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Margaret Wix Primary School

Curriculum

THE NATIONAL CURRICULUM

We follow the National Curriculum. The curriculum contains the programmes of study and attainment targets for all subjects, at all key stages. 

CURRICULUM INTENT AND IMPLEMENTATION

We have created a curriculum bespoke to our school. We call our carefully planned curriculum and the way we have matched it to our children and our context, The Wix Way, ensuring that every child is inspired by their learning on a daily basis. Year group specific curriculum information can be found on our class pages. If you would like more information about the curriculum, please speak to one of the class teachers or contact the school. 

CURRICULUM MAP

The map below provide parents/carers with the opportunity to see what the children are covering in class throughout the three terms. This document is reviewed termly.

LEARNING POWERS AND VALUES

Every Monday afternoon in assembly the children are introduced to our JIGSAW skill of the week which is embedded within our PSHE lessons and the winner is spotted by the children.

Alongside these skills we have our school LEARNING POWERS AND VALUES which were voted for by the children. The class teachers remind children about the learning powers and values throughout the week and a child who has shown these skills is presented with an award in our Friday Celebration Assembly. Each month, the children vote for the learning super hero of the week and a cup is awarded in assembly by our Behaviour Minister from our Pupil Parliament. 

Our learning powers and values are also embedded within our day-to-day teaching. 

PROGRESSION OF SKILLS

The documents below provide parents with information about the skills covered across the school in a range of areas. 

BRITISH VALUES

 

At Margaret Wix Primary School we look to promote fundamental British values as part of social, moral, spiritual and cultural provision. Across the curriculum, there are opportunities to teach pupils about British values at Margaret Wix, for example:

Democracy

Assemblies

Class charters

Voting for Pupil Parliament members and House Captains

Eco Warriors

Voting for class stories

Trip to the Houses of Parliament

Pupil voice

Oracy curriculum encourages healthy debate and discussion about topical issues

The Rule of Law

PCSO visits

Crucial Crew trip

Trip to the Houses of Parliament

Class charters

Assemblies

Behaviour policy includes restorative justice

All staff are Herts Steps trained

Weekly PSHE lessons

Online safety curriculum promoting positive and safe use of digital technology

Weekly behaviour challenges

Individual Liberty

Sporting events within and between schools

Productions

Music concerts

Book week

Science week

Marvellous maths week

Wondrous writing week

Remarkable reading week

International week

Enterprise Day

Class assemblies

Outdoor learning

Aspirations day

House points and house challenges

Assemblies

Sunshine Club

Sports day

Junior citizenship challenge

Charity committee

Mutual respect for and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs

Learning powers and values

Assemblies

Anti-bullying week

Singing at a local residential home

International week

Whole-school pantomime

Weekly PSHE lessons

Weekly RE lessons

Outdoor learning days

Inclusive texts in our library and classrooms

Online safety curriculum promoting positive and safe use of digital technology

Languages spoken displayed in every classroom

Visitors from all faiths

Trips to places of worship

Black History Month

Children are also encouraged to develop British Values through the Junior Citizenship Challenge which is aimed especially at our pupils in Key Stage Two. Head over to our Pupil Leadership page to find out more. 

ASSEMBLIES

 

Over the course of the year, a carefully planned programme of assemblies is delivered.

 

On Monday afternoon, the headteacher delivers an assembly focusing on the Jigsaw skill of the week that is further backed--up in the PHSE lessons delivered in the classroom. Children are also given the opportunity to vote for a Jigsaw winner from their class and the certificates are given out in this assembly also.

 

On Tuesday afternoon, a member of the senior leadership team will deliver an assembly about the learning power and value of the month. Our learning powers and values are kindness, respect for others, curiosity, resilience and self belief. Each month, there is a different focus and the children are encouraged to vote for the person that has shown that particular learning power the most. The behaviour ministers then count these votes and a learning powers cup is presented in Celebration Assembly. All the children do their best to win it! 

 

On Wednesday afternoon, the whole school take part in a music assembly where the band plays (made up of our children) and everyone sings. We work towards performances which are then shared in our termly music concerts as well as gathering knowledge and practising our skills.

 

On Thursday afternoon, our teachers across the school deliver a collection of well-chosen and well-planned assemblies sharing knowledge and information around subjects such as:

 

NSPCC Speak out and stay safe

Anti-racism

Black History Month

Humanism

Harvest Assembly

Reading for enjoyment

IRock assembly and various other music assemblies

Class Sharing Assemblies

Anti-bullying

Advent and Christmas

Various assemblies regarding all world religions and celebrations

British Values assemblies

Chinese New Year

Children's Mental Health

Online Safety

And, many more

 

On Friday morning, the whole community are invited to Celebration Assembly. Children's achievements are celebrated with parents and carers and all the children and staff. There is a particular focus on our learning powers, reading and key maths skills. We also celebrate attendance and looking after our environment. At the end of the assembly, a cup is awarded for the winning house with the most house points. Every week, is a very special occasion. 

CULTURAL CAPITAL AT MARGARET WIX PRIMARY SCHOOL

 

What does Cultural Capital mean at Margaret Wix Primary School?

 

Every child and family who joins our setting will have their own knowledge and experiences that will link to their culture and wider family. This might include: languages, beliefs, traditions, cultural and family heritage, interests, travel and work.

 

Cultural capital is the accumulation of knowledge, behaviours, and skills that a child can draw upon and which demonstrates their cultural awareness, knowledge and competence; it is one of the key ingredients children will draw upon to be successful in society, their career and the world of work.

 

Cultural capital gives power. It helps children achieve goals, become successful, and rise up the social ladder without necessarily having wealth or financial capital. Cultural capital is having assets that give children the desire to aspire and achieve social mobility whatever their starting point.

 

Ofsted define cultural capital as…

“As part of making the judgement about the quality of education, inspectors will consider the extent to which schools are equipping pupils with the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life.

Our understanding of ‘knowledge and cultural capital’ is derived from the following wording in the national curriculum: ‘It is the essential knowledge that pupils need to be educated citizens, introducing them to the best that has been thought and said and helping to engender an appreciation of human creativity and achievement.’ “

 

At Margaret Wix Primary School, children benefit from a flexible curriculum that builds on what they understand and know already. We believe that exposure, not only to culture but also to situations in which the children might not have previous experiences of, is of paramount importance to their ongoing successes.

 

Gradually widening children’s experiences as they progress through school is an important step in providing rich and engaging learning across the curriculum. We plan carefully for children to have progressively richer experiences in nursery and beyond. These include trips to the local park, shops and visits to places of worship, museums, sports, visitors to school, and music venues just to name a few.

Personal Development:

 Citizenship, Personal, Social and Health Education provision

  • Growth mindset strategies for the development of resilience
  • Support for transitions between year groups and from school to school
  • Work to develop confidence e.g. role play, supporting peers, responsibilities, opportunities to perform, class assemblies
  • Activities focused on building self-esteem
  • Mental health & well-being provision
  • Nurture provision through targeted provision
  • Current affairs built into PSHE curriculum and reading sessions
  • Engagement in events to promote careers – Aspirations Day
  • Incorporating financial skills to the curriculum – Enterprise week for Year 6
  • Learning beyond the classroom – outdoor learning, extra -curricular activities , Forest School, gardening club
  • Creativity encouraged through art and design technology with exposure to STEM topics
  • Sustainability activities - wildflower meadow, towels in classrooms, reusing, energy saving, working with others. 

Social Development:

  • Personal, Social and Health Education provision
  • Pupil voice
  • Pastoral support from all staff
  • Nurture provision through targeted provision
  • Support from outside agencies
  • Roles and responsibilities eg, School Parliament, House Captains, Charity Committee
  • Volunteering and charitable work
  • Choir/music visits to local places
  • Extra-curricular clubs
  • Opportunities to perform in a range of contexts, eg music, sport, drama, class assemblies, concerts, plays
  • Whole school art projects with a themed art exhibition to showcase achievements and success
  • Engagement with people in the local community eg, authors, MPs, religious leaders, emergency crews
  • Sustainability activities - wildflower meadow, towels in classrooms, reusing, energy saving, working with others. 

Physical Development:

 Physical Education curriculum

  • Weekly running club, weekly swimming
  • Wide range of sporting activities and
  • The PSHE programme, including strands on drugs, smoking and alcohol
  • Extra-curricular clubs related to sports and well-being
  • The celebration of sporting achievement including competitive sport
  • Activity-based residential visits
  • Design and technology units related to food preparation and nutrition including visits from experts
  • Den building weeks with a focus on being outdoors, healthy lifestyles and team work

Moral Development:

  • Religious Education curriculum
  • School ethos and aims
  • Celebration assemblies and awards
  • Behaviour for learning policy and systems for promoting positive attitudes and behaviour eg, house points, learning ladders
  • Contributions to local, national and international charitable projects
  • Pupil voice opportunities eg School Parliament
  • Responsibilities across the school
  • Understanding cause and effect, making the right choices
  • Engagement in community events eg harvest festival collections for local food banks
  • Sustainability activities - wildflower meadow, towels in classrooms, reusing, energy saving, working with others. 

Cultural Development:

 Citizenship education through PSHE

  • Arts education including music and drama connection with St Albans Music School and Haberdashers
  • Access to the languages and cultures of other countries through the geography and MFL curriculum
  • Promotion of racial equality and community cohesion through the school’s ethos, informing all policy and practice
  • Cultural diversity celebrations
  • Assemblies
  • Charity events
  • World Book Day
  • Choir, orchestra, music groups, concerts
  • International Week
  • Exposure to cultural opportunities eg, theatre, reading, museums, abbey
  • The curriculum and resources reflect the diversity of the school community eg, multi cultural toys, dolls with a range of skin tones, enhanced environment, books from different cultures with people of colour as the main characters, food condiments from around the world in the home corner
  • Multi faith festivals incorporated into assembly schedule
  • Displays showing people of colour in authority positions eg, authors, inspirational people, artists and designers

Spiritual Development: 

 Religious Education Curriculum

  • Daily collective acts of reflection
  • Support for the expression of individual faiths
  • Wide range of opportunities for the appreciation and love of music
  • Meeting a variety of religious leaders

 

At Margaret Wix Primary School, we promise a variety of experiences for our children during their time with us. 

 

"Fair doesn't mean giving every child the same thing, it means giving every child what they need." Attributed to Rick Lavoie

 

Children’s pledge at Margaret Wix Primary School.

 

By the time I am 11, I will have

  • had the chance to express my views on school issues and be listened to
  • had my academic, sporting or creative talents celebrated – at school or outside
  • taken part in a public event (with parents or others – for example sharing assembly, sports, concert or visual arts)
  • taken part in a play or reading that involves either acting, speaking or helping with the production
  • had the opportunity to learn to play a musical instrument
  • been on an educational visit and had an opportunity for an overnight stay
  • helped others through voluntary activities
  • had the opportunity to take part in an artistic or sporting event … at a theatre, stadium or arena
  • learned about other cultures and faiths
  • worked with children from other schools on a project, event or experience
  • experienced the wider curriculum, practical science and technology
  • had the chance to take on a leadership role to develop the school
  • had the opportunity to learn how to protect the world for future generations
  • had the chance to have my voice heard ranging from small group discussions to presentational talk opportunities
  • had an opportunity to learn from and in my local area
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