Our Curriculum
Details of our curriculum for each curriculum area can be found below. On each class page, you can also find a presentation from your child's teacher explaining what will be covered within the year.
Additionally, check out the 'Kidz Zone' for resources and websites to support learning at home.
For more information about our curriculum, please contact Mr Dewar-Willox via the school office.
Our Curriculum Intent
A Holme Community School education prepares our children for life in a rapidly changing World, both during their time at school and in preparation for life beyond it. Our commitment to individual happiness and our shared values of respect, responsibility, independence, integrity, cooperation and determination run as a golden-thread through our curriculum. Pupils are supported to discover and develop their talents, to thrive and to become the best they can be.
Our curriculum is broad and ambitious for all. It gives all pupils the opportunity to develop a deep understanding of our World and helps them to understand their place in it. We place great importance on learning about other cultures and traditions, music, art, literature and current affairs. Pupils develop a natural curiosity and enquiry skills through science, designing and creating in Design Technology as well as developing their own health and fitness in physical education.
Our carefully planned curriculum is carefully sequenced over time, re-visiting key concepts to ensure children develop the necessary knowledge, skills and understanding in each curriculum area. Children are encouraged to make connections across their learning and teachers regularly undertake high-quality training to support them to deliver an ambitious curriculum and to develop expertise. The curriculum is adapted to meet the needs of SEND pupils who may need a more tailored approach and a heavy focus is placed on developing vocabulary which is often a barrier to achievement for those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Our enrichment activities form a vital part of our school’s offer. There are vast opportunities for children to participate in a wide-range of extra-curricular activities (including, sport, music, art and outdoor education). Educational visits also enhance the experiences of our children.
From the Early Years Foundation Stage, our curriculum encourages children to learn in a hands-on way, developing curiosity and connecting with the natural environment. Pupils learn about climate change and sustainability and the contributions they can make to the planet.
In key stage 1, emphasis is placed on children developing a secure grasp of reading, writing and mathematics whilst developing children’s knowledge and skills across the foundation subjects.
Our key stage 2 curriculum is broad and varied, with children learning about local, national and international historic and geographical events. Children learn about the influence of key people and develop an understanding of life beyond Britain. Children learn French and develop their cultural awareness alongside their linguistic abilities.
PSHE, incorporating RSHE, is central to our commitment to educating the whole child and all children take part in designated PHSE activities each week in addition to curriculum content and assemblies which are thought provoking and encourage reflection.
Our rich curriculum prepares children for their next steps in education whilst developing the values and attributes that will support them for life.
Our Curriculum Implementation
As well as developing an ambitious curriculum for all children, we've carefully considered how we can support pupils to encounter new material, to learn more and remember more.
Our staff engage in continuous CPD to ensure that they have good subject knowledge which enhances learning and supports them to teach effectively.
We have created a culture which focusses on continuous improvement, so as staff we work together to quality assure our work and share good practice and areas for development.
We've designed a teaching and learning strategy based on Rosenshine's principles to allow us to present subject matter clearly and in a way that supports children with remembering content for the long term and connect learning across the curriculum.
As a team, we use adaptive teaching practices to support all learners to achieve. The teaching and learning strategy promotes the presentation of information in small chunks, with regular repetition. Pupils who need additionally help receive support with additional resources, technology, teaching assistant and teacher support.
Our teaching and learning strategy:
Our Curriculum Impact
Information about the achievement of our pupils and the impact of our curriculum can be found here:
How we adapt the curriculum and learning environment for children & young people with SEN:
We want every child to benefit from a great curriculum, which enables them to learn, grow and be fully included in school life.
Our curriculum is designed not only to meet the requirements of the National Curriculum but to to include a wide range of opportunities that enrich the experience of our children and promote an enthusiasm and curiosity for learning.
Our very moto, 'Happy Children Succeed' articulates our focus on children, at the centre of all we do, their happiness and their success both now and in the future. To achieve these, we deploy a number of strategies, some of the actions we may take to achieve this are:
- A heavy emphasis on pastoral care and wellbeing within our curriculum and through additional support.
- Creating an inclusive culture where children learn about difference and mutual respect
- A teaching and learning policy which focusses on meeting the needs of all our learners, through adaptive teaching strategies, like chunking instructions, regular repetition, dual coding and more.
- Adapting the curriculum to ensure all children can engage in learning, including through the use of technology, teaching assistants and additional resources.
- Ensuring that staff are aware of and sensitive to the needs of individual pupils and that teaching is appropriate to meet those needs.
- To make suitable provision for children with SEND to fully develop their abilities, interests and aptitudes and gain maximum access to the curriculum through individual education plans and interventions.
At Holme Community School, we work hard to remove barriers for SEND children, enabling them to have full access to the curriculum, educational visits and our full range of extra-curricular opportunities. We ensure that reasonable adjustments are made to enable children with SEND to access a full curriculum and to enrich the experiences of all pupils. We seek advice and training, as necessary to provide relevant and appropriate experiences.
We recognise that some pupils with SEN work with outside agencies to support their special educational need in addition to the support they receive in the classroom. We work closely with other professionals to facilitate this support in school and at home. Children with SEN can often work in smaller groups with the teacher or teaching assistant to give them a more concentrated level of support.
More details on how we adapt information, our environment and curriculum can be found in the Accessibility Plan and our Equality Policy which you can find in the policies section of this website.