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 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 block which identifies key vocabulary and information for the upcoming unit of learning.

Our Curriculum Intent

Maths

At Holbrook we love Maths! We believe that every child has the right to an enjoyable, engaging and challenging mathematics curriculum that incorporates opportunities to develop fluency, reasoning and problem solving. We build confidence and resilience in our children so that they view themselves as mathematicians and are able to apply their understanding in a range of real life contexts.

English

At Holbrook Reading is at the heart of our English curriculum! We promote a love of literature and encourage all of our children to read widely. We invest in early reading to provide the best possible start for our children. We believe that being a confident reader underpins the whole curriculum. Our approach to writing is text based allowing our children opportunities to develop their composition, spelling and grammatical skills through deep engagement with high quality books.

Music

At Holbrook we promote a love of music! We provide opportunities for our children to appreciate, appraise, compose and perform across different genres. We want our children to enjoy music feel confident to express themselves.

Languages

Japanese is a key thread in our Holbrook curriculum! We inspire curiosity about Japanese culture and find opportunities to make links with our wider curriculum. We want our children to develop their knowledge and skills in speaking and understanding Japanese. We aim to inspire a love of languages and the confidence to find out more!

Geography

At Holbrook we are curious about our world and understand our role in protecting it! We want our children to be confident to use their map skills and identify human and physical features of a locality. We appreciate the importance of understanding our local area and enjoy finding out more about other countries.

Design & Technology

Plan, make, evaluate is key to our D&T curriculum! Holbrook pupils have opportunities to explore existing products and follow a design brief. Children have access to appropriate tools and are challenged to use them safely. They are encouraged to be creative, innovative and reflective.

Art

Holbrook pupils love art! We have developed our curriculum to focus on nature, portraiture and the human form through exploration of the work of influential artists. Children are taught key techniques and skills and are encouraged to have the confidence to express themselves artistically through a range of mediums.

History

At Holbrook we learn from the past! Our pupils are supported to develop their understanding of chronology and their place in time. We want our pupils to appreciate the importance of the past in shaping the present, both locally and globally. We encourage our children to explore evidence and ask questions.

Science

At Holbrook we are curious! Through Science we encourage our children to ask questions and find answers. Pupils are taught key investigation skills which allow them to make predications, test ideas and draw conclusions. Key concepts and vocabulary are integral to our Science curriculum. We want our children to have the skills and knowledge to find out more about their world.

Computing

We embrace technology at Holbrook! Through our computing curriculum we enable pupils to explore and innovate using a range of hardware and software. Our pupils have opportunities to experience awe and wonder as they master new skills and experiment with their ideas whilst staying safe online. We want our children to be well prepared for the ever changing world we live in.

Our children love to be physical and enjoy exercise! Through PE we teach key life skills such as cooperation and team work. Pupils are exposed to a range of sports and are encouraged to build transferable skills which develop over time. We want every child to be included and able to participate in all opportunities. We take pride in representing our school at sporting events.

PSHE

We priorities personal development and wellbeing at Holbrook! Our children celebrate cultural differences and diversity. Through our Jigsaw scheme we give children time to meditate and reflect as well as explore key issues including sex and relationships. We want to our children to be positive role models and active members of their communities.

Holbrook children enjoy learning about different faiths and cultures! Our RE curriculum builds on the agreed Wiltshire scheme of work and provides children with opportunities to explore their own identity alongside that of others. We want our children to be open minded, tolerant and respectful.

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.

Holbrook long term curriculum planning 2020-2021: