Curriculum for Wales 2022-23

Cwricwlwm i Gymru 2022-23

Our school vision was developed in consultation with all stakeholders over time. This included an INSET day for staff and collaborative workshops providing opportunities for input from stakeholders including governors, pupils and parents. The school vision was shared with our community via social media and feedback invited. The launch of the vision in 2020 was positively received and constitutes the golden-thread throughout the work of our school.

Our curriculum enables us to realise our vision. As part of curriculum design:

Our school leaders and teachers undertook reading and research and attended professional learning on curriculum.

Teachers have collaborated across our cluster of schools to support one another in planning our curriculum, ensuring progression along the 3-16 curriculum.

Through inviting our governors, staff, pupils and parents to meet with us and share their thoughts it was agreed what our learners, in our context, should learn, experience and know.

Our whole staff team agreed key features of our school context, pupils and community to inform the approaches and experiences best suited for the needs of all learners at our school and considering the four purposes.

All learners engage in discussion at the beginning and end of learning enquiries, giving learners an opportunity to shape what and how they learn.

The school regularly shares information with parents/carers on the curriculum and ways they can support their child within and outside of the school environment.

The staff team collaborated to identify the strengths of our current approach and areas where change was required.

The school collaborates and consults with a range of providers from the local and wider community on providing learners with distinct and enriching experiences including related to religion, values and ethics (RVE) and careers and work related experiences (CWRE).

Our curriculum is inclusive and designed to meet the needs of all learners in order to realise the four purposes. It takes account of and responds to the unique opportunities and challenges that present themselves to individuals and groups of learners in our school.

Our school enquiry-based curriculum is broad and balanced and includes learning opportunities within and across all ‘Areas of Learning and Experience’. It encompasses the concepts in all of the statements of what matters and provides appropriate progression in accord with the principles of progression. It also aligns to the mandatory requirements of teaching Welsh, English, Religion, Values and Ethics (RVE). The mandatory elements of Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE) and the cross curricular skills of literacy, numeracy and digital competence are embedded throughout.

Assessment of Learning Progression

We are working to embed formative assessment as an integral aspect of our ongoing teaching and learning practices in the classroom. We work to ensure that children are involved in the assessment of their progress in learning, supporting self-reflection and that it is centred on personal growth and achievement of the individual so that it is meaningful to every learner. Our assessment arrangements are informed by the mandatory principles of progression which describe what it means for learners to progress and the capacities and behaviours our staff will seek to support.

We ensure our processes identify learners who require further support or challenge and provide rich qualitative intelligence for us to support next steps in learning for individuals and groups of learners.

We also undertake the more formal assessments detailed below;

We undertake a OOEF on entry to the reception class, within the first 3 weeks of starting school.
RWInc Phonics assessments are undertaken six weekly and inform next steps along the programme
We also have summative assessment phases which are periods of formal testing three times a year this includes:
PM benchmarking and accelerated reader testing for reading.
‘I can’ statements for maths.
Writing??

National Tests are used annually at the end of the final term for year groups from 2-6 .

Our school curriculum is a live process that is under continual review to ensure that it best meets the needs of our learners. There are timetabled reflection and evaluation activities that inform our understanding of the impact and effectiveness of our curriculum and enable revision and improvement as we progress our learning and development. We will continue to work with all stakeholders as we strive to provide the best for our learners.