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Bentley Heath CE Primary School > Curriculum > Our Curriculum

Our Curriculum

Curriculum Intent

The curriculum at Bentley Heath offers a breadth of experience and context coupled with a depth of knowledge and understanding. Our vision to be ‘Rooted in Jesus, and Fruitful in Mission and Service’ means we seek to teach every child key knowledge with specific skills that seek to help and develop those less fortunate.

We are a school that develops the whole child to go into the world with a strong social consciousness and desire to serve based upon a firm foundation of mutual love and respect.

Through our curriculum, we aim to:

  • ensure every child is a fluent reader and develops a love of books coupled with a depth of vocabulary to debate, discuss and explore
  • promote high standards in all individual subject disciplines, through enjoyment and enquiry
  • enable children to acquire knowledge and key skills across each area of the curriculum
  • enable children to be confident in the use of technology in a range of subjects
  • promote an understanding of our own and others spirituality, identity and diversity
  • promote physical and mental development and an awareness of the importance of a healthy lifestyle
  • enable pupils to develop moral sensibility through carefully taught values, within a Christian ethos
  • develop the personal and social skills of each child
  • prepare pupils well for transition and the opportunities, responsibilities and experience of adult life.

Curriculum Organisation

Religious Education Our school follows the Solihull Agreed Syllabus.  R.E. is taught discretely each week and this forms a basis for our Collective Worship, linking to our Christian Values, which are taught each half term.
Personal, Social and Health Education We follow the Jigsaw PSHE Curriculum, which encourages a mindfulness approach to thinking about ourselves and our relationships with others. This includes the way we perceive others and challenges pre-conceived ideas and stereotypes. This helps to broaden the cultural horizons of our children and remind of the importance of respect for all. We have adapted the Jigsaw Relationships and Sex Education curriculum around to fit the context of our school and line with the needs of our children. We deliver these lessons during the summer term.
English English is taught every day with a focus on both Reading and Writing.  Early Reading is taught discretely through daily synthetic phonics instruction.  We teach phonics through Read Write Inc.  The RWI Book Bag book links directly to the teaching the children receive in class and so children’s books are closely matched to their phonic ability.  Spellings rules are taught and tested once a week in KS2.  Non-cursive handwriting is taught daily across school through the modelling and practising of letter patterns and joins.
Maths The daily teaching of Maths aims to ensure maths mastery for all children.  Children are taught in mixed ability, flexible groupings to develop and apply their fluency, problem solving and reasoning skills. At Bentley Heath, we follow the White Rose sequence of learning, but are not bound by this scheme, utilising resources from a number of other sources. We aim for all children to be able to Understand and Apply as well as Enjoy and Be Confident with Maths.
Science Science is taught discretely each week from Year 1 to 6, building on foundational learning in Early Years.  We follow the Ark Science Curriculum, which sequences both the substantive and disciplinary knowledge required in Science.
History & Geography History and Geography are taught weekly in alternate half terms. We follow the Connect History & Geography scheme, which encourages curiosity in different topics by using a wide range of primary and secondary sources, coupled with practical investigation and exploration.
Computing Computing feeds into all subject areas but is also taught discretely each week to allow the development of skills and knowledge, following the Purple Mash scheme. These are focused under the headings of Computer Science, Information Technology and Digital Literacy.
Music Music is taught weekly using the Kapow curriculum resources for both resources and sequence of learning. In Year 3, the children are taught by the Solihull Music Service and learn to play a stringed instrument.
Design & Technology, Art & Design Design & Technology and Art & Design are taught each week in alternate half terms. We have developed an approach to these subjects that allows teachers to solve practical problems with creative solutions and learn about significant artists and styles from history, using the Kapow scheme to support.
P.E. P.E is taught discretely for 2 hours each week across school.  We use the Real PE Curriculum for our sequence of learning and access online resources through this to deliver high quality PE skills that focus not only on physical achievement, but a respectful and mindful approach to teamwork and sportsmanship.
French French is taught discretely to pupils in Key Stage 2, and children receive an hour of teaching each week.

Enrichment

Our curriculum is enriched in a number of ways, to enhance our children’s cultural capital, but also to give them meaningful experiences of learning which will last a lifetime. These vary between interactive workshops run in school, such as Bollywood dancing and animal encounters, to trips to local cultural centres like the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. Our Year 6 children go to Red Ridge in Wales for a weeklong residential trip to develop independence, resilience and a sense of togetherness.

Assessment

Alongside current key assessment milestones (Baseline, end of Foundation Stage, Phonics, KS1, Multiplication Check, KS2) children will also be routinely assessed through standardised tests (NFER) in Reading and Maths on a termly basis.  Half termly Pupil Progress meetings ensure we discuss the progress and attainment of each child so we can support them appropriately.

Good or better progress at Bentley Heath means that children know more and remember more and this is measured against the objectives set out in their year group curriculum and their starting points. For example, child who achieves all of the objectives in Year 1 and then again meets all of the objectives in Year 2 has made good progress. Many pupils at Bentley Heath make accelerated rates of progress (better than good). This means that, against their starting points and curriculum, they have exceeded the expectation. For example, they may achieve all of the objectives in Year 1 and then go on to be working at Greater Depth against the objectives by the end of Year 2. For children working to a personalised curriculum due to an identified special educational need, good or accelerated progress will be measured against individual starting points.

We are developing annual data captures for the non-core subjects, which will give us a robust understanding of those children who have met year group expectations or are exceeding year group expectations in individual subject disciplines.