Curriculum & Learning

We know that children learn best when they are happy, feel safe and have meaningful and secure relationships with their peers and adults. Ultimately children need to feel loved to feel unique. Each child starting school brings with them their own unique identity, interests, family, likes and dislikes.

Within the EYFS, we aim to create positive relationships and attitudes, knowing each child’s starting point, building on what they know and identifying what support and encouragement they need to become lifelong learners.

We want all our children to be motivated and highly engaged in their learning and to develop and nurture their emotional well-being. Building on their language and developing vocabulary to make every child succeed.

We know that good Early Years learning happens inside and outside and young children learn best through play, exploration, active learning, creativity and curiosity for the world around them.

Through the 7 areas of learning in the Foundation Stage our children have opportunities to practice, rehearse and learn skills through inside and outdoor activities. They learn to collaborate and build self-confidence and resilience in the face of challenges.

Our continuous provision offers children the opportunity to apply and reinforce skills as well as practice and refine what they know, offering challenge to develop new skills through challenge.

To read more about our approach to Teaching and Learning in the Early Years, you can find out Early Years Foundation Stage policy on our policies page.

There are some changes to the topics this year which we believe will be exciting and engaging for the children. Please look at our yearly and topic overview to see what we will be learning. These overviews include the learning objectives that need to be covered by the end of Key Stage 1.

The work in class is carefully adapted to suit all ages ensuring all abilities are fully supported and that we make the most of the fantastic school resources, including the outside areas.

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Year 2 resources

We welcome any support you can offer your child at home and to help please see some of the resources below.

Multiplication Table Check

The unique aspect of Year 3 and 4 is the multiplication table check. This is a national test of a child's mastery of their times tables and is sat in June of Year 4. Children in Year 4 are supported to access the test - which takes place online - through practice tests ahead of the final test. We encourage all our children to develop their expertise with their times tables during Year 3 and Year 4 through regular practise in school and providing TT Rockstars access for regular practise at home too. The more confident a child is with their times tables, the more able they are to access their Maths learning and the more confident they will be in Maths in life!

Our Learning

There are some changes to the topics this year which we believe will be exciting and engaging for the children. Please look at our yearly and topic overview to see what we will be learning. These overviews include the learning objectives that we will cover by the end of Year 5.

The work in class is carefully adapted to suit all ages ensuring all abilities are fully supported and that we make the most of the fantastic school resources, including the outside areas.

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Walking Home Passes

Children in Years 5 and 6 can leave school without an adult if they have a walking home pass. You can request one of these at any time in the school year by contacting the school office.

 

About Year 6

We begin the autumn term with our residential trip to CYE. Children will be engaging in a wide variety of exciting and challenging activities. Later in the term we will be awarding the prestigious roles of house captains, deputy and head boy and girl. Children are invited to apply for these positions, whereby they will use their skills to support the school in many important ways.

One of the highlights of year 6 is our Greek topic in the Autumn term. Children will be taking part in an entire day of activities linked with the Greeks. We will be fully immersed in the period as we dress up in Greek clothing.

In the Spring term the children learn about WW2. They have a visitor from the local area, teaching them about the impact of the war in our local community. This will end with a fieldtrip experience day.

Later in the Summer term, the children will be investigating the workings of the heart, where they will be doing some exciting science-linked investigations. They will be learning about the history, food and culture of the Shang Dynasty. Along with finding out about life in America and immersing themselves in our key text “Holes” by Louis Sachar.

In addition to this, the summer term brings a wide range of unique experiences as the children get ready for their transition to secondary school. These include a special Chichester Cathedral service of celebration, involving schools from around the diocese, ending with a leavers party!

Please see our curriculum overview to see the learning ahead for this year. Our termly curriculum learning journey shows subjects in more detail.

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Walking Home Passes

Children in Years 5 and 6 can leave school without an adult if they have a walking home pass. You can request one of these at any time in the school year by contacting the school office.

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CYE

This is our annual Year 6 residential trip which takes place early in the Autumn Term. We strongly encourage every parent to send their child on this trip as it is a key event in supporting the development of strong relationships with their peers and staff, engage in learning that cannot be replicated in the classroom, and experiences that will be remembered for a life time. Details are shared during Year 5 including the costs and practicalities of the trip.

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SATs

There are tests in May for all children in Year 6 across the country called SATs. These are not the point or focus of Year 6, but we do encourage children to give it their best and we support them to feel ready for the experience of sitting formal exams as the year progresses. They are a measure of the extent to which a school has successfully supported its pupils to master the primary curriculum, and individual outcomes are shared with parents before the end of the school year as part of their end of year academic report.

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Secondary School Applications

Year 6 is the final year of primary school and parents and carers of children in Year 6 must apply for a secondary school place before 31st October. Most of our pupils go to Felpham Community College or the Regis School, both of whom we have strong links with. If you need any support with applying for a secondary school place, please speak to the school office or your child's class teacher. More details can be found here too: 

Secondary School Places

At Bishop Tufnell, we are building a curriculum which is aimed at producing high achieving, well rounded and motivated individuals with a passion to succeed that are fully prepared for the next step in their lives and education. We will broaden children’s horizons so they feel excited for their future at the end of their curriculum journey. 

Our curriculum is aimed at moulding confident, creative and articulate learners who feel happy and safe. They will value kindness and hold empathy and consideration for others through the understanding they gain from the curriculum.

Through diverse, creative and inspirational learning experiences, our children will develop resilience, aspiration, a passion to succeed and hold a deeper level of understanding. This will enable them form personal responses on key curriculum topics whilst becoming increasingly independent and highly ambitious for themselves.

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Our curriculum design is based on the National Curriculum and focuses on the experiences of the whole child. Thirteen subjects are taught as either “core” or “wider curriculum” subjects. There is also time in the school week for Education for Safeguarding (E4S) lessons, which teach our children digital and media literacy, physical and emotional wellbeing and positive relationships. Our Forest School provision nurtures curiosity, collaboration and resilience.

Each year group has termly or half termly topics with key questions and high quality texts drive the learning. Mathematics and English are taught daily, with children learning new skills that build on prior knowledge. Educational trips and visitors to the school, whole school themed days and extra- curricular opportunities all provide inspiring experiences in the children’s learning journeys.

We have developed a two year rolling cycle of curriculum planning where there are mixed-age classes, enabling coverage and balance. We adapt learning for SEND pupils and provide extra challenge for those exceeding age-related expectations.

At Bishop Tufnell it is our aim that all pupils flourish as learners, and achieve their full potential.

Art

Intent

At Bishop Tufnell Primary School, we believe that a high-quality art education should engage, inspire and challenge all pupils. Art contributes to the development of the whole child in many ways, aesthetically, emotionally, physically and socially.

Our curriculum is enriched by studying a range of works of famous, influential artists and exploring different techniques and learning the new skills through drawing, painting, printing, collage, textiles, 3D work and digital art and are given the opportunity to explore and evaluate different creative ideas.

Implementation

Through a carefully planned sequenced learning journey using the explore, experiment and create method, pupils will learn to interpret and harness a deeper understanding of art and design. They will learn about great artists, craft makers and designers and understand their historical and cultural significance. Links are made between art and design and design technology, when appropriate. Pupils will explore, refine and reflect on their ideas and create well thought through works of art. Children are encouraged to use their sketchbooks as work books to experiment and practise their skills.

Impact

Children will become inspired to produce original works of art, which they are proud of and they are able to reflect on their learning and talk about the work of artists they have been studying.

‘This world is but a canvas to our imagination’

Napoleon Bonaparte

  

Computing

Intent

All pupils at Bishop Tufnell have the right to have rich, deep learning experiences that balance all the aspects of computing. With technology playing such a significant role in society today, we believe ‘Computational thinking’ is a skill children must be taught if they are to be able to participate effectively and safely in this digital world. A high-quality computing education equips pupils to use creativity to understand and change the world. Computing has deep links with mathematics, science, and design and technology, and provides insights into both natural and artificial systems. At Bishop Tufnell, the core of computing is Computer Science in which pupils are introduced to a wide range of technology, including chrome books, the world wide web and a variety of differing software, and interactive whiteboards, allowing them to continually practice and improve the skills they learn. This ensures they become digitally literate so that they are able to express themselves and develop their ideas through information and computer technology– at a level suitable for the future workplace and as active participants in a digital world.

We teach a curriculum that enables children to become effective users of technology who can:

• Understand and apply the essential principles and concepts of Computer Science, including logic, algorithms and data representation.
• Analyse problems in computational term, and have repeated practical experience of writing computer programs in order to solve such problems.
• Evaluate and apply information technology analytically to solve problems.
• Communicate ideas well by utilising appliances and devices throughout all areas of the curriculum.

Internet Safety

Bishop Tufnell Primary takes internet safety extremely seriously. We have an Online Safety Policy that provides guidance for teachers and children about how to use the internet safely. Every year group participates in lessons on online safety and children understand how to stay safe when using technology. You may find the following links useful to help your child stay safe online at home:

• NSPCC
• Connect Safely

Implementation

Teachers are provided with PPA time to plan their curriculum. As part of this planning process, teachers need to plan the following:

• A unit plan which outlines knowledge (including vocabulary) all children must master.
• A cycle of lessons for each subject, which carefully plans for progression and depth.
• Challenge questions for pupils to apply their learning in a philosophical/open manner.
• Trips and visiting experts who will enhance the learning experience (where appropriate).

At Bishop Tufnell, we follow the National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE) government-backed scheme which provides the children with a rich and varied curriculum. Teachers then make the necessary adaptations so that this work is tailor-made to meet the needs of the class.

Impact

Our Computing curriculum is high quality, well thought out and is planned to demonstrate progression. If children are keeping up with the curriculum, they are deemed to be making good or better progress. In addition, we measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:

• A reflection on standards achieved against the planned outcomes.
• Children can understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of computer science, including abstraction, logic, algorithms and data representation.
• Children can analyse problems in computational terms, and have repeated practical experience of writing computer programs in order to solve such problems.
• Children can evaluate and apply information technology, including new or unfamiliar technologies, analytically to solve problems.
• Children are responsible, competent, confident and creative users of information and communication technology.
• A celebration of learning for each term which demonstrates progression across the school.
• Pupil discussions about their learning;

Design and Technology

Intent 

At Bishop Tufnell, we aim to provide all children with a broad and balanced curriculum which prepares them for life beyond primary education. We encourage children to use their creativity and imagination, to design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values.  Design and Technology is an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject. It can be found in many of the objects children use each day and is a part of children’s immediate experiences. Design and Technology encourages children to learn to think and intervene creatively to solve problems both as individuals and as members of a team.

At Bishop Tufnell, the Design and Technology curriculum combines skills, knowledge, concepts and values to enable children to tackle real problems. It can improve analysis, problem solving, and practical capability and evaluation skills.  We aim to, wherever possible, link our projects with other subjects such as mathematics, science, computing and art. The children are encouraged to become innovators and risk-takers. High-quality design and technology education makes an essential contribution to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of the nation.

Implementation   

Children are taught to following the ‘design, make, evaluate’ approach as stated in the Nation Curriculum.

Design

• Design purposeful products for themselves and others.
• Create design criteria’s with the user in mind.
• Communicating ideas through talking, drawing and using information technology to create diagrams.

Make

• Use a range of tools and equipment to carry out practical tasks.
• Select from and use a wide range of materials, including construction kits, textiles and ingredients.
• Develop a repertoire of skills and apply them to the making process.

Evaluate

• Explore and evaluate existing products.
• Evaluate their, and others, ideas and products against design criteria.
• Be reflective as a learner. 

Impact 

Our Design and Technology curriculum is high quality, well thought out and is planned to demonstrate progression. If children are keeping up with the curriculum, they are deemed to be making good or better progress. In addition, we measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods: 

• A reflection on standards achieved against the planned outcomes.
• A celebration of learning for each term which demonstrates progression across the school.
• Pupil discussions about their learning; which includes discussion of their thoughts, ideas, processing and evaluations of work.

Education for Safeguarding

Intent

The Education for Safeguarding – E4S (under the umbrella of relationships and health education in the National Curriculum) - is a compulsory subject in all primary schools. E4S is in place to support the development of the key building blocks of healthy and respectful relationships. Within this, children will learn about the different types of relationship that we experience throughout our lives and within different contexts; in person and online. Physical health and well-being are of equal importance and often influenced by our relationships.

The intention of this curriculum is to prioritise children’s happiness and embed strategies for tackling loneliness experienced by young people, empowering them to take care of themselves and seek support and help as necessary.  Within this wealth of vital learning, the personal attributes of kindness, integrity, generosity and honesty will be promoted to nurture well-rounded and positive contributors to our future society as successful and happy adults.

Implementation

Learning will take place during weekly scheduled lessons that tightly follow the SRE National Curriculum requirements for all children across the key stages. Lessons will be creatively moulded to meet the appropriate demands of the curriculum area and include:

• Teacher-led lessons.
• Paired and group discussions.
• Investigation style activities.
• Circle time activities and discussions.
• Clear, waymarked, links to the wider curriculum (especially science and PE).
• External speakers.
• Key information presented in assembly and workshop-style sessions in whole-school, key stage, or year group settings.

Impact

A summary of what pupils should know about and therefore be able to act upon or react to:

• Families and those who care for them including: healthy family life, love, security and stability; differences in families; the role of marriage; where to seek advice and support if things are not safe and happy at home.
• Caring friendships including: the importance of friendships; how people choose and make friends; the characteristics of friendships; positive and welcoming behaviour towards others; that friendships have their ups and downs; how to recognise who to/not to trust.
• Respectful relationships including: the importance of respecting others and their differences; practical steps for improving relationships; conventions of courtesy and manners; self-respect and happiness; the expectation that others should treat them with respect; different types of bullying; stereotypes; permission-seeking and giving.
• Online relationships including: how some people behave differently online and may pretend to be someone else; the importance of applying the rules of face-to-face relationships to those we have online; the rules and principles of keeping safe online; how to critically consider online friendships and sources of information; how data is shared and used online.
• Being safe including: boundaries and appropriate friendships; the concept of privacy; that each person’s body belongs to them; how to respond safely and appropriately to adults they encounter in all contexts; how to recognise and report feelings of being unsafe or feeling bad about an adult; how to ask for help for themselves or others; how to report concerns; where to get advice.

English

Intent

Our aim at Bishop Tufnell Primary School is to provide all pupils with opportunities that enable them to leave our school as confident, competent readers and writers. In order to achieve this, we provide children with extensive and exciting opportunities that foster and develop a lifelong love of learning.  It is important to note that we not only develop a real enjoyment of reading and writing in English lessons but in all subjects across the curriculum.

We aim:

• To ensure that all pupils are receiving a well-balanced, ambitious English curriculum.
• To ensure that each teacher is providing pupils with a consistent approach to English teaching.
• To ensure that all pupils are given the opportunity to extend their knowledge and skills, and communicate through spoken and written forms. Through developing their knowledge, skills and understanding in English, children learn to appreciate that communication in all forms contributes to their wider understanding of the world in which they live.
• To ensure that all pupils are exposed to different genres and authors through a curriculum that is broad and balanced, relevant and engaging.

Our English curriculum will ensure that all pupils become confident speakers, listeners, readers and writers, preparing them for life in the 21st century and beyond.

Implementation

Writing

We explore and develop a variety of writing skills through learning journeys. Each journey is inspired by a high quality text, which immerses the children and captures their imagination.

Each learning journey will include: 

• The Process of exploring genre/text, developing skills required, planning using Big Ideas Books, drafting, editing and proofread  and finally publishing.
• Modelling of writing by the teacher.
• Working walls that support each step of the writing journey.

Writing is often supported by the use of dramatic techniques such as hot seating and freeze frames. These practical activities enable the children to take understand texts in greater depth.  To further this, we use our role-play areas and extensive outside spaces which are interactive and creative and can be found throughout the school.

Teachers ensure a range of genre and purposes are planned for and taught across each year, mapped out on termly overviews.

Teachers use a short-term weekly plan that includes the vocabulary to be taught, along with specific genre and grammatical features to be covered.

Phonics & Spellings

We recognise the importance of teaching quality Phonics lessons.

At Bishop Tufnell CE Primary School, we believe that all our children can become fluent readers and writers. This is why we teach reading through Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, which is a systematic and synthetic phonics programme. We start teaching phonics in Reception and follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised Progression, which ensures children build on their growing knowledge of the alphabetic code, mastering phonics to read and spell as they move through school. 

In Key Stage Two, children participate in a variety of interactive and creative spelling tasks. In these sessions, the children will focus on their weekly spellings, which are tested every Friday. 

Reading

At Bishop Tufnell Primary school we have designed our early reading curriculum with the intent that all children, regardless of background, will become a fluent, insightful readers. We have developed a curriculum that will instill in all children a love of reading that we hope will stay with them for life. We understand that children who are confident adept readers will be empowered to succeed in all other areas. We understand that parents and carers play a vital role in the development of early reading and in nurturing positive habits and attitudes towards reading. We welcome this and their contribution.

We will deliver an early reading program that comprises of:

• Direct, focused phonics which is taught every day in Reception and Key Stage 1.
• Phonics will be taught progressively from Foundation to Y2 as an effective way of developing children’s reading and spelling skills. Sight-recognition of words will complement the teaching of phonics.
• Children will read from books with the sounds they know, while they are learning to read.
• Teachers and teaching assistants provide extra practice through the day for specific children.
• All children in Year 3 and above can read age-appropriate books.

Teachers instil in children a love of literature: The best stories and poems.

Reading is fundamental to all learning and is a key life skill and consequently it plays an important part in all areas of our curriculum. Our teachers and staff develop children’s reading skills through a combination of one-to-one, guided and independent reading.

• Every classroom has a welcoming book corner which children are encouraged to use daily.
• Each Key Stage has a widely stocked library, which the children visit regularly.
• In Key Stage Two, we follow the Accelerated reader programme. After reading a book, children are encouraged to take a quiz on it on a class computer. This quiz will assess how well they have understood what they have read and suggest the next book they might like to read.

We encourage all children to read at home as much as possible.

Impact

Reading

What we expect to see across the school:

• Children who enjoy reading for pleasure.
• Children who are competent to engage with a range of texts across all subjects and for different purposes.
• Children who are confident to talk about their own personal reading.
• Children who share their enjoyment of books with others.

Writing

What we expect to see across the school:

• Children who are competent writers.
• Children who can confidently select text types for a range of audiences.
• Children who are confident with grammatical structures to write successfully for impact, explaining their choices.
• Children who take a pride in their writing.
• Children choosing to write to communicate their own thinking.
• Children using their reading experiences; author style and new vocabulary, in their writing.

See some of our Learning Journeys in the gallery below.

Intent

Through topic-based work we aim to provide all pupils at Bishop Tufnell with a knowledge and understanding beyond their local area, to include the United Kingdom, Europe, North and South America. Pupils are given the opportunity to widen their knowledge of diverse places, people, resources and environments. The children are taught locational and place knowledge, key aspects of human and physical geography, map skills and fieldwork progressively throughout the two key stages. We are fortunate in having a varied local environment to help aid geographical study and children often take part in trips to investigate features, such as rivers and coasts.

Pupils will have:

• An excellent knowledge of where places are and what they are like, both in Britain and the wider world.
• An extensive base of geographical knowledge and vocabulary.
• Fluency in geographical enquiry and the ability to apply questioning skills, as well as effective presentation techniques.
• The ability to reach clear conclusions and explain their findings.
• Excellent fieldwork skills, such as map reading, observing, measuring and recording human and physical features in their surrounding environment and local area.
• A genuine interest in the subject and a real sense of curiosity about the world and the people who live here.

Implementation

Teachers are provided with the curriculum map for Geography, so that they know which topics and skills they need to plan to cover in their lessons. As part of the planning process teachers need to plan:

Locational knowledge, Place Knowledge, Human and Physical Geography and Geographical skills and Fieldwork in each unit they cover.

The cycle of lessons for each unit, will carefully plan for progression, concentrating on the skills mapped out for that year group.

Impact

Our Geography has been planned to show progression and give children quality teaching that covers the national curriculum. We will measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:

• Collecting in all medium term planning to check the correct objectives are being covered.
• Pupil conferencing about their learning in Geography.
• We will gather a collection of Geography work that shows progression across the school.
• We will give feedback to staff on how the Geography curriculum is being covered through our analysis of planning, pupil voice and children’s work. We will clearly identify the strengths and weaknesses, so that it is clear to staff which areas they need to improve on.
• Staff will plan for trips and visiting experts to enhance the curriculum.
• Staff will be offered a brief survey about the teaching of Geography towards the end of the academic year to inform the skills progression/route map for the following year.
• We will conduct an audit of resources towards the end of the academic year which will guide us in what is needed for staff to teach Geography effectively.

Intent

At Bishop Tufnell, the intention is to inspire children to want to know more about the past, to think and act as historians and to become increasingly aware of how historical events have shaped the world they live in.  By linking learning to a range of topics, children have opportunities to investigate and interpret the past, understand chronology, build an overview of Britain’s past as well as that of the wider world, and to be able to communicate historically.

At Bishop Tufnell, the History curriculum ensures children know how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world. Children also study significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations and characteristic features of past non-European societies. An understanding of historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance is developed.

Implementation

We teach the children to become historians through developing their knowledge and understanding of people, events and contexts from a range of historical periods, including significant events in Britain’s past. The children learn about the concept of chronology, which underpins their developing sense of period, as well as key concepts such as change and causation.

History lessons enable the children to evaluate the past by formulating and refining questions and lines of enquiry, using skills of thinking, reflection, debate and discussion. A respect for historical evidence and the ability to make critical use of it are encouraged to support learning, including opportunities to undertake high-quality research across a range of history topics.

There are purposeful links between Literacy and the History curriculum.  

Impact

At Bishop Tufnell, the children study a broad History curriculum, which teaches them to develop a sense of curiosity about the past and how people interpret the past in different ways. Our children gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts and they continue to develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history.

Intent

At Bishop Tufnell CE Primary School we recognise that Mathematics is essential to everyday life, important to science, technology and engineering, and necessary for becoming money-wise and financially literate.

We aim to provide a high-quality mathematics education with an approach that enables all children to:

• Become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics.
• Reason mathematically.
• Solve problems by applying their mathematics. (National Curriculum 2014.)

Implementation

At Bishop Tufnell we use the White Rose Maths Scheme, which has been written to support teachers in all aspects of their planning whilst delivering an ambitious, connected curriculum to all pupils.

As part of the planning process, teachers need to plan the following for mathematics lessons:

• Precise questioning to support conceptual and procedural understanding.
• How concrete apparatus will be used to scaffold, within the CPA approach, making connections between different representations.
• The use of mathematical language, providing opportunities for pupils to discuss the mathematics they are doing and to take ideas further.
• Tasks and challenge questions to challenge pupils to apply and deepen their learning and mathematical reasoning.

In the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), we relate the mathematical aspects of the children's work to the Development Matters statements and the Early Learning Goals (ELG), as set out in the EYFS profile document. Mathematics development involves providing children with opportunities to practise and improve their skills in counting numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems, and to describe shapes, spaces, and measures. The profile for Mathematics areas of learning are Number and Number Pattern. We continually observe and assess children against these areas using their age-related objectives, and plan the next steps in their mathematical development through a topic-based curriculum.

There are opportunities for children to encounter Maths throughout the EYFS (both inside and outside) – through both planned activities and the self-selection of easily accessible quality maths resources. Whenever possible children’s interests are used to support delivering the mathematics curriculum.

Towards the end of Reception teachers aim to draw the elements of a daily mathematics lesson together so that by the time children move into Year 1 they are familiar with a structured lesson / activity.

Impact

Our mathematics curriculum is based upon ‘White Rose Maths’ resources which are fully supported by the Department for Education as they meet the requirements of the 2014 curriculum. White Rose Maths provides all the elements that teachers need to teach Maths with confidence and encourage children to talk using maths language. We measure our impact of our curriculum through the following methods:

• A reflection on standards achieved against the planned outcomes.
• The use of ‘hot and cold’ tasks. Each pupil completes a cold task at the beginning of each topic. Each pupil completes a hot task shortly after the end of each topic. Children mark their own tasks so they can see their progress. The tasks show the progress made in each topic.
• Pupil discussions about their learning.

If you would like to view the Calculation Policy and our medium term plans to see how Maths is taught in school, please see below:

Resources to support maths and learning

• NumBots - Primary maths skills
• Times Tables Rock Stars - Times tables practice
• ictgames - Educational math & English games
• MathsOnline - Times tables game
• Topmarks - Math games for ages 5–7

Times tables

Times table songs we learn in school:

• 2 Times Tables Video
• 3 Times Table Song 
• 4 Times Table Song 
• 5 Times Tables Video 
• 6 Times Tables Song 
• 7 Times Tables Video
• 8 Times Tables Song
• 9 Times Tables Video

Recommended resources

• Worksheet and paper based resources are free to download when you set up a parent account on twinkl.co.uk.
• Online games: TT Rockstars, Hit the button, math-salamanders, Mathsisfun, Mathskills4kids, Wordwall, Topmarks.
• Using real world maths: How many eggs in one box? How many eggs in 4 boxes? A fruit shoot costs £1.20, how much for 3 bottles?

Maths words

• Product - The formal word for an answer to multiplication question.
• Multiple - The numbers in a times table ( 3,6,9,12 are all multiples of 3).
• Factors - The numbers you multiply together ( 2 x 3 = 6, 2 and 3 are factors).
• Commutative - That numbers can swap places in multiplication (2 x 3 = is the same as 3 x 2).

Modern Foreign Languages

Intent

All learners at Bishop Tufnell Primary School have the right to an authentic, relevant and rich learning experience that includes the learning of the basics of an additional language. The study of Languages is integral when preparing pupils to participate in a rapidly changing world in which work and other activities are increasingly carried out in languages other than English.

Language learning cultivates confidence and provides an opening to other cultures. Pupils use language to communicate information respectfully and creatively; learning how to use languages to enable access to ideas and experiences from a diverse range of people, communities and cultures across our school and wider demographic. Furthermore, understanding a modern foreign language increases a child’s understanding of their own language, and the fundamental building blocks which form this.

The process of learning a foreign language reinforces fluency and understanding of grammar, syntax, sentence structure and verbal accuracy. Increased capability in the use of languages, can also promote initiative and independence as well as encouraging diversity within society.

We teach a curriculum that enables our learners to become effective users of language, and show an understanding and respect of different cultures in our local, national and worldwide communities. Through the teaching of French at Bishop Tufnell Primary School, we strive to:

• Ensure every child has the opportunity, throughout Key Stage 2, to study French as a foreign language; developing their interest in the culture of other nations, communities and beliefs.
• Ensure learners have access to high-quality teaching and learning opportunities and specialist language teachers.
• Ensure learners have exposure to simple commands including day-to-day French language, including days, months, numbers and classroom instructions.
• Ensure learners develop an increased wider cultural understanding through our enriched and varied curriculum to which languages contribute.
• Provide language informed by the National Curriculum and the skills expressed in this: Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing and Cultural Understanding.

Implementation

Teachers in Bishop Tufnell Primary School work in curriculum teams to complete their planning, preparation and assessment of the MFL curriculum. Within their planning time, teachers have access to a comprehensive scheme of work – Early Start Languages – which covers all aspects of the MFL curriculum: Speaking, listening, reading, writing and cultural understanding. Early Start builds and progresses these skills and knowledge throughout years 3-6. 

Activities can consist of actions, rhymes, stories, song, drama, grammar focus, video clips, air writing, sentence structure, dictionary work, book making and many more creative ways to extend, embed and combine essential language skills. 

Impact

Our MFL curriculum is fun and enjoyed by teachers and learners, well-resourced and planned to demonstrate progression through Key Stage 2. In addition, we measure the impact of our curriculum through:

• Pupil discussions about their learning.
• Monitoring and reflection against subject-specific skills defined in each year of study.
• Children applying their knowledge of language to other areas of the curriculum.
• Children applying their cultural understanding and tolerance across society and cultures.

Intent

The National Curriculum for music aims to ensure that all pupils:

• Perform, listen to, review and evaluate music.
• Be taught to sing, create and compose music.
• Understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated.

At Bishop Tufnell the intention is that children gain a firm understanding of what music is through listening, singing, playing, evaluating, analysing, and composing across a wide variety of historical periods, styles, traditions, and musical genres. Our objective at Bishop Tufnell is to develop a curiosity for the subject, as well as an understanding and acceptance of the validity and importance of all types of music, and an unbiased respect for the role that music may wish to be expressed in any person’s life. We are committed to ensuring children understand the value and importance of music in the wider community, and are able to use their musical skills, knowledge, and experiences to involve themselves in music, in a variety of different contexts.

Implementation

The music curriculum ensures students sing, listen, play, perform and evaluate. This is embedded in the classroom activities as well as the singing assemblies, the learning of instruments, and the joining of our choir. The elements of music are taught in the classroom lessons so that children are able to use some of the language of music to dissect it, and understand how it is made, played, appreciated and analysed. In the classroom students learn how to play an instrument, from three of the main instrument groups of wind, percussion and keyboards. In doing so understand the different principle of each method of creating notes, as well as how to read basic music notation. They also learn how to compose focussing on different dimensions of music, which in turn feeds their understanding when listening, playing, or analysing music. Composing or performing using body percussion and vocal sounds is also part of the curriculum, which develops the understanding of musical elements without the added complexity of an instrument.

Impact

Whilst in school, children have access to a varied programme, which allows students to discover areas of strength, as well as areas they might like to improve upon. The integral nature of music and the learner creates an enormously rich palette from which a student may access fundamental abilities such as: achievement, self-confidence, interaction with and awareness of others, and self-reflection. Music will also develop an understanding of culture and history, both in relation to students individually, as well as ethnicities from across the world. Children are able to enjoy music, in as many ways as they choose- either as listener, creator or performer. They can dissect music and comprehend its parts. They can sing and feel a pulse. They have an understanding of how to further develop skills less known to them, should they ever develop an interest in their lives.

Intent

At Bishop Tufnell Primary School, we are proud of our PE and School Sports provision and it is something we have a long history of excellence in. We aim to develop pupils who will be physically active and can flourish in a range of different physical activities, becoming lifelong active, healthy members of society.

The aims of our PE curriculum are to develop pupils who:

• Are willing to practise skills in a range of different activities and situations, alone, in small groups and in teams, and to apply these skills in chosen activities to achieve exceptionally high levels of performance.
• Have and maintain high levels physical fitness.
• Lead a healthy lifestyle.
• Are able to remain physically active for sustained periods of time and have an understanding of the importance of this in promoting long-term health and well-being.
• Take the initiative and become excellent young leaders, organising and officiating, and evaluating what needs to be done to improve, and motivating and instilling excellent sporting attitudes in others.
• Employ imagination and creativity in their techniques, tactics and choreography.
• Are able to improve their own and others’ performance.
• Can work independently for periods of time.
• Have a keen interest in PE - a willingness to participate eagerly in every lesson, highly positive attitudes and the ability to make informed choices about engaging fully in extracurricular sport.
• Can swim at least 25 metres before the end of Year 6 and know how to remain safe in and around water.

Implementation

Teachers are provided with time to plan the following: 

• A series of lessons for each subject, which carefully plan for progression and depth.
• Challenge questions for pupils to apply their learning in a philosophical/open manner.
• Opportunities to work with experts in the field and learn from their work ethic and demonstrations of good practice.  

Impact 

Our PE Curriculum is high quality, well thought out and is planned to demonstrate progression. If children are keeping up with the curriculum, they are deemed to be making good or better progress. In addition, we measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods: 

• A reflection on standards achieved against the planned outcomes.
• Pupil discussions about their learning.
• The annual tracking of standards across the curriculum. 
• Representing our school at local competitions.

Religious Education

At Bishop Tufnell CE Primary School we follow the West Sussex Agreed Syllabus. The children are taught  Christianity and other main world religions. In Key Stage One they will primarily learn about Christianity and Judaism/Islam. In Key Stage Two the children build on prior knowledge and also explore Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. The children will learn about religious festivals, customs and ways of worship. They learn to:

• Explore basic theological Christian concepts, using a range of sources including the Bible.
• Understand what other world religions there are.
• Express ideas and insights about the nature, significance and impact of religion on society and culture.
• Engage purposefully with a range of world religions.  

As a school we encourage a respect for diversity and aim to strengthen an understanding of other communities and cultures. 

We primarily teach from the Guildford Diocesan Scheme of Work. Each unit starts with a key question to engage learners and contains core knowledge that pupils should become familiar with.  During RE lessons, pupils are encouraged to listen to others and reflect on their own understanding and personal beliefs. Teachers assess pupils’ knowledge and understanding at the end of each unit.

Science

Intent

Science teaching at Bishop Tufnell Primary School aims to give all children a strong understanding of the world around them whilst acquiring specific skills and knowledge to help them to think scientifically, to gain an understanding of scientific processes and also an understanding of the uses and implications of Science, today and for the future.

At Bishop Tufnell Primary School, scientific enquiry skills are embedded in each science Unit / topic that the children study and these topics are revisited and developed throughout their time at school. Science units or topics, such as Plants, are taught in Key Stage One and studied again in further detail throughout Key Stage Two. This model allows children to build upon their prior knowledge and increases their enthusiasm for the topics whilst embedding this procedural knowledge into the long-term memory.

All children are encouraged to develop and use a range of skills including observations, planning and investigations, as well as being encouraged to question the world around them and become independent learners in exploring possible answers for their scientific based questions. Specialist vocabulary for topics is taught and built up, and effective questioning to communicate ideas is encouraged. Concepts taught should be reinforced by focusing on the key features of scientific enquiry, so that pupils learn to use a variety of approaches to answer relevant scientific questions.

We have fantastic school grounds and encourage outdoor learning as much as possible. Science should be fun and fascinating to our children and we want science to excite and interest our children by encouraging as much 1^st hand learning opportunities as possible.

Implementation

Teachers are provided with a route map which clearly shows what they must teach and cover each term, the key areas of learning, and the scientific enquiry skills. As well as this they are provided with the skills progression science document to ensure the key scientific skills are included in their unit /topic focus that term. As part of this planning process, teachers in their year teams need to plan the following:

• Science lessons for each science unit they teach, which carefully plans for progression and depth.
• Use the agreed school lesson proforma  to record the planning of each lesson which must include specific differentiation to meet all needs, important key questions, and AFL.
• Challenge questions for pupils to apply their learning in a philosophical/open manner.
• Trips and or visits from experts who will enhance the learning experience (eg the dentist visits year 4 as part of their teeth care unit).
• An investigation / area of scientific enquiry for each half term topic/ unit. As a staff we have looked at the investigations across the school and mapped out which year group will do which to avoid repetition and ensure they build on previous scientific enquiry skills.

Impact

Our Science Curriculum is high quality, well thought out and is planned to demonstrate progression. If children are keeping up with the curriculum, they are deemed to be making good or better progress. In addition, we measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:

• Teacher reflection on standards achieved against the planned outcomes.
• A celebration of learning in each class at some point through that unit which includes key questions and science vocabulary needed on display and some of the children’s work.
• Tracking of knowledge in pre and post learning quizzes for teacher assessment.
• Pupil discussions about their learning and regular book looks and feedback to staff from the science coordinator focusing on continuous improvement in planning, recording, marking and feedback.