The Northfield Curriculum.

Throughout their journey at Northfield Primary and Nursery School children will have opportunities to learn about themselves, their place in our one community and in the wider world. We want to widen children's horizons through learning about the lives of inspirational people and to have high aspirations for their own futures. Our curriculum is designed to be ambitious valuing both knowledge and skills so that all Northfield pupils can achieve as they grow and learn, improving from their starting points. The curriculum is designed to provide links to our communities heritage, people and environment with for example links to the Major Oak and Robin Hood in Year 2 and coal mining in Year 4. Work on volcanoes in year 3 links to Romans in year 4 as pupils learn about Pompeii. Also, we ensure our curriculum embeds opportunities to enrich our cultural capital and experience people, places and beliefs beyond our own context.

Also, we want our pupils to be healthy (physically and mentally) and to be able to articulate their thoughts, ideas and feelings, and to have the vocabulary and confidence to do this. 

Reading is key to the heart of all we do with early reading being taught using Rocket Phonics. School recognise that reading is fundamental to education and proficiency in reading, writing and spoken language is vital for pupils' success. We support our pupils to be life-long learners developing a learning legacy which continues through life. 

We want children to develop a sense of belonging to and responsibility for their own school - standing in and standing up for nature, their local community and the four corners of the world starting with school, then the local area, national and global, including North, South, East and West across the globe. All content has been taken primarily from the National Curriculum and through the four corners of the world lens, we aim to teach our pupils about people and places. We aim to help children understand the diversity of people's beliefs, cultures and customs in modern Britain, and to see that differences and similarities are something to be welcomed and celebrated. 'We have more in common than that which divides us.' (Ref: Jo Cox). We teach this through our lessons, in assemblies, in the wide variety of books shared in school, and in planned events throughout the year. 

Over the course of their primary education, the pupils cover the full content of the National Curriculum with breadth and balance. For example, history is taught by starting with children's lives now, all the way through to ancient times and civilizations to support children's sense of history and time. This approach helps them with their understanding of chronology and the world. Geography follows a similar pattern by starting with their local environment and broadening to the wider world. The Thread Knowledge document is a narrative which provides a framework for learning and helps to deepen children's understanding of what is being taught. Threads have been designed within the key drivers that are big, transferable ideas that have a real world meaning which help Northfield pupils to make sense of the world around them and prepare them for life in modern Britain. 

Throughout the year there are whole school events which focus on Anti-Bullying, Internet Safety, Black History and Remembrance Day, all designed to build knowledge and respect for the cultures of others and aspirations for the children's future.

Opportunities for children to revisit earlier learning are built into lessons which build children's long-term memory and help them to make connections in their learning. Whole class texts used in English lessons mostly link to the history or geography topic. Progression plans for curriculum areas set out learning. Teaching and Learning strategies are informed by the Principles of Rosenshine which include review and retrieve, asking questions, modelling and scaffolding learning, receiving help from teaching staff and working independently.

We want our pupils to be life long learners becoming confident communicators, developing a strong sense of self, understanding life in modern Britain, including diversity and acquiring knowledge and understanding about the four corners of the world.

Lessons start at 8.45am and finish at 3.15pm, a total of 32.5hrs learning per week (minus lunch time). If you have any questions about the curriculum please contact the school office and a member of staff will converse with you. Thank you. 

Special Needs

For a variety of reasons a child may experience some difficulties in school. These may be with learning, behaviour, speech or medical conditions. Advice and support is available and we use outside agencies such as the Healthy Family team, Speech Therapist, Educational Psychologist, Behaviour Support and Schools & Family Services to help.  Help is also available from within school for any child with a special need. Children who have been identified as having a Special Education Need or Disability are given specific support through targeted intervention programmes; records of progress are held on a Communications Passport.  If their need is more severe or complex then a SEND Support Plan is written and followed.  Progress is reviewed regularly and parents / carers are kept informed about the progress their child is making and how they can further support at home. A written policy, outlining the school’s procedures for children with Special Needs is available in school and conforms to the Code of Practice.

If you would like more information about the curriculum we follow, please contact the school office by phoning 01623 625589 or emailing  office@northfield.notts.sch.uk.