Curriculum Intent

What and Why?

We believe that our Curriculum is ambitious, robust and tailored to the needs of our children. A child starting their journey with us in Nursey and continuing all the way through to Year 6 will receive a broad, bespoke and knowledge-rich education. Many of the children who begin their education with us in EYFS, start with levels of development below the national average for their age. We also have high levels of mobility with a significant number of children joining us at various stages throughout the primary phase and the school year. These children arrive with little or no English and have little or no prior education. This means that every minute a child spends in our school is extremely precious. With this in mind, our Curriculum is designed to be tailored to the specific needs of ALL children. We endeavour to create a culture within which children are intrinsically motivated to learn whilst being unafraid to make mistakes whilst aiming to inspire curious learners with a thirst for knowledge and a love of lifelong learning. We intend to open children’s eyes to opportunities, experiences and ambitions outside of their immediate surroundings and promote the belief that they can achieve anything they desire.

How do we achieve this?

Our curriculum is centred around Language Development, Experiential Learning and a strong commitment towards to Character Education.

What we provide:

Our Bitesize Learning Structure allows children to access key learning concepts in manageable amounts, contributing towards secure overall understanding.
Regular opportunities to revisit prior learning.
A practical, hands-on approach combined with a range of memorable experiences.
Regular reading opportunities across the curriculum.

Bespoke Knowledge Organisers for each subject.
Embedded EAL Practices such as visuals, clear instructions, use of repetitive language, active approach to learning, guided practice, clear modelling, retaking and moulding grammatically correct sentences.
Learning beyond the classroom including Forest School.
An array of visits, visitors and experiences which bring learning to life.
‘Themed weeks’ which are devoted to honing skills in particular areas such as ‘Performing Arts Week’.
A range of After School Clubs.

Language Development

What and Why?

At Canning Street, we believe that creating a culture of reading is a vital tool in ensuring our children are given the best life chances. Cultivating children with a passion for reading, not only provides the key to understanding and enjoying the written word, but will also ensure that their love of reading will extend far beyond the classroom and into the future. In turn, we believe this will allow them to build independence in their curiosity for learning. As a precursor to this, we recognise that children need to develop good levels of oral communication and our Curriculum therefore places great importance on building Oracy skills. For a large proportion of our children, school is the primary source of their English language exposure. It is therefore imperative that we embed opportunities to develop language within our Curriculum and acknowledge the need for swift acquisition of English vocabulary as a key priority for all children.

How do we achieve this?

Our ‘Voice21’ whole school Oracy Project focuses on supporting children with the tools needed to become articulate, confident communicators. Using ‘Talk Tactics’, children learn the skills of orally instigating, building, challenging and summarising.
Lessons are structured to allow opportunities to deepen children’s learning through Oracy-based activities.
Strategies are used to develop explorative talk, which in turn help prepare children to develop presentational talk skills.
Our Early Years practitioners facilitate meaningful talk and language building as well as ensuring that opportunities to learn songs and nursery rhymes are maximised.
Early Reading follows the Read Write Inc. scheme. This not only promotes consistency of teaching, but ensures that non-standard joiners are taught from an appropriate starting point for them in a logical and sequenced way, allowing them to catch up swiftly.
Throughout Key Stage One, children move through the RWI book system, with reading books carefully matched to the child’s phonic ability. Children regularly read to an adult in school. As children become free readers they select their own reading books from the class libraries.
Our English lessons throughout school are centred around high-quality novels and supplementary texts. This approach enables children to develop pace, reading stamina, independence, empathy and a love of reading. Teachers incorporate the teaching of reading skills into every English lesson, and complement this with weekly Shared Reading lessons and regular ‘Story Sessions’.
A range of reading strategies are shared to support children with unfamiliar texts such as ‘Thinking like a Reader’ and ‘Reciprocal Reading’.
Unfamiliar words are pre-empted and pre-taught or explained clearly and swiftly.
Teachers use a range of strategies to demonstrate meaning of new vocabulary.
Regular opportunities to practise fluency skills are provided to develop readers who read aloud confidently, with expression and clarity.
Children are taught to use independent reading skills to support learning across the Curriculum.

Experiential Learning

What and Why?

At Canning Street, we acknowledge the benefits of practical, hands-on learning inside and outside of our classrooms in order to provide memorable learning for our children. Furthermore, we believe all children should have equal opportunities to accumulate knowledge, skills and behaviours over time through many different experiences, opportunities and interactions which provide the building blocks to succeed in life. We do our utmost to provide the essential knowledge that children need to prepare them for future success and give them the best possible start in life. Recognising that many of our children do not have the same life experiences as other children may, we strive to provide these within our Curriculum. It is our aim that not only will these experiences develop valuable Cultural Capital but also inspire use of speech, language, rich vocabulary and communication in meaningful environments.

How do we achieve this?

Regular opportunities to ‘learn by doing’ embedded in our Curriculum.
An importance placed on ‘active learning’ which involves and engages children.
‘Immersion Experiences’ to engage children in writing for purpose.
‘The Canning Street Seven’ – annual educational visits which we believe every child deserves to experience during their Primary School Journey.
A wide range of curriculum-linked educational visits to bring learning to life.
An array of visitors to enrich learning experiences.
After School Clubs which allow children to explore potential hobbies and interests.
Our Curriculum dedicates time to subject-specific weeks so that children can explore their own interests in particular areas.
Our Forest School allows children to experience supported risk-taking in a natural environment.

Character Education

What and Why?

At Canning Street, we understand that children need to feel safe and secure to be open to learning. We recognise that for some children, school (and the adults within) may provide the only stable, safe and consistent place they know. We know that children should be taught from an early age about friendships, good relationships and keeping safe. We place our core value of ‘kindness’ at the heart of our culture and encourage children to treat others as they would like to be treated. By instilling an ethos of respect for peers, adults, the community and the environment, we aim to positively impact the generations to come. In turn, our children become responsible members or society who are equipped to cope with challenges which life can bring. We know that the physical development of children also has a positive impact on physical and mental health and we recognise the importance of our role in developing this.

How do we achieve this?

PSHE is taught regularly in all year groups, as well as weaving throughout the foundation subjects.
Weekly PSHE Discussion sessions allow time for teachers to be reactive to topical issues tailored to children’s needs.
Weekly PSHE assemblies are based on a range of topic areas to support children to make good decisions and keep themselves safe.
Our cannon of novels include PSHE themes which form a basis for valuable discussion.
Our PE lessons allow children to learn, select and apply skills and tactics in individual or team scenarios. Children are encouraged to develop leadership skills and work cooperatively, as well as taking personal pride in bettering themselves and their own physical achievements.
Daily “Moving and Breathing” sessions provide physical activity followed by mindful breathing and relaxation.
Our Commando Joes programme provides life skills education, encourages growth mind-set and builds resilience, having a positive impact on physical and mental wellbeing.
A culture of Celebration of Differences.
Regular online safety education.
We use ‘Zones of Regulation’ which support children in being aware of their feelings and strategies to recognise and regulate their emotions.
Small group work to help children build self-esteem and confidence.
Positive behaviour groups and supported play groups.
Our Forest School is a child-centred inspirational learning process that offers opportunities for holistic growth. It is a long-term program that supports play, exploration and supported risk taking. It develops confidence and self-esteem through learner-inspired, hands-on experiences in a natural setting.