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Curriculum & Resources

Curriculum & Resources

Our intent is to provide a curriculum that is:

  • well-structured and sequenced in terms of the skills and knowledge that pupils acquire
  • broad – offering a wide range of subjects
  • balanced – each subject is not only taught to all pupils but is afforded sufficient space on the timetable to deliver its distinct contribution
  • builds on prior learning in order to lay the foundations for what will come next

Our curriculum is based on 4 key values.

  • Believe
  • Engage
  • Succeed
  • Together

These values are what we believe all children in our care should develop during their time with us. These underpin everything we do – how we treat each other, how we work and the work we plan. We believe that if every pupil develops these values, they will acquire the positive learning attitudes that will assist them in meeting the national expectations at the end of Year 6. They will not only be well-prepared for the next stage of their education but in addition will have the building blocks that promote effective life-long learning.

Within the curriculum, English, mathematics, science and French are taught discretely.  We also plan topics that link together subjects in the National Curriculum – combining reading, writing, history, geography, art, design & technology, plus other subjects such as mathematics and physical education where appropriate thereby ensuring all subjects are given the same value and status; and allows pupils to make links between subjects and our daily lives.

The curriculum at Stamford Bridge does not simply focus on the academic side of pupils’ development. We also concentrate on their social, emotional and personal development so that they are well placed to take advantage of the many opportunities that life will present to them as they grow older. Therefore, our curriculum aims to promote the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils and together with British Values prepares our pupils for the opportunities,  responsibilities  and experiences associated with later learning and life.

For more detailed information, please refer to our individual curriculum pages hosted on our Wonder Learning Partnership Trust’s site:

Primary Curriculum | Wonder Learning Partnership (wlp.education)

We also use a suite of learning programmes for which you can find the links in the Useful Links & Documents section below.

Curriculum Overviews

Reading Guidance
Stamford Bridge Primary School is committed to instilling a lifelong love for books and fostering independent, confident readers through a vibrant reading culture that emphasises pleasure, engagement, and preparation for academic success.

Intent

At Stamford Bridge Primary School, we wholeheartedly believe that reading is an essential life skill that lays the foundation for success in our children’s futures. We are committed to nurturing a culture of reading that empowers young minds, enriches lives, and sparks a lifelong love for books.

Reading for pleasure is at the heart of what we do, and we celebrate the joy that comes from exploring the pages of a book. Our Reading For Pleasure Partnership with parents helps children to develop as curious learners who actively participate in dialogue by questioning, relating to, expressing views, and engaging in discussions about a range of quality, engaging texts. We place books, texts, and images at the heart of daily school life, creating an atmosphere where reading for pleasure is celebrated.

Our reading curriculum is designed to ensure that all children recognise reading as an open door to all other learning opportunities. Through reading, our children have the opportunity to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially, and spiritually. We understand that each book offers new and unique experiences, challenges thinking, and nurtures imagination. We aim for our students to not only read but to want to read. We inspire confidence and competence in our children by exposing them to a wide range of high-quality texts, in the classroom, in our reading space corners and in our school library.

Our aim is to ensure that every child becomes an independent reader, fostering a life-long enjoyment of reading and books. We prepare our children right from the start of our Foundation Stage to transition to secondary school as enthusiastic, fluent, and confident readers in any subject, equipping them with the knowledge, understanding, and attitudes they need to reach their full potential as individuals and literate members of society.

Implementation

At Stamford Bridge Primary School, we have a profound understanding of the vital role we play in teaching children to read. This is not only one of our core responsibilities but also a fundamental building block for their education. It opens the doors to knowledge and cultivates the delight and satisfaction that the written word has to offer.

Our Reading Journey  

The journey of learning to read begins with a systematic approach to phonics, a path that extends seamlessly from Reception through Key Stage One and, where appropriate, into Key Stage Two. The systematic teaching of phonics is a high priority throughout Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1. To facilitate this, we employ the highly organised and effective Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised Programme. Our trained staff teach the understanding of the relationships between phonemes, or sounds, and the graphemes, or written spelling patterns, that represent them.

The journey of phonics commences in our Nursery, where children participate in daily ‘Foundations for Phonics’ sessions. Our youngest learners are encouraged to engage in enjoyable linguistic activities, exposed to a wide array of stimuli ranging from rhyming words, alliteration, songs, to role-playing. The primary focus here is to nurture a deep listening acumen in children, guiding them to relish the world of words.

This journey of phonics continues in Reception and year 1, where children engage in daily phonics sessions to continue to build that strong early word recognition. As they progress through Key Stage 1, and, as needed, Key Stage 2, this journey continues as they engage in tailored phonics sessions within small groups. These sessions encompass activities that encompass speaking, listening, spelling, and reading, all tailored to meet their current requirements. Teachers rely on observations and continuous assessments to ensure that each child is appropriately challenged and to pinpoint those who may benefit from additional support. In instances where children require extra assistance, timely intervention is meticulously planned as soon as their needs are identified.

We believe that systematic, high-quality phonics instruction is crucial. However, we understand that additional skills and opportunities are essential for children to fully embrace the objective of becoming well-rounded readers, especially in terms of comprehension and understanding.

Cusp Reading Curriculum  

We are delighted to be working with Unity Schools Partnership and have adopted their reading curriculum known as CUSP (Curriculum with Unity Schools Partnership) which is underpinned by the very latest research evidence from education and the field of cognitive science.

CUSP Reading is deliberately designed to be ambitious and aspirational, ensuring that every child leaves our school as a competent, confident reader. Drawing on the latest research around explicit vocabulary instruction, reading fluency and key comprehension strategies, this curriculum is a synthesis of what we know works in helping children make outstanding progress in reading and a distillation into consistent, well-structured practice. Pupils receive a daily diet of excellent reading teaching and is supplemented by regular opportunities to engage with shared reading experiences, promoting the joy of reading with the whole school community. The clear structure and principles ensure that teaching is progressive, challenging and engaging and the rich, diverse literature spine acts as both a mirror so that every child can see themselves in the core texts and as a mirror to engage pupils with experiences beyond their own field of reference.

Reading For Pleasure 

Reading for pleasure is at the heart of everything we do, and we celebrate the joy that comes from exploring the pages of a book. Our Reading For Pleasure Partnership with parents helps children to develop as curious learners who actively participate in dialogue by questioning, relating to, expressing views, and engaging in discussions around a range of quality, engaging texts. We place books, texts, and images at the heart of daily school life, creating an atmosphere where reading for pleasure is celebrated.

Impact

At Stamford Bridge Primary School we recognise that reading is the cornerstone of academic success and personal enrichment. Our unwavering commitment to cultivating a love for reading amongst our children has far-reaching effects on their educational journey and beyond.

Academic Excellence: 

Reading is not just a skill; it is the key that unlocks a world of knowledge. Our meticulously designed reading curriculum guides children from the earliest stages of phonics in Nursery to advanced comprehension strategies integrated into the CUSP Reading Curriculum. This approach allows children to achieve their potential against the key performance indicators set by the class teacher and assessment lead base dn their previous assessment data. Children who are not achieving in line with expectations are given intervention sessions in order to address any misconceptions and to allow children to progress with their learning. At the end of each term, all children are formally assessed – these tests are used to enable teachers to plan effective lessons and to break down barriers to learning.

Cultivating Curious Minds: 

Beyond academic achievement, our emphasis on reading for pleasure sparks curiosity and a thirst for knowledge. The joy that comes from exploring the pages of a book becomes a catalyst for active engagement in learning. Our Reading For Pleasure Partnership extends beyond the school walls, involving parents in the journey of developing curious learners. Through dialogues, questioning, and discussions around quality texts, children become not only readers but critical thinkers and articulate communicators.

Holistic Development:  

We understand that reading is not confined to textbooks; it is a tool for holistic development. By immersing children in a diverse range of high-quality texts, we foster cultural, emotional, intellectual, social, and spiritual growth. The literature spine of our curriculum acts as a mirror and a window, reflecting the experiences of every child and opening doors to worlds beyond their own.

Lifelong Learners:  

Reading is not just a subject; it’s a lifelong skill that prepares our children for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. Our focus on creating independent readers ensures that every child leaves Stamford Bridge Primary with a profound enjoyment of reading and the necessary literacy skills to thrive in secondary school and beyond. The impact is not only seen in academic accomplishments but in the development of well-rounded individuals ready to contribute meaningfully to society.

At Stamford Bridge Primary School, the impact of our approach to reading is evident in the growth, confidence, and enthusiasm our children exhibit as they navigate the world of words. We are not just shaping readers; we are fostering a community of lifelong learners poised for success in the ever-evolving landscape of knowledge.

Writing Guidance
At Stamford Bridge Primary School, we want all our pupils to leave primary school with a love for writing.  We want our pupils to write with a recognisable voice and to use writing as a tool for thinking. We teach pupils to be writers, not just people who produce writing.

Our writing curriculum aims to spark curiosity and imagination. Our ultimate goals are to inspire a love for writing and to equip our pupils with the skills they need in order to communicate effectively and achieve their potential academically.

Our primary aim is to equip each child with the tools and enthusiasm they need to become confident, skilled, and passionate writers.  We do this through:

  1. Diverse Writing Experiences: Throughout their time in our school, pupils are offered a wide experience of writing, across a range of genres and text types
  2. The Reading-Writing Connection: We recognise the vital link between reading and writing.  We use high-quality model texts to show pupils how writing works. Short, whole texts are used to explore the overall structure of writing and further extracts are used to explore ideas around language, grammar, characterisation, setting and authorial intent.
  3. Oral Composition: We understand the importance of oral composition. We encourage verbal expression as a foundation for confident and articulate writing.
  4. Regular Writing Opportunities: Pupils are provided with very regular opportunities to put pen to paper and express their ideas, fostering continuous growth.   Pupils are given opportunities to write for real-life purposes and are given opportunities to share their own ideas.
  5. The Simple View Of Writing: Our teaching approach is grounded in “The Simple View of Writing” (Berninger et al, 2002), in which we break writing down into manageable knowledge and skills over time. This ensures a structured and comprehensive writing education.
  6. Grammar As Choice: Grammar is taught explicitly, but in the context of model texts and children’s writing, not as a body of separate knowledge learnt for its own sake. Teachers draw attention to the linguistic choices and possibilities available to children.
  7. Writing Process Mastery: Pupils are explicitly guided through the writing process, including planning, drafting, editing, and redrafting.  Over time, pupils take increasing responsibility for selecting and using strategies.
  8. Fluency In Transcription: We explicitly teach spelling and handwriting skills, and provide pupils with extensive opportunities to practice them, supported by effective feedback.  This helps them to develop fluent transcription skills. Fluent writing supports composition, because pupils’ cognitive resources are freed from focusing on handwriting and spelling, and can be redirected towards writing composition.

Implementation

Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)

The Reception children work on their ‘writing for meaning’ skills each day in a morning meeting where they meet in a group with an adult and are given a stimulus or task involving drawing and writing, often linked to a story they have been reading in class.  At first they mark-make, building up to writing letters, words and then sentences.  Children are also given regular opportunities for ‘story scribing’ where an adult writes down their ideas. This builds the foundations of oral composition.

The Reception children also work with an adult on a 1:1 or small group basis every week, to focus on each child’s specific next steps for transcription. This begins with letter formation, building up to CVC words and then dictated sentences.    Spelling is also built into the daily sessions of our phonics programme, Little Wandle Letters and Sounds.

Key Stage 1 and 2

Composition

From Year 1 to Year 6, each writing topic centres on a key concept, for example, “How well can we create an ominous setting?”.  With this as a driver, we use high-quality model texts to show pupils how writing works. Short, whole texts are used to explore the overall structure of writing.  Further extracts are used to explore ideas around language, grammar, characterisation, setting and authorial intent.

Pupils are taught to compose their writing using a process that is based on the writing composition process outlined in the EEF’s Improving Literacy in Key Stage 2 report:

While all pupils follow the same process, the structure is adapted to reflect the type of text and the expectations of pupils at different stage. For example, it may be better for pupils to explore example of formal, technical language before exploring the structure of a non-chronological report.  The writing process is not linear. Teachers can revisit and extend stages, depending on the needs of the class.

Writing Process
Exploration of model text

 

 Sharing and exploration of model text- this is used to identify whole-text and structural features.  These texts increase in ambition as children move through the school. (Increased ambition may be linked to themes and topics; vocabulary and grammatical choices; and / or discourse structures.)

The teacher demonstrates reading the model as a writer. They show how to scour the model for key features. The identification of features and discourse structures will be increasingly pupil-led as they move through the school and are able to draw on previous learning.  There will be an increasing focus on audience and purpose.
Teaching related features:

word, sentence and discourse

 

 Using a wide range of age-appropriate, high-quality texts and extracts, teachers teach:

  • Curriculumrelated grammatical features
  • Curriculumrelated tier two vocabulary
  • Discourse structures

At this stage, pupils are given opportunities to apply new knowledge through short-burst tasks. Sometimes this will be oral work, but many short opportunities for writing are given at this stage.
Plan and draft (shared writing)

 

 At this stage, teachers model their planning and writing, sharing the frustrations and successes involved. The teacher models the writing process, with pupils creating a similar model.

In Key Stage 1, pupil plans are likely to be largely pictorial and teachers will prioritise oral composition. Children experience a range of planning strategies including boxing-up their ideas. The focus at this stage is very much about recording ideas in a way that supports the sequencing of the piece.

In Key Stage 2, pupils plan using boxing-up to ensure that their planning focuses on word, sentence and discourse-level features. The model text is used as a basis for this process.

In Years 5 and 6, pupils are given an opportunity to experiment with the discourse structures (for example, changing elements of narrative writing plots) and to apply both word-level and sentence-level features from current and previous topics.
First review process (improving and editing)

 

 Editing and improving is a part of the whole writing process. Pupils edit and improve their writing, as set out in the National Curriculum yeargroup expectations.

To develop resilience, the teacher may chunk the drafting process into manageable sections with each part building towards the final piece. After each chunk, the teacher can model explicitly how to make edits and revisions.
Plan and draft (independent write)

 

 Pupils plan and draft their independent write.   The task is linked in some way to the model text.  The task often represents an opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills in a different context (i.e. a change of setting).

The teacher may model aspects of the independent write, but pupils work independently on their own piece.  DfE guidance on independent writing is followed where pieces are to be used for statutory assessment.

Where developmentally appropriate (e.g. in Year 1) children may share elements of their ideas verbally and record others.  Children might only write part of their piece fully independently (to allow for assessment) and have support with the rest of the piece.
Final review process (improving and editing

 

 Editing and improving is a part of the whole writing process. After the independent write, pupils will edit and improve their work, as set out in the National Curriculum yeargroup expectations.

Where appropriate, children may then be given the opportunity to write a final draft with a focus on presentation.

Spelling

In EYFS and Year 1, spelling is built into the phonics programme, Little Wandle Letters and Sounds.

In Year 2 (once they have completed the Little Wandle programme) and Key Stage 2, children are taught spelling through the Spelling Shed scheme.  Each class has designated lessons set aside for the discrete teaching of spelling.

Handwriting

Children are taught handwriting skills in discrete sessions, including teacher modelling and guided practice. The frequency of these lessons is determined by the needs of the children.  EYFS and Year 1 children use a printed style of handwriting which has no lead-ins, but does have some exit strokes.  In Year 2, once children are secure in their printed letter formation, they learn to form each of the cursive letters with lead-ins, and then move on to a continuous cursive, joined style.  We follow the Letterjoin scheme for continuous cursive handwriting.

Specific Groups of Children

  • In circumstances where children are working significantly below their year group objectives, they will learn at a developmentally-appropriate level, and learning activities will be matched as closely as possible with the overall objective for the class.  Children’s learning will be supported through the use of stage-appropriate models, tasks and scaffolds. Summative and formative assessment will inform planning, to ensure gaps are addressed and core skills prioritised.
  • High prior attainers are encouraged to explore their understanding at a greater depth through open-ended tasks and opportunities to experiment with the discourse features.  We use questions like “How can we…?” and “How well can we…?” to set ambitious expectations, while acknowledging that successful writing can take various forms.

Assessment of writing

All skills taught to pupils are part of our writing skills progression, ensuring a structured and comprehensive approach. Pupils are regularly assessed against the expectations for their year group using assessment tick sheets. These sheets serve as valuable tools to gauge pupils’ independent understanding of the required writing skills and inform teacher assessments. To maintain accuracy, moderations occur routinely throughout the year, both within our school and across the Trust schools.

How we monitor our children’s learning

  • Marking and feedback within books and verbally during lessons
  • End of unit assessments against the objectives that have been taught
  • Pupil progress meetings
  • Learning walks and lesson observations
  • Subject leader and senior leadership monitoring books and planning
  • Senior leaders and subject leader analysing summative attainment data and identifying area(s) for focus
  • Pupil voice meetings

Staff CPD

  • Staff meetings led by writing lead or Trust leaders with specific focus areas
  • Joint moderation and book-looks within and across schools in the Trust.
  • Subject leader meetings with writing leads across the Trust.

Impact

  • Children who leave our school with a love of writing and the ability to write with a recognisable voice
  • Confident children who have the skills they need to can communicate effectively through writing and achieve their potential academically
Useful Links & Documents