CURRICULUM LEADERSHIP
Curriculum leadership at Sherborne Primary School is distributed to subject leaders who oversee, develop, monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of their subject within the school and across all year groups. Our leaders are carefully chosen because of their expertise and experience. This ensures deep subject knowledge and effective leadership. Subject development is clearly identified through our school development plan. It is a requirement for leaders to present subject progress and change to the School Governors though termly meetings. Leaders enable curriculum expertise to develop across staff, through carefully planned on-going professional development. All leaders oversee a budget to purchase curriculum resources that enhance our school’s curricular intentions. Our subject leaders are as follows:
English | Phil Sales | D and T | Cherry Rose | Eco-Schools & Forest School | Fran Ellis |
Reading | Felicity Griffiths | PE | Ruth Layton | Early Years | Elizabeth Maskew |
Phonics | Felicity/Griffiths/ Rachel Walker | Art | Charlotte Hawkins | Gifted and Talented | Phil Sales |
Writing | Lucie Durrant | Music | Stephanie Beatson | SCAPA | Emily Clarke & Di Cockerill |
Spelling | Felicity Griffiths | RE / Collective Worship | Elizabeth Maskew | School Council | Elizabeth Maskew |
Maths | Lucie Durrant | PSHCE/SEAL | Rhiannon Brenchley | Equality & Diversity | Ian Bartle |
Science | Rhiannon Brenchley | MFL | Sam Thompson | Safeguarding | Ian Bartle (DSL) |
Geography | Fran Ellis | Assessment | Phil Sales & Ian Bartle | TAs | Stephanie Beatson & Lucie Durrant |
History | Jasmine Richardson | Computing | James Maitland | SEND | Stephanie Beatson |
MASTERY APPROACH
The Mastery-learning model forms the basis of our approach to our teaching. This involves spending greater time going into depth within each subject. We aim to ensure children have a solid, concrete understanding of subject knowledge and skills as well as being resilient learners prepared for secondary school.
In short, this means working towards:
- Teach less, learn more: less teacher talk and more evidencing learning and progress.
- No child left behind: all children are enabled to keep up every day.
- Space and time to experience and apply, with all children entitled to additional support to ensure they do not fall behind or to go deeper
- Understanding real life applications wherever possible to make learning relevant and not abstract; nothing should be taught without a purpose.
A Mastery approach should also enable our children to become good problem solvers. We believe that subject specific problem solving has three main elements as explained in the diagram below. These elements will be reflected in all of our teaching and learning.
KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS PROGRESSION
The specific skills and knowledge required to be successful in each subject have been identified and crafted into structured progressions via Cornerstones. We are able to carefully plan and adapt these knowledge and skills progression linked to our topics and chosen lessons for each of these.
EXTENDED CURRICULUM
We appreciate that learning is not just restricted to the classroom. Provision of visiting speakers, external visits and extra curricular clubs provide excellent opportunities to enhance and enrich the children’s learning. Each Imaginative Learning Project (ILP) begins with a memorable experience that stimulates children’s curiosity and prepares them for a new theme. A memorable experience often involves an educational visit out of school or a visitor coming into school to share their expertise with the children. Below is an example of our extended curriculum long term planning which is not inexhaustible. Change is welcomed for individual class context, need and extension: