ST. STEPHEN'S PRIMARY SCHOOL'S CURRICULUM POLICY STATEMENT
At St. Stephen's Primary School and in partnership with the London Borough of Newham Education Authority we:
- aim to raise educational achievement as a vital key to improving the quality of life in Newham;
- enable pupils to attend our school to reach high standards of attainment,
- challenge and overcome low expectations about educational standards and achievement, acknowledging and challenging disadvantage and discrimination in all forms;
- value individuals and communities;
- acknowledge specific individual needs and meet them as far as possible within available resources;
- provide wide and varied educational experiences, which are based on the Foundation Stage Curriculum and wider curriculum;
- enable pupils to receive an education that will serve them well beyond their primary school experience;
- ensure the ethos of the school provides a valuable learning experience for all young people.
In drawing up our whole school curriculum we will:
1. establish an entitlement
2. establish standards
1. To establish an entitlement
All pupils will have equal access to the whole curriculum - Foundation Stage, Key Stages 1, 2
When planning the curriculum, we will ensure that it:
- draws on and recognises the value of linguistic, religious, cultural and ethnic diversity, particularly within our local community and that it presents positive images to our pupils;
- caters for the needs of all pupils in mainstream classes;
- recognises and plans for the needs of all pupils including those with special needs, gifted and talented pupils are bilingual learners
- uses available resources effectively to meet the individual needs of all pupils
- actively discourages and challenges the use of racial and personal abuse, graffiti and attacks.
In particular, all pupils will:
- have an education that enables them to develop the knowledge, understanding and skills identified in the Foundation Stage Curriculum and National Curriculum;
- be shown respect as learners and individuals;
- have planned opportunities to develop their literacy and numeracy skills;
- have opportunities to develop an understanding of the significance of ICT and how it will affect their lives;
- experience a planned programme of personal, social and health education and citizenship;
- experience a planned programme of social, spiritual, moral and cultural development;
- receive accurate and helpful feedback from teachers on how well they are doing at school and ways of improving their work and guidance to achieve personal learning targets;
- work in a learning environment that is safe, secure, exciting, stimulating and clean;
- participate in a variety of activities that enrich the curriculum, for example, visits, performances, sport and arts and extra curricular activities.
In addition, pupils with English as an additional language (EAL) are entitled to:
- an assessment of their needs, to ensure specific planning by class teachers and additional support staff where available.
In addition, pupils with special educational needs (SEN) are entitled to:
- an assessment of their needs including using pre-National Curriculum assessment scales ("P" scales) to measure progress where these are appropriate;
- development of the curriculum to meet their differing needs;
- individual education plans to support their progress;
- additional support with lessons where possible.
In addition, in the Foundation Stage children are entitled to:
- access to an environment both indoors and outdoors, that is stimulating, safe, clean and well-equipped;
- a curriculum based on QCA's 'Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage', leading to achievement of the early learning goals. 'Planning for Progress' will be used to support teachers' planning.
In addition in Key Stage 1 pupils are entitled to:
- a curriculum to be supported through use of QCA schemes of work;
- opportunities to support social and speaking and listening skills;
- homework
In addition in Key Stage 2 pupils are entitled to:
- a curriculum to be supported through use of QCA schemes of work;
- homework;
- opportunities to learn to swim;
- opportunities for 'outdoor and extra curricular activities;
- opportunities to take part in educational visits;
- opportunity to take part in a performance
2. To establish standards
- We set high expectations for pupil attainment, behaviour and attendance.
- We regularly monitor and compare our school's national test and exam results against national and local benchmarks, as well as with similar schools. We identify our strengths and weaknesses in order to raise our pupils' attainment further.
- We are aware of gender and ethnic differences in our pupils' attainment. We analyse pupils' performance and develop strategies to address imbalances where they occur.
- We maintain systems for monitoring pupils' progress to enable us to estimate and predict termly and annual progress. With this information, we set targets to challenge and improve pupils' attainment, especially at the end of each key stage.
Within the context of performance management, we:
- regularly sample pupils' work and ensure we agree pupils' levels of attainment;
- evaluate the quality of our teaching and its impact on pupils' attainment and ensure consistency within our teaching and learning policy;
- ensure we develop our own professional expertise in order to improve pupils' attainment;
- ensure all staff have opportunities to develop their professional skills
- evaluate pupil and staff performance through an annual monitoring/observation cycle.
In conclusion
The school has an open door policy and holds regular meetings for parents so that the school can communicate effectively with them all about aspects of school life.
These aspects include:-
- Well published policies, practices and events.
- A school prospectus that explains the values, life and organisation of the school.
- A home/school agreement that sets out the expectations of parents, staff and pupils.
- A governing body that supports and recognises school success and on going development.
- Parents, Governors and teachers playing a role in setting school and pupil achievement targets.
- A governors' annual report to parents to inform them of pupil attainment, school success and planned school improvements linked to finance.
- Valuing parents as the first and most important educator.
