spectacular play production linked with their learning at the end of year 6. There is also a school choir run by one of our teachers.
Whole Class Music Tuition - Our Year 4 children take part in a whole class recorder tuition. Our Year 5 children take part whole class flute tuition through the Essex Music Services for a term. This is important as it enables children to develop a passion for playing an instrument, build on prior learning and gain experience of sheet music.
ESSEX MUSIC EDUCATION HUB (EMEH) WEBSITE
As a school we also hold a Music Development Plan, which can be found here.
For details of further local musical opportunities, you may like to visit the HUB’s website at www.essexmusichub.org.uk/site
Computing learning is covered using Purple Mash. This has a number of programming elements and E-safety units.
Our Design technology learning is covered using Kapow.
Our Geography learning is covered using Kapow.
Our PE learning is covered using Get Set 4 PE.
Our Modern Foreign Language is French. This is taught through the Language Angels Scheme.
Sex and Relationships Education is provided throughout a child's time at Hamilton Primary School. The SRE Policy can be found at this link. We also supplement our teaching of this subject with Yasmin and Tom, produced by the Family Planning Association.
Our RE curriculum follows the Essex Agreed Syllabus.
Planning
The school's Half Termly Curriculum Plans for each year group are shown below. They will be updated at the start of each half term. If you have any questions about what your child is learning, please make an appointment to see your child's class teacher.
Please click the links to open each plan.
EYFS Curriculum Map Autumn 1 2024-2025
EYFS Curriculum Map Autumn 2 2023-2024
EYFS Curriculum Map Spring 1 2023-2024
EYFS Curriculum Map Spring 2 2023-2024
EYFS Curriculum Map Summer 1 2023-2024
EYFS Curriculum Map Summer 2 2023-2024
Year 1 Curriculum Map Autumn 1 2024-2025
Year 1 Curriculum Map Autumn 2 2023-2024
Year 1 Curriculum Map Spring 1 2023-2024
Year 1 Curriculum Map Spring 2 2023-2024
Year 1 Curriculum Map Summer 1 2023-2024
Year 1 Curriculum Map Summer 2 2023-2024
Year 2 Curriculum Map Autumn 1 2024-2025
Year 2 Curriculum Map Autumn 2 2023-2024
Year 2 Curriculum Map Spring 1 2023-2024
Year 2 Curriculum Map Spring 2 2023-2024
Year 2 Curriculum Map Summer 1 2023-2024
Year 2 Curriculum Map Summer 2 2023-2024
Year 3 Curriculum Map Autumn 1 2024-2025
Year 3 Curriculum Map Autumn 2 2023-2024
Year 3 Curriculum Map Spring 1 2023-2024
Year 3 Curriculum Map Spring 2 2023-2024
Year 3 Curriculum Map Summer 1 2023-2024
Year 3 Curriculum Map Summer 2 2023-2024
Year 4 Curriculum Map Autumn 1 2024-2025
Year 4 Curriculum Map Autumn 2 2023-2024
Year 4 Curriculum Map Spring 1 2023-2024
Year 4 Curriculum Map Spring 2 2023-2024
Year 4 Curriculum Map Summer 1 2023-2024
Year 4 Curriculum Map Summer 2 2023-2024
Year 5 Curriculum Map Autumn 1 2024-2025
Year 5 Curriculum Map Autumn 2 2023-2024
Year 5 Curriculum Map Spring 1 2023-2024
Year 5 Curriculum Map Spring 2 2023-2024
Year 5 Curriculum Map Summer 1 2023-2024
Year 5 Curriculum Map Summer 2 2023-2024
Year 6 Curriculum Map Autumn 1 2024-2025
Year 6 Curriculum Map Autumn 2 2023-2024
Year 6 Curriculum Map Spring 1 2023-2024
Year 6 Curriculum Map Spring 2 2023-2024
Year 6 Curriculum Map Summer 1 2023-2024
Year 6 Curriculum Map Summer 2 2023-2024