Curriculum Statement for Cilffriw Primary School
Nurturing, Enabling and Inspiring Pupils to Succeed
In Cilffriw Primary school, our aim is to provide a curriculum that is based on three principles:
- All staff form warm and nurturing relationships with our pupils. Pupils feel safe, respected and understood as individuals, so that they are happy in school and have their individual learning needs met.
- Our curriculum provides pupils with experiences that are engaging and thought provoking. The curriculum is centred around the teaching of concepts that engage pupils in learning about our world as it is today, to give pupils a sense their own identity and belonging in their local area and Wales, and to develop their beliefs, attitudes and values as citizens of the World.
- Our school environment is well-resourced and effective in developing the curriculum. Classrooms are organised to allow pupils to work in groups and independently, with a wide range of resources that they can choose to support their learning. We also use our extensive grounds and beautiful locality as part of our teaching environment.
Our School Curriculum
Senior leaders, staff, pupils, parents and carers have worked collaboratively to develop a shared vision for the curriculum that we have developed at Cilffriw Primary School. We are fully committed to the Curriculum for Wales and our school curriculum meets the required elements as set out in the national framework. Our curriculum is designed to ensure that pupils develop the four purposes of being Ambitious Capable Learners; Enterprising Creative Contributors; Ethical Informed Citizens and Healthy Confident Individuals.
Our curriculum is progressive, focused on ensuring that pupils are continually developing:
- Control and independence in their literacy, numeracy, digital and integral skills.
- Sophistication and depth in their knowledge and understanding of Science and Technology; Health and Wellbeing: Expressive Arts and Humanities.
- Confidence and fluency in their thinking skills: their ability to be analytical, evaluative and creative in their approach to learning.
Learners will develop an understanding of all What Matters statements as part of a broad and balanced curriculum. Pupils will explore the What Matters statements through broad concepts such as “Power” and “Change” to ensure that they make meaningful links in their learning across the six Areas of Learning Experience. Our curriculum ensures that learners will regularly revisit the What Matters statements so that they develop more sophisticated understanding of the key knowledge, ideas and principles involved in each Area of Learning Experience.
We have a plan for shared understanding of progression in pupil learning. There is dedicated time given for our school staff to regularly meet to discuss and agree how we want pupils to make progress in our school. We also take part in regular professional discussion with other cluster schools to ensure that there is a shared understanding of progression, and how we monitor and assess progression. We want our pupils to make progress in what they can do, rather than in just what they know. We want pupils to make progress in the following areas:
- Increasing their effectiveness as a learner
- Increasing their breadth and depth of knowledge
- Deepening their understanding
- Being able to use and apply skills with growing sophistication and refinement
- Being able to make connections so they can transfer their learning into new contexts
Assessment at our school enables learner progression as it is focused on supporting learners to move forward with their learning on a day-to-day basis and identifying, capturing and reflecting on learners’ progress over time. Formative assessment takes place daily, led by teacher observations and record-keeping. Pupils are involved in assessing their own work and identifying improvements as part of this process. The school uses a calendar of summative assessments that focus on pupils phonological, reading, spelling, writing and mathematical skills. This ensures that all pupils progress in their learning with appropriate challenge and support.
The school will monitor the impact of its curriculum on pupils’ progression and the development of the four purposes throughout the academic year and will complete a formal review on an annual basis.