Curriculum Overview
Curriculum Statement
Excite. Delight. Achieve.
This is what everyone at Ealdham Primary School strives to do for our children every day and it lies at the heart our curriculum.
We believe that our broad and balanced curriculum encourages our children to become lifelong learners who continue to develop self-awareness along with an increasing knowledge of the wider world. Learning takes place both inside and outside of the classroom. Our curriculum celebrates the fact that our children are growing up in the historic Royal Borough of Greenwich and we find every opportunity we can to move learning out of the classroom and visit key locations in and around the Royal Borough.
At Ealdham we want our children to feel valued and secure and know what is expected of them. Through our curriculum they will encounter a range of experiences that will give them the opportunity to explore and reflect through wide ranging topics and activities. Most importantly they will learn to celebrate their uniqueness and individuality and how they can contribute to the life of the school and beyond.
Key Principles
Our curriculum is underpinned by the high expectations we have of all our children.
It reflects the diversity of our school community in terms of cultural background, range of languages, religion and ethnicity. We strive to ensure consistency and rigour in the teaching of basic skills within a creative approach to learning and teaching.
We strive to develop fluent and confident readers, writers and mathematicians who have a curiosity about the world around them. We also value the arts and sports and want our children to develop skills that will stay with them beyond their time at Ealdham and give them confidence and self-esteem.
Curriculum Planning
Ealdham follows the statutory National Curriculum (KS1-KS2) and Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage (Nursery/FS1 and Reception/FS2). Our curriculum is further enhanced by the teaching of SEAL (Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning) as well as Sex and Relationships Education (SRE) and the teaching of RE, planned from the Greenwich Windows of Faith.
Reading and Writing at Ealdham
Children are immersed in real books from Nursery onwards.
Each classroom has a book corner which is attractive and inviting and children are given time each week to read independently, in groups or with an adult. All classes have story time as often as possible to inspire and instil a love of reading in our children. These books are often linked to the topic the children are studying.
The school uses a wide range of ‘real books’ and reading schemes to support learning. These books are levelled using book bands. Each child is given a book and a reading diary to support reading at home. This good practice starts in Nursery.
- English is taught through the reading of a quality book or a topic. We have worked closely with the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CPLE) and often use the Power of Reading to teach English in an inspiring and interactive way
- Grammar and Punctuation is taught either as ‘stand-alone’ lessons or through analysing texts and learning and practising skills. These are then applied within sustained writing
- Children are given as many different opportunities as possible to write across the curriculum
- Phonics (the way letters are combined to make different sounds) is taught rigorously in The Early Years Foundation Stage and KS1. Ealdham uses the ‘Letters and Sounds’ programme to teach phonics. The children also study spelling patterns
- We teach handwriting through encouraging correct letter formation and then in KS1 we move towards a cursive script (all letters starting from the line and joined up)
- Drama and role play is used to support children’s understanding of reading and inspire their writing. Each week a class takes it in turns to perform an assembly in front of their parents and carers which is a great opportunity for them to see what their children have been learning and share their successes. The children also have the opportunity each year to perform in one of our Christmas shows and Year 6 complete their time with us by performing an end of Year show to their parents, carers, friends and families
Mathematics
At Ealdham we want all our children to be confident mathematicians who can grasp key skills and use them across different aspects of maths and in real life contexts. We want our children to have the opportunity to investigate and explore different aspects of maths and use the skills they have learned to solve problems.
Children at Ealdham have the opportunity to:
- Develop confidence and understanding
- Develop their mental skills and quick recall
- Develop accuracy
- Use their knowledge of mathematics and mathematical vocabulary to communicate meaning and justify their solutions
Sports and the Arts
All children are taught Physical Education (PE) Music and Art through weekly lessons.
By the end of KS2 (Year 6) all children will have had the opportunity to learn the guitar or drums, learn to swim and participate in our annual school journey to Swanage (Year 6). Through our various partnerships pupils at Ealdham have the opportunity to take part in a range of competitive sporting activities. Our school choir performs every year at St John’s Church in Eltham at Christmas and our whole school from Nursery to Year 6 take part in in the Ealdham Carnival which is performed for the local community and parents and carers in the summer term.
Curriculum Organisation
All children in KS1 and KS2 take part in:
- A daily English lesson which includes the teaching of reading, writing, spelling punctuation and grammar
- A daily maths lesson which includes mental maths work
- A daily reading lesson
- Regular spelling work (daily phonics teaching in Reception and KS1)
- A weekly circle time session
- Lessons in Science, PSHE, RE, Art, Design and Technology, Computer Programming, Music (instrument tuition for targeted children), Humanities (History and Geography)
- Two P.E. lessons a week (including swimming for Years 4, 5 and 6)
- Weekly singing assembly
- Computing with additional ICT woven through the curriculum
- Spanish is taught from KS1
Extra-curricular activities are on offer for all ages (Please see our breakfast club and after school offer). English, Mathematics and Guided Reading are taught in the mornings and other subjects in the afternoon.
