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A Memorable Milverton Curriculum
Our curriculum aims to provide all children with exciting learning opportunities. As a school we are continually working hard to develop a ‘Memorable Milverton Curriculum’ that reflects the context of the school, inspires the children and allows for achievement in all areas. The components of this curriculum go well beyond the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum - which can be downloaded here. In each phase group please click on the term and title to see the curriculum map. You can find out what our children have been doing and what they are planning to do! |
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Key Stage 1 - Year 1 and Year 2
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2023/24 Cycle A
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2024/25 Cycle B
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Key Stage 2 - Year 3 and Year 4
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2023/24 Cycle A
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2024/25 Cycle B
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Key Stage 2 - Year 5 and 6
The Early Years Foundation Stage
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The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework is a government document that all schools and Ofsted-registered early years providers in England must follow. It sets standards for the learning, development and care of your child from birth to 5 years old. The standards ensure your child will learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe.
The EYFS framework outlines seven areas of learning and development and educational programmes. There are three prime areas of learning, which are particularly important for your child’s development and future learning:
The EYFS framework identifies the essential role of play in your child’s development. It is through both child-led play and play guided by an adult that your child will develop confidence and relationships with others. Through play, EYFS practitioners will help your child to extend their vocabulary and develop their communication skills. The EYFS framework identifies three characteristics of effective teaching and learning:
Our Early Years curriculum is based on the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Statutory Framework and Development Matters 2021. These documents set expectations for children to achieve by the end of the Reception year. We carefully consider the Educational Programmes detailed in the EYFS Framework 2021. Children joining Milverton Primary School come from a range of settings with varied experiences; we aim to plan and deliver a curriculum which meets the needs of all children. Our curriculum is designed to give children, the knowledge, self-belief and cultural capital they need to succeed in life. It builds on what children know and can do, towards increasing knowledge and skills for their future learning. At Milverton we recognise the importance of language and vocabulary development, increasing opportunities for conversations and ensuring that all children can communicate effectively. We provide children with a secure knowledge of phonics, which gives them the foundations for future learning and prepares them to become confident and fluent readers. In EYFS we love the sense of the unknown. Each day we are unsure of where the day will go, or exactly what learning will happen resulting in a sense of excitement and anticipation throughout the day. Children’s interests are very much ‘in the moment’ and this is why here at Milverton we very much teach in the moment and the majority of our planning is spontaneous. Planning in the moment is all about capturing the moment for children to progress based on what the children are already deeply involved in. From this the teacher or teaching assistant, who understand the curriculum aims are able to see the ‘teachable moment’ from the child’s perspective and know when to intervene and when to stand back and observe. It is all about capturing the moment of engagement and running with it to make sure the children progress. With this in mind, children can be involved in a range of activities from being potion makers to builders, from authors or dinosaurs to mums/ dads/ babies and many more! Children become completely absorbed in what they are doing and are aware that their play could take any turn as teachers and teaching assistants and the environment facilitate and support their learning. Planning and the Teachable Moment From the teachable moment the child feels valued, interesting, important, capable and able to learn as well as gaining knowledge, skills and understanding therefore making progress in one or even several areas of the Early Years Curriculum. The adult is able to gain a good understanding of the child’s knowledge, skills, attitude, understanding and progress. This way of working means that the majority of planning is in the moment. Adults record what they have done to help the children progress through their ‘next steps’ in the children’s observations. Phonics and Maths are taught 4 or 5 times a week. The school uses the ‘Read Write Inc.’ phonics programme and White Rise Hub as a basis for maths planning. When planning this way, time is used at the end of each session (morning and afternoon) to give children an opportunity to talk about what they have learnt, consolidating their knowledge. All staff at Milverton are trained to deliver high quality Systematic Synthetic Phonics input. This ensures that children practise their reading both at home and in school using books that match their individual phonic knowledge. Staff in the Early Years promote a love of reading by sharing a variety of texts and encouraging children to complete their Reading Passport, to achieve their Bronze, Silver and Gold awards by the end of the Year. We also introduce new texts each half term, loosely based around a topic. Ourselves and our families, Festivals and Celebrations, Water, Dinosaurs, Traditional Tales and Animals. Our staff are knowledgeable about the teaching of Early Mathematics. We provide adult led Maths input where children can gain a greater understanding of a range of mathematical concepts. Following these sessions, the children are encouraged to apply their knowledge in their play; through the high-quality provision provided. We ensure that children have sufficient practice to be confident in using and understanding numbers as well as delivering activities that provides a strong basis for more complex learning later on. Across EYFS, the teaching is designed to help children remember long term what they have been taught and to integrate new knowledge into larger concepts. Observations and assessment Observations made of the children are based on quality interactions between children or children and adults. They include any teaching that has taken place or progress that a child or group of children have made. Emphasis is highly placed on using ‘I wonder…’ statements E.g. ‘I wonder if…’, ‘I wonder what…’, ‘I wonder how…’. We feel that this approach to questioning is an effective way of encouraging children to think and learn. Formal assessment takes place within the first 6 weeks of children starting school, with the Reception Baseline Assessment (a statutory assessment to inform school progress measures at the end of Key Stage Two) and summative assessment at the end of each term based on progress in learning and also in engagement and enjoyment (Leuven Scales). The EYFS Profile is completed at the end of the year where the children are assessed as ‘emerging’ or ‘expected’ against the Early Learning Goals. How do we ensure coverage of the EYFS curriculum? Our staff are highly skilled and knowledgeable, understanding the 7 areas of the Early Years Framework and the Development Matters and we place a huge emphasis on our teacher and teaching assistants’ knowledge of the children and their understanding of their next steps. We incorporate a daily ‘Must Do’ task, which is an expected daily outcome that the children must attempt to independently achieve. The planning of these considers the Development Matters and supports coverage of our curriculum. These tasks may be tailored to individual needs and increase in difficulty during the year. Parental Involvement Each week we have 6 focus children per class. The week before the children are a focus they will bring home a letter detailing this and asking for parental contributions. Parents are encouraged to detail any ‘wow’ moments or home activities to enable us to have a full picture of the ‘whole child’. Each child is a focus child once per half term, six times a year, thus resulting in parents having the opportunity to contribute each half term. There will be a parent and teacher learning review in the Autumn and Spring terms and a written report in the Summer term. Enrichment opportunities We plan additional enrichment opportunities for children throughout the year to further support our curriculum. These typically include, a theatre visit, a guest music teacher for half a term, a palaeontologist visit to school, a visit to a local farm and also the opportunity for the children to observe eggs as they are incubated and hatch. In EYFS, we also use the woods and the forests, as a means, to build independence and self -esteem in children. Topics are cross-curricular including the natural environment. Personal skills of teamwork and problem solving are developed and the woodland environment is used to learn about more abstract concepts such as mathematics and communication. |
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