Intention 1: Develop our learner’s learning  

To develop the appropriate subject specific knowledge, skills and understanding as set out in the National Curriculum, so that our children can flourish, reach and exceed their potential in all subject areas. We also promise to go over and above National Curriculum learning and provide exciting, fun and enjoyable childhood experiences which enhance the learning and knowledge of our children.  We work within and support our community, but we also to seek to widen our children’s horizons to be aware of opportunity and diversity both nationally and internationally.

Intention 2: Develop behaviours and habits to become effective learners.

To develop the behaviours learners need to succeed in the world such as concentration, perseverance, resilience, mindfulness, imagination, co-operation, the enjoyment of learning, self-improvement and curiosity.

Intention 3: Develop the character of our learners and the moral and spiritual compass of our learners.

To develop learners to have a holistic set of values that prepares them for life in the community and the modern world which is diverse and ever changing. To understand spirituality in themselves and others, develop social skills and understand society, build personal morality, and to engage in the culture they live in and understand the cultures of others.

English

Our Reading lead is Mrs Herriott, Our English leads are Mrs Jeffrey and Mr Shaw.

SPEAKING AND LISTENING:

Speaking, listening, group discussion and drama permeate the whole curriculum. Interactive teaching strategies are used to engage all pupils in order to raise reading and writing standards. Children are encouraged to develop effective communication skills in readiness for later life.  Skilfully led discussion is effectively used as a way to develop communication skills and weekly worships and assemblies give children an audience to practice their skills.

To find out more please read our intentions, implementation and impact Speaking and Listening subject page.

READING:

Reading is a vitally important part of education and is given very high priority. We teach phonics through a programme called Read Write Inc in reception and KS1; in KS2 Read Write Inc is used as an intervention strategy.  Information about Read Write Inc for parents can be found here. Reading is taught in shared and guided reading groups and we expect parents to support their children through regular practice at home. Each child has a reading record book which logs books they have read and records comments about their reading. Parents and teaching staff write in this book. Following on from Read Write Inc our book banded reading scheme is based on Oxford Reading Tree and operates across the school. Children work their way through the schemes and when they are ready, become “free readers”. Find out more about the Oxford Reading Tree scheme. 

When we have designed our curriculum one of our key outcomes is that we want your child to enjoy reading and develop a love of books during their time at Holy Trinity.  In addition to our phonics and reading provision we have thought hard about a series of quality texts that will fit to our curriculum map for each class and we will share with the children in lessons each term.  These are quality pieces of  writing that we want our children to know in detail and we are able to use to delve deeply into text language and themes. Find out more by looking at our dedicated reading webpage or our curriculum reading map here.

To find out more please read our intentions, implementation and impact Reading subject page.

WRITING and SPELLING:

Children are given daily opportunities to write within a range of genres and across the curriculum. This gives them the opportunity to become fluent and confident writers. Writing is taught in guided groups and extended writing is encouraged. Children are taught cursive writing when they are ready so that they develop a comfortable writing style.

Every half term, samples of independent extended writing are used to assess progress.

Children from Y1 to Y4 are given lists of spellings each week to learn at home.   

To find out more please read our intentions, implementation and impact Writing subject page.

The English curriculum is delivered using a range of resources  and the Early Learning Goals are followed to ensure continuity and progression from the Foundation Stage through to the National Curriculum.

Maths

Our Maths lead is Mrs Green.

Our Maths Curriculum follows the National Curriculum in small sequential steps and offers a breadth and depth to all learners through a mastery teaching and learning approach. We ensure children have the opportunity to develop their fluency, reasoning and problem solving skills. We promote enjoyment and enthusiasm for learning through practical activities, exploration and discussion. Children are also given the opportunity to develop and apply their mathematical skills in other subjects throughout the year. We strive for all children to have a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about mathematics.

To find out more please read our intentions, implementation and impact Maths subject page.

Religious Education

Our Religious Education lead is Mrs Green.

We are a Church of England Aided School and place an emphasis on the teaching of religious education which has a central place in our school. The school follows the Diocesan syllabus for RE. While we recognise the right of parents to withdraw their child from RE lessons, it is anticipated that all children will take a full role in these lessons.

To find out more please see our specific RE website page and our intentions, implementation and impact RE subject page.

Science

Our Science lead is Mrs Peck.

Science stimulates and excites pupils’ curiosity about phenomena and events in the world around them. It also satisfies their curiosity with knowledge.  As science links direct practical experience with ideas, it can engage learners at many levels. Scientific method is about developing and evaluating explanations through experimental evidence and modelling. This is a spur to critical and creative thought. Through science, pupils understand how major scientific ideas contribute to technological change – impacting on industry, business and medicine and improving the quality of life. Pupils recognise the cultural significance of science and trace its world-wide development. They learn to question and discuss science-based issues that may affect their own lives, the direction of society and the future of the world.

To find out more please read our intentions, implementation and impact Science subject page.

Art and Design

Our Art and Design lead is Mrs Peck.

Art and Design contributes to the development of the whole child emotionally, aesthetically, physically, socially and cognitively.  It provides all children with the opportunity to express themselves imaginatively, creatively and develop their understanding of, and respond to the world around them.  Children are exposed to many visual, tactile and sensory experiences.  Holy Trinity First School enables our children to become involved in, enjoy and appreciate the visual arts and how it can enrich their personal lives.  They learn the part that art and design plays in their own and others’ lives, in contemporary life and in different times and cultures. Their own art is celebrated through display.  

To find out more please read our intentions, implementation and impact Art and Design subject page.

Design  and Technology

Our Design and Technology lead is Mrs Reid.

Design and Technology prepares children to deal with tomorrow's rapidly changing world.  It encourages children to become independent, creative problem solvers and thinkers as individuals and part of a team.   At Holy Trinity, we encourage children to use their creativity and imagination, to design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values.   We aim to, wherever possible, link work to other disciplines such as mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art.  The children are also given opportunities to reflect upon and evaluate past and present design technology, its uses and its effectiveness and are encouraged to become innovators and risk-takers.  Every year, we hold a special ‘Design and Technology Day’ to provide children with the opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills and share their designs with the whole school.

To find out more please read our intentions, implementation and impact Design and Technology subject page.

History

Our History lead is Mrs Herriott.

In Holy Trinity History is taught mainly through a enquiry based approach and gives the children a chance to explore a wide range of sources from which the past may come alive.  The children are encouraged to become detectives and investigate various sources which enable them to compare, contrast and examine why things have changed.  They are encouraged to be enquiring thinkers understanding cause and effect and links between past and modern times.  Children investigate and record their findings through literacy, drama, art and ICT.  We encourage first-hand experiences wherever possible and visits, workshops and visiting experts all play an important role in the learning experience.

To find out more please read our intentions, implementation and impact History subject page.

Geography

Our Geography lead is Mrs Herriott.

We aim to develop the children’s knowledge of people and places and their understanding of the physical, social and economic forces which shape those places and the people who live there.  For us, geography begins in the local environment and then extends out into the wider world.  The studies include cities, rivers and counties of the UK and then stretches into continents, oceans, rivers and mountain ranges in Europe and other parts of the world.  Themes include volcanoes, the water cycle, coasts and comparing and contrasting world environments.  Children are taught the mapping skills of location, symbols, scale, perspective and map use.  We hope that through their studies the children will become more aware of the cultural and environmental diversity of the world and the future problems we may face.

To find out more please read our intentions, implementation and impact Geography subject page.

Physical Education

Our Physical education lead is Mr Shaw.

All children are provided with at least two hours of physical education per week and all children from Years 1 to 4 are given the opportunity to attend an extra curricular club which involves some sort of physical activity.  This includes clubs which give less active children the opportunity to participate in physical activity.  Over and above this all children in Years 1 to 4 have a swimming lesson every week.  Throughout the year external coaches come into school to run sports sessions with all age groups and provide staff with CPD opportunities.  All sports are fully inclusive and we have a system in place in KS2 to track children's participation in School Games activities.  We also have links with a number of local sports clubs.  We are involved in a number of intra-school sporting competitions and regularly participate in local inter-school competitions.  The school sporting year ends with a whole school Sports Day and a separate School Games Day which the Year 4 children help organise and run.

To find out more please read our intentions, implementation and impact Physical Education subject page.

Music

Our Music lead is Mrs Reid.

Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity.  A high-quality music education should engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement.  As pupils progress, they should develop a critical engagement with music, allowing them to compose, and to listen with discrimination to the best in the musical canon.  We run an annual steel pan project for children and adults which ends in a performance for our whole community. We also produce an annual summer show in The Maltings theatre involving all children from Nursery to Y4.

To find out more please read our intentions, implementation and impact Music subject page.

Languages

Our Language lead is Mrs Peck.

In Holy Trinity, French is taught in Years 3 and 4, this is consistent with the next stage in our partnership, enabling the children to make substantial progress in one language.  We do, however, focus on teaching skills which will be transferable to learning different languages in the future.  Children are taught through original fairy tales, conversation, role-play, games, songs, rhymes and computer programmes.

To find out more please read our intentions, implementation and impact Languages subject page.

Computing

Our Computing lead is Mrs Green.

Computing Curriculum follows the three main strands from the National Curriculum; digital literacy (DL), information technology (IT) and computer science (CS). We aim to equip children to participate in a rapidly changing world where work and leisure activities are increasingly transformed by technology. We have a full set of iPads and Chromebooks which are used across the curriculum. We also have a wide range of codable devices to provide children with plenty of opportunities to develop their computational thinking. Throughout everything we do in computing, we promote e-safety at every opportunity in an age appropriate way.

To find out more please read our intentions, implementation and impact Computing subject page.

Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (including Relationships and Sex Education)

Our PSHE lead is Mr Shaw.

PSHE Education offers learning opportunities and experiences which reflect the increasing independence and physical and social awareness of learner. They learn skills to develop effective relationships, assume greater personal responsibility and keep themselves safe.  At Holy Trinity PHSE is interwoven throughout the curriculum and may be delivered specifically in response to situations that arise in school such as bereavement.  Wherever possible PSHE teaching will be linked to the specific topic area being taught at that time and will be detailed in our medium term topic plans.  Many aspects of PSHE are covered through our everyday work, acts of collective worship as well as within our taught curriculum, we do also teach specific PSHE objectives as whole class lessons.

To find out more please read our intentions, implementation and impact PSHE subject page.