CURRICULUM OVERVIEW

‘Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn’.  
Benjamin Franklin

We have designed our curriculum, following the National Curriculum, to be broad, balanced, creative, hands on, inclusive and interesting.We want our pupils to be curious, lifelong learners and hope this is encouraged by the intrinsically rewarding curriculum we offer our pupils. Pupils of all academic abilities are catered for through our school curriculum. Pupil’s mental wellbeing and safety is a top priority at Star of the Sea school as without this, learning cannot take place effectively. Our expectations for our pupils are high and we hope they become excellent global citizens and understand the careers that are open to them. Our curriculum addresses the physical, mental, spiritual, cultural and intellectual health of our pupils. We encourage pupils to question and make a meaningful contribution throughout their lives for the good of everyone.We have agreed driver words which help shape our curriculum and school ethos:

We are STARS...
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Spiritual - living out the Gospel Values
Togetherness - as a Rights’ Respecting school
Ambitious and Aspirational -to reach our full potential
Resilient - we never give up
Self-belief - striving to succeed with a Growth Mindset

British Values and living in modern Britain

These are:
- Democracy
- The rule of law
- Individual liberty
- Mutual respect and tolerance for all faiths and beliefs

Pupil voice is instrumental in ensuring that pupils can be heard, helps form parts of the curriculum and plays an important part in everyday life as well as making a difference. Each class enjoys a debate, at least once every half term and current news is taught through Pictures News on a weekly basis.  A parliamentary educational representative visits year 5 and 6 to talk about parliament and help pupils have an understanding of democracy and the rule of law.

In RE we explore Catholicism and other different faiths, talking about mutual respect and tolerance of others, whilst learning about their ethos and beliefs. Weekly Picture News is emailed to all staff with a roundup of recent news creating discussion about the country we live in and the world we are part of. Celebrate our Differences day is for all children in school and is linked to ‘Show Racism the Red card’ sessions for year 5 and 6. This is a day to remind and engage with pupils in respect of tolerance and acceptance of others.

Early Years
Pupils in our Reception classes follow seven areas of learning, three prime areas and four specific areas.

The prime areas are:
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development
- Communication and Language
- Physical Development.

The specific areas are:
- English
- Mathematics
- Understanding the World
- Expressive Arts and Design.

Key Stages One and Two
Pupils in years one to year six are taught the National Curriculum subjects.
These subjects are:
- Maths
- English
- Science
- Geography
- History
- Music
- PSHE (Physical, Social, Health and Citizenship Education)
- MFL (Modern Foreign Language – French)
- Computing
- Art
- Design Technology
- PE (including swimming).
- Religious Education (We follow the Come and See RE curriculum)

PE and Sport
At Star of the Sea we understand the importance of keeping our bodies healthy.

We follow "Get set4PE" curriculum which covers the National Curriculum. All pupils from year one to year six, have two PE sessions a week, one delivered by the class teacher and one led by Access Coaching, a specialist team from which teachers gain CPD.

The active mile is enjoyed by pupils most days of the school week. Early years pupils develop their gross motor skills through the Physical Development part of the curriculum, alongside PE lessons. We attend many tournaments and competitions throughout the year.

Assessment and Monitoring
Pupils are monitored in all school sessions. We use observations, questions, marking and feedback and tests to inform our judgements to decide whether a pupil is working at expected level, or is above or below. In Reception class our pupils are assessed against the Baseline assessments set out by the DfE, within the first few weeks of school. The EYFS profile is completed at the end of the year by teachers who decide if a pupil has reached a Good Level of Development (GLD) in all areas of the curriculum and this is then shared with parents and carers.

From year one to year six, teachers also use PUMA tests for maths scores and PIRA for English scores. Sandwell tests are used in maths when a teacher feels this is appropriate. Summative assessments for all subjects take place termly. Read, Write, Inc. (our phonics scheme) assessments take place roughly every six weeks. These results help decide which group pupils should be in and shows how much progress is being made.

External tests
Year one pupils complete a Phonics test in the summer term.
Year two pupils can take optional SATs papers, to help inform teacher judgements.
Year four pupils undertake a Times Tables test.
Year six pupils take their final SATs tests in Reading, Writing, Mathematics and Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar.
These results are shared with parents and carers.

Information sharing with parents and carers about progress and attainment

Autumn 1: Face to face parent/ teacher meeting
Autumn 2: Interim school report. Information given about effort, attainment, attendance and  targets given for Maths and English
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Spring 2: Face to face parent/ teacher meeting

Summer 1: Interim school report. Information given about effort, attainment, attendance and  targets given for Maths and English
Summer 2: End of year school report. Information given about effort, attitudes, attainment, attendance and  targets given

We have an open door policy and encourage parents and carers to come and talk to us with any concerns.

How do we go above and beyond in our curriculum?

Our curriculum offers opportunities for wider personal development. We offer a wide range of activities that contribute to the broader understanding of the world and life beyond school.

These offers include:
- Authors visit school every year to work with our pupils
- A travelling theatre group performs a play for the whole school on a yearly basis
- We are proud to be a Rights’ Respecting School
- We are linked with a school in Africa called Aunt Mary’s school
- All pupils watch an online Pantomime at Christmas time and all pupils will have the opportunity to experience a live show during their time at Star of the Sea
- ‘That History Bloke’ comes into classes to make History real, telling stories and using artefacts, dressing up in clothing linked to the topic being taught
- Parliamentary education representatives attend school to work with year 5 and 6 pupils come to talk to the year 6 pupils about their role in society.

We offer a wide variety of clubs, including:
- Coding (run by Newcastle Building society)
- Dance
- RSC drama group – who produce part of  Shakespeare play every year and act this out at a local stage
- Football
- Judo
- Chess
- Multi skills
- Ukulele
- Garage Band
- Rock Steady - where pupils are part of a rock band
- Book club - chatterbooks
- School choir
- Board games
- Lingo Tots – French and Spanish lessons

Other Opportunities:
- ‘Show Racism the Red card’ comes into school and helps pupils prepare for life in and beyond school: one full of acceptance and kindness towards others
- Swimming sessions for Y5 teaches children to swim and keep safe
- Pupils in year 6 visit ‘Safety Works’. This is where young people experience a range of interactive safety scenarios in true-to-life settings, helping them learn how to prevent danger and live safely
- The Holocaust Memorial service is attended by some year 5 pupils who take part in the service
- Outdoor challenge days are held on our school field with a focus on team work and problem solving activities, working with ‘Team Challenge’ and learning survival tactics
- We organise a delivery of hens’ eggs which hatch into chicks every year, for Early Years and also caterpillars which turn into butterflies
- Clennell, our safeguarding advisors, deliver online safety sessions for pupils in Y1 to Y6
- Our Year 4 pupils have the opportunity to attend an overnight stay at the Youth Village near Consett and enjoy a two night retreat
- Biannually, we have offered a trip to France, immersing pupils in the French culture and language
- Pupils in Y6 are given the opportunity to attend an outwards bound centre near the Lake District for 3 days to experience a whole range of activities
- Our charity work and fundraising include: Raising money for Children in Need, The Youth Village, A football team in Africa (also donating football strips and kits), CAFOD (doing a Lenten walk), giving regular donations to the local foodbank and the SVP. Our school choir sings carols at the elderly Christmas lunch every December at church
- We have groups of children who help all pupils have a say in our decisions. We have a  School Council, an Eco club, a Mini Vinnies group and a Faith in Action group
- We have a yearly ‘Wellbeing Week’, where all children learn how to stay healthy: looking at food groups, a healthy diet, how to look after their teeth. All pupils wear their PE for this week and on the Friday, we have sports day