Curriculum Aims

• To create staff and learners who have high expectations, enjoy learning and strive for excellence;

• Pupils that are inspired through innovation;

• Pupils are encouraged to have enquiring minds and seek opportunities to become culturally aware and responsible global citizens, who can make a positive contribution to society;

• To create confident individuals who are able to live safe, healthy and fulfilling lives.

At Beam, we ensure that literacy skills are taught throughout all curriculum areas. Throughout the school speaking and listening activities form an essential part of literacy teaching. Within the Early Years and Key Stage 1 classes, the discrete teaching of phonics follows the Letters and Sounds programme.

Many forms of writing are experienced throughout the school including story writing, instructional writing, persuasive writing, recounts, and poetry. The children enjoy regular ‘Big Writing’ sessions where they have the opportunity to demonstrate the literacy skills they have learned. In Key stage, 2 pupils will self-assess their work.

Children are immersed in a rich reading environment, exploring a wide range of quality texts to support both word recognition, comprehension and vocabulary development. Comprehension and engagement in books is encouraged through drama, ‘book talk’ and response activities including artwork, story mapping, and guided reading.

Personal and Social Education encourages children to take responsibility for their own health and well-being. PSE will enable children to develop important life skills, such as how to react in difficult situations and to learn about rights and responsibilities for themselves and others. In doing this, it is anticipated that self-confidence and esteem will be promoted.

As part of Religious Education, children learn about Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Buddhism.  It is our aim that children will recognise and value all people with their diversity of gifts, cultures, and faiths and develop consideration for others, learning to work together with a sense of social responsibility and compassion.

Physical Education is an essential part of school life at Beam County Primary School and children have the opportunity to develop a variety of skills, confidence, and self-esteem through a wide range of sporting activities such as gymnastics, dance, tennis, multi-skills, and Hi5 netball. Our pupils receive specialist coaching from an outstanding sports coach to enhance the curriculum in Key Stages 1 and 2 and to deliver the requirements of the National Curriculum. The PE curriculum extends beyond the school day and a varied selection of extra-curricular clubs are offered during the school week. Swimming is also a part of the curriculum and is offered to lower Key Stage 2.

The school participates in many local competitions and has enjoyed great success over the years.

PE curriculum map 2017 – 2018

Children are encouraged to develop their skills in D.T. through practical tasks and projects.  They are invited to find solutions to a range of problems.  Children are engaged in their own designing and planning, testing of ideas, and product creations.  They discuss, evaluate and amend their solutions/ products throughout the project, and support each other to improve upon original ideas.

Across all subjects, learning outside of the classroom is an essential part of finding out about our world around us. Beam County Primary School is particularly fortunate to have a vast outdoor area including a pond, a garden and a nature trail which all children have access to during their time at school.

Foundation stage and key stage one are introduced to history through sequencing, listening to stories and looking at photographs or exploring artefacts. Then as the children travel up the school the children go on to study the Romans, invaders and settlers, Exploration and Encounters, Tudors and Victorians, Ancient Egypt and Greece. Throughout the key stages, our children are given cross-curricular activities where relevant.  Drama and effective talk are key strategies.  All our children have the opportunity to visit museums and we also have visitors come into the school to present workshops and performances.

Geography is presented to the younger children with the focus of themselves. They explore their home, school and the local environment. They continue to focus on what’s familiar to them by looking at journeys and transport, and why people decide to make journeys.

In KS2 children develop their map skills and how to read and create various maps, they study settlements and land use. We are fortunate to have vast grounds and use our outdoor environment as a key learning tool.  They look at environmental issues by comparing and contrasting areas around Britain and locations around the world.

ICT is taught as a discrete subject, as well as being used to support cross-curricular learning. Pupils are taught a range of knowledge, skills, and understanding through four areas of learning: finding things out; developing ideas and making things happen; exchanging and sharing information; reviewing, modifying and evaluating work as it progresses. They use word-processing, multimedia, graphics, data handling, and modelling software. Children have good access to PCs and iPads. Digital Leaders are a group of Gifted pupils that provide iPad training to staff and pupils alike.

We have adopted the new Barking & Dagenham Scheme of work. This is an exciting scheme that incorporates current technologies and challenges the children to excel within the subject. The school has a programme of investment in ICT to ensure that children have access to resources that reflects the constantly changing technology that they encounter in the wider world.

Maths is taught through a daily numeracy lesson which follows the principles of the Primary Numeracy Strategy. This ensures a broad and through coverage of the main aspects of numeracy: number, shape space and measure, data handling and using and applying mathematics. There is also a strong emphasis on mental arithmetic and children are set regular tasks to develop this skill.

In order to develop mathematical skills and concepts, children are grouped in class according to ability; but these groups are often changed according to individual strengths and weaknesses across the main aspects of numeracy.

Considerable importance is attached to the children achieving and understanding mathematical processes and it is our aim to ensure children feel confident and encouraged about their learning in maths. This is achieved by planning interesting and enjoyable lessons that give each child the opportunity to actively participate in the learning process. Class teachers also plan for opportunities to develop and apply key mathematical skills in other subjects throughout the year and to real life situations.

Learning the French language within the curriculum provides opportunities for children to broaden their knowledge of culture and language in general.T heir language skills are developed through oracy, such as song, games, storytelling, and topics are related to real-life scenarios, such as weather and school/home life.

Children approach their learning through teamwork, pair work, and whole-class engagement. As learning a foreign language can be quite daunting for some, these learning strategies enable children to share ideas within a safe and comfortable environment; allowing children to support and encourage each other. Children are also encouraged to prompt one another on making improvements upon grammatical errors and pronunciation.

Learning a second language can facilitate children with skills which they can apply within other areas of the curriculum, such as speaking and listening skills, identifying differences and making comparisons within the English language and confidence building.

All children receive specialised lessons from an outstanding teacher, which ensures continuity and growth.  In Year 5 children learn an instrument, such as the guitar, violin, etc. from a peripatetic teacher.   Music plays a major part in school through assemblies and performances and children have many opportunities to participate by singing or playing their instrument.

eaching British Values

“to create and enforce a clear and rigorous expectation on all schools to promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.” (DfE)

The government set out its definition of British values in the, and these values have been reiterated by the Prime Minister this year.  At Beam County Primary School the 2011 Prevent Strategy values are reinforced regularly and in the following ways:

Democracy:

Democracy is rife within the school. Pupils have the opportunity to have their voices heard through our Pupil Council and Pupil questionnaires. Our school behaviour policy involves rewards.

The Rule of Law:

The importance of Laws, whether they be those that govern the class, the school, or the country, are consistently reinforced throughout regular school days, as well as when dealing with behaviour and through school assemblies. Pupils are taught the value and reasons behind laws, that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws are broken. Visits from authorities such as the Police; Fire Service; etc. are regular parts of our calendar and help reinforce this message.

Individual Liberty:

Within school, pupils are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. As a school we educate and provide boundaries for young pupils to make choices safely, through of provision of a safe environment and empowering education.  Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and advise how to exercise these safely, for example through our E-Safety and PSHE lessons. Whether it be through choice of challenge, of how they record, of participation in our numerous extra-curricular clubs and opportunities, pupils are given the freedom to make choices.

Mutual Respect:

Part of our school ethos and behaviour policy has revolved around Core Values such as ‘Respect’, and pupils have been part of discussions and assemblies related to what this means and how it is shown. Posters around the school promote respect for others and this is reiterated through our classroom and learning rules, as well as our behaviour policy.

Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs:

This is achieved through enhancing pupils understanding of their place in a culturally diverse society and by giving them opportunities to experience such diversity. Assemblies and discussions promote tolerance as we play music from different cultures. Assemblies and discussion involving prejudices and prejudice-based bullying have been followed and supported by learning in RE and PSHE. The school has a high-profile ‘Language of the Term’ subject that runs throughout the year, linking to languages spoken by our EAL pupils. Members of different faiths or religions are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning within classes and the school. Our School Council in particular show that this has been successful.

Science at Beam gives children the opportunity to be inquisitive, to explore and find out about the world around them.  As they progress through the school, the children carry out practical investigations with greater independence and have the opportunity to research information, use a variety of equipment and resources.  We are particularly fortunate to have our own wildlife area which we use to ensure that our pupils gain firsthand experience. In their work children develop a variety of strategies to analyse what they have found out and are encouraged to record their findings accordingly. The Science units can also be linked to other areas of the curriculum such as ICT, Maths and Art and topics covered include Light and Sound, Changing Materials, Forces In Action, Life Cycles, habitats, and Healthy Living.  In years 5 and 6, our pupils receive a unit of lessons at our feeder Secondary Schools.