Curriculum

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Futura curriculum

We inspire our children's learning through a creative curriculum, ensuring our pupils experience a wide breadth of study and have, by the end of each key stage, long-term memory of an ambitious body of procedural and semantic knowledge. Our progressive curriculum, from 3-19 years ensures that children have the requisite knowledge to proceed to their next year of study, including transition to secondary school.

Our curriculum is ambitious, meeting and often exceeding the national curriculum, for all and strives to address inclusion and disadvantage in its intent and implementation. For more information of the intent, implementation and impact of each curriculum area, please read the Futura curriculum (Pdf). The Futura curriculum principles (Pdf) shows how our curriculum benefits from being part of the Futura Learning Partnership and integrates with the Futura values.

To find out more information about the intent, implementation, and impact of our curriculum; please read our subject handbooks:

• Reading
• Writing
• Maths
• Science and Foundation Subjects

For year group specific curriculum information please refer to the class pages.

If you have any questions or would like further information please contact us.

 

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Art & Design

Intent

The Futura Learning Partnership intent for Art and Design is that learners will explore a diverse range of traditional and contemporary artists, crafts people and designers, fostering their curiosity and understanding of the world around them. Learners’ experiences will enable them to develop an appreciation of their own and other cultures and how artistic styles have been influenced over time.

Through high quality art lessons learners will become reflective critical thinkers with the abilities to express themselves creatively. They will learn to evaluate their own work and the work of others. A well-sequenced art curriculum will allow learners to make continued progression through the refinement of skills and building on prior knowledge.

Learners will have the opportunity to apply their skills and knowledge in a range of contexts. Learners will be exposed to art in the local community, galleries and museums to inspire and inform their creative practice.

For more information, please see the Futura Curriculum for Art and Design (Pdf).

 

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Computing

Intent

The Futura Learning Partnership intent for Computing is that an exciting and rigorous Computing education will ensure children are immersed in engaging, technology-rich learning experiences which allow them to learn deeply and embed core computing skills, think independently and problem solve in an ever evolving digital world. Regardless of changes within technology and the world we live in, our children will possess the core skills and behaviours required to safely and confidently access new technology to enhance their wider learning, access the curriculum throughout their school journey and inspire a future where technology is used to innovate and make positive change. We believe that learning about Computing provides an important context for the development of pupils’ key learning skills, particularly problem-solving, creative and critical thinking and resourcefulness. Futura recognise that social context plays a vital role in children’s education and as such we aim to provide opportunities for children to experience Computing in ways that are unique to their local and wider community.

For more information, please see the Futura Curriculum for Computing (Pdf).

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Design and Technology

Our DT curriculum aims to equip students with the knowledge, skills and attitudes they need to become successful, innovative young designers and makers. By building on prior experience, students progressively develop technical skills and practical expertise. They are encouraged to think creatively, imaginatively and be ambitious in their design ideas. They are given opportunities to solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values. They learn to recognise the importance of design and technology in the real world and its relevance in everyday life. They are given opportunities to learn about and be inspired by designs and designers past and present who have impacted on life across the world.

Through the design, make, evaluate process, students are guided to develop skills of team work, communication, resilience and reflectiveness through problem solving. They learn to use knowledge and understanding from other curriculum areas including mathematical, scientific, computing and art skills, applying them in relevant and practical contexts. In this way, we aspire for our students to become articulate, dynamic thinkers able to approaching new challenges with confidence and enthusiasm.

For more information, please see the Futura Curriculum for Design and Technology (Pdf)

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English

The Futura Learning Partnership (FLP) intent for English is that a high-quality education will inspire children to become creative and critical thinkers. We believe that it is the right of every child to become a competent and confident user of the English language; able to live, work and succeed in the literate world. Children will be able to communicate fluently and confidently, using a wide vocabulary accurately and effectively. They will be able to critique a range of fiction and non-fiction texts, appreciating a rich and varied literary heritage.

Children will be inspired to become imaginative writers who can write coherently with a high level of accuracy in spelling, punctuation and grammar; children will be able to adapt their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences. English provides the fundamental building blocks for students to succeed in all subjects; a high level of literacy provides the vehicle needed to unpick key concepts across the curriculum. This, alongside carefully selected texts appropriate to our contexts, develops the cultural capital needed to succeed in life. Crucially, we aim to foster a love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment.

Phonics

The school uses the Read Write Inc scheme of work, in Reception and Years 1 and 2, to teach children to read accurately and fluently with good comprehension. They also learn to form each letter, spell correctly, and compose their ideas step-by-step.

For more information, please see the Futura Curriculum for English (Pdf).

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Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)

The period from age three to the end of the Reception year is described as the Early Years Foundation Stage. It is a distinct stage and important both in its own right and in preparing children for later schooling.

At Two Rivers Primary School, we currently have one cohort of Early Years children. We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum where learning encourages children to develop into independent, happy and confident children who have a desire to learn and play. Children have access to an indoor and outdoor environment at Two Rivers and benefit from the facilities at other schools in the trust such as the Forest School area at Chandag Junior School.

Our EYFS curriculum ensures we are able to meet the individual needs of every child within our school. The principles that guide the work in the EYFS are grouped into four themes:

  • A unique child
  • Positive relationships
  • Enabling environments
  • Learning and development

 

At Two Rivers, we use the EYFS curriculum to identify the Characteristics of Effective Learning. This shows us how each child engages with other people and their environment, how they play and explore, if they are active learners and if they are creating and thinking critically. We have a balance of adult initiated and adult directed tasks as part of our curriculum offer to ensure that children make the best progress. We also use the Leuven Scale to help us to gain a deep understanding of children’s emotional wellbeing and involvement. The Leuven Scale is a five-point scale that allows childcare practitioners to measure children’s ’emotional well-being’ and ‘involvement’ – two vital components of learning, development and progress in children. This is particularly useful when children first start school but is also used throughout the year.

We make observations of children’s learning which enable us to move learning forward in a way which is appropriate to each child’s stage in their development.

We record observations using the online assessment tool Tapestry which captures these precious and valuable moments and allows the adults to link these to the stages of development in Development Matters. This non-statutory guidance material supports adults in the EYFS in implementing the statutory requirements of the EYFS. Parents and carers are able to access Tapestry at home to respond to learning that has been put on there and also to document home experiences.

 

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Geography

Geography

The purpose of the Futura Learning Partnership geography intent is to provide a framework for high quality geography education across phases to inspire in pupils a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. The aim is to ensure that pupils are equipped with knowledge about a diverse range of places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the earth’s key physical and human processes. Pupils should make sense of the complex world around them, understand and be confident to investigate some of the major issues, challenges and opportunities that the world faces today. The aim is to ensure that pupils will develop greater competence in using geographical knowledge, approaches, concepts and skills in analysing and interpreting a wide range of different geographical information. In that way pupils will enrich their locational knowledge and spatial and environmental understanding as well as acquire the geographical cultural capital needed to be confident and successful global citizens.

Numeracy (number and measurement) solving numerical problems, the ways in which numerical information is gathered by counting and measuring, and how it is presented in graphs, charts and tables. There are many opportunities within geography for students to develop their numeracy skills.

For more information, please see the Futura Curriculum for Geography (Pdf).

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Languages

Learning a foreign language is a liberation from insularity and provides an opening to other cultures. At the Futura Learning Partnership, we aim to foster pupils’ curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world. We strongly believe that languages are a skill for life, and something that pupils should enjoy and find rewarding. Through learning foreign language, students also develop literacy and oracy in their own language as well as resilience and problem solving skills. Language learning should provide the foundation for learning further languages.

We hope to expand students’ cultural knowledge whilst developing their language skills. Through language learning, pupils gain a sound understanding of the structure of their own language, leading to effective communication in the foreign language. Students of all abilities can benefit from learning a foreign language, supporting and enhancing their literacy learning across the curriculum.

The Languages curriculum caters for students with varied previous language learning. It enables students to build upon prior knowledge or language learning skills. Students are well-prepared at the end of each key stage to tackle the next steps in language learning but equally, should they choose not to continue their formal language learning, they are equipped with the skills and knowledge to use in the workplace or for leisure or to further their learning.

We learn French at our school.

For more information, please see the Futura Curriculum for Languages (Pdf)

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History

The Futura Learning Partnership intent for history is that a high-quality history education will inspire children to have a curiosity and fascination about the local area and Britain’s past and that of the wider world as well.

Children will be able to think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement. The children’s deep learning of history and its related information gathering skills will enable them to have an understanding of where we have come from and how this has been influenced by the wider world and different cultural heritages. This in turn will enable us to learn from the past, model the future and understand society and the child’s place within it. Furthermore, it gives us a view of other cultures and their development through time.

We believe that learning about historical events provides an important context for the development of pupils’ key learning skills, particularly communication, working with others, problem solving and critical thinking skills and that this will be done not just through experiences in the classroom but also through the use of field work and educational visits.

For more information, please see the Futura Curriculum for History (Pdf).

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Maths

Our long-term aim is to produce an ambitious, engaging, connected curriculum accessible to all pupils in the Futura Learning Partnership. Pupils will make rich connections across mathematical ideas to develop fluency, mathematical reasoning and competence in solving increasingly sophisticated problems.The intent of our mathematics curriculum is to design a curriculum, which is accessible to all and will maximise the development of every child’s ability and academic achievement and preparation for their journey into the wider world. We aim to deliver lessons that are creative and engaging. We intend for our pupils to be able to apply their mathematical knowledge across the curriculum. Pupils who grasp concepts rapidly should be challenged through being offered rich and sophisticated problems before any acceleration through new content.

For more information, please see the Futura Curriculum for Maths (Pdf)

Multiplication Challenge - TTRS

We use Times Table Rockstars, a whole-school times table challenge, to encourage children to learn their multiplication facts by heart.

Children complete fun and exciting games/activities according to their ability. Once they have improved their time taken to answer the questions their Rock Star Avatar changes. Can you aim to become a Rock legend? Further to this, the more frequently they play, then the more points they gain to spend on their Avatar.

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Music

In the Futura Learning Partnership, our intention is that children develop a life-long love of music. Through the musical experiences and opportunities offered to them throughout their education, each child will develop a musical identity which is personal to them, this may be in the form of a performer, composer and/or as an active listener who, in the future, will become a participator in the cultural life of the UK. In EYFS, KS1 and KS2 music acts as an integral part of the school day, be that singing whilst packing up, or listening to a new piece of music whilst walking into assembly. Our music curriculum plan, guided by the EYFS framework and National Curriculum, ensures that all children from EYFS and Year 9 experience a stimulating, practical and holistic curriculum which explores music through singing, performing, composing and listening. Every student in the Futura Trust will have been taught the substantive and disciplinary knowledge required for GCSE Music, and therefore possibly A-Level, should they wish to study Music at KS4 and KS5.

Alongside this we encourage all students to develop their musicianship in a variety of extra-curricular activities both in and outside school. Inevitably, the cultural capital of each student will be developed throughout their musical education within the trust yet each individual school also aims to meet the cultural interests, and needs, of the community in which our schools are based - all musical cultures and welcomed and embraced. We strive to ensure all students find Music an engaging and fulfilling subject in which they embrace the discipline of practice, the challenge of analysis and the excitement of creating and finding their own musical voice.

For more information, please see the Futura Curriculum for Music (Pdf).

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Religious Education (RE)

As a Church of England School, our RE lessons are important times when children can explore and better understand their own and other people’s experiences of Christian and other world faiths. The children explore human life, its aspirations, times of celebration, problems, and challenges. 

The Futura intent for Religious Education is that all children develop an awareness of major world religions and world views, including their impact on society and culture. Our pupils should be able to appreciate and respect faiths and beliefs which may be different to their own, which will equip them for their adult life, employment as well as lifelong learning. Through RE lessons, children will be able to engage with challenging questions of meaning and purpose, which will equip them to continue their studies of RE in secondary school where they will deepen their understanding of different world faiths as well as more general philosophical and ethical questions. Our pupils will be given the opportunity to develop their own religious, spiritual and philosophical beliefs in a safe environment. Children will be able to reflect, consider, analyse, interpret and evaluate different issues which are prevalent in our society, whilst also promoting mutual respect and tolerance in line with British Values.  Our curriculum is ambitious for all and strives to address inclusion and disadvantage in its intent and implementation.  

We teach Religious Education using the scheme ‘Discovery RE’ resource to support our lessons.

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Physical Education

The purpose of the Futura Learning Partnership cross-phase Physical Education (PE) curriculum is to foster a life-long love for a variety of physical activities and sporting opportunities. Through this engaging curriculum they will develop a range of transferrable skills, language, knowledge and understanding which can be used in multiple settings. A student will be provided with many opportunities to develop wider personal, social and moral skills which could include resilience, communication, teamwork, independence, leadership, analysis and evaluation. Our students will develop their understanding of what engenders a healthy lifestyle both physically and the contribution this has on good mental health and well-being. Opportunities will be provided to experience a broad range of different sports safely, through participation and observations, in both the curricular and extra-curricular provision. Community links are established and advertised to encourage our students to have further opportunities for continuing participation through school extra-curricular activities and local clubs and sports.

Our relevant, engaging and challenging curriculum means that students who have studied PE at a Futura school will continue to enjoy learning about Physical Education, physical activity and a variety of sports throughout their lives. The curriculum overview has been created to develop a range of activities for students, whilst also providing specific support/opportunities for activities that are likely to be used in GCSE/A level assessment, along with links to extra-curricular opportunities. Through creating a structured programme, specific SOL can be created for each activity which enables clear progression through years 1-11. This allows all Futura schools to meet Ofsted requirements and those of the National Curriculum. Leaders, teachers and students need to be able to articulate the learning journey and this structure allows this to happen.

Where activities have been suggested, an alternative can be taught in schools where this better suits the local context. An example of this could be, when gymnastics has been suggested, trampolining could be used instead if the school has the provision for this.

For more information, please see the Futura Curriculum for Physical Education (Pdf).

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Personal, social, and health education (PSHE)

The purpose of the Futura Learning Partnership PSHE intent is to provide a framework for high quality PSHE education across phases which is accessible to all and ensures that each of our pupils will develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to keep themselves healthy, safe and prepared for life and work.

The aim is to ensure our pupils understand more about how to play a positive and successful role within our society, both as a child and as an adult within the future. It should have an impact on both academic and non-academic outcomes for pupils, particularly the most vulnerable and disadvantaged.

The aim is for a holistic PSHE learning journey spanning the pupil’s school career, with a progressive, spiral curriculum that addresses real needs in a rapidly changing world. Our curriculum is ambitious for all and strives to address inclusion and disadvantage in its intent and implementation.

Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) information

For more information, please see the Futura Curriculum for Personal, Social, Health and Economic (Pdf).

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Science

The purpose of the Futura Learning Partnership cross-phase Science curriculum is to help students understand and question the world around them. It gives them the scientific knowledge and skills that they need in order to be successful in their future lives and make a contribution to the wider community. Students are empowered with a strong knowledge base that they can then use to evaluate important issues, analyse evidence and problem solve. They develop the confidence to form their own opinions and articulate themselves effectively. Our engaging and challenging curriculum means that students who have studied Science at a Futura school will continue to enjoy learning about Science and how the world works throughout their lives.

For more information, please see the Futura Curriculum for Science (Pdf).

 

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Social, moral, spiritual and cultural development (SMSC)

At Two Rivers, we take great pride in our approach to SMSC across the school, feeling that pupils should develop into tolerant, caring individuals with a social conscience. SMSC feeds into several areas of life at Two Rivers: collective worship during assemblies; charity and community outreach projects; spirituality sessions; online safety and mental health awareness days.

We use our school values: Kindness, Respect and Courage, to encourage children to reflect on the qualities they wish to embody.

This statement should be read alongside the relationships and sex education policy.

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British Values

Our school reflects British values in all that we do.  We nurture our pupils on their journey through life so they grow in to caring, responsible and tolerant adults who make a positive difference to British society and to the wider world. We encourage them to be creative, unique, open-minded and independent individuals, respectful of themselves and others in our school, our local community and beyond. 

At Two Rivers, we actively promote British values in the following ways:  

Democracy  

Pupils are encouraged to debate topics of interest, express their views and make a meaningful contribution to the running of the school. The children worked with staff, parents and governors to develop the school values and vision. 

Rule of Law  

We have a clear positive behaviour policy which helps pupils to make good choices about their behaviour. Pupils are helped to distinguish right from wrong, in the classroom, during assemblies and in the playground. This is supported by a growth mindset, restorative approach. 

Individual Liberty  

At school, pupils are encouraged, and given the freedom to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment, e.g. challenging themselves in their learning. They are supported to develop self-knowledge, self-confidence and a growth mind set in all areas of school life. Pupils are taught to understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms in a safe way, e.g. within Jigsaw lessons. 

Mutual Respect and Tolerance of Those with Different Faiths and Beliefs  

Respect is one of our school values. Pupils understand that respect is shown to everyone, both adults and children. We help them to develop an understanding of, and respect for, their own and other cultures. Staff and pupils are encouraged to challenge prejudicial or discriminatory behaviour. Through the PSHE and RE curriculum, pupils are encouraged to discuss and respect differences and similarities between people. We offer a culturally rich and diverse curriculum in which all major religions are studied. Through our curriculum we learn about the world in themes such as Eco Warriors and Wonderful World.

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Remote Education

When the school provides remote education, this will be through our online learning platform 'Seesaw' and Microsoft Teams.

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