The Curriculum

At Richard Avenue Primary School, we have developed a school curriculum by following the requirements of the National Curriculum and tailoring this to meet the needs of our pupils. To do this we have identified key drivers that support and promote our school’s vision. We are a vibrant, friendly and multicultural primary school, and our drivers show this as well as demonstrating our commitment and passion for learning.

The curriculum aims to allow children to make links and consider their role within the wider world becoming global citizens. We want to motivate and support pupils to take responsibility and ownership of their learning and encourage their curiosity. Through the use of carefully chosen inquiry based questions, we aim to link knowledge; build on skills through coherent planning and sequencing of lessons; and support pupils in using these skills and knowledge to make a positive difference to the world around them, especially within their community.

Imaginative strategies and exciting resources are often used to capture pupils’ interest and ensure they remain engaged and enthusiastic throughout the lesson.

Ofsted Report

We want to enable our pupils to live as responsible, aspirational young people who see themselves as able to make a difference and share their passion through thoughtful communication.

Our curriculum drivers are:

  • Global Citizen
  • Community
  • Curiosity
  • Communication
Curriculum Drivers Wheel

Curriculum Drivers

Global Citizen

Richard Avenue Primary School aims to provide a curriculum that prepares pupils for an increasingly globalised and interconnected world. Alongside developing global understanding and multiple perspectives, pupil’s education as global citizens includes opportunities for young people to develop their skills as agents of change and to reflect critically on this role. Our pupil’s diversity allows them to share their wealth of knowledge to make our school a hub of expertise that deepens pupil’s understanding and challenges them to think more clearly about the world.

Community

At Richard Avenue Primary School, we believe that our curriculum will enable pupils to develop their emotional understanding that makes them an integral part of our unique community. This distinctive community allows us to call upon a multitude of expertise and perspectives that enhance our teaching. We aim to make parents, carers and the wider community feel welcome and valued at our school. We ensure core values are taught in a relevant and productive way to ensure our pupils develop their sense of belonging within our community.

Curiosity

By developing children’s curiosity, we aim to foster inquisitive thinking through allowing children to explore and investigate. Nurturing their curiosity allows them to become independent learners. At Richard Avenue Primary School, we aim for this inquisitiveness to be throughout the school: from the awe and wonder in early childhood to creating the ‘thinkers & doers’ of the future. We aim to use questions to begin our topics so that children start to speculate and consider what they already know to support their learning. Topics can then be explored and developed through knowledge linked to our community and the wider world.

Communication

Language acquisition is at the heart of our curriculum at Richard Avenue Primary School. In order to promote curiosity as a member of our community and a global citizen, language is a vitally important skill. Children need the vocabulary to be able to express themselves clearly, confidently and with consideration for others. Vocabulary teaching supports children to develop a wealth of cultural knowledge; it provides a gateway to access the knowledge of the curriculum; and is a tool to use when talents are emerging and skills are advancing in our challenging curriculum. Language enables children to become confident communicators who are equipped to succeed both now and in the future.

The Curriculum in Detail

Below you can view how your child follows the national curriculum by either year group or foundation subjects:

Curriculum by Year Groups

Please click on the appropriate link for a curriculum breakdown by Year Group:

Early Years

Please see our information about our Early Years Foundation Subjects curriculum.

Mathematics at Richard Avenue

Please see our information about the mathematics curriculum.

English at Richard Avenue

Please see our information about the english curriculum.

Curriculum by Foundation Subjects

Please click on the appropriate link for a curriculum breakdown by Foundation Subject:

Phonics and Reading Schemes

At Richard Avenue 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 Nursery/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.

As a result, all our children are able to tackle any unfamiliar words as they read. At Richard Avenue Primary School we also model the application of the alphabetic code through phonics in shared reading and writing, both inside and outside of the phonics lesson and across the curriculum. We have a strong focus on language development for our children because we know that speaking and listening are crucial skills for reading and writing in all subjects.

Creative Curriculum

To enable our pupils to achieve their full potential we strive to give them the chance to take part in as many first hand experiences as possible. We believe this has a positive impact upon their learning, especially in writing. It also can broaden their life experiences.

This approach involves learning not only from visitors to the school and visits outside, but also between pupils within classes and across Key Stages.

You can read about many examples of this in our news section.

SMSC and Fundamental British Values

All maintained schools must meet the requirements set out in section 78 of the Education Act 2002 and promote the spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development of their pupils.

Here at Richard Avenue SMSC is a key part of school life and our provision has been deemed as “outstanding” by OFSTED in our last two inspections. Our school not only ensures pupils receive a good standard of SMSC development but in doing so we also actively promote the fundamental British values. We feel by doing this our children have a better sense of themselves, the world and other people and helps them to form positive relationships with others.

What is SMSC ?

SMSC stands for Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural. Below we give information on each:

  • Spiritual development encourages our children to have a strong sense of identity, self-worth, personal insight, meaning and purpose. We do this by providing opportunities to be reflective and engage in opportunities that promote a sense of enjoyment and fascination with the world around them.
  • Moral development helps our children to understand the difference between right and wrong, and encourages children to think through arguments, and to have a reasoned opinion.
  • Social development encourages our children to co-operate well with each other, build positive relationships and be part of a successful multi-ethnic, multi-racial, multi-religious, multi-cultural community. It also encourages the acceptance and engagement with the fundamental British Values, thus they develop the skills and attitudes that will allow them to fully participate and contribute to life in modern Britain.
  • Cultural development enables our children to appreciate cultural influences that have shaped their own heritage and that of others. It promotes children’s interest in different cultures, improves their understanding of them, and helps them to respect different faiths, beliefs and cultural diversity.

Pupils’ behaviour in the playground, in the dining hall and as they move around the school building is exemplary. They are polite and courteous, showing excellent manners, and listen to each other and take turns. They look after and care for each other well.

Ofsted Report

How do we promote SMSC at Richard Avenue?

We feel that by meeting requirements for collective worship, establishing a strong school ethos supported by effective relationships throughout the school, providing relevant activities and experiences within our broad and balanced curriculum within the classroom and beyond the classroom, are all ways of ensuring our pupils’ SMSC development. Our pupils are encouraged to regard people of all faiths, races and cultures with respect and tolerance. It is expected that pupils should understand that while different people may hold different views about what is ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, all people living in England are subject to its law. The school’s ethos and teaching support the rule of English civil and criminal law and we do not teach anything that undermines it.