At Heartsease Primary Academy, we provide a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum, to enable all pupils to learn and achieve. Our school curriculum is based on the knowledge and skills set out in the National Curriculum (published September 2014) and the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum. In addition, we follow the SEAL curriculum (Social, Emotional Aspects of Learning).
Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural (SMSC) Development at Heartsease Primary Academy
At Heartsease our utmost priority is to ensure all children have a broad and balanced curriculum that gives opportunities for development of the whole child. All children are challenged on a daily basis through thought provoking questioning, discussions in groups and actively participating in their own learning through an enquiry based curriculum. As part of daily learning, children are given the opportunity to reflect on their own learning in their books and through discussion. Children understand how to become the best learners for their own learning needs.
Everybody respects each other’s beliefs and views in our school community and have a good understanding of how these apply to the wider community as well as worldwide. We promote fundamental British values by having a school council who are the voice of the pupils. As well as this we have a strong behaviour policy which clearly states our school rules and these are embedded throughout the whole school. Our children know the difference between right and wrong and are actively encouraged to make the right decision for themselves and others around them.
Children are given opportunities to experience and discover different religions and cultures through a wide variety of assemblies, focus days and other cross-curricular activities through our curriculum. Visitors have been to our school to enhance the children’s learning of different cultures and we take the children on school trips to local places of worship showing a respect for different religions in our community.
Staff and pupils at Heartsease continue to develop SMSC by giving the pupils the best opportunities and experiences we are able to offer. Our aim as a whole school is to make sure that all children leave in Year 6 with a secure understanding of the world around them, having had the essential education they need to become strong, confident individuals.
Foundation Stage year 1 year 2 year 3 year 4 year 5 year 6
Why Visit a Place of Worship?
Visiting places of worship are essential because:
- Education is about extending pupils’ knowledge, understanding and experience of the world and a visit to a place of worship can help do this
- Religion is a very important factor in society and it is essential that children have opportunities to explore religious practice and belief
- The experience of visiting a place of worship can help children to learn about religions but is NEVER about indoctrination or persuading children and young people to agree with the beliefs of the religion being studied
- Educationists agree that experiential learning is more effective than simply learning from texts and electronic sources
- Pupils usually enjoy their visits and learning is enhanced
- A visit to a place of worship also provides opportunities for pupils’ cultural development by enabling them to experience new or different forms of art, architecture and music
- The atmosphere of many places of worship can provide an opportunity for pupils to consider questions about life, religion and spirituality in ways that are impossible in classrooms
- Visits are usually part of a planned curriculum and are integral to the learning that will take place: to miss out on the visit would seriously impact on pupils’ progress and understanding. This is particularly important as the curriculum becomes more flexible and creative
- There are always opportunities for cross-curricular learning and many aspects of the school curriculum can be studied through a religious building including the arts, literacy, history, mathematics and design
- The visit is often led by an experienced guide who is able to answer the children’s questions and thus they have the benefits of meeting an adherent of a faith that might be different from their own
- The government is supporting Learning outside the Classroom: see www.lotc.org.uk
- The non-statutory National Framework for RE supports visits to places of worship
Ofsted Guidelines:
CULTURAL
Ofsted – Pupils’ cultural development is shown by their: • understanding and appreciation of the wide range of cultural influences that have shaped their own heritage and that of others
- understanding and appreciation of the range of different cultures within school and further afield as an essential element of their preparation for life in modern Britain
- knowledge of Britain’s democratic parliamentary system and its central role in shaping our history and values, and in continuing to develop Britain
- willingness to participate in and respond positively to artistic, sporting and cultural opportunities
- interest in exploring, improving understanding of and showing respect for different faiths and cultural diversity, and the extent to which they understand, accept, respect and celebrate diversity, as shown by their tolerance and attitudes towards different religious, ethnic and socio-economic groups in the local, national and global communities
Please see our curriculum map for an overview of the taught curriculum for each year group.
Teaching Groups
Pupils are placed in single age, mixed ability classes. In KS1, phonics is taught in targeted ability groups across Key Stage 1. For some lessons in KS2, setting by ability also takes place. Access to teachers with specialist skills increases as pupils mature. Work is differentiated in class according to individual pupil needs or group ability. Our most important aim is that every child makes progress.
Ruby Class is our specialist resource unit for pupils with language and communication needs. Pupils from our school and partner schools attend this class for intensive support with their language development. Ruby Class currently accepts pupils from Reception to Year 2.
Reading
Overview of Reading
At Heartsease Primary Academy, we are committed to ensuring our pupils leave primary school as fluent and confident readers. We also aim to inspire in them a love of reading which will follow them into their later life. For this reason, ‘core texts’ are at the heart of our English teaching: these are high quality, engaging texts that lead our learning.
We have an exciting online learning environment called ‘Wordsmith’ that enables teachers to present quality texts to pupils in a twenty-first century format! Wordsmith can be accessed by pupils both at school and at home, ensuring pupils have the opportunity to extend their learning at home and share with parents the texts they are using.
Core texts are also an important feature of our new whole school curriculum, with each topic having its own lead text. In this way, pupils are given the opportunity to apply their reading skills across the curriculum. They come to recognise that reading is an essential way of developing understanding in other subjects. We aim to ensure all pupils to leave Heartsease Primary Academy equipped with the reading skills they need to succeed at secondary school.
To promote reading further, Heartsease Primary Academy has introduced ‘Bug Club’ an online reading platform that gives each child access to a range of reading books at an appropriate level of challenge set by the teacher. Pupils read the books online and answer questions whenever they see a ‘bug’ on the page. The software enables teachers to see the books children have accessed and the skills they have rehearsed, at a glance.
At Heartsease Primary Academy, we recognise that reading is made up of these essential elements:
DECODING
COMPREHENSION
READING FOR PLEASURE
In Reception, reading is taught through:-
- A daily ‘Phonics’ session – using the ‘Jolly Phonics’ program
- Individual reading – home/ school reading books and reading record BUG CLUB!
- Frequent use of quality texts; regular story-time, rhyme and song.
- Learning through play: books and print are celebrated in the classroom environment
At KS1, reading is taught through:-
- A daily ‘Phonics’ lesson – following Letters and Sounds
- English lessons – featuring core texts and using Wordsmith resources.
- Individual reading – home/ school reading books and reading record BUG CLUB!
- Guided reading – reading in a focus group with the teacher/ teaching assistant x 1 per week.
- Library sessions – promoting individual reading choice and reading for pleasure.
- Targeted provision for those pupils needing additional support/ challenge.
At KS2, reading is taught through:-
- English lessons – featuring core texts and using Wordsmith resources.
- Guided reading – reading in a focus group with the teacher/ teaching assistant x 1 per week.
- Individual reading – reading book/ library book and reading journal BUG CLUB!
- Library sessions – promoting individual reading choice and reading for pleasure.
- Targeted provision for those pupils needing additional support/ challenge.
Assessment
Teacher’s continuously monitor and assess the children’s progress and achievement as they pass through school. Individual progress is reported to parents/carers regularly, via teacher/parent interviews and an annual report.
Children’s attainment in the core subjects is assessed at the end of Foundation Stage, (Foundation Stage Profile) and in Year 2 and Year 6 as part of National testing (SATs). By the time they reach Year 6 a child would generally be expected to be at Level 4 in all core subjects.
Religious Education and Collective Worship
Religious Education is taught in accordance with the Norfolk syllabus. We focus on different aspects of Christianity and other major world religions. By providing an understanding of other cultures, customs and religions we aim to promote tolerance. Collective Worship is held on a daily basis, with the whole school together. Any parent wishing to withdraw their child from Collective Worship in Religious Education, is invited to discuss the matter, and suitable alternative provision, with the Headteacher.
Physical Education
The school benefits from a large field and outdoor area, together with a well equipped hall, studio and swimming pool. Children 
experience gymnastics, dance, team games and swimming. There are extra curricular clubs for girls and boys such as football, netball, dance and cheer leading. The children regularly take part in cross country and County Sport events. There is a Sports Day each year and parents are encouraged to attend. We aim to teach the pupils the skills of both competitive and noncompetitive games and show them the necessity of sharing, cooperation and good sportsmanship. All children need to take part in PE/Sport as it is part of the National Curriculum and develops good habits for a healthy life style.
