Curriculum Intent Statement 

At Temple Hill Primary Academy the language rich curriculum is designed to:  

• Identify and address contextual issues 

• recognise children’s prior learning and offer challenge in all areas; CurricuColour 

• provide real world learning experiences; outdoor learning, aspiration projects and an empowering curriculum, which is focused on exposure to opportunities.  

• allow the children to develop interpersonal skills; our, “I am a TH Learner” assessment proficiency focus, allows all children to celebrate learning. 

• build resilience; the #WeAreTempleHill initiative encompasses our hidden curriculum. 

• offer an alternative curriculum; Lighthouse specialist provisions 
   

Every child is recognised as a unique individual.  

We promote and welcome differences within our school.  Metacognition underpins our learning using CurricuColour across key stages, giving children independence and ownership of their learning journey. 

We constantly provide enhancement opportunities to engage learning and believe that children should have no limits to achieving their full potential and aspirations.  

Local and global community involvement is an essential part of our curriculum, as we celebrate traditions, learning new skills to enable the children to take an active role in events throughout the year.  Children leave Temple Hill with a sense of belonging to a community where they have the confidence and skills to make decisions, self-evaluate, make connections and become lifelong learners who are proud of their uniqueness.   

Curriculum Implementation 

Temple Hill Primary Academy engages all learning styles using a variety of resources including Early Years Outcomes, National Curriculum Statutory Guidance, CurricuColour, Power of Reading, SMSC, STEM, Humanities, Outdoor Learning and enhancement opportunities, which support teaching of the Temple Hill curriculum.   

Learning Research  

Temple Hill has recognised the use of clear, focused learning intentions and success criteria through the use of CurricuColour is an effective tool in gaining intended learning outcomes. Staff have had training to use effective questioning techniques to develop higher order thinking skills. In lessons we provide opportunities for study but we strive to provide as many recall and application activities as possible to support the retention of knowledge and understanding, through the CurricuColour system. 
 
 

 
Inclusion  

The learning culture is promoted through four Learning Powers (BLP), which are used to remind and empower children so that they become responsible for their own learning. These powers are: Reciprocity, Resilience, Reflectiveness and Resourcefulness 

SMSC 

Temple Hill aspires to create a learning culture which enables children to become confident, independent and resilient learners. We recognise the importance of a holistic approach to the development the development of our children. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural education plays a significant part in the growth of the whole child.  

We believe in the importance of awe and wonder and understand that children are most likely to flourish when they feel safe to be curious, explore their role in the world and express themselves.  

We have a whole school approach to SMSC and it is at the heart of all lessons across the curriculum. Subject leaders from Philosophy for Children, RE, Stonewall, PSHE, Transition, British Values, Wellbeing and Mindfulness ensure that there is appropriate curriculum coverage ensuring children learn to take personal responsibility for their own thoughts and actions.  

Philosophy for Children  

During Philosophy for Children (P4C), the teacher facilitates a student-led discussion on a philosophical question. It offers a way to open up children’s learning through enquiry and the exploration of ideas. Children learn that their ideas have value, and that the ideas of other children have value too. P4C builds higher order thinking, questioning, speaking and listening skills as well as encouraging children to think critically, creatively, collaboratively and caringly. 

 
STEM 

Subject leaders from Science, Computing, Design Technology and Math ensures that there is appropriate curriculum coverage ensuring children learn to take personal responsibility for their own thoughts and actions. 

Humanities 

Subject leaders from History Geography , MFL and art ensures that there is appropriate curriculum coverage ensuring children learn to take personal responsibility for their own thoughts and actions. 

Subject Leaders  
We have subject leaders who oversee, develop, monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of their subject within school across all year groups and phases. Staff are committed to delivering high quality learning experiences throughout the curriculum. Support staff have developed their strengths in order to further enhance the quality of learning. The CurricuColour and BLP are used as a constant point of reference to allow children to see the impact of their understanding and progress throughout school.  

Early Years Outcomes and National Curriculum  

Maths  

At Temple Hill Primary Academy we embrace the Mastery approach to teaching mathematics. The design and intent of our maths lessons enables all children to be challenged throughout the lesson. Children have manipulatives available to support them to build a secure understanding of all areas of maths. Intelligent practice is promoted through the structure of our lessons, most specifically with key questioning to enable all children to delve deeper into their mathematical understanding. Pupils are supported to understand the concepts behind mathematical ideas through variation and spotting patterns. All pupils are challenged throughout lessons. Starter activities help secure rapid recall of number facts. Fluency tasks build the foundations for all children to be able to work on reasoning and problem-solving tasks. Pupils are given opportunities in every lesson to work on greater depth tasks through being provided with tasks which involve multiple steps and a number of skills being drawn upon. Independence is created through children self-marking and assessing within lesson. Pupils use the CurricuColour statements to assess where they are and what their targets are to improve. Teachers identify misconceptions quickly and address these swiftly within lessons. They also use questioning to delve deeper into the pupils’ understanding, challenging and supporting. Pupils are given regular opportunities to support their rapid recall of numbers facts and securing their understanding of new tasks through weekly ‘99 Club’ tests and Mathletics tasks. 

Our Mastery approach to mathematics has a hugely positive impact on pupils. Through supporting the building of strong foundations in mathematical knowledge and understanding, pupils have the skills and confidence to attempt a range of tasks and can relate them to real life contexts. As a school we place a strong emphasis on the STEM subjects and how they interlink, as such maths is linked across the curriculum, most specifically with science, technology and engineering. This encourages all pupils to recognise the importance and relevance of maths in everyday life as well as future careers. 

English  

At Temple Hill, English is taught through a range of exciting stimuli which include books, film clips, artefacts, visitors and real-life experiences supported by the Power of Reading programme.  

Reading is a fundamental part of everything we do at Temple Hill; we follow a book-based cross curricular learning model across the school, and this ensures that all children are fully engaged in reading.  Linking all aspects of the curriculum to a focus text really develops children’s understanding of the text and allows them to learn new concepts in context. When children start Temple Hill, their reading is assessed using the RWI Phonics Programme. RWI Phonics taught from Nursery to Year 2; this ensures all children begin their reading journey with the right foundations.  All children are exposed to high quality texts across the curriculum and reading skills are taught explicitly in KS1 and KS2 by focusing on the national curriculum reading domains; decoding, retrieval, summarising, inferring, predicting, meaning, language and comparing.  Alongside the explicitly taught reading domains, teachers encourage children to think like a reader and discuss their preferences, likes and dislikes.  Reading for pleasure is a cornerstone of our approach, with a well-stocked and well organised book area in every classroom.  When choosing books, teachers ensure the children’s interests, backgrounds and experiences are all catered for; for example, selecting texts that contain positive white male role models or texts based around one of the many cultures and nationalities represented in our school. The high profile of reading in school is further enhanced by 'Drop Everything and Read’ every Friday as well as the use of Accelerated Reader, PiXL and Lexia which all year groups have access to.  

In writing, we strive to equip children to develop a rich vocabulary which can help them bring their ideas and writing to life.  Basic skills and non-negotiables underpin writing in all areas of the curriculum.  It is an expectation that all teachers model the writing process and demonstrate the ambitious high standards that are expected of all children.  Every child is encouraged to let their imagination and personality shine through in their writing. Where possible we ensure that our children write for a purpose, whether that be a letter to a local politician or an article for our school newsletter. Writing is regularly published and celebrated at Temple Hill on our Writing Blog and school Facebook page.  

Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) 

In the EYFS at Temple Hill, we believe that every child matters and all children are entitled to the best possible start in their school life, whilst meeting each individual child’s needs. 

The focus for Temple Hill Primary Academy’s Reception and Nursery provision is that every child leaving EYFS is equipped with the necessary emotional skills, learning behaviours and academic skills to successfully transition independently beyond the phase. 

We do this through: 

• Early identification of SEND so that those children leave EYFS with ground work in place in order to support transition beyond the phase. 

• Initial focus on Leuven Scales & Prime Areas of Learning; PSED,CAL and PD 

• Observations which feed into children’s next steps of learning and planning 

• Targeted support for specific areas of Learning;   Maths and Literacy 

• Awe and wonder moments to develop children to become curious and autonomous learners. 

The curriculum is implemented through a Topic based approach based on children’s interests, observations and OTrack data which is analysed to inform planning and curriculum content. This approach allows children to make links between areas of learning and use these skills across different contexts, to scaffold and deepen understanding. 

The Characteristics of Effective Learning are a key element in the EYFS. They detail the ways in which children should be learning from their environment, experiences and activities. Children should be displaying the characteristics of effective learning every day. 

We have an increasing number of children who arrive at Temple Hill with delayed speech, language and communication needs. Our topic based approach focuses on promoting the development of children’s language skills. This embeds reading for pleasure, immersing children in literary experiences they may not have at home. 

Nursery – focus on predominantly on communication and language development, using stories to develop rich and varied vocabulary. 

Reception – texts open up a multitude of learning opportunities. Children are led through a series of discussions and engaging and creative experiences through this approach, building on Nursery focus. 

Learning environments are bright and stimulating with key questions and prompts to develop thinking and promote language. Phase meetings on EYFS at the beginning of the year set out expectations for staff across the phase which are specific to each cohort.   

British Values 

Democracy: 

• We showcase everyone as being treated equally and having equal rights.  

• Teach children that their opinions are important and their thoughts and feelings should be listened to and valued. 

• Children are given power to choose and make decisions on their own and in groups. 

• Turn taking, Talk partners, circle times, planning focusing on questioning, awe and wonder moments, own learning Making choices and decisions independently 

Rule of Law: 

• Shared expectations of behaviour consistent across phase – tidy up time, walking around corridors, respecting classroom and others. 

• Explained conversations and restorative conversations, so children develop understanding of actions, empathy and consequences.  

Individual Liberty: 

• Children understand and value self. They gain confidence in making choices. 

•  Promotion of risk taking – EYFS Garden. Climbing, jumping etc. Own learning  - making choices. 

Mutual Respect: 

• Sharing and respecting others opinions. 

•  Treating others as you would like to be treated 

•  Being part of a community - I am TH 

•  Environments celebrate range of different faiths, cultures and races. 

•  Visits to Gardenia House – engagement of wider community. 

Outdoor Learning  

Temple Hill Primary Academy have extensive outdoor spaces some established and some under development. We encourage children to be responsible for and respect the local community and environment giving them a sense of belonging and ownership of the place in which they live. We explore the uses of the local area, integrating subjects so that meaningful activities can be planned and delivered effectively and regularly.  Temple Hill Primary Academy are custodians of the Enchanted Woodland which is not only a beneficial and unique resource for the pupils but the wider community as well. 

Visits and Visitors  

In the curriculum we recognise that children’s learning is enhanced by different experiences. We offer children a wide range of educational visits, which are used to motivate and engage learning which improves retention. For example nursery visit Gardenia (Residential home) House fortnightly, Year 2 visit Leeds castle which supports their book based learning, Year 4 are offered a UK residential annually and pupils across The Galaxy Trust are offered the opportunity to attend a residential outside the UK annually. Regular visitors in school give the children another perspective on values, attitudes, learning and understanding. These include charities, people from different professions and the community and a focus on promoting our core values; Respect, Responsibly and Equality.    

Lunchtimes 

We consider lunchtime to be an extension of the curriculum. Children have the opportunity to practice the transferable skills they have learnt during lessons.   

Lifeboat: Temple Hill maintains high standards of behaviour and also inclusion. The lifeboat enables many of our pupils to develop an understanding of their behaviour through self-management supported by highly trained staff throughout the school day. At lunch times, Temple Hill chill is run by our KS2 FLO it offers provision for KS2 children to develop social skills who struggle with lunch time play. 

Friendship club: This is similar to our Lifeboat provision above.  It is a lunch time provision for KS1 children to develop social skills who struggle with lunch time play, this is led by the Family Liaison Officer for KS1.

Buddy and helpers:  Older children like to show the school value of responsibility and go to help on the KS1 or EYFS playground.  They help engage the children, improve communication and tech playground games.  This is overseen by the SLT member on duty that day. 

Hidden Curriculum 

• Pixl 

• Mindfulness Mondays 

• SLT Report cards,  

• SLT child mentoring 

• Emotional Well being  

• #WeareTH 

• School values: Respect, Responsibility and Equality 

Breakfast: Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a motivational theory in psychology comprising a five-tier model of human needs, often depicted as hierarchical levels within a pyramid.  Needs lower down in the hierarchy must be satisfied before individuals can attend to needs higher up. From the bottom of the hierarchy upwards, the needs are: physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem and self-actualization. Deficiency needs arise due to deprivation.  Once these needs have been reasonably satisfied, one may be able to reach the highest level called self-actualization.   Some of our children have not had their needs met on a daily basis so in order to help address this breakfast is offered from 8:30- 8:50 every day for free. 

Alternative Inclusion curriculum 

Equality and Inclusion are built in and embedded in and out of every classroom.  Throughout the day children may access provisions outside their classrooms that are above and beyond universal interventions: 

• Lighthouse provision- Beacon Room: The Galaxy Trusts behaviour provision is based in the Lighthouse at Temple Hill and caters to pupils across the 3 schools who are struggling with engaging in their mainstream classes. The Lighthouse provision is run by an Assistant Head teacher.  An alternative curriculum is delivered focusing on reading, writing, maths, sensory processing, life skills, well-being, self –esteem and self-regulating our behaviour.  To access this provision, children must have had recommendations from an outside professional such as LIFT, STLS or CAMHS.  There are no more than 8 children and 3 adults.  This runs from 9am until 14:15 with children integrating in to their home class at various points of the day if they are able to.  If they are unable to manage full days, children are started on reduced timetables and this time is gradually extended according to the needs to of the child and their SEMH.    

• Lighthouse Provision-The lifeboat: this enables many of our pupils to develop an understanding of their behaviour through self-management supported by highly trained staff throughout the school day. The lifeboat reduces the need for 1:1 support by providing regular scheduled earned reward breaks, brain break opportunity, or thinking time.  This is used as a strategic approach.   

• Nurture time- 8:30-9:00 every morning during Magic Breakfast. (see above).  Children can use this time for relationship building with adults and peers.  It gives opportunity to improve well-being by having talk time with an adult which allows time for the child to discuss any negative feelings they may be experiencing, to problem solve and help regulate their emotions for the day.  It also allows for Executive function time which enables opportunity for staff to help children plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks successfully. The brain needs this skill set to filter distractions, prioritize tasks, set and achieve goals, and control impulses. When children have opportunities to develop executive function and self-regulation skills, individuals and society experience lifelong benefits. These skills are crucial for learning and development. They also enable positive behavior and allow us to make healthy choices for ourselves and our families. 

• Farm Visits- There are three main aims of this project: To develop the children’s sense of responsibility by seeing first hand that without their hard work, the animals and plants would not survive and therefore help them to see that their actions have a direct effect on the wellbeing of the animals on the farm. To enable children to be more resilient and collaborative. They will see that farm tasks can be difficult, laborious and cannot be completed independently and without determination. To raise self-esteem and self-belief when they see that they have had an impact and produced something positive through their hard work and determination. 

• Medley curriculum- this is for children who are showing aspects of disengagement with their mainstream class and any provision led in the Lifeboat.  An individualised timetable is completed with the child to agree parts of the curriculum that they enjoy and can continue their learning journey.  Often it starts with more hands on and practical subjects such as swimming and DT, however we will also offer opportunity to complete alternative curriculum tasks such as animal care or supporting younger pupils with learning tasks.  These are all monitored through the child’s personalised plan.  

• We Are Beams- these are weekly visits to the We Are Beams centre which caters to our non verbal severe and complex children.  At the centre they have a sensory room, soft play, sensory garden and adapted equipment which provides opportunity for small ratio communcation, extending play skills and  

Curriculum Impact  

The impact of the curriculum is evident in the outcomes for all pupils both academically and pastorally.  

Curriculum Home Letters