Southfields Primary School

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Curriculum

Curriculum Overview

At Southfields Primary School, we offer a rich and engaging curriculum designed to nurture the unique potential of every child, drawing upon the aims of The National Curriculum Handbook for Primary Teachers in England.

Core Principles

Our core principles guide our curriculum and create a nurturing and inclusive learning environment.

  • Valuing each child's individuality and promoting respect for diverse views and cultures.
  • Fostering spiritual, moral, intellectual, and physical development.
  • Recognising the importance of every community member and promoting cooperation and understanding.
  • Valuing individual rights and treating each child with respect, fairness, and honesty.
  • Aiming for success for all children through the provision of equal opportunities.
  • Valuing the environment and teaching respect and care for the world and future generations (Sustainability and Environmental Awareness).

Curriculum Implementation and the National Curriculum

Southfields Primary School provides an engaging and comprehensive curriculum across Key Stages 1 and 2 by actively involving pupils and utilising a wide range of high-quality teaching methods and resources.

Building upon the child-initiated ethos of the Early Years Foundation Stage (detailed in the EYFS Policy), we ensure Key Stage 1 pupils are actively involved in shaping their learning through their questions and interests. Learning takes place both indoors and outdoors, enriched by partnerships with parents and the wider community to provide meaningful real-world contexts throughout Key Stages 1 and 2.

Our curriculum fully implements the 2014 National Curriculum, which sets the framework for learning in Key Stages 1 and 2. This framework includes the following subjects: English, Maths, Science, Art and Design, Computing, Design Technology, Geography, History, Music, PE, RE (the Coventry/Warwickshire agreed syllabus), Languages (Spanish in Key Stage 2), PSHE, and RSHE. We follow the EYFS Statutory Framework for our youngest learners, which has seven interconnected areas of learning (Prime: Communication and Language, Physical Development, Personal, Social and Emotional Development; Specific: Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World, Expressive Arts and Design).

Assessment at Southfields Primary focuses on evaluating pupils' progress against the end-of-year expectations for their specific year group (e.g., Year 2 Expected), ensuring that learning is appropriately targeted. Our approach emphasises greater depth within the current year group's curriculum, rather than accelerating to the next level. Greater depth signifies a pupil's ability to thoroughly grasp their learning by applying it in varied contexts, working independently, and articulating their understanding confidently. This means focusing on deeply exploring and mastering the learning within their own year group, rather than moving onto the next year's content, using larger numbers, or reading harder texts prematurely.

Values and Citizenship

At Southfields, we actively model, teach, and promote core values (GARK and British Values) to develop responsible and engaged global citizens.  Children learn about values through action by taking on positions of responsibility such as School Council and Sports Ambassadors.

Learning Behaviours

  • We actively cultivate positive learning behaviours in our pupils, recognising and celebrating their efforts and achievements. These behaviours are essential for developing well-rounded and successful learners

 

Good learning behaviours

These learning behaviours are noticed, praised, and celebrated through certificates and team rewards.

Moral and Global Understanding:

Our curriculum integrates Spiritual, Moral, Social, and Cultural (SMSC) development, fostering an understanding of the wider world by exploring themes like new beginnings, aspirations, relationships, and change.

Positive role models are highlighted to challenge stereotypes. Visits to local faith and community groups (e.g., Gurdwara, mosque, church, cathedral) foster understanding and respect for diverse beliefs. The school actively engages with the local community through charity work and food bank collections, aiming to increase children's involvement in activities that benefit others.

Inclusion

At Southfields Primary School, we are deeply committed to providing an accessible and ambitious curriculum for every pupil. We set high expectations and adapt our teaching and learning to meet individual needs, whether that involves stretching those who excel or providing targeted support for pupils with lower prior attainment or from disadvantaged backgrounds. We work closely with parents when making curriculum adaptations.

For children with identified Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) or those receiving Pupil Premium funding, we provide personalised support, as outlined in our SEND Policy This may involve varied outcomes, tasks, resources, and groupings. We adhere to the SEND Code of Practice [2015 – revised April 2020], with class teachers and our SENCo collaborating with external agencies to support children with SEND and regularly review their Individual Educational Plans (IEPs).

We also provide tailored support for children with English as an Additional Language (EAL), including interventions and in-class support, to ensure they can fully access the curriculum. Newly arrived children are assessed, and individual language plans and intensive support are put in place as needed to develop their communication skills and enable full participation in school life.

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