Our curriculum intent links closely with our overarching school vision of

We have designed a curriculum which is built upon our vision to give our children the best educational start in life. It is responsive to the interests of the children and considers the needs of a 21^st Century child and the community they live in.

At the heart of our school are a set of core values. These underpin the ethos of our school. We place great importance on a curriculum which develops the whole child and is ambitious for all.

The children are able to learn in a highly inclusive and supportive environment where learners, at all levels, are helped to achieve to the best of their ability. Steps in learning are valued and celebrated, no matter how small the step is through our 4 core values, we foster an environment where the emotional, physical, academic, social, moral, spiritual and cultural development of each child is considered.

Those children who may find learning more challenging, are encouraged to develop according to their learning needs and, if required, will be given more targeted support, in a style or context which suits their needs.

We have constructed a curriculum that is ambitious and designed to give all pupils, particularly disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND, the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life.

Whilst we offer the children irresistible learning opportunities, we also offer them exceptional pastoral care and support, suited to each individual, which offers the care they need, in order to develop emotionally, as well as, academically.

We are a bronze accredited Attachment and Trauma Sensitive School. We have developed our practice to effectively support children experiencing complex emotional issues and have strengthened the calm, happy positive learning environment for all children.

We have reviewed our curriculum planning to include a greater emphasis on the children’s wellbeing and personal, social and emotional skills. All classrooms now have a feelings check in, a Calm Corner and role play areas. The environment supports the intent of an ambitious and clearly sequenced curriculum. The classrooms are de-cluttered and spacious. The children have a safe and organised environment in which to learn.

At Rowner, there is a key focus on the relationships curriculum and what the children learn from the way they are treated and are expected to behave. To be confident and independent members of our community children need to develop positive attitudes towards themselves, other children and adults. This is best achieved through a strong emphasis on clearly stated expectations, consistency, praising the positives and children learning to manage situations for themselves. We have co-constructed our ‘3 bees’ (be kind, be safe, be ready) expectations with our children to enable us to support them with this.

Our curriculum and environment is carefully structured and designed to be responsive to the children’s needs and interests We will aim high, striving for every child to achieve more than they thought possible provide opportunities for every child to discover their particular talents.

Some of the curriculum is taught through discrete subjects but, where possible, links are made to topics. Units of work are planned, usually over half a term’s duration.  These medium term plans contain the detail of the work to be covered with a progression of learning objectives. The plans indicate how the work will be differentiated and what the pupil outcomes will be.

Throughout the school, the children are given time and space to initiate their own learning and to practice previously taught skills through regular child led sessions. We plan a balance between children having time and space to engage in activities they initiate themselves and those that are planned by adults.

We continue to develop the learning environment both inside and outside of school to support learning, which includes our newly developed forest area and garden area. Our classrooms all have new interactive whiteboards and, children can access other hardware such as iPad’s to further enhance their learning.

We understand that having a wide vocabulary and good reading skills are crucial for our children to be able to access all aspects of the curriculum We teach a comprehensive phonics programme called ‘Supersonic Phonics Friends’. This scheme provides consistency across the whole school from Year R to Year 2. It encourages active engagement from the children through the introduction of characters and child friendly rhymes. Our phonically decodable reading books compliment this scheme and allow the children to practice previously taught phonics skills.

Developing strong and effective partnerships with the local community has been a key driver in the development of the curriculum. The strong traditions and links with the Armed Forces, enables the school to use the locality to complement and enrich the curriculum even further. These links are used as enticing hooks and provide memorable experiences which engage and enrich the learning for all children.

The wider curriculum has been carefully thought out and designed to complement and enhance the taught curriculum and enrich the lives of our children. We ensure there is a wide range of opportunities to deepen the experiences of our learners through the use of trips and visitors. Extra-curricular opportunities are provided through working with Portsmouth in the Community sports coaches during the school day and in after school provision.

We have a newly developed school council. These representatives are all trained in their role and children apply and are interviewed as part of the process. Our pupils have opportunities to discuss and debate issues and ideas in a considered way.

We fulfil our responsibility to prepare children for life in modern Britain by ensuring that the fundamental British Values are introduced, discussed and lived out through the ethos and work of our school.

The curriculum is a key part of the school strategic plan and each subject is led by a subject leader, who is supported in their role by a member of the senior leadership team. They have developed a subject action plan which is written with clear aims, targets, outcomes and evaluation in mind. Each subject is linked to the long term map, with a clear progression of skills and knowledge across the subject. Each subject is monitored by the subject leader through a process of monitoring, evaluation and review, which is shared with key stakeholders.

National Curriculum

As a school, we follow the National Curriculum for England.  To find out more about the National Curriculum please click on the link below:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/425601/PRIMARY_national_curriculum.pdf