Allenby Primary School

"There are lots of things to do like; play football, do Maths, fun English, RE, free clubs and play instruments."

THE ALLENBY CURRICULUM

At Allenby Primary School we follow the National Curriculum and strive to enrich the curriculum wherever possible. Please click the following link to find out more National Curriculum and if you would like to discuss our curriculum please contact the school on 0208 578 6636. Our curriculum is underpinned by our school ethos and value and also three key threads;

The Role of Women throughout history and across the world

The role of Leadership and Democracy throughout history and across the world

Change Makers and social action, inspiring our pupils by seeing what has been done and what is still to do

 

Our curriculum is importantly built on our Rights Respecting School Charter and the school values. We created both of these important drivers following consultation with our children, families, governors and staff, co-constructing them to ensure we had a clear and joint vision for our children, long after they leave us hear at Allenby. We enrich the National Curriculum with a wide range of trips, practical worships, visiting speakers, careers days and visits to places of worship.

 

Our school is a small, caring community, where individuals are valued and achieve confidence through success. Children and adults are encouraged to belong to, learn and develop in an inclusive and positive learning environment. Our actions impact on others – ‘what we do matters’ – so in learning, attitudes, behaviour and aspirations we strive to make a difference for the better. This is based on our core values for character and learning and have been developed in light of our Rights Respecting School Charter;

Allenby School Charter

The Right to Play

The Right to be Safe

The Right to Dignity

The Right to be Heard

The Right to be Educated

Values for Character

Respect, Responsibility, Integrity, Aspiration Compassion, Confidence

Values for Learning

Resilience, Reflection, Curiosity, Communication, Collaboration, Resourcefulness

 

Our children are taught in classes, small groups or individually, according to their needs, within the framework of the National Curriculum. We follow a spiral curriculum pairing topics in EYFS, KS 1, LKS2 and UKS2. A variety of teaching styles are used in school, based on good practice, and teachers continually reflect on their teaching. All teachers take part in action research projects within an area of school need and/or to develop their own pedagogy and that of others. These projects range from fluency in arithmetic, whole class colourful semantics to aid early writing to maths journaling and gap analysis and data usage. We are always seeking to innovate our teaching and learning and this approach is not just for our children but also that of our staff and families alike. We do this to maintain our high standards and provide the best in primary school education for our whole community.

 

MASTERY CURRICULUM FOR MATHEMATICS

We provide a daily mathematics lesson for pupils developing children’s skills in mathematical fluency, problem solving and reasoning. Staff use a range of teaching strategies including whole class and guided groups with oral and mental work featuring strongly in each lesson. Teachers use the planning materials from the White Rose Maths Hub to support the lessons as well as Power Maths online and visual resources.  We have a strong focus on automaticity in number and this is supported by whole class lessons with this sole focus and the use of home and in school learning tools like NUMBOTS and TT ROCK STARs. Automaticity is the ability to provide a correct answer without consciously thinking – or more simply, it's mathematics reflex. This is the almost instantaneous solving of a problem to the point where the question and the answer are synonymous. For example, 5 x 5 and 25 are seen as the same thing.

We are committed to establishing a mastery approach in the teaching of mathematics and we currently have 5 members of our teaching staff working with Maths Mastery Specialists within the West London Maths Hub with a focus on susutain and developing our current approach and the development of automaticity in key stage 1. Their expertise is used at Allenby and schools across West London. In the mastery approach all pupils are taught the same mathematical content at the same time and at the same pace, with the focus on developing fluency, reasoning and problem solving. There is greater stress on pupils deepening their knowledge, understanding and application of skills and as a result, questioning skills are an integral part of all lessons as pupils extend and develop their thinking and problem solving skills. As we introduce this new approach across all year groups we are undertaking evaluative lesson drop ins that particularly assess the impact teaching has on deepening pupils learning and understanding. Teachers share their findings to help identify ways to further improve teaching strategies in maths. As a result we have reviewed the school’s calculation policy so that it provides closer links to the use of apparatus and equipment. This is particularly important to ensure our provision for least able pupils is well matched to their learning needs. Our provision for most able pupils is exploring ways to provide more challenging thinking problems rather than larger numbers or more practise.

ENGLISH

English develops pupils’ skills  in speaking, reading and writing. Through a variety of strategies, our children are given opportunities to develop self-confidence and fluency when communicating to a variety of audiences for a range of purposes. They are taught to listen to the opinions and experiences of others from nursery upwards, supporting our charter of the Right to be Heard.

Our curriculum teaches children strategies for developing more complex sentence structures to make   pupils’ writing more interesting to read. We use topic-based structures in almost all writing activities to enable the children to become immersed in the content and use age appropriate technical and tier 2 vocabulary in a range of contexts. Our children learn to manipulate words and phrases for best effect. Grammar and spelling skills are at times taught discretely but where possible directly linked to the context and genres being studied.

When children first start school they are introduced to skills to prepare them for reading and build on their existing skills, both listening and visual. Our reading scheme is for all children still learning to read phonetically and includes a bespoke and personalised reading book selected based on the sounds and books they are reading at school in phonics lessons. This means they only try to read sounds they are already familiar with or are currently learning. This allows our children to experience success with their home reading and therefore promotes the enjoyment of engaging with texts. Children take home additional texts in the shape of free choice library books and banded books that can be shared with adult support, again, fostering a joy of reading through encouraging discussion.

Teaching a child to read is a partnership between home and school. A great emphasis is placed upon reading and the enjoyment children gain from books. Through shared, peer, one to one reading children are given a rich experience of a wide range of challenging texts. We aim for each child to be an, confident, enthusiastic and reflective reader and for every child to be able to read fluently by the end of KS 1.

All children complete the reading challenge where pupils who read four times a week or more at home take part in our reading competition. This is supplemented with a reading bingo challenge termly, whole class texts for reading pleasure, our reading café available at lunchtimes, book fairs and many other termly reading enrichments.

PHONICS

At Allenby we use Read Write Inc Phonics (RWI) to give your child the best possible start with their literacy. We have put together a guide to how the RWI programme works together with some useful links.

Mrs Simigdala is our Read Write Inc lead teacher, so if you have questions about RWI, contact school who can refer you to her. Please take the time to read the information as it will provide invaluable information as to how you can help and support your child in reading.

What is Read Write Inc?

Read Write Inc (RWI) is a phonics complete literacy programme which helps all children learn to read fluently and at speed so they can focus on developing their skills in comprehension, vocabulary and spelling.  The programme is designed for children aged 4-7. However, at Allenby we begin the programme in Nursery and will continue teaching RWI to children beyond the age of 7 if they still need support in their reading.

RWI was developed by Ruth Miskin and more information on this can be found at http://www.ruthmiskin.com/en/parents/.

Reading opens the door to learning. A child who reads a lot will become a good reader. A good reader will be able to read more challenging material. A child who reads challenging material is a child who will learn. The more a child learns, the more he or she will want to find out.

Using RWI, the children learn to read effortlessly so that they can put all their energy into comprehending what they read. It also allows them to spell effortlessly so that they can put all their energy into composing what they write.

When using RWI to read the children will:

• learn 44 sounds and the corresponding letter/letter groups using simple picture prompts
• learn to read words using Fred Talk
• read lively stories featuring words they have learned to sound out
• show that they comprehend the stories by answering questions.

When using RWI to write the children will:

• learn to write the letters/letter groups which represent 44 sounds.
• learn to write words by saying the sounds in Fred Talk
• write simple sentences

This video explains: 

• Why children love learning to read, write and spell using Read Write Inc. Phonics
• How Read Write Inc. Phonics works in school
• How parents can help at home

SCIENCE

In science the emphasis is placed on developing an enquiring mind, ensuring children are curious, ask questions, but most importantly, their ability to work scientifically to find answers. Much work is done practically through our highly resourced science curriculum support by planning and termly CPD from Empiribox. Children work through investigations where they are involved in exploring, observing, measuring, recording results and drawing conclusions. Research from secondary sources is also an important aspect of science, particularly in Key Stage 2. Children use a range of industrial standard apparatus in their time with us from balancing scales with readability: 0.005g to a van der graaf.

GEOGRAPHY

Children will study the physical, human and environmental aspects of Geography. These themes will be studied by looking at their local environment, contrasting localities in the United Kingdom and in other areas of the world. Fieldwork is undertaken in a number of locations but specially focussed on what is around us at school, in Southall and London, progressing on to looking at places around the world.  A very different location in the UK (when compared with Southall) is visited and studied in more depth during the Year 6 residential to Sussex.

HISTORY

Children are taught about important events, people and developments in the past. We help pupils gain knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. We teach children a sense of chronology, and through this they develop a sense of identity and a cultural understanding based on their historical heritage. They learn to value their own and other people’s cultures in modern multicultural Britain. By considering how people lived in the past, they are better able to make their own life choices today. In our school, history makes a significant contribution to citizenship education by teaching about how Britain developed as a democratic society. We teach children to understand how events in the past have influenced our lives today; we also teach them to investigate these past events and by doing so, to develop the skills of enquiry, analysis, interpretation and problem solving.

MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES

French is taught weekly to children in Years 3 – 6 and moves through 3 curriculum stages. Year 3 is about survival language in order for children to speak and write basic questions and responses. The second stage is conversation and written acquisition which the supports the journey to the final stage of thriving. This approach enables our children to have gained enough knowledge and skill to be success language learners in the future, not just in French but in any language they choose.

ART

Artwork is based on both imagination and observation. Children use a variety of materials, media and tools to express their ideas and feelings about the world. They are taught to appreciate, evaluate and to make judgements about art, craft and design from different times and cultures and to make practical decisions about how to develop their own artwork. This is done discretely and within topics.

MUSIC

Our aim is for children to experience the excitement and joy of performing music in various ways. Pupils will all be given opportunities to:

• Acquire a basic knowledge of the elements of music in such things as rhythm, melody and harmony

• Read music to varying degrees

• Weekly singing assemblies for all children

• Listen to many different kinds of music during assemblies, workshops and also at lunchtime

• Make simple judgements about the music they hear or play based on their growing knowledge

• Respond to music using their knowledge and skills to improve their own performance

• Perform in school concerts in singing and drumming

• Every child in KS2 has weekly drumming lessons where they work on whole class and individual pieces with both djembe and bass drums

COMPUTING

Our computing curriculum aims to develop the heart and mind of every child. Computing teaching at Allenby  Primary School has deep links with mathematics, science and design and technology and our aim is to provide a broad and balanced curriculum whilst ensuring that pupils become digitally literate and digitally resilient. Technology is ever evolving and we aim to develop pupils who can use and express themselves and develop their ideas through information and communication technology at a suitable level for the future workplace and as active participants in a digital world.

The aims of our computing curriculum are to develop pupils who:

• Are responsible, competent, confident and creative users of information and communication technology.

• Know how to keep themselves safe whilst using technology and on the internet and be able to minimise risk to themselves and others.

• Can understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of computer science, including abstraction, logic, algorithms and data representation.

• Understand and follow the SMART E-Safety rules and E-Safety messages that can keep them safe online.

DESIGN TECHNOLOGY

Children are given the opportunity to practise skills through specific tasks not just in D+T lessons but across science, ICT and art. Children also have specific project linked work to supplement their discrete lessons.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

We endeavour to provide a wide range of physical activities to help pupils develop physical competence and to value the benefits of exercise. PE also contributes to the establishment of self-esteem and team working skills. The areas of activity covered will be athletics, dance, games, gymnastics, swimming, health and fitness and outdoor adventurous activities. At Allenby a specialist teacher works in the school in order to lead must lessons and also team teaches with staff to develop their knowledge and skills. Children also have the opportunity to take part in inter and intra school sports tournaments during Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.  We hold an annual sports day for children in Nursery through to Year 6. Swimming lesson take place during Year 4 for all children where the target for all children is to be able to swim 25m in a variety of strokes and also pass the lifesaving practical. Our PE curriculum works in tandem with the Local Authority and National Competitions Network to ensure our children are exposed to sports and activities that they can go on to compete in for our school. This is also supported by a comprehensive extra-curricular offer both during the day and after school.

MFL (French at Allenby)

We believe that the learning of a language provides a valuable educational, social and cultural experience for our pupils. We aim that our curriculum helps the children to develop a keen interest and curiosity for learning French in an enjoyable and stimulating manner. Our French curriculum develops communication skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing. In addition, children's knowledge of how language works will lay the foundations for further language learning in the future. We believe that learning another language gives children confidence as communicators as well as a new and broader perspective on the world, encouraging them to understand their own cultures and those of others.

Our curriculum will ensure that children listen attentively with curiosity. They will understand and respond to spoken and written French and are able to speak with increasing confidence, fluency and spontaneity, finding ways of communicating what they want to say. We aim to allow opportunities for discussion and asking questions, so that children are continually improving the accuracy of their pronunciation and intonation. Children will write simple words and then use their developing knowledge of word order to write sentences, for different purposes and audiences, using the variety of grammatical structures that they have learnt. Through looking at a range of writing, including stories in French, children will develop an appreciation and curiosity for a range of French writing.

As a Rights Respecting School, we believe it is important that our children learn about the French cultures and customs alongside their linguistic development.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

We follow the Ealing agreed syllabus for RE and have supported the Local Authority in its creation by being part of the working group in 2019. Emphasis is placed on the development of a caring, compassionate and respectful attitude towards others in the school, local and our international community. Each class presents an assembly to our community on a specific religious/cultural festival or celebration during the autumn term to showcase the similarities and differences between them. Regular collective worship which is representative of our local diverse community takes place in school every day and in our recent determination our practice was judged exceptional.

PSHE (Personal, Social, Health, Economic)

We follow the Ealing PSHE scheme of work, which is based on the learning descriptors laid out in the DfE’s ‘Statutory Relationships, Sex and Health Education guidance’ . Safeguarding, Fundamental British Values and SMSC (Spiritual, Moral, Social, Cultural) are embedded throughout the scheme of work.

There are three core themes, within which there will be broad overlap and flexibility: 

1) Health and Well-being (Autumn Term)

2) Living in the Wider World (Spring Term)

3) Relationships (Summer Term)

Each term there is a new theme, which runs progressively throughout the school years from Nursery to Year 6. Given the whole school approach to the PSHE, each year group is covering the same theme at the same time.

PSHE is taught as a discrete lesson once a week but also forms an integral part of the values and ethos of our school. In addition to classroom lessons, school activities, assemblies and special events enhance the PSHE education in Allenby.

BRITISH VALUES

The Government set out its definition of British values in the 2011 Prevent Strategy, and these values have been reiterated in 2014.  At Allenby Primary School, these values are reinforced through the curriculum, embedded into assemblies and in the daily life of the school through our Rights and Values. They are discussed weekly during PSHE at the start of every lesson to reinforce their importance at Allenby.

Democracy

Allenby School believes in the rights and responsibilities of all children. Children have many opportunities for their voices to be heard and elections are held for positions such as the Rights Officers. Democracy and leadership are key themes within our curriculum offer.

The Rule of Law

The importance of law is decanted and presented in the shape of class or school charters at Allenby and is  consistently reinforced throughout the day to day life of the school, centred around positive reinforcement rather than just sanction and reward. These charters were co-constructed with all of our community to gain consensus and also knowledge of why they are important to us. They are traced back to the UNICEF Articles of the Rights of the Child. Children are taught the value and reasons behind national and international 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 and Fire Service help reinforce this message and our MP has visited the school to take part in a variety of activities.

Individual Liberty

Within school, pupils are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment..  Repetative? Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and advised how to exercise these safely. They understand they have The Right to be Heard but also respect the Right to a Voice for others.

Mutual Respect

Mutual respect is at the heart of school life and children learn that their behaviours have an effect on their own rights and those of others. All members of the school community aim to treat each other with respect.

Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs

Allenby School celebrates difference.  Class based learning and assemblies are regularly planned with the inclusion of stories and celebrations from a variety of faiths and cultures. Our RE, PSHE and school curriculum as a whole promotes quality teaching and learning that reinforces tolerance and inclusion. Members of different faiths or religions are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning within classes and the school. Children visit places of worship that are important to different faiths and we have well established links with the neighbouring churches, mosques, temples and gurdwaras all of which are visited yearly by year groups.

At Allenby we will challenge pupils, staff or parents expressing opinions contrary to these values, including ‘extremist’ views.

 

English and maths follow the yearly expectations in the new National Curriculum. Progress is measured using steps.

Phonics: children follow the Read Write Inc phonics pcheme which works alongside the RWI home reading scheme. This is supplemented by extra reading books that are banded for the children to read with their parents or adults in school.

Children in Reception follow the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum which involves the children in play based learning across the following curriculum areas: communication and language, physical development, personal, social and emotional development, literacy, mathematics, understanding the world and expressive arts and design.

 

SLD (Severe Learning Difficulties) UNIT

The curriculum in the SLD Unit at Allenby Primary School encourages active engagement in learning and focuses on the key skills of communication, cognition, physical development and self-care in order to promote children’s independence and prepare them for life beyond the school. It aspires to address individual needs and to build on each child’s strengths and interests. 

In order to offer children experiences that are relevant, interesting and challenging, and to identify opportunities for progression, we have adopted a curriculum structure, which encompasses three broad levels: ‘pre-formal’, ‘semi-formal’ and ‘formal’. 

Through these three levels, the children follow a broad and balanced curriculum incorporating aspects of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum, the EQUALS Scheme of Work and the National Curriculum as required on a personalised basis. Through an annual plan of topics and a cross-curricular approach, children learn through different experiences, themes and subjects. There is an annual plan of topics, which provides varied contexts for learning.

Given the children are in mixed age classes, the topics have been planned to enable progression. Learning and progress is through the level of the curriculum each child follows and their Education, Health and Care Plan, which underpins targets in each individual education plan (IEP). 

A variety of teaching and learning strategies is used to help meet the needs of each child drawing from a range of different approaches. A multidisciplinary staff team including specialist teaching staff and external professionals such as Educational Psychologist delivers the curriculum. Therapies (speech and language therapy, occupational therapy) are an integral part of what we offer to the children, even in the case of our more academically able pupils who follow the formal curriculum. 

Inclusion of the children in the unit is a huge part in developing their independence. Social inclusion for all the children in the unit takes place every day through play times, dinner times and special school events. When ready, children in the unit attend a number of formal lessons in the mainstream classes.