The school provides all pupils with a broad and balanced curriculum, differentiated and adjusted to meet the needs of individual pupils and their preferred learning styles; and
endorses the key principles in the National Curriculum 2014 and the EYFS curriculum, which underpin the development of a more inclusive curriculum:
- setting suitable learning challenges
- responding to pupils’ diverse learning needs
- overcoming potential barriers to learning and assessment for individuals and groups of pupils
For detailed information about different areas of the curriculum click on each section below. If you would like further, or more specific, information about any aspects of our Curriculum please contact your child’s teacher in the first instance, or a member of the Leadership Team (Mr Rose, Mr Warrener or Mrs Perrons).
Remote Education Plan Holmfirth JIN School Jan 21
From the 24 March 2020, and again from the 5 January 2021, most of our teaching moved to Remote Learning as the majority of children were asked to stay at home. Children were following weekly plans set by teachers whether they were in school (Critical Workers children/Vulnerable children) or at home. Since September 2021, when all pupils returned to school, Remote Learning continues to be available for any children who have to self isolate due to Covid-19. We are using SeeSaw as the platform for Remote Learning and all pupils have been given log in information and are able to access work on this. This work is set by teachers, who are setting, monitoring, marking and commenting on the work done by all pupils whether at home or school.
HOLMFIRTH J I & N SCHOOL CURRICULUM VISION
CONTEXT
The purpose of any curriculum should be to:
- To promote the well being of each individual, essential for the value of self, family, environment and diversity
- To provide a route to opportunity, enabling pupils to respond positively to challenges of rapidly changing world.
The role of the school is:
- To promote spiritual, cultural, moral and social development, for wellbeing.
- To promote learning and achievement, for opportunity.
We believe that there are key skills:
- For well being, they are: confidentiality, integrity, empathy, responsibility.
- For opportunity, they are: communication, application of number, Information Technology, working with others, improving own performance, problem solving.
We also believe that there are key thinking skills, which consist of: Analysing, Deducing, Evaluating, Predicting, Problem solving and Summarising.
We will aim to promote and encourage these skills and principles by:
- Developing trust, a sense of duty, honesty, applying moral codes and forging community links, for wellbeing.
- Developing information processing skills, reasoning, enquiry, creative thinking and evaluation, for opportunity.
INTENT
Our intentions are that there are:
- Opportunities for everyone to feel ‘clever’ or ‘expert.’
- Opportunities for everyone to feel ‘worthy’, inside and outside the classroom.
- Opportunities for everyone to experience positive self-esteem.
In order to achieve these intentions, we will follow Kagan teaching principles.
Kagan techniques will support our intent for wellbeing by:
- Being part of a team.
- A sense of belonging.
- The use of praise to develop confidence.
- An appreciation of what others offer.
- Learning from each other.
- Class building activities.
Kagan techniques will support our intent for opportunity by:
- Equal voice.
- A responsibility to listen, engage and present.
- Development of confidence – learning together before learning independently.
- Development of risk – everyone has to do everything.
- Emphasis upon success of every individual.
Following staff discussion, we highlighted four key values which we believe should be at the heart of learning and be at the heart of our curriculum. Those ‘drivers’ are:
- Communication
- Collaboration
- Curiosity
- Creativity
For each ‘driver’, we have considered the positive reasons for it to be at the heart of our curriculum, in conjunction with the consequences for its absence.
THE ‘DRIVERS’ FOR OUR CURRICULUM (4C4LIFE)
| DRIVER | WHY | OTHERWISE… |
|
COMMUNICATION |
To develop confidence, social skills, character virtues and emotional intelligence.
To encourage freedom of expression. To develop appreciation, awareness and respect for others and their point of view. To acquire facts and information and to practices skills and procedures.
|
Apprehensive, self- centered.
No voice, unworthy. Isolation. Less knowledgeable, less confident |
| HOW | INTENDED IMPACT | |
| Speaking and listening opportunities.
Small group to whole class presentations and performances. Sharing ideas. PAL activity variety Playleaders, SSOC, pupil lead clubs Peer tutoring Play, including role-play
|
ACTIVE AND RESPONSIBLE LEARNERS | |
| COLLABORATION
|
To develop trust
To encourage working together and accountability. To learn from a range of partners and develop relationships with all. To develop positive inter-dependence (learn together / perform alone) Play / active learning. |
Mistrust
Isolation Inequality Apathy Inability to function successfully in working and social life |
| HOW | INTENDED IMPACT | |
| Kagan structures
Peer partners Buddies / older pupils Parents Community members and partnerships Visitors Modelling by staff. |
Trust
Stronger relationships Respect Responsibility Caring Role in school, community, society |
|
| CURIOSITY
|
To develop opinions.
To develop confidence, through questioning. To foster an active love of learning. To develop thinking ‘outside the box.’ |
Indiscriminate followers.
Unchallenged acceptance.
Reliance upon being told.
Predictability / boring / inertia. |
| HOW | INTENDED IMPACT | |
| Response to pupil questions / initiatives.
Inspiration from personal resources / artefacts / inventions. Develop hypotheses. Posing questions / dilemmas. True / False / Prove / Disprove it. Investigations. Playing and exploring. |
LIFE LONG LEARNERS | |
| CREATIVITY | To widen horizons.
Allow imagination To develop risk and challenge. To develop resilience and response to change. To encourage pride. To develop independent thinking.
|
Narrow outlook.
Safe and predictable Risk averse. Victim mentality
Apathy Reliance / dependence on others |
| HOW | INTENDED IMPACT | |
| Creative thinking-brainstorming, symbolizing, questioning and synthesizing
Observing, discussing and working with others. Variety for task outcome. Open to suggestions and valuing every child’s contribution. Thinking critically.
|
HARNESS UNIQUENESS. |
We believe that our ‘drivers’ are principles that will always be essential at every age and stage, hence 4C4LIFE.
As an aide memoire, we have the following:
4CaBAUL FUTURE – the basis for success in modern society.
- COLLABORATION (BUILDS TRUST)
- COMMUNICATION (ACTIVE LEARNING)
- CREATIVITY (UNIQUENESS)
- CURIOSITY (LIFELONG LEARNERS)
CURRICULUM CONTENT AND ORGANISATION
- NATIONAL CURRICULUM
- PURPOSE OF SUBJECTS + WE ENABLE PUPILS TO…
- LONG TERM PLANNING – ORGANISATION
- 4C4LIFE PLANS
- MEDIUM TERM PLANS