Holbrook Primary School, Trowbridge
Inspiring, Nurturing, Challenging every learner to achieve their full potential
Welcome
Curriculum
Holbrook Curriculum
At Holbrook we have developed our own ‘bespoke’ Holbrook curriculum which is derived from the National Curriculum. Our curriculum has 4 key threads: Earth Care, Great Lives, Vocabulary and SMSC.
Our curriculum is:
- Ambitious for all pupils – helps them to know more, remember more and understand more
- Coherently planned and sequenced
- Adapted, designed and developed for pupils with SEND
- Broad and balanced for all pupils
- Bespoke to Holbrook children and their experiences
- Built around repeatable, core concepts which allow our pupils to gain knowledge and skills over time.
- Reviewed regularly and adapted to best meet children’s needs.
We ‘block’ subjects to allow our pupils time and space to explore new concepts. Pupils are provided with a knowledge organiser at the start of each unit which identifies key vocabulary and information for the upcoming unit of learning.
EYFS Curriculum
Knowing and understanding learning in Early Years is essential for us to ensure clear sequencing which allows Holbrook children to know more and remember more. The required flexibility in the Early Years curriculum can make it challenging to identify prior learning as children move into Key Stage one and beyond. With this in mind we have looked carefully at specific learning that takes place in Early Years and mapped it directly to curriculum subjects at Key Stages one and two. This ensures that all teachers, including subject leaders, are clear about the learning that takes place in Early Years and how this feeds into later teaching and learning for Holbrook children.
The characteristics of effective teaching and learning underpin teaching and learning in Early Years:
• playing and exploring – children investigate and experience things, and ‘have a go’
• active learning – children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties, and enjoy achievements
• creating and thinking critically – children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things Statutory framework for the EYFS
All Holbrook teachers and subject leaders understand the importance of these aspects of learning and appreciate how they support access to the curriculum as children move into Key Stage one and beyond.
There are 3 prime areas of learning in Early Years which teach our children key skills that become the foundations for teaching and learning across the curriculum. Having a shared understanding and appreciation of these allows us support transition from foundation stage to Key Stage one as well as appreciate the specific foundations children have built in Early Years.
Inclusion
At Holbrook we teach our bespoke curriculum to all children, whatever their ability and individual needs We have worked together to develop our own broad and balanced curriculum. We provide learning opportunities that enable all pupils to make good progress.
Some children are identified as having special educational needs. Our practice looks at a range of factors, including classroom organisation, teaching materials, teaching style, differentiation, so that we can make some additional and/or different provisions to enable the child to learn more effectively. Assessment against the National Curriculum allows us to consider each child’s attainment and progress against age related expectations for Mathematics . This ensures that our teaching is matched to the child’s needs.
Equal opportunities
All pupils are entitled to access our wonderful curriculum at a level appropriate to their needs arising from race, gender, ability or disability.
Beautiful Work
Holbrook children produce 'beautiful work' to demonstrate their learning and understanding. This is shared with parents through Class Dojo. We believe that children’s work should be honoured; it should be of the highest quality and, wherever possible, should have an audience. Beautiful work takes time and is worth keeping and sharing. Beautiful work shouldn’t always need to take the same format – all children deserve the chance to shine.
Early reading and phonics
In Early Years and Key Stage 1, we use the Sounds Write scheme of learning to support the teaching of phonics and early reading. Reading books are sent home which closely match the phonic sounds that the children have learnt; these books are changed as and when the children fluently read their book.
Holbrook Reading Spine
The teachers at Holbrook have developed a bespoke 'Holbrook Reading Spine' which is made up of high quality texts that we use to develop reading skills with our children throughout their Primary Education. The reading spine is made up of classic novels, non-fiction, poetry and modern fiction. Our Holbrook Association PTA kindly funded the Holbrook reading spine at a cost of around £4000 so that there are enough copies of each text so children can work in pairs with a physical copy of the book they are studying.
Reading is taught every day throughout Key Stage 1 and 2 through Guided Reading lessons.
Curriculum long term planning
At Holbrook we offer a two year rolling program of study organised in phases. All children will have the opportunity to access all curriculum units over a 2 year period. This structure allows us to maximise enrichment opportunities as well as ensuring progression in skills and knowledge.
Holbrook long term curriculum planning 2024-2025 (Year A):
Long term curriculum overview 2024 - 2025
Holbrook Curriculum Intent Statements
Holbrook Curriculum supporting documents and information
