Science Page
Our science curriculum is based on the expectations set out within the National Curriculum 2014. An overview of science topics covered across each year group can be found within our Implementation Plan belowwhich includes the rich knowledge embedded within and across units of work alongside key enquiry questions which drive the focus and teaching across individual lessons. This was developed by staff following a 12 month focus on the development of science teaching and pedagogy routed in the latest reseach and advice from professional associations i.e. The Association for Science Education
Knowledge Organisers
Parents can click on the One Drive folder link below to download the knowledge organisers for each unit of work. These documents contain the key knowledge and vocabulary that your child will need to know and include much of what they will be assessed on as the unit progresses and within the end of unit assessment.
Statement of Intent:
At Heap Bridge Village Primary School, we aspire to ensure that each and every one of our pupils develops in to a positive, proactive learner who is proud of their achievements and well prepared for a successful life. Delivered through a vibrant curriculum, we believe that learning should be enjoyable, purposeful and challenging. We will equip pupils with the skills and dispositions they need for lifelong learning, teach them the importance of being proactive, taking ownership of their own futures and ensuring they develop the highest expectations for themselves in their pursuit of excellence. We will do this within a safe and supportive environment of mutual understanding, positive relationships, respect and tolerance. Regardless of any barriers to learning, we will ensure that we work in partnership with school stakeholders to ensure that every child in our school can be proud of what they achieve.
Our ambition is to provide a high quality Computing curriculum that:
- Equips pupils to use computational thinking and creativity as technology continually evolves
- Creates strong links with mathematics, science, art and design technology (STEAM)
- Builds on our children’s starting points and prior knowledge of technology so that we ensure that they can demonstrate that they know more, remember more and can apply more to their year group Computing end points.
Aims of our Computing Curriculum:
- To build on prior knowledge and understanding so that pupils are equipped to use information technology to create programs, systems and a range of content.
- To ensure that pupils become digitally literate – able to use, and express themselves and develop their ideas through, information and communication technology – at a level suitable for the future education and workplace and as active participants in a digital world.
- To ensure that pupils can understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of computer science, including abstraction, logic, algorithms and data representation, and can analyse problems in computational terms.
- To enable pupils to evaluate and apply information technology, including new or unfamiliar technologies, analytically to solve problems.
- To ensure that pupils become responsible, competent, confident and creative users of information and communication technology.
- To make certain that all children, particularly those with special needs or disability and children who may have English as a second language, are well supported in Computing. To ensure support and adaptations enable all children to reach their full potential and achieve the highest possible personal standard, ensuring that each child receives maximum equal learning opportunities, regardless of gender, creed, culture, ethnic background or disability.
Development of knowledge, skills and understanding
The objectives of computing teaching in the school are based on the requirements of the National Curriculum Programmes of Study for Key Stages 1 and 2 and developed further through the teaching framework published by Teach Computing, a programme published by NCCE (The National Centre for Computing Education is funded by the Department for Education and supporting partners, and marks a significant investment in improving the provision of computing education in England).
How we teach computing: 12 pedagogy principles
Lead with concepts:
Support pupils in the acquisition of knowledge, through the use of key concepts, terms, and vocabulary, providing opportunities to build a shared and consistent understanding. Glossaries, concept maps, and displays, along with regular recall and revision, can support this approach.
Unplug, unpack, repack:
Teach new concepts by first unpacking complex terms and ideas, exploring these ideas in unplugged and familiar contexts, then repacking this new understanding into the original concept. This approach (semantic waves) can help pupils develop a secure understanding of complex concepts
Create projects:
Use project-based learning activities to provide pupils with the opportunity to apply and consolidate their knowledge and understanding. Design is an important, often overlooked aspect of computing. Pupils can consider how to develop an artefact for a particular user or function, and evaluate it against a set of criteria.
Challenge misconceptions:
Use formative questioning to uncover misconceptions and adapt teaching to address them as they occur. Awareness of common misconceptions alongside discussion, concept mapping, peer instruction, or simple quizzes can help identify areas of confusion.
Structure lessons:
Use supportive frameworks when planning lessons, such as PRIMM (Predict, Run, Investigate, Modify, Make) and Use-Modify-Create. These frameworks are based on research and ensure that differentiation can be built in at various stages of the lesson.
Work together:
Encourage collaboration, specifically using pair programming and peer instruction, and also structured group tasks. Working together stimulates classroom dialogue, articulation of concepts, and development of shared understanding.
Model everything:
Model processes or practices — everything from debugging code to binary number conversions — using techniques such as worked examples and live coding. Modelling is particularly beneficial to novices, providing scaffolding that can be gradually taken away.
Add variety:
Provide activities with different levels of direction, scaffolding, and support that promote active learning, ranging from highly structured to more exploratory tasks. Adapting your instruction to suit different objectives will help keep all pupils engaged and encourage greater independence
Make concrete:
Bring abstract concepts to life with real world, contextual examples and a focus on interdependencies with other curriculum subjects. This can be achieved through the use of unplugged activities, proposing analogies, storytelling around concepts, and finding examples of the concepts in pupils’ lives.
Read and explore code first:
When teaching programming, focus first on code ‘reading’ activities, before code writing. With both block-based and text-based programming, encourage pupils to review and interpret blocks of code. Research has shown that being able to read, trace, and explain code augments pupils’ ability to write code.
Get hands-on:
Use physical computing and making activities that offer tactile and sensory experiences to enhance learning. Combining electronics and programming with arts and crafts (especially through exploratory projects) provides pupils with a creative, engaging context to explore and apply computing concepts.
Foster program comprehension:
Use a variety of activities to consolidate knowledge and understanding of the function and structure of programs, including debugging, tracing, and Parson’s Problems. Regular comprehension activities will help secure understanding and build connections with new knowledge.
Measuring Impact:
Our policy is to ensure that all pupils, including those with Special Educational Needs, will know more, remember more and apply more knowledge (both declarative and procedural) to make at least good progress from their starting points. Children will build strong computational thinking skills that can be applied to solve a range of computing problems. Children will develop a passion and love of computing and technology, and perceive this as a subject in which they can succeed. Teachers will have good subject knowledge and confidence in teaching Computing, which will lead to stronger outcomes for children.
Assessment, recording and reporting
As with any curriculum plan, its success is determined by the degree and depth to which pupils learn and acquire the knowledge and skills set out to be taught. Assessment, recording and reporting of learning in computing is based around the following pupils acquiring and remembering the knowledge set out in the implementation plan. This is recorded in a spreadsheet against the lesson objective for each unit and long term retention of this knowledge is assessed continuously though regular quizzing activities, lesson recaps and teacher focused questioning.
Digital Leaders
At Heap Bridge we have developed our own Digital Leader programme over a number of years and are leaders within our local network of schools and across the LA in delivering this programme across a number of schools.
Statement of Intent:
Design and technology is an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject. Using creativity and imagination, pupils design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values. They acquire a broad range of subject knowledge and draw on disciplines such as mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art. Pupils learn how to take risks, becoming resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens. Through the evaluation of past and present design and technology, they develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world. High-quality design and technology education makes an essential contribution to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of the nation.
The writing of this policy, alongside the ‘Long Term Curriculum Implementation Plan’ has been informed by the school’s research into best practice. Key sources used to inform school practice include membership access to the Design and Technology Association publications and resources.
Aims of our Design Technology curriculum:
The national curriculum for design and technology aims to ensure that all pupils:
- develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world
- build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users
- critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and the work of others
- understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook.
Heap Bridge teaching process/pedagogy
Implementation Planning:
Subject Knowledge & Curriculum Planning
To ensure a clear focus on the above priorities the school has set out a detailed ‘Long Term Curriculum Implementation Plan’ (published on our school website) which clearly sets out a progression framework for pupil’s acquisition of knowledge, skills and understanding across the range of curriculum content taught from Year 1 to Year 6.
Impact
The impact of our work in art is assessed using the end point statements at the end of the implementation plan. This is evidenced through children's finished artwork, sketchbooks and the discussions teachers and school leaders have with pupils about their learning. A sample of children's experiences across the curriculum can also be seen on our school blog.
Statement of intent:
Art, craft and design embody some of the highest forms of human creativity. A high-quality art and design education should engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment and create their own work. As pupils progress, they should be able to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of art and design. They should also know how art and design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation. Art education should foster an enjoyment and appreciation of the visual arts, and a knowledge of artists.
The writing of this policy, alongside the ‘Long Term Curriculum Implementation Plan’ has been informed by the school’s research into best practice. Key sources used to inform school practice include membership access to the NSEAD publications and resources and a comprehensive summary of research findings in to the teaching of art.
Aims of our art curriculum:
- produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences
- become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques
- evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art, craft and design
- know about great artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms.
Heap Bridge teaching process/pedagogy:
Implementation Planning:
Subject Knowledge & Curriculum Planning
To ensure a clear focus on the above priorities the school has set out a detailed ‘Long Term Curriculum Implementation Plan’ which clearly sets out a progression framework for pupil’s acquisition of knowledge, skills and understanding across the range of curriculum content taught from Year 1 to Year 6.
Use of sketchbooks
Sketchbooks are used from Year 1 through to Year 6 to regularly record, collect and investigate ideas, images and wider research, relevant to current and ongoing work. The sketchbook will provide a solid evidence base for the work pupils undertake within the ‘investigate & research’ and discover & connect’ aspects of the art and design teaching process, enabling pupils to develop their ideas in a central, personal space, from year to year.
Sketchbooks will also provide a place for year group assessment overviews, to mark the beginning of each school year’s programme of work and provide an area for teachers to record their ongoing assessment of pupils work and artistic development.
Collaborative Projects: Our local area...
Over the past few years the school has worked collaboratively within the Arch Alliance and local community to develop large scale art projects, linked to local history and working with a range of local artists.
An example of one these projects is represented below.
Impact
The impact of our work in art is assessed using the end point statements at the end of the implementation plan. This is evidenced through children's finished artwork, sketchbooks and the discussions teachers and school leaders have with pupils about their learning. A sample of children's experiences across the curriculum can also be seen on our school blog.
Mathematics Page
Our mathematics curriculum is based on the expectations set out within the National Curriculum 2014. An overview of maths topics covered across each year group can be found within our Curriculum Overviews and also in more detail in a separate menu item attached to this page.
Please see the links from the main menu for this page to view the year group expectations in mathematics. As of 2014 we have adapted our teaching and expectations across the school to respond to the change of National Curriculum.
Standards in mathematics at Heap Bridge are currently very good. One of the reasons for this is the high profile of our Mathematic Passports. Our Maths passports are a continuum of mental maths strategies and skills that should challenge your child from entering Reception right up to them leaving us at the end of Year 6.
You can download these here
