Curriculum Statement

We deliver a broad and deep curriculum that is designed to engage our pupils by making links between subjects.  You can read our Curriculum Statement available below and this tells you about our vision and what is fundamental to our approach to teaching our children.

English - Reading

English - Phonics

We use Jolly Phonics which is a comprehensive programme, based on the proven, fun and multi-sensory synthetic phonics method that gets children reading and writing from an early age. This means that we teach the 42 letter sounds as opposed to the alphabet. There are five key skills that children need to master phonics which include learning how to write the letter sounds, how to blend the sounds for reading, and how to identify the sounds in words for spelling and writing. Alongside this, children learn about tricky words as well as being introduced to the alternative spellings of vowels.

English - Writing

Maths

At Westwood, we feel that Maths is best taught when concepts are broken down in to small, manageable steps as we believe that this is how our children learn best. The school follows the 'Maths No Problem!' programme.

We teach using a method that first uses concrete resources to demonstrate a concept, followed by pictorial representations and finally in a more abstract way.  Find out more about our approach to the teaching and learning of Maths below and also how this looks in the different year groups:

PSHE

PSHE education helps pupils to develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to thrive as individuals, family members and members of society. From making responsible decisions about alcohol to succeeding in their first job, PSHE education helps pupils to manage many of the most critical opportunities, challenges and responsibilities they will face growing up.  (PSHE Association).

We understand the importance of teaching our pupils effective PSHE skills and to facilitate this we follow the Jigsaw scheme of work.  We follow the published curriculum map, which you can find below which ensures our children benefit from the full coverage of all of the important content.

RSHE

The Department for Education announced changes to Relationships and Sex Education following nationwide consultation. These changes came into effect from September 2020 and all schools are required to comply with the updated requirements. Due to COVID 19, schools have been able to delay this until the summer term 2021. The statutory guidance can be found here. 

The new guidance focuses on healthy relationships and keeping children safe in the modern world. It also covers a wide range of topics relating to physical and mental health, well-being, safeguarding and healthy relationships.   Learning about the emotional, social and physical aspects of growing up will give children and young people the information, skills and positive values to have safe, fulfilling relationships and help them take responsibility for their own well-being.

Consequently, from September 2020, Relationships, along with Health Education, became statutory, and formed part of the National Curriculum. For Secondary schools, Sex Education also became statutory. The DfE do recommend that all primary schools should have a sex education programme tailored to the age and the physical and emotional maturity of the pupils.

Where schools provide Sex Education at Key Stages 1 and 2, parents will have the right to withdraw their child from Sex Education but not from statutory Relationships Education, Health Education or what is taught in the Science National curriculum.

Our Wider Curriculum

We believe that children should have access to a broad and balanced curriculum which prepares them for later life.  

In KS1 we try, wherever possible, to link our subject areas together under the umbrella of 'Book Based Learning'.  This sees books used to support the teaching of both English and the Foundation curriculum, whilst also supporting our school aim of 'Every child a reader by 7'. 

In KS2, the wider curriculum is taught as discrete subjects. The sequencing and structure of the curriculum is carefully thought about so that links, where appropriate, can be made across the different subjects.