Curriculum Information
Intent
At Newton Westpark Primary School our mission is to promote a "Culture of Achievement," where children feel part of the school family and embrace our values of "work, learn, care, share.”
The aims of the curriculum at Newton Westpark are:
• To offer a high-quality education to every child, along with a purposeful and stimulating learning environment.
• To cover the statutory objectives outlined in the National Curriculum (2014) using quality-first teaching and adhering to Newton Westpark pedagogy.
• To provide a personalised, engaging and challenging curriculum that ensures all children experience a wide range of enriching and academic activities, teaching them about various aspects of life in Britain and around the world.
• To ensure success for all.
• To use community links to enhance the children's learning.
• To provide opportunities for children to discuss, debate, and question their learning, fostering their development as critical thinkers for the future.
Implementation
At Newton Westpark our commitment to high-quality teaching is implemented through a well-structured approach that includes direct teaching, effective pupil involvement, meticulous planning and strategic use of resources. This implementation ensures that each lesson is delivered with precision and secures success for all pupils, building upon prior learning, using scaffolding and challenges when appropriate. Newton Westpark Pedagogy (See Stages of Practice) EEF research suggests that high-quality teaching should include a teacher-led approach with a focus on clear explanations and modelling, guided practice, checking the children’s understanding, and independent practice with scaffolding and flexible grouping. Our pedagogical approach reflects this using an observe–try–do method.
• Observe: Teachers model new concepts and instructions, ensuring that students understand the material before they begin practicing. The focus is on clear explanations, modelling, and setting the stage for successful learning.
• Try: Pupils practice and consolidate their understanding of the new material through guided tasks. They are encouraged to ask and answer questions, use new vocabulary, and receive feedback on their performance.
• Do: Pupils engage in independent practice of the new learning.
Stages of Practice
Teachers provide support as needed, use flexible groupings, and employ adaptive teaching strategies to cater to individual needs. Our inclusive classrooms, have a variety of resources to suit different learning needs, purposeful working walls and a zone of regulation to create a calm learning environment. In addition, the school ensures that children have exposure to a wide range or experiences. For example, sporting events, trips, clubs, residential visits and visiting speakers.
Impact
The Curriculum Leader, Senior Leadership Team, and teachers assess the impact of the curriculum through various strategies. Subject leaders oversee individual subjects by analysing learning outcomes, gathering pupil feedback, offering guidance, celebrating successes and identifying areas for growth. Evaluations focus on coverage, attainment, and progress, all of which contribute to measuring the curriculum's effectiveness. Annual and termly reviews ensure the curriculum continually evolves to best serve our children.