At Ormsgill we pride ourselves on providing a knowledge rich curriculum. We carefully sequence the learning that takes place in each class, allowing our pupils to build upon their prior knowledge each year. Opportunities to revisit key knowledge is embedded into our curriculum, ensuring that what the children learn sticks. At the core of our curriculum, we think of the whole child. We promote the use of oracy and use ambitious vocabulary in all our lessons.
We aim to make our lessons engaging and supplement them with external trips and visits to broaden our pupils’ experiences. We have excellent technology resources and embed the use of technology through our whole curriculum. We consider social and emotional intelligence to be extremely important in the modern world, so we provide strong links to this through our pastoral work as well as, as part of our PSHE and RE curriculums.
Further information about our curriculum areas can be found by clicking on the sub pages below.
If you have any questions regarding the curriculum we teach please contact the school directly.
Why learning to read is so important
Reading is an essential skill that enables us to access learning but also improves our chances in life. The benefits of reading are endless and a positive attitude to reading promotes academic, social and emotional success for children and adults. At Ormsgill, our aim is to create lifelong, confident and competent readers.
How do children learn to read?
Learning to read requires code-based, systematic instruction. Children learn to decode by saying sounds (phonemes) associated with letters (graphemes.) First segmenting words (breaking them into individual sounds e.g. t-i-n) children identify the sounds that make a word. Next, they blend (put the sounds back together) to read a word.
Through repetition, children are able to access more advanced vocabulary and become more fluent readers.
Reading at school
At Ormsgill, our pupils are taught to read using the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised SSP.
- Decodable texts (phonics books) are provided for children to practise their decoding skills. These books are closely matched to the level the child is working at in the classroom.
- It is essential that children do not use other strategies to work out words (including guessing or deducing meaning from pictures)
- Children must read books in a progressive sequence until they can decode unfamiliar words confidently.
- Assessments are completed half-termly by teachers to ensure children are receiving additional support where necessary. Further information regarding interventions and support can be found on our Phonics tab.
Essentials for parents and carers
- Have a positive impact on their child’s reading by promoting reading for pleasure.
- Other reading strategies must not be used (guessing words, deducing meaning from pictures, contextual clues or whole word recognition are not viable means for reading.)
- Model the importance of reading practice to develop fluency.
- Use voices and expression to promote the enjoyment of reading.
- Discuss unfamiliar vocabulary, talk about pictures and predict what might happen next.
- Give positive yet informative feedback in the child’s Reading Record three times per week.
We recommend that children read frequently to adults at home so that they can embed the skills taught in school and establish good reading routines.
Each Friday, pupils will be sent home with a decodable text (appropriate for their ability) as well as a Reading for Pleasure (Core) book.
Phonics books MUST be returned each Monday.
As we endeavour to close the word gap for disadvantaged pupils, we encourage parents and carers to support child in all areas of reading. Reading to children is equally important and promotes a love of reading. Discussions around characters, settings, author’s intent and preferences are vital in fostering an enjoyment of reading.
Guided Reading
We teach children to read through reading practice sessions three times a week. These are taught by a fully trained adult to small groups of approximately four to six children. Books are matched to the children’s secure phonic knowledge using the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised assessments and book matching grids.
Each reading practice session has a clear focus so that the demands of the session do not overload the children’s working memory.
The reading practice sessions have been designed to focus on three key reading skills:
- Decoding
- Prosody: teaching children to read with understanding and expression
- Comprehension: teaching children to understand the text.
Vision Statement
At Ormsgill Nursery and Primary School, we believe all children should be empowered to become lifelong readers and writers. This starts with our systematic and synthetic phonics programme, Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised.
Pupils are taught to read and spell using the phonetic code, making connections between letters and their associated sounds.
At Ormsgill, we have a strong focus on language development for our children because we know that speaking and listening are crucial skills for reading and writing in all subjects. We model the application of the alphabetic code through phonics in guided reading and writing, both inside and outside of the phonics lesson.
Phonics in Nursery
Children will begin to build phonemic awareness through sounds, songs, rhymes and stories. Click here to access the Little Wandle songs and nursery rhymes.
Phonics in Reception
Children make a strong start in Reception: daily phonics lessons begin in Week 2 of the autumn term.
- Children in Reception are taught to read and spell words using Phase 2 and 3 GPCs, and words with adjacent consonants (Phase 4) with fluency and accuracy.
Phonics in Year 1
- Children in Year 1 review Phase 3 and 4 and are taught to read and spell words using Phase 5 GPCs with fluency and accuracy.
All children no matter their attainment level are included in the lessons and we use ‘Keep Up’ interventions to make sure no child falls behind. Children with a SEND are given additional support during the lesson and extra one-on-one lessons planned to match their point of development using the Foundation for Phonics programme or the LW SEND programme.
Phonics in Year 2
In Year 2, a seamless link is made from the core programme to Little Wandle Fluency and Little Wandle Spelling, incorporating Phase 5 review and the Bridge to spelling.
Daily phonics lessons are timetabled for children in Year 2 who are not fully fluent at reading or have not passed the Phonics Screening Check (PSC). These children urgently need to catch up, so the gap between themselves and their peers does not widen. We use the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised assessments to identify the gaps in their phonic knowledge and teach to these using the Keep-up resources – at pace.
Phonics in Key Stage 2
If any child in Year 3 to 6 has gaps in their phonic knowledge when reading or writing, we timetable ‘Rapid Catch-Up’ lessons to address specific reading/writing gaps. These short, sharp lessons last 10 minutes and take place at least three times a week. These sessions can be group or one-to-one and are facilitated by a trained Teaching Assistant.
Adaptations for SEND pupils
At Ormsgill, we want to ensure phonics is accessible for all learners. Any child with a SEND, who would struggle with cognitive overload from the pace of the Rapid Catch-Up programme, is assessed on the SEND assessment and the best SEND pathway and planning is selected for them accordingly.
Where necessary, adaptations are made by support staff to ensure the best outcomes for all pupils. Adaptations may include breaking lessons down into smaller chunks, Foundation for Phonics or adaptive technology.
Assessment
In Reception and Key Stage 1, Phonics learning is monitored through five-weekly assessments. These assessments include one-on-one assessments with the children, checking phonemic recognition and word reading. Also, during Phonics lessons, staff adapt their teaching to maximise support for all children.
English has a pre-eminent place in education, in society and at Ormsgill Nursery and Primary School.
We are devoted to providing a high-quality education in English which teaches our children to speak and write fluently, so that they can communicate their ideas and emotions to others and through their reading and listening, others can communicate with them. In addition, we use Picture Exchange Communication Systems (PECS) to ensure our non-verbal children can communicate effectively.
Reading is at the heart of our school and we aspire to promote it as a passion and an enjoyable hobby. We want the children to know the importance of reading and how it can enable them to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually. As a result, reading a wide range of genres and text-types will enable children to get lost in their own imaginations and will promote a high standard of writing. Through the systematic, consistent approach of Phonics taught in phases throughout school, children will have the opportunity to explore books from Nursery onwards.
At Ormsgill, we believe that English allows children to access all areas of the curriculum and so we promote excellent standards of literacy, articulacy and the correct use of Standard-English in all subject areas. We aim to foster a love for English through the use of exciting and engaging texts (often linked to other areas of the curriculum), drama, guided reading, story time, book clubs, debates and discussions, ICT, art, media, poetry and performance and visits to local libraries.
A consistent approach to the teaching and learning of reading, writing, handwriting, spelling, phonics, oracy, vocabulary, grammar and punctuation is essential, with high-expectations for all pupils across school. High-quality modelling of reading and writing is prioritised to make it clear to the children what is expected of them and to ensure they reach their full potential.
Teachers assess daily to find ways to extend learning; identify any gaps and address these as quickly as possible with interventions; work closely with support staff and colleagues of the MAT to ensure all children are receiving the best support; have high standards of presentation; inspire children to see a purpose and love for reading and writing and ultimately help all children make as much progress as they can.
Reading For Pleasure
At Ormsgill, we are passionate about promoting reading for pleasure and our children becoming readers for life. All children across school have the opportunity to read a range of high-quality fiction, non-fiction and poetry books of their choice. We regularly purchase new books to ensure children have a wide selection to choose from. Alongside this, the children are given a book carefully matched to their reading ability to promote fluency, confidence, well-paced reading and aid understanding.
Each year, we organise and host a Book Festival where we invite authors, illustrators, poets, story-tellers and even publishers into school to deliver inspiring and engaging workshops across a full day. We invite local schools to join us and we are excited to see who we can have visit us in the future!
Our Vision:
That children will have a positive experience of maths in school, ensuring they develop the skills and confidence to progress well to the next stage of their educational career and build essential life skills.
We are passionate about ensuring our children have the access to the learning they need, aiming to remove any inherent barriers and believe that all children are capable of good progress and the curriculum we provide can meet the needs of our children. The building of mathematical understanding through concrete – pictorial – abstract methods builds a deep understanding, giving children the skills to apply their knowledge in a wide range of problems. Key to learning across all areas of our curriculum is building the vocabulary skills of our children and the use of stem sentences is key. Children know, and can clearly articulate, what they have learnt.
EYFS Vision statement
We aim to provide a positive, safe and stimulating environment for children to learn, where all are valued. We want children to be happy in their learning, to achieve their full potential and to gain the skills needed in order to become independent, life-long learners.
Our Vision:
At Ormsgill Nursery and Primary School, all of our teaching and learning builds upon our core values: To be kind, calm and to do our best. We want our children to recognise the importance of Science in every aspect of daily life; to be inquisitive throughout their time in school and beyond; to foster a curiosity for learning and to be respectful of living organisms and the physical environment.
Our Science curriculum aims to inspire and nature children’s natural curiosity, opening up a world of opportunities is the areas of Science, technology, engineering, the arts and Mathematics. It is our view that Science encompasses the acquisition of knowledge, concept, skills and positive working attitudes.
We believe that our approach will develop the future citizens of Barrow-In-Furness and prepare them for the possibilities of future careers in Science and technology.
At Ormsgill Nursery and Primary School, all of our teaching and learning builds upon our core values: To be kind, calm and to do our best.
In Physical Eduaction we aim to provide a high quality education for all of our children, regardless of their starting points, experiences outside of school or if a child has SEND. Through our curriculum design we want to remove inequalities and provide all children the knowledge and skills they need to participate in physical activity for life. Being physically competent is essential for children to flourish in all aspects of their education. We do not aim to develop elite athletes, but children who are engaged and motivated to participate in a wide range of activities.
Our Vision:
Our approach to the teaching of computing is to ensure children are prepared for their future. That children develop a range of transferable skills across a number of applications, software and devices. Another key element of our approach must be that our children have the skills to navigate the online world safely and are aware they need to behave responsibly, to ensure they, and others are safe. The children have access to technology to apply their skills creatively and can see the potential to progress further and seek a career in any field they choose.
Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education
Relationships and Sex Education
At Ormsgill Nursery and Primary School, children’s wellbeing comes first. We pride ourselves in getting to know the unique, amazing individuals that they are, supporting them throughout their time here and preparing them for their life beyond. PSHE is a key part of our curriculum and envelops everything that we do. We use Kapow Primary’ to support our teaching in this subject. It is a whole-school, mindful approach that we use to teach the knowledge, understanding and skills the children need to successfully manage their lives. This is taught in a fun, clear and calming way which helps develop children’s understanding of themselves and the world around them. We want our children to have high aspirations, believe in themselves and know they can achieve anything they want to in a diverse and ever-changing world. We ensure all children have a good awareness of how to be an upstanding member of their community and therefore society, delivered in an age-appropriate way. Overall, we strive to ensure our children have the best tools to support their own mental and physical well-being and take pride in who they are.
Relationship and Sex Education (RSE) is taught through our PSHE curriculum. We aim to teach our pupils what happy, healthy relationships are in an age-appropriate way and ensure they know the fundamental building blocks and characteristics of healthy relationships, including those online. RSE is about the social, cultural and emotional development of all pupils and involves learning about: relationships, sexual health, puberty, healthy lifestyles, sexuality, diversity, resilience and personal identity. We want all of our pupils to be proud of who they are and be accepting of everyone else, as well as understand how they can get support and seek advice when they suspect or know something is wrong.
The Relationships Education, RSE and Health Education (England) Regulations 2019 have made Relationships Education compulsory in all primary schools. Sex Education is not compulsory in primary schools however the Department of Education recommend all primary schools have a sex education programme tailored to the age and the physical and emotional maturity of the pupils. Our Sex Education teaching ensures that all pupils are prepared for the changes that adolescence brings, drawing on knowledge of the human life cycle set out in the Science Curriculum about how a baby is conceived and born. This is taught in a sensitive, age-appropriate way and supports our children with their transition into Secondary School.
*Please check our school’s social media pages to see our Personal Development in action!*
At Ormsgill Nursery and Primary School, we are committed to providing a purposeful and empowering curriculum that fully prepares learners for the next steps in their lives – both in their school career and the wider world. We want our children to aspire to achieve and be the best versions of themselves. It is essential that they understand the world they live in. Broadening our children’s horizons and giving them the belief that they are capable of achieving great things drives our curriculum. Our Personal Development offer gives the children the knowledge and understanding they need to make informed choices and to be a positive influence in the communities they live in. We want our children to be able to manage life’s challenges and embrace life for what it is.
Today’s children and young people are growing up in an ever-changing, complex world and living their lives seamlessly on and offline. This presents many exciting opportunities, but also poses challenges and risks. In this environment, children and young people need to know how to be safe and healthy, and how to manage their academic, personal and social lives in a positive way. Our aim is to develop skills and attributes such as resilience, self-esteem, risk-management, team-working and critical thinking.
We pride ourselves on providing an environment which is safe, nurturing and inclusive, allowing all pupils to thrive and mature into well-informed young people. Our PSHE and RSE Curriculum supports this and we aim to embrace the many talents and interests of our pupils that go beyond the curriculum by offering links with businesses, projects, themed days, educational visits and after-school clubs. Overall, we want our learners to feel empowered by the opportunities we provide for them which will hopefully follow and motivate them for the rest of their lives.
Our Intent, Implement and Impact Statement
We want our children at Ormsgill Nursery & Primary School to leave with an open mind and the ability to question and interpret, based upon knowledge taught. We aim to ensure children become well-rounded citizens who are able to make informed choices and make valuable contributions to society. We believe that history provides learners with the opportunity to decipher whether something is factual or based on opinion. Making considered decisions and taking into account a range of sources and information is a vital skill for our children to develop and apply within the context of a modern world.
“Geography explains the past, illuminates the present and prepares us for the future. What could be more important than that?”
Michael Palin
Our Vision:
At Ormsgill, we believe that from the moment we are born, it is our instinct to explore our world around us. Through a global understanding of the world, children will develop respect for the world we live in and for the scope of cultures that make up our diverse planet. We want our children at Ormsgill to be inquisitive about the world, be open-minded and also responsible for the actions and choices they make.
Our Vision
At Ormsgill School, teachers adapt and deliver the Kapow condensed scheme of work for Art & Design (Art). We ensure that our curriculum is broad and varied, teaching Art through three core units, ensuring depth of learning. We aim to provide all learners with the tools they need to become artists, critical thinkers and experts in their subject. Our vision is that all children will become independent and competent in their own areas of interest, as well as keen and passionate learners who can apply their skills to producing inspiring artwork. Each year, children build on their knowledge and prior experiences, supporting long-term memory and ensuring learning is purposeful and relevant. This gives children the opportunity to consolidate and deepen their prior knowledge, as well as expand on and improve their skills further.
The Kapow scheme of work follows the National Curriculum, which outlines the four main stages of the creating process: Generating ideas, Making skills, Knowledge of artists and Evaluating. Lessons are underpinned by technical knowledge which encompasses the contextual, historical and technical understanding required for each strand.
Adaptations for SEND pupils
The Art curriculum at Ormsgill is accessible for all learners. Where applicable, adaptations are made on an individual basis. Supporting staff members and class teachers collaborate to plan and deliver effective lessons which stimulate all pupils.
Adaptations may include chunking learning into smaller, manageable tasks that still build up to an end product or supporting any sensory needs. Frequently, activities are set up in the Hive for children to access Art at their own pace.
Our Vision
At Ormsgill School, teachers adapt and deliver the Kapow condensed scheme of work for Design & Technology (D&T). We ensure that our curriculum is broad and varied, teaching D&T through three main units, ensuring high-quality, focused learning. Each year, children build on their knowledge and prior experiences, supporting long-term memory and ensuring learning is purposeful and relevant. This gives children the opportunity to consolidate and deepen their prior knowledge, as well as expand on and improve their skills further.
The Kapow scheme of work follows the National Curriculum, which outlines the three main stages of the design process: design, make and evaluate. D&T learning is underpinned by technical knowledge which encompasses the contextual, historical and technical understanding required for each strand.
Adaptations for SEND pupils
The D&T curriculum at Ormsgill is accessible for all learners. Where applicable, adaptations are made on an individual basis. Supporting staff members and class teachers collaborate to plan and deliver effective lessons which stimulate all pupils.
Adaptations may include chunking learning into smaller, manageable tasks that still build up to an end product or supporting any sensory needs. Frequently, activities are set up in the Hive for children to access D&T at their own pace.
Modern Foreign Languages
At Ormsgill Nursery and Primary School, we believe in helping our children gain a greater understanding and awareness of other cultures, communities, people and languages. We are passionate about our children developing language skills for the rest of their lives, and we hope to inspire them to want to travel to different countries and become curious about how other people live and communicate with each other. We have implemented the teaching of French throughout the school, particularly in Key Stage Two. Children are expected to make progress in French with a clear, consistent approach, which will then lay the foundations of their further study at Secondary School. Studying another language can broaden the mind to the world around us, inspire children to future ambitions beyond the United Kingdom and can often help improve understanding of their own language.
R.E. Vision Statement
Our curriculum teaches pupils to develop respect for others, including people with different faiths and beliefs and helps to challenge prejudice. We provide opportunities for children to develop positive attitudes and values and to reflect upon their role in their community and the wider world.
Our Vision:
Music is a vital part of our lives. Whether that is listening to, composing, evaluating and simply appreciating what we are hearing, at Ormsgill we believe that music is a commonality in us all no matter who you are.
At Ormsgill, we follow a curriculum which fosters a love and appreciation for music in addition to teaching musical skills and concepts. We use the ‘Charanga’ and ‘Spark Yard’ schemes of work to ensure our music curriculum covers a broad range of skills and gives ample opportunities for learning. Our goal is for children to not only develop musical skills, but for our pupils to enjoy a range of musical experiences in our community and beyond.
Through our music curriculum pupils are invited to:
- Have regular opportunities to appreciate, respond to, compose and perform music (to the class, the school or parents)
- Recognise musical elements of pitch, rhythm, pace, texture, dynamics, structure and timbre within different genres
- Develop and build on musical knowledge and skills throughout the key stages
- Access the opportunity to learn an instrument
- Access extra-curricular musical activities and events
We are very proud of the musical opportunities are children have in school. Our school choir regularly take part in Young Voices, performing with thousands of other children from across the country, we have had a quartet from Liverpool Philharmonic perform to the school and we have have the chance to take part in the SCMAT Summer Sing every year, along with a plethora of other amazing musical experiences.