At Dore Primary School, our curriculum reflects our four school values: Resourcefulness, Resilience, Creativity and Kindness, incorporating ways to wellbeing, positive emotional and mental health and metacognitive learning. Children leave Dore Primary School with a sense of belonging to a tightly knit community where they have the confidence and skills to make decisions, self-evaluate, make connections and become lifelong learners.
In line with the Equalities Act (2010) and The Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations (2014), Dore Primary School adheres fully to the Inclusion agenda for access to the National Curriculum and all areas of school life for all pupils. We aim to identify and remove barriers for any child who may be at risk of underachievement; this includes children with special educational needs or a disability. The identification of vulnerable pupils and the support given by the school is a key element of the school’s ethos. Partnership with the families of all children is vital to achieve success.
If you would like to know more about our curriculum or speak to a subject leader (named on the Meet Our Staff tab) about a specific subject, please contact enquiries@dore.sheffield.sch.uk and ask to be put in touch with them.
Our curriculum is based on these BASIC PRINCIPLES:
- The uniqueness of every child is recognised, valued and celebrated. As such, our curriculum embraces the community in which it exists, recognising and celebrating the increasingly diverse backgrounds and experiences from which our children originate.
- In the real world, subjects are not split up separately – that is why we choose to deliver the curriculum through our ‘learning journeys’ whenever possible. These journeys follow a cross-curricular approach, tied to a main theme. For example, in the Y4 learning journey ‘Amazonian Adventure’, children find out about the geography of South America; use their scientific understanding of animal classification to choose, research and write about a rainforest creature; use their knowledge of the work of French artist Henri Rousseau to utilise different media to create a rainforest diorama; in outdoor learning create a balm from local, natural products to reflect the multitude of uses of rainforest flora; and debate the issues around deforestation and forest fires.
- As children move through steps of this journey (each a logical progression from previous learning), a series of clearly-specified components are taught before being applied to composite activities. The content of the curriculum is sequenced logically, is in line with national expectations and is built on a foundation of knowledge. Teaching deliberately enables children to transfer their knowledge and skills across varied areas of the curriculum.
- We constantly adapt our learning journeys to meet the needs and interests of our children, offering an education underpinned by a broad, culturally rich and powerful curriculum to ensure that all pupils are well equipped for the next stages in their education.
- Our curriculum is underpinned by the teaching of basic skills, knowledge, concepts and values. Creativity is vital in order to maintain engagement and facilitate a life-long love of learning.
- Key concepts in each curriculum area are revisited often throughout school, with spacing in between, enabling children to commit knowledge to long term memory over time and through repetition.
Our school curriculum is designed to achieve a number of things which we view as vital. These are:
- Developing children’s curiosity and encouraging a hunger for new learning throughout their lives.
- Developing independence.
- Building a solid foundation, not only for a child’s school career, but also for life in the future as responsible, active citizens.
- Creating a collection of memorable learning experiences and broadening horizons, both within the classroom and in the wider environment.
- Offering exciting opportunities to explore different curriculum subjects.
- Gaining knowledge and skills which can be applied in a variety of contexts.
- Providing opportunities to deepen children’s understanding of other cultures, communities and faiths and promote fundamental British Values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs.
- Equity – not only ensuring every child has equal access to the curriculum through a mastery-based approach, but also to develop children’s understanding of equality and diversity.
Inclusion and the Curriculum:
The school is committed to providing a healthy environment that enables full curriculum access and values and includes all pupils regardless of their education, physical, sensory, social, spiritual and emotional needs. No pupil will be excluded from any aspect of the school curriculum due to their disability. The school aims to provide a differentiated curriculum to enable all pupils to feel secure and make progress. The head of department for each subject and the SENCO will work together to ensure that the pupil’s EHC plan is implemented, and that the teaching of that subject is adjusted for the pupil wherever necessary in line with their EHC plan. Where any amendments to the provisions of the plan need to be amended or adapted to allow the pupil to reach their full potential in a given subject, advice will be sought from outside agencies where necessary. Where areas of the curriculum present challenges for a pupil, these will be dealt with on an individual basis. The class teacher, in discussion with the pupil and their parents, will ensure that all adjustments possible, in line with common sense and practical application, will be made for any disability. Curricular activities involving physical activity or exercise, e.g. PE lessons, will be adapted, wherever necessary and possible, to ensure disabled pupils can participate in a valuable way in lessons. There are established procedures for the identification and support of pupils with SEND in place at the school. Detailed pupil information on pupils with SEND are given to relevant staff in order to aid teaching, e.g. diagnostic reports and support plans. The school ensures that specialist resources – including physical resources, e.g. large-print books, and human resources, e.g. learning support assistants – are available and appropriately deployed for pupils who require or would benefit from them to fully participate in the curriculum.
The curriculum at Dore Primary School is underpinned by Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural Values and our School Values of Resilience, Resourcefulness, Kindness and Creativity.
All school subjects are held in equal value, and wherever possible different subjects are represented as the lead subject for our learning journeys.
Click here for more information about our learning journey approach to curriculum planning.