The Hill Primary Academy Astrea Academy Trust
Curriculum Statement
In order to create our curriculum, we have implemented the statutory requirements of the 2014 National Curriculum in a way that meets both the needs and interests of our children. Incorporated into our curriculum are opportunities to create positive relationships, take risks and be reflective learners. Our curriculum is broad and balanced and reflects fundamental British values which are explicitly planned in.
At The Hill, we strive to offer children a rich curriculum full of purposeful learning opportunities, making links between subjects. As part of this, we follow the Cornerstones approach to the teaching of the foundation subjects. This approach to the curriculum is designed to enthuse and engage children in their learning and allows them to take ownership of a topic. Each half term is spent looking at a learning project with one subject at its core, but that also covers a range of other subjects across the curriculum. In this way, children are able to make links between subject areas and become immersed in the topic. Each learning project begins with a hook, to engage children in their learning. From dissecting a heart in Bloodheart, in Year 6, to tasting a range of foods from around the world in Scrumdiddlyumptious in Year 3.
Over the year, the whole curriculum is covered through the learning projects and focused teaching of subjects that are not covered by the Cornerstones topics, to ensure that there are no gaps in learning.
Please click on the link below for an overview of the learning projects that each year group will be covering each half term. If you would like any more information, please contact Jamie Marsh, Curriculum Lead.
Cornerstones Long Term Plan 2019-2020
The school follows the Barnsley agreed syllabus for Religious Education which can be accessed through the link below.
While in year 4 the children are provided with the opportunity to learn to play a musical instrument through Brass tuition.
During year 4 also the children access swimming in the spring and summer terms.
Please click on the links below to access the long term planning for each subject.
Music Long Term Plan 2019-2020
At The Hill, maths is taught using a mastery approach ensuring children access the three strands of the 2014 maths curriculum: fluency, reasoning and problem solving. An important resource teachers use are Power Maths textbooks and workbooks. This is a DfE recommended scheme that teachers use for whole class teaching and independent practice. This resource is supplemented with greater depth challenges from NCETM and Nrich amongst other materials. Most objectives are taught through a concrete-pictorial-abstract approach which encourages the majority of children to progress at broadly the same pace.
It is very important that our children have a secure foundation of key skills in maths. These include number bonds and multiplication facts. Years 2-6 use Times Tables Rock stars to practice quick recall of multiplication tables.
Fluency in arithmetic is crucial to ensuring children can apply their learning to other contexts. Arithmetic skills are practised every day.
We make use of Same Day Intervention to ensure children do not progress through school with gaps in their learning. Children with particular weaknesses in maths are also able to access specific key skill interventions.
To enable teachers to make accurate assessments, each child has a small step tracker which teachers use to highlight the objectives that they feel children have achieved. To ensure accurate judgements, end of unit assessments are used to identify gaps in learning. If a teacher identifies a gap in a child’s learning, the child will be placed in a strengthen intervention and given another opportunity to grasp the concept.
Please click on the links below to access the What is Maths Leaflet and the Department for Education Mathematics Programmes of Study: Key Stages 1 and 2.
Mathematics Programmes of Study – Key Stages 1 and 2
Please click on the links below to access the school’s Phonics Policy and Reading Policy.