What does your child learn at school each day?

Find information about our curriculum subjects here.

Phonics and Reading

In September 2019 we changed the organisation and resourcing of phonics teaching. We predominantly teach phonics using the resources produced by 'Read,Write,Inc.'  We are now seeing the rapid progress that our children are making.

Reading is taught 'whole class', individually and sometimes in small groups, according to children's needs.  Class teachers regularly hear children read individually. Reading and writing are intrinsicly linked

Curriculum

Manford’s Curriculum

The curriculum at Manford Primary is significantly more than the ‘lessons’ which make up the timetable.  Our aim is to prepare pupils for the next stage in their education and for successful futures.  As such, every moment in school is part of the process of preparing for adulthood, providing positive role models and giving children resilience, independence and ambition which, along with a host of other characteristics, will set them on a positive path. This is intertwined with our adoption of UNICEF’s Rights Respecting Schools project which includes British Values.

Following interrupted learning during 2020 and 2021 we have considered the impact that the pandemic has had on our pupils and our curriculum. This, alongside our usual monitoring, has led us into the development of learning lenses which bring prior knowledge and experiences into focus at the planning stage.

Manford Primary School has a very strong vision:

This underpins all aspects of school life and our curriculum is a significant part of moving towards our vision.  This vision is vital when we consider the intent of our curriculum.

INTENT

The breadth of our curriculum is designed with three goals in mind:

1. To give pupils appropriate experiences to develop as confident, responsible citizens;
2. To provide a relevant and rich ‘cultural capital’
3. To provide a coherent, structured, academic curriculum that leads to success for all learners

We have determined two key ‘Curriculum Motivators’ which will enable us to provide our children with knowledge and skills to develop into responsible, successful citizens.  These will be reviewed as the school cohort changes to ensure they are relevant to children in school.

For 2021/2022 our motivators are:

1.         Global Identity: children will learn to understand their place in the world

2.          Possibilities: we will nurture inquisitive problem solvers who aspire to great things in their futures

Our curriculum development has taken these goals and these motivations and used them to create a classroom curriculum and the principles of a whole-school curriculum. In addition to these, carefully planned curriculum enhancements and extra-curricular activities will provide pupils with improved ‘cultural capital’ which will allow them to have a greater understanding of their world, to express themselves in a more mature way and access texts which will challenge their reading abilities and preferences. 

There are two main elements to our curriculum:

Element 1) We tailor our curriculum to the needs of Manford’s learners in order to achieve our vision

Element 2) We draw on Chris Quigley’s ‘Essentials’ curriculum to ensure coverage, spaced repetition, rigour and progression as children move through the school. We also use Chris Quigley’s ‘milestones’ to support our assessment of foundation subjects.

Essentials Curriculum Map- Key Stage 1

Essentials Curriculum Map- Key Stage 2

We also use a number of other schemes to support our curriculum as listed below:-

Other schemes used

PSHE- Jigsaw (x2 sessions per week)

Computing- Switched on Computing

RE- Redbridge Syllabus

PE- Cambridgeshire Scheme of work 

Online Safety- SWGFL scheme 

French- Rigolo

Details of our curriculum aims and content can be found here:

Mrs L James is our Curriculum Lead and Assistant Headteacher. If you would like more information about our curriculum you should speak to your child's teacher. Alternatively Mrs James can be contacted through the school office.

Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE)

Consultation on Manford's curriculum for Relationships, Sex and Health Education has now closed.  Thank you to all of you who participated, your feedback was welcomed.

Below you can find the key documents that will support your understanding of the RSHE curriculum and details of how to withdraw your child from the Sex Education part of the Jigsaw PSHE lessons are below.

A Recovery Curriculum: Loss and Life for
our Children and Schools Post Pandemic

Introduction

Manford Primary School has put the child’s well-being at the centre of our thinking.  We acknowledge that the children will have had different experiences during this time. However, the common thread running through all is the loss of routine, structure, friendship, opportunity and freedom.  These losses can trigger anxiety in any child.  Some of you may have experienced this with your own children.  

We know that an anxious child is not in a place to learn effectively.   So with this in mind, the school community has thought about the most effective way to support your child’s ability to learn.  This approach will encompass and support the academic expectations for your child.

What is it?

Professor Barry Carpenter has developed the Recovery Curriculum, as a response to the losses described above.  It is a way for schools to help children come back into school life, acknowledging the experiences the children have had.  We want children to be happy, feel safe and able to be engaged in their learning.  We have decided that a way to achieve this for the children is to acknowledge the importance of helping them lever back into school life using the following 5 Levers as identified by Professor Barry Carpenter.

The 5 Levers of Recovery

 Lever 1: Relationships – we can’t expect our students to return joyfully, and many of the relationships that were thriving, may need to be invested in and restored. We need to plan for this to happen, not assume that it will. Reach out to greet them, use the relationships we build to cushion the discomfort of returning.

Lever 2: Community – we must recognise that curriculum will have been based in the community for a long period of time. We need to listen to what has happened in this time, understand the needs of our community and engage them in the transitioning of learning back into school.

Lever 3: Transparent Curriculum – all of our students will feel like they have lost time in learning and we must show them how we are addressing these gaps, consulting and co-constructing with our students to heal this sense of loss.

Lever 4: Metacognition – in different environments, students will have been learning in different ways. It is vital that we make the skills for learning in a school environment explicit to our students to reskill and rebuild their confidence as learners.

Lever 5: Space – to be, to rediscover self, and to find their voice on learning in this issue. It is only natural that we all work at an incredible pace to make sure this group of learners are not disadvantaged against their peers, providing opportunity and exploration alongside the intensity of our expectations.

 Professor Barry Carpenter, CBE is Professor of Mental Health in Education at Oxford Brookes University.

How will Manford Primary School achieve this?

In order to continue to achieve the above the following is to be continued in September 2021 and beyond.

1.  Whole school approach to PSHE- Jigsaw lessons and where necessary specific lessons on the following will be implemented if situations occur within year groups/classes.

• Understanding Coronavirus
• Loss & Bereavement
• Gratitude
• Managing worries and fears
• Being positive and looking forward
• Reconnecting with friends
• Belonging and feeling safe

There will be plenty of opportunities for children to talk about their experiences, for one-to-one conversations with trusted adults where this may be supportive and opportunities to renew and develop friendships and peer groups.

2. Community

• Continue to engage with parents via year group emails
• Google classroom in place for continuous remote learning
• Use of specific agencies to support any specific needs highlighted in children and families

3. Academic Curriculum

• Low stakes testing- quizzes to establish gaps in learning
• Baseline assessments
• Focused intervention to diminish the gaps
• Extra staff allocated and available to support children individually/as groups
• Texts chosen will allow for relevant themes to be explored
• Focused intervention

4. Pastoral Support

• ELSA support to take place with identified pupils
• Social groups established
• End of the day pupil check-ins (Surveys)
• Worry boxes

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5. ​​​​​​​Zones of Regulation

• Introduced with specific pupils
• During 2021-2022 to be rolled out across the school