Curriculum
Our Curriculum Intent
At Kersey, we believe primary school should be a time for every child to shine. It is a place where children can discover their passions and talents, helping them recognise their potential.
Our curriculum, driven by a range of artistic and literary influences, is carefully designed to provide children with a broad understanding of our diverse world, fostering an appreciation for various cultural backgrounds.
We place a strong emphasis on teamwork and cultivating positive attitudes in both work and play. This approach helps children develop confidence, resilience, and a love of learning that lasts a lifetime. At the heart of our curriculum are our core values of joy, ourselves and others, understanding, resilience, nurture and excellence, which form the foundation of both our educational approach and school ethos.
Our Curriculum Implementation
At Kersey CE Primary School, we are committed to providing a well-rounded, enriching curriculum that aligns with our Christian values and learning behaviours. As an academy, we follow the National Curriculum, but have carefully curated our subject content to support our vision of being on a journey together, finding joy in ourselves and others.
Our whole-school curriculum is designed to cater to the diverse needs of our mixed-age classes. In Key Stage 1, we operate on a two-year cycle, while in Key Stage 2, we follow a three- to four-year cycle. This ensures that all children receive full coverage of our chosen topics, which are thoughtfully selected to support our values and learning behaviours.
To add depth and breadth to our curriculum, we offer a wide range of opportunities and experiences for our pupils. This includes clubs, trips, visitors, and links with the wider community, such as our partnership with Bridges Farm in Kersey. We also hold themed weeks and days, where older and younger children work together to celebrate local and national events, as well as Christian festivals, as a whole-school community.
We are proud of our diverse community. Our curriculum reflects this, with content that celebrates the rich tapestry of cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives represented among our pupils. By fostering an environment of understanding and nurture, we aim to empower our children to become confident, well-rounded individuals who are prepared to make a positive impact on the world around them.
To bring our curriculum to life, our teachers seamlessly integrate subjects, allowing children to make meaningful connections and deepen their understanding. Whether exploring the wonders of nature, delving into the pages of classic literature, or honing their problem-solving skills, our pupils are encouraged to approach their learning with resilience and a thirst for excellence.
Our curriculum is the foundation upon which we build a vibrant, engaging, and inclusive learning environment. By aligning our subject content with our Christian values and learning behaviours, we strive to nurture the joy of discovery, the understanding of diverse perspectives, and the youth of our pupils as they embark on their educational journey with us.
Our Curriculum Impact
At Kersey CE Primary School, we are dedicated to providing a well-rounded and enriching educational experience for all our pupils. We are committed to upholding our school's vision and values of Joy, Ourselves and Others, Understanding, Resilience, Nurture, Excellence, and Youngsters.
Our subject leaders play a crucial role in monitoring the progress and impact of our curriculum. They have developed detailed skills progressions for each subject area, ensuring that as children move through the school, they are continuously developing their skills and knowledge in a broad range of subjects.
We closely monitor the progress of all our pupils, and those who are not on track are quickly identified and provided with the necessary support to help them catch up. Our staff hold regular meetings with a specific focus on each subject, where they can discuss the content, assess how children are progressing in their skills, and ensure that we are offering a diverse range of learning experiences.
By prioritising the development of our pupils' skills across the curriculum, we are not only preparing them academically but also nurturing their understanding, resilience, and joy in learning. Our commitment to excellence and youth is evident in the way we challenge and inspire our pupils to reach their full potential.
Through our robust monitoring and support systems, we are confident that our curriculum is having a positive impact on the progress and well-being of all our pupils, enabling them to become well-rounded individuals who are ready to take on the next stage of their educational journey.
Subject areas
MONITORING AND ASSESSING
We believe that effective assessment of pupils’ capability has the following features:
- procedures which are not over-complex, were consistently applied and informed teachers’ planning
- Teachers who identify the things pupils could do well and where they needed to improve
- teachers who provide high-quality feedback to pupils to help them to increasingly take responsibility for their own learning
- Pupils who understand why they had specific targets and how they might achieve them in their current work
- teachers who ensure that consistent systems were in place to track and analyse pupils’ progress and attainment over time.
At Kersey CE Primary School, we use a formative assessment system. Teachers assess children’s work by making assessments as they observe them working during lessons. They record the progress that children make by assessing the children’s work against the learning objectives for the lessons. This allows us to:
- set out steps so that pupils reach or exceed the end of key stage expectations
- judge whether pupils are on track to meet end of key stage expectations
- pinpoint aspects of the curriculum where pupils are falling behind and recognise exceptional performance
- support planning and teaching for all pupils
- report to parents and, where pupils move to other schools, provide clear information about each pupil’s strengths, weaknesses and progress
INCLUSION
Kersey CE Primary School recognises the importance of inclusion and our curriculum offer ensures equal access to all pupils regardless of their ability, aptitude, race, religion or gender. A wide range of gender specific and cultural images and contexts may be used, and we will use these opportunities to challenge stereotypes.
THE ROLE OF THE SUBJECT LEADER
The subject leader is instrumental in the delivery of high-quality provision of their subject area. The subject leader owns the subject and represents it well. Your role is to be the face and voice of your subject and support teachers to lead to improvement, encouraging and supporting their colleagues, inspiring learning, as well as monitoring and evaluating the outcomes.
Academic Year 2024-2025
If you have any questions about the curriculum we are delivering, please speak to the Head Teachers.
Times Tables Rock Stars
We use Times Tables Rock Stars in Y3-6.
TT Rock Stars
You can log on and test your times tables recall at home.
Music
Brass in Key Stage 2 is taught through the Whole Class Ensemble Teaching from Suffolk County Music Service. In Sapling class, pupils learn the recorder. In Acorn class, pupils are taught music through Stave House.
Modern Foreign Languages
All children in Key Stage 2 are taught French for one lesson of about 50 minutes per week. Lessons are based around the Rigolo scheme. In addition to this, a wide variety of resources including games, songs, rhymes and puppets as well as more extended texts and discussion about culture and life in France is covered.
We place great emphasis on helping children develop the confidence to speak French and the skills needed to start to understand both the written and spoken language.
Close liaison takes place with the MFL co-ordinator at our local High School, to ensure that all year 6 pupils are in a solid position from which to take their language learning further in KS3.
Within KS2 classrooms, there are visual displays (in French), which are used by children and class teachers alike to support the learning.