School Curriculum
Welcome to our school curriculum page.
At Banham Primary School, our intent is to provide a curriculum that offers exciting and meaningful learning opportunities that motivate and inspire our children and staff. These are underpinned by our vision to enable children to become C.A.R.E. – Confident, Able to meet future challenges, Responsible and Effective learners.
Our Curriculum intent is underpinned by the National Curriculum and ensures that, at each stage of their learning journey, each child acquires a rich bank of knowledge and skills. Our aim is to expose children to the best authors, artists, musicians etc. and make sure that learning is made memorable and committed to the long-term memory by repeating concepts, making links and building upon previous learning. As retrieval becomes embedded in our curriculum, we encourage learning through a sequenced curriculum map.
As a Primary school that teaches mixed age classes our topics and units are planned using a 2 yearly cycle and include objectives and knowledge from the year groups within each class.
During the summer term of 22/23 we were working very closely with one of our ‘sister’ schools within the Trust to develop shared curriculum principles and documents, using recognised and quality schemes of work, whilst retaining each school’s identity and interests. I would like to take the opportunity to acknowledge and thank the help and support from Miss Woodison at Thompson Primary School. This work between the schools will continue and more documentation will be added to this page as we continue to refine and review our curriculum in the future.
Curriculum update Sept 23
Building upon this earlier work to develop a shared curriculum with one of our ‘sister’ schools the decision was made to review the curriculum across all of the schools within the Trust.
This academic year 23/24 we have updated our curriculum rationale within the Trust and are implementing a number of changes to the curriculum in order to align the taught curriculum across all three schools.
Please find below our updated rationale. Our curriculum documents will he amended and updated throughout the year to reflect these changes.
For details regarding each class Curriculum please click upon each class within the menu at the top of this page, these will include curriculum maps and knowledge organisers which demonstrate the knowledge that we are teaching.
Mathematics
Over the last four years we have been working with the Angles Maths Hub to develop a Mastery approach to mathematical concepts and knowledge across the school.
The school is benefitting immensely from high quality CPD opportunities through the Maths Hub to develop staff’s confidence and subject knowledge even further. Alongside this level of support the school is using Nationally recognised schemes of work to enhance learning further through the use of the White Rose Maths scheme of work.
Cooperative Learning
This academic year the Trust have embarked upon a new journey to further develop the cooperative aspect of learning throughout the schools within the Trust by working closely with Jakob Weredlin from WeredlinEducation
Jakob has worked upon this concept for a number of years and has successfully enabled a number of schools to develop a truly cooperative approach towards learning.
Please watch this space for further developments.
Mental Health and Wellbeing
Following the Global pandemic and Covid 19; Mental Health and Wellbeing has never been so important as it is now. As a school we have embraced this concept and have begun to develop a whole school approach to Mental Health and Wellbeing through accessing Nationally accredited training and resources.
Mrs Travis and Mr Gamble have become the Mental Health Champions within the school, receiving training through LinkPoint (Part of the Ormiston Families Network) and via Norfolk County Council. Both of which draw upon the resources from Mentally Healthy Schools and the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families.
We feel that healthy, well supported children need opportunities for reflection and to learn new skills and concepts in a fun and lively way. Our Forest School sessions are an example of this.
Forest Schools
This term we will be welcoming Mrs Korina Horn into the school as our New Forest school leader and who will continue to work closely with Mrs Negus.
Mrs Negus, one of our KS1 teachers, had run a very successful Forest Schools business for a number of years and we are very fortunate that she will continue to bring her wealth of experience, knowledge and passion for outdoor learning through Forest schools alongside Mrs Horn.
Forest Schools is more than just outdoor learning it is a way in which children and staff can interact in a friendly and relaxed way whilst developing their own interests in the outdoor world. Strong relationships, confidence and the ability to notice the things around them are key skills that children will develop during Forest Schools sessions.
Each week children will have a 1.5 hr session with Mrs Horn for a half term block throughout the year. This half term it is Year 2/4/6 and this will then rotate with Year 1/3/5 next half term.
It will be very exciting to see how the wildlife area of the schools grounds continues to develop and reflect the interests of those that use it over the next few months and years.
Please find attached a number of curriculum documents that you may find useful.