Curriculum

Mathematics

Mathematics is a creative, inter-connected discipline which helps us to understand the world. At Cabot, we believe that all children are mathematicians; our teaching of mathematics aims to enable every child to move on in their learning and achieve their potential. We want all of our pupils to experience the beauty and power of mathematics, and to approach mathematics with curiosity, positivity and resilience. Teaching at Cabot aims to develop a deep, secure and connected understanding of mathematics concepts, link to real-world applications and to develop children’s oracy skills and fluency in the language of maths.

Intent

We aim for all pupils to:

• Become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics so that they develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately;
• Reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, discuss relationships and generalisations, and develop and present an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language;
• Solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of problems with increasing sophistication, including in unfamiliar contexts and real-life scenarios.

Implementation

Our curriculum follows the CanDoMaths planning and teaching resources from Years 1 – 6. Each 45-minute lesson focuses on a manageable step of new learning based on the National Curriculum statements.

We use a mastery lesson structure, which is designed to allow all learners to move together through content, flexibly accessing support or challenge as needed. All teaching follows a CPA (concrete pictorial abstract) approach.

Children with significant additional needs are provided with targeted teaching at the appropriate level. Where appropriate, they take part in whole-class learning, with support to access this alongside their peers.

Assessment for learning is used effectively to identify those needing immediate intervention or support. This is provided in-class, using flexible grouping, and supported by out-of-class intervention where necessary.

In Early Years, we follow the NCETM’s Mastering Number programme. The programme aims to secure firm foundations in the development of good number sense for all children. Children access a short daily mathematics lesson, with further learning opportunities embedded into the indoor and outdoor provision. Children are supported by adults to guide their own learning through precise use of vocabulary, rich speaking and listening opportunities and relevant scaffold. The EYFS curriculum is supplemented by additional teaching and provision on Space, Shape and Measure every term.

Assessment

Self-marking is routine in Years 3 – 6 to provide instant feedback. This skill is developed during the year in Year 2, and used where appropriate in Year 1. Where relevant, whole class marking is used to address misconceptions and discuss key points of learning. At the end of the lesson, children use self-assessment boxes to provide further feedback, allowing teachers to address misconceptions and adapt planning in next steps and future lessons.

Key Stages 1 and 2 complete formal assessments 3 times per year (twice for Year 1). This supports teachers with judgements on attainment and provides gap-analysis to inform teaching, interventions and feedback to families.

EYFS use the Reception Baseline assessment at the beginning of the year and formative assessment relating to the Early Learning Goals throughout the year to support progress and attainment judgement and to inform teaching and interventions.

Where relevant, Sandwell Early Numeracy Tests are used to provide further information on gaps in children’s learning.
Maths On Track

Discrete Deliberate Practice sessions (maths meetings) are used to consolidate prior learning, pre-teach content for upcoming lessons or for same-day intervention. These sessions are 10 – 15 minutes long.

Fluency

EYFS and KS1 follow the NCETM’s Mastering Number Programme at Reception and KS1. These sessions are 10 – 15 minutes long and are designed by specialists to develop fluency and number sense.

Year 3 also use Mastering Number at KS1 at the beginning of the year to consolidate children’s fluency and number sense. Later in the year, they consolidate children’s arithmetic learning and encourage automaticity with learnt times table facts.

Years 4 and 5 follow the Mastering Number at KS2 Programme. These sessions are 10 – 15 minutes long and are designed by specialists to develop fluency in multiplication and division facts, as well as number sense.

Year 6 have discrete arithmetic sessions to consolidate prior learning and to develop automaticity and fluency in number, including mental and written methods.

In 2024-25, we anticipate that Years 3 – 6 will all follow Mastering Number at KS2, as this is due to be adapted for use by all of KS2.
Additional fluency practice is set by teachers, using TTRS or Numbots as appropriate.

Impact

Children at Cabot are inquisitive, confident eager to explore, resilient and perseverant in the face of challenge and have a variety of creative approaches for solving problems. They make connections across their learning and have a quick recall of number facts which frees up their working memory when tackling problems.

Mastering Numbers

Mastering number reception weekly overview

Mastering number y1 weekly overview

Mastering number y2 weekly overview

Mastering number reception overview

Mastering number year 1 overview

Mastering number year 2 overview

Progression

Maths – Calculation Progression

Maths – Whole School LTP

Progression – Addition

Progression – Division

Progression – Fractions

Progression – GeometryProp

Progression – Multiplication

Progression – PV

Progression -Subtraction

Curriculum Intent

Y1 Curriculum Intent Rhombus

Y2 Curriculum Intent Rhombus

Y3 Curriculum Intent Rhombus

Y4 Curriculum Intent Rhombus

Y5 Curriculum Intent Rhombus

Y6 Curriculum Intent Rhombus

Reading

Intent

‘Books enable children to discover new worlds, meet new people and learn about the past, but they also have the power to transform lives. By sparking growing imaginations, stimulating critical thinking and helping to develop empathy, reading gives children the very skills they need to succeed at school, at work and in life.’ (Cressida Cowell)

At Cabot we believe that every child has the ability to read. We aim to ensure that all pupils are accurate and confident decoders who read fluently with good understanding, increase their vocabulary and gain an understanding of how language works by looking at its patterns, structures and origins, use discussion in order to learn and express themselves, clearly explaining and elaborating on their understanding and ideas, We ensure all children experience a diverse range of high quality texts that reflect and broaden their perspectives, challenge stereotypes and deepen their knowledge. We develop readers who recognise and value their own tastes/preferences and are confident and inquisitive enough to explore within and beyond these, growing a lifelong love of reading and an appreciation and enjoyment of literature.

Implementation

We start teaching phonics in Reception following the Bug Club phonics scheme which ensures children build their knowledge of the alphabetic code along with the key skills of blending, segmenting and phoneme manipulation. Children practice their reading skills in 1-1 and guided group sessions in Reception and KS1. During Year 2, we transition into using the Literacy Tree’s Literary Leaves. Literary Leaves are book-based comprehension planning resources for Y2-Y6 using whole books. Each unit is 2 to 3 weeks long and based around a text, covering all the National Curriculum objectives throughout the year. Pupils grow their literary knowledge and engage in sequenced activities journeying through whole books with embedded, explicitly taught comprehension. Children are supported to explore and respond to texts in a variety of analytical and evaluative ways with collaborative approaches to rich discussions about texts. There is a whole school curriculum map that sets out each class’s texts for use in English and Reading. High-quality novels, non-fiction texts and poetry collections are chosen with clear rationales and deliberate sequencing of literature across the school, linked by Literary Themes and our broader curriculum enabling children to make deeper connections and strengthen their knowledge.

Storytime is an essential daily event. Staff read aloud stories, poems, rhymes and nonfiction. Teachers can use texts from the English curriculum, Cabot Collection and from their own knowledge of texts and or children’s recommendations. The Reception Storytime Super Six, Cabot Classics (Rec/KS1) and the Cabot Collection (Y2+) are book lists that act as a springboard for both staff and children’s reading: introducing them to a range of text types and authors. Reading for Pleasure is further supported sessions in our popular and well-stocked library with our librarian.

Alongside daily formative assessment, termly phonics assessments are carried out to ensure teaching and reading materials are closely matched to children’s needs. NFER tests, Reading Interviews, and oral reading assessments are carried out to track attainment and progress and to ensure that interventions are effective in supporting children in their particular area of difficulty. Assessments are closely monitored by the Reading lead and SLT.

Impact

Children at Cabot see themselves as confident readers who are able to read fluently and with understanding in any subject. They read for pleasure and purpose and take part in rich discussions about texts.

Writing

At Cabot, we deliver a language rich writing curriculum using high quality texts that promote diversity and celebrate multiculturalism.

Intent

We aspire for excellence by seeing all children as writers and we recognise this will look different for every child. We believe in inclusion and strive to use word banks, scaffolds and pre-teach where appropriate to support disadvantaged pupils or SEND pupils. We aim to ensure all our children develop a genuine appreciation of language and the written word.

Many of our families are bilingual; we celebrate this and foster a love of language by looking at its patterns, structures and origins. We place high importance on oracy, and it is promoted across the curriculum. We want pupils to develop a wide range of interesting vocabulary, to have a secure understanding of grammar and be able to spell new words by effectively applying the spelling rules and patterns that they have been taught.

Careful links are made across the curriculum to ensure that children’s English learning is relevant and meaningful with consideration of the audience and purpose of our writing. We believe that by making links with the wider curriculum, children can draw on the cultural capital acquired from this learning to support their writing. Within our curriculum, children are exposed to a number of genres of texts that they then base their own fiction and non-fiction writing on. Through our Literacy curriculum, children develop their skills so they are able to work in partnership with a wide range of people, recognising that writing is used widely in everyday life and that these skills are vital.

Implementation

Our curriculum follows the Literacy Tree Writing Roots. They are based on a wide range of high quality and significant children’s literature chosen to engage, challenge and support children to be critical readers and confident and informed writers.

Each unit is 2 to 3 weeks long and based around a text, covering all the National Curriculum objectives throughout the year. Pupils are encouraged to explore different types of writing throughout their primary years, using this knowledge to independently write in a range of styles for different audiences, drawing on diverse situations and current global issues.

Oracy opportunities are embedded across the curriculum to ensure pupils develop a wide range of interesting vocabulary and have a secure understanding of grammar. Teachers have secure grammatical knowledge within their year groups and know how their teaching builds on prior knowledge and links to future teaching. Wherever possible, SPaG tasks are linked to the selected texts, ensuring pupils understand the importance of how to apply these skills accurately and their relevance in writing effectively.

The teaching of spelling takes place from Y1-Y6, following the Essential Spelling scheme or the Bug Club scheme. Where children fall behind, interventions are used to support catch up.

Impact

Children at Cabot see themselves as writers and are confident and articulate speakers. They see writing as an enjoyable process and write to have an effect upon the reader. They understand that editing and redrafting is a vital part of the writing process.

Reception English Yearly Overview

Y1 English curriculum map

Y2 English curriculum map

Y3 English curriculum map

Y4 English curriculum map

Y5 English curriculum map

Y6 English curriculum map

Steps in Progression

The national curriculum for science aims to ensure that all pupils:

• Develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics.
• Develop understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science through different types of science enquiries that help them to answer scientific questions about the world around them.
• Are equipped with the scientific knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future.

At Cabot Primary we work to ensure that pupil’s knowledge is secure and built upon as they progress through the school, building on their understanding of science and the working scientifically objectives. We develop pupil’s curiosity through enriching lessons, where children are given an opportunity to test ideas, develop their own understanding and address their misconceptions through confident subject knowledge from their teacher.

We develop pupils’ aspirations to follow careers in the sciences; and ensure they are given opportunities to learn about well known scientists from all cultures, as well as learning first hand about jobs in the sciences from school trips and visitors to the school.

All pupils are encouraged to ask thoughtful questions about the world around them and their place in it and are given opportunities to demonstrate what they have learnt through; sharing ideas, whole school assemblies, science challenge (science week) and extending their experiences outside of the classroom.

Science skills are built on each year by consolidation of learning and moving children on with their scientific thinking. Developing resilience and confidence on all strands of science (Physics, Chemistry and Biology). Clear development of objectives and understanding from one year group to the next.

Working scientifically objectives are weaved throughout the year and are applied in a range of ways to cover the concepts in each year group.

Lessons are practical and accessible to all learners and are recorded in a variety of ways, both written and oral. All pupils are given access to the appropriate scientific language and opportunities to test their ideas and address any misconceptions, through teacher guidance.

Experience outside of the classroom environment, trips and experts to come in and enrich the curriculum are built in throughout the year for pupils to extend their knowledge of the wider world.

Pupils are taught about a variety of modern and historical scientific pioneers of different cultures and backgrounds to enable them to see themselves in these roles in the future.

Science subject progression

All Key Stage Two classes learn French as part of the Nation Curriculum.

At Cabot Primary School, we are committed to language learning. Many of our pupils and members of staff already speak more than one language, which we celebrate as a great strength in our community.

Our vision is that, from whatever the starting point, pupils will work in partnership with each other to develop:

• the enthusiasm, confidence and skill to express themselves in another language;
• a respectful understanding and inclusion of new ideas, people and cultures; and
• a firm foundation for excellence in their future language learning.

All children encounter other languages through the many international elements of their curriculum, as well as during the annual whole-school French Week. This aspect of our teaching and learning has been recognised by an International School Award.

Through these elements, we aim to help the children to discover new ways of thinking and to appreciate the history and traditions of other countries through authentic sources, stories, songs and creative experiences.

Furthermore, children receive weekly French lessons in Key Stage 2 taken from the ‘Language Angels’ scheme of work. This is carefully planned so that each child will have the opportunity to:

• progress in their skill and knowledge from Year 3 to Year 6, through well-sequenced building blocks, adjusted as appropriate to take account of the differing needs of our learners;
  • develop resilience by ‘having a go’ and not being afraid of mistakes; 
  • support, include and encourage everyone in their efforts;
  • listen attentively to each other;
  • speak with increasing fluency in partnership with others,
  • read confidently, using phonics, context, cognates and dictionaries to help deduce pronunciation and meaning;
  • write, adapting vocabulary and sentence structures to create new, personal work;
  • understand and apply basic grammatical rules;
  • acquire new vocabulary and sentence structures using effective memorisation techniques and planned retrieval practice;

• celebrate excellence through presenting their learning in class and to wider audiences.

• increase their cultural capital by learning about diverse multicultural francophone countries through discovering the history, culture, festivals and traditions of those countries

• make comparisons and connections with their own experiences, languages or other areas of learning; and

• acquire long-term skills to strengthen their future language learning.

Finally, British Values are an integral part of our language teaching, in particular by promoting mutual respect and celebrating cultural diversity.

French curriculum map

French subject progression

Geography Progression

History Progression

Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. A high-quality music education should engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement. As pupils progress, they should develop a critical engagement with music, allowing them to compose, and to listen with discrimination to the best in the musical canon.

At Cabot, we aim to inspire pupils to enjoy singing and making music in partnership with each other and with other musicians. We have a focus on inclusion, so that everyone can feel confident to get involved, whatever their musical ability or background, and so that music from different cultures is represented. We adapt where needed to ensure accessibility for SEND children as well as providing some subsided music lessons for PP children. Excellence will be celebrated through a curriculum that builds on skills and understanding from year to year, alongside other opportunities that will allow pupils to demonstrate their developing talents through performance. We believe that access to musical experiences help to enrich children’s experience and help to build their cultural capital.

Our intention is:

• To inspire children to find joy and meaning through an appreciation of music
• To develop their skills as musicians and singers to build the confidence and self-expression that come from making music themselves
• To provide experiences of listening to live and recorded music from a range of different cultures throughout history
• To celebrate the musical heritage of pupils’ own diverse cultures and not just that of the Western canon

Music subject progression

Intent

Art and Design Technology are creative disciplines which embody some of the highest forms of human creativity, an area where pupils can explore and develop their understanding of the world around them. We want pupils at Cabot Primary School to experience a high-quality art and DT education that engages, inspires and challenges pupils. They will have the opportunity to experiment, invent and create works of art, craft and design based on their interests and experience. During their time at Cabot Primary School, children will study a range of artists, makers and designers from a diverse range of backgrounds to understand the development of their art forms and inspire their own work. We aim for pupils to, experience and become confident in creative work that explores their ideas and records their experiences. Become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques. Evaluate and analyse their own and others creative works using the language of art, craft and design.

Implementation

We achieve this by having an ambitious curriculum design which ensures that while at Cabot Primary School pupils experience and develop skills in drawing, painting, sculpture, print, textiles, clay and many more. A curriculum which explores work by a variety of artists and creatives from different backgrounds and cultures, developing cultural capital for all learners. Teaching of well-planned and structured lessons following a scheme of work, to ensure progress, where knowledge and skills builds as children move through school and is retained and recalled for independent work. A positive and inclusive attitude to the teaching of Art and DT, which ensures that all learners, particularly the most disadvantaged and those with Special Educational Needs develop the skills and knowledge to enjoy art and design technology and express themselves.

Impact

As a result of our inspiring Art and DT curriculum, all children are confident and enjoy using a broad range of techniques to express their ideas, feelings and emotions. They have the skills they need to complete this work and are articulate analysing and discussing their own and other artists’ work. Children will understand DT as a process of plan, make and evaluate and will make links to their everyday lives.

Progression of skills

Computing Curriculum

Intent

At Cabot Primary School, we aim to prepare our learners for their future by giving them the opportunities to be responsible, competent, confident and creative users of information and communication technology whilst they gain knowledge, and develop skills that will equip them for an ever changing digital world. Knowledge and understanding of computing technology is of increasing importance for children’s future both at home and for employment. We want our pupils to be creators not consumers and our broad curriculum encompassing computer science, information technology and digital literacy reflects this. We want our pupils to understand that there is always a choice with using technology and as a school we utilise technology to model positive use. We recognise that the best prevention for a lot of issues we currently see with technology/social media is through education. Building our knowledge in this subject will allow pupils to effectively demonstrate their learning through creative use of technology.

Our curriculum is in line with the 2014 National Curriculum for Computing and the EYFS 2023 curriculum so that children in the EYFS have an understanding of the World through Understanding the World which involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community by, listening to a broad selection of stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems will foster their understanding of our culturally, socially, technologically and ecologically diverse world. Through, Managing Self: they explain the reasons for rules, know right from wrong and try to behave accordingly. The teaching of computing aims to provide an excellent computing education which equips all children (including those who are disadvantaged) to use computational thinking and creativity to understand and change the world. The curriculum will teach children key knowledge about how computers and computer systems work, and how they are designed and programmed. Learners will have the opportunity to gain an understanding of computational systems of all kinds, whether or not they include computers. Our intention is that computing also supports children’s creativity and cross curricular learning to engage children and enrich their experiences in school.

By the time they leave Cabot Primary School, the cultural capital the children will have gained will be in the key knowledge and skills in the three main areas of the computing curriculum: computer science (programming and understanding how digital systems work), information technology (using computer systems to store, retrieve and send information) and digital literacy (evaluating digital content and using technology safely and respectfully). The objectives within each strand support the development of learning across the key stages, ensuring a solid grounding for future learning and beyond.

Implementation

At Cabot, computing is taught in year groups so that skills can be tracked back and forward for progression. This ensures children are able to develop depth in their knowledge and skills over the duration of each of their computing topics. Teachers use the Teach Computing Curriculum by National Centre for Computing Education (N.C.C.E), as a starting point for the planning of their computing lessons, which are often richly linked to engaging contexts in other subjects and topics. The units for key stages 1 and 2 are based on a spiral curriculum. This means that each of the themes is revisited regularly (at least once in each year group), and pupils revisit each theme through a new unit that consolidates and builds on prior learning within that theme. This style of curriculum design reduces the amount of knowledge lost through forgetting, as topics are revisited yearly. It also ensures that connections are made even if different teachers are teaching the units within a theme in consecutive years. The Teach Computing Curriculum acknowledges that physical computing plays an important role in modern pedagogical approaches in computing, both as a tool to engage pupils and as a strategy to develop pupils’ understanding in more creative ways. Additionally, physical computing supports and engages a diverse range of pupils in tangible and challenging tasks.

We have a computing suite, two class sets of Ipads and Chromebooks to ensure that all year groups have the opportunity to use a range of devices and programs for many purposes across the wider curriculum, as well as in discrete computing lessons. Employing cross-curricular links motivates pupils and supports them to make connections and remember the steps they have been taught. We partner with local companies such as ‘The Apple Store’ and Bristol university ‘Digi Makers’ to ensure that children have access to practical -real world- experiences.The implementation of the curriculum also ensures a balanced coverage of computer science, information technology and digital literacy. The children will have experiences of all three strands in each year group, but the subject knowledge imparted becomes increasingly specific and in depth, with more complex skills being taught, thus ensuring that learning is built upon. For example, children in Key Stage 1 learn what algorithms are, which leads them to the design stage of programming in Key Stage 2, where they design, write and debug programs, explaining the thinking behind their algorithms.

Computer systems and networks- Progression

Creating Media- Progression

Data and information- Progression

Programming- Progression

 

Progression

National Curriculum Coverage – Years 1 and 2

National Curriculum Coverage – Years 3 and 4

National Curriculum Coverage – Years 5 and 6

Intent:

At Cabot Primary School, we want all children to develop a passion for physical activity and, if possible, have an experience of playing competitive sport in some capacity. We believe that sport and exercise play a vital role in not only keeping our children healthy, but also in the promotion of mental well-being and self-esteem. We want all of our children to experience a wide variety of sports in their PE lessons and in extracurricular activities and want all children to learn vital life skills, like swimming. Through sport, children can learn valuable, transferable skills that can have a positive impact in other areas of their education. Outstanding extracurricular provision is also something we strive to provide for our children and we believe our provision to be broad, stimulating and diverse. We aim to provide an exciting, well-planned curriculum with the support of expert coaches from Bristol Sports Foundation to develop knowledge and understanding of staff and pupils in a variety of sports.

Implementation:

• Instil a love of sport and physical activity.
• Use sport to instil key values, such as determination, fair play, resilience, sportsmanship and equality. Teach the children to be physically literate and master the basics of human movement and use running, jumping, throwing and catching in isolation and in combination
• Provide the children with the opportunities to play a variety of competitive games, modified where appropriate and apply basic principles suitable for attacking and defending.
• Through PE lessons, working with Bristol Sports Foundation coaches and extra-curricular activities, develop flexibility, strength, technique, control and balance for example, through athletics and gymnastics).
• Perform dances using a range of movement patterns.
• To take part in outdoor and adventurous activity challenges both individually and within a team.
• Compare their performances with previous ones and demonstrate improvement to achieve their personal best.

Impact:

Children will leave Cabot Primary School with a love of exercise and sport. They should be able to manipulate and control their bodies with confidence and apply these skills across a range of competitive games and sports. They will be fully aware of the importance and benefit of physical activity in the contribution to their physical and mental health and well-being.

PE subject progression

Intent:
At Cabot Primary School, PSHE is at the core of what we do and enables our children to become independent, confident, healthy and responsible members of society as well as effective learners.  We follow the SCARF PSHE scheme which promotes positive behaviour, good mental health and wellbeing, resilience and achievement, helping children to stay safe online, develop healthy and safe relationships and have the skills and attributes to negotiate and assert themselves now and in the future.

 

Implementation:

We teach PSHE in a discrete weekly session following the whole school PSHE program, SCARF, standing for Safety, Caring, Achievement, Resilience and Friendship.  The six half-termly units are tailored to each year group ensuring that skills and knowledge are built on year by year and sequenced appropriately to maximise learning for all children.

 

1. Me and My Relationships: includes content on feelings, emotions, conflict resolution and friendships;
2. Valuing Difference: a focus on respectful relationships and British values;
3. Keeping Myself Safe: looking at keeping ourselves healthy and safe
4. Rights and Responsibilities: learning about money, living the wider world and the environment;
5. Being My Best: developing skills in keeping healthy, developing a growth mindset (resilience), goal-setting and achievement;
6. Growing and Changing: finding out about the human body, the changes that take place from birth to old age and being safe.

 

Relationships and Sex Education is taught both in health education and the Science curriculum.

 

Impact:

By the time children leave our school they will:
-Have a good sense of self worth,
-Know how to be a healthy, independent, and responsible member of society,
-Understand what it means to be part of a diverse society and how to respect others,
-Have knowledge and skills necessary to make safe and informed decisions.
-Be able to develop positive relationships with peers now and in the future.

PSHE subject progression