Curriculum

Our Curriculum Vision

At Hatfield Academy, we aim to provide the children with a curriculum which is broad, well-balanced, cumulatively sequenced and above all, stimulates the children to learn. It is well-sequenced, rigorous and underpinned by principles of cognitive science. Each unit of learning builds cumulatively throughout the lessons. In some half-terms, in some subjects, all children from Year 1-6 study the same aspect of a subject, for example, the human body in science or spatial sense in geography. These units are built upon sequentially in each year group to ensure there is clear progression throughout the year groups. We want our children to develop a love of learning and to acquire rich, deep knowledge which means that when they go to secondary school, they can speak with confidence and understanding in a range of subjects. We want them to understand each subject that they learn in its own right and as its own discipline. In addition to acquiring a wide range of knowledge, we aim to help the children to grow in confidence and develop strategies that help them become socially and emotionally mature so that they can enter secondary school, and later, adulthood with the ability to pursue a wide variety of academic, social and cultural activities. Our vision is that every child leaves Hatfield a life-long learner who makes a positive contribution to wider society.

What do the children study?

Our curriculum meets and exceeds the requirements of the National Curriculum and the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage.

The three ‘core’ subjects are English, mathematics and science.

The ‘foundation’ subjects are history, geography, design and technology, art and design, music, physical education (PE), computing, religious education (RE) and languages (we teach Spanish).

We also teach personal, social and health education which includes sex and relationships education. This is now mandatory.

At Hatfield, we have decided to make use of certain schemes if they fit with our curriculum ethos. For example, we have worked closely with the Knowledge Schools Trust and use the Primary Knowledge Curriculum for history, geography, art and science because we believe that these schemes compliment our aims and objectives. However, we do ensure that schemes are adapted and adjusted where appropriate and after a period of following them with fidelity to enable us to reflect upon what is right for our school. You can see this with, for example, our overviews for PSHE where we have decided to adjust when units are taught.

As we are part of the Astrea Trust, our curriculum is also underpinned by collaborative work done by subject leaders in school and through working with specialists in the central Astrea team.

Where possible, we include Foundation Stage Two in our overviews but there are also separate planning documents and rationales which can be found on the reception page.

Core Subjects

English

We use the Literacy Tree to support our teaching of English and more specifically, writing. Please click here to see our long term overview.

Reading

Reading is a key priority at Hatfield. Our aim is to ensure that children develop the fluency they need as quickly as possible so that they can then work on their comprehension skills.

The opportunities, organisation and provision for the teaching and learning of reading are as follows:

Daily reading sessions
Phonics – daily Read Write Inc (RWI) sessions beginning in Foundation Stage Two
Reading interventions
Children only take home books which they can read – these will be RWI books until children are ready to de-code and therefore progress to a book appropriate to their age and interest
A school lending library
Trips to local libraries- our aim is to ensure that every child at Hatfield has a membership card for the local library so that they can borrow books
‘Core spine books’ – a selection of key texts which we believe all children should have exposure to
Reading at home- children are encouraged to read at home every day; this is given high priority and we are making best use of technology to support us with this (using the Seesaw app to interact with parents and to enable them to record their children reading and speaking about the book they have read)

Writing

Opportunities, organisation and provision for the teaching and learning of writing are as follows:

Phonics-daily Read Write Inc sessions in the Foundation Stage Two and Key stage One classes.
Emergent writing- in Foundation Stage Two and Year One, children are given daily opportunities to write freely across the curriculum. This gives them the opportunity to become emergent writers.
Shared Writing- this is a key part of each teaching sequence in the Literacy Tree units.
Guided and Independent Writing- each teaching sequence in the Literacy Tree units has opportunities for guided and independent writing. There are also frequent opportunities for independent writing throughout the other curriculum areas.
Extended writing-throughout each half-term, there are opportunities for extended writing. On a termly basis, samples of these extended writing outcomes are used for assessment purposes.
Handwriting- we follow Read Write Inc and the Penpals scheme to teach handwriting. In Key Stage Two classes, children are given a pen licence when they are able to join fluently.
Spelling- children from Years Two to Six complete ‘Spelling Seeds’ investigations from the Literacy Tree scheme.

Mathematics

We use the Ark ‘Maths Mastery’ scheme of work to support our teaching of mathematics as well as documents and guidance from the Astrea Maths Team.

We aim to provide all children with some direct teaching every day, which is oral, interactive and stimulating. Teaching styles and lesson structure provide opportunities for children to consolidate their previous learning, use and apply their knowledge, understanding and skills, pose and ask questions, investigate mathematical ideas, reflect on their own learning and make links with other work.

Our approach to teaching is based on some key principles:

a dedicated mathematics lesson every day;
direct teaching and interactive oral work;
activities differentiated in a manageable way so that all children are engaged in mathematics related to a common theme

Science

Our science teaching is underpinned by the principles of the Primary Knowledge Curriculum- please click here to see the science overview for Years One-Six.

Science stimulates and excites children’s curiosity about phenomena and events in the world around them. It also satisfies their curiosity with knowledge. Because science links direct practical experience with ideas, it can engage learners at many levels. Scientific method is about developing and evaluating explanations through experimental evidence and modelling. This is a spur to critical and creative thought. Through science, children understand how major scientific ideas contribute to technological change – impacting on industry, business and medicine and improving the quality of life. Children recognise the cultural significance of science and trace its world-wide development. They learn to question and discuss science-based issues that may affect their own lives, the direction of society and the future of the world.

In Key Stage One, children observe, explore and ask questions about living things, materials and physical phenomena. They begin to work together to collect evidence to help them answer questions and to link this to simple scientific ideas. They begin to evaluate evidence and consider whether tests or comparisons are fair. They use reference materials to find out more about scientific ideas. They share ideas and communicate them using scientific language, drawings, charts and tables with the help of ICT if it is appropriate.

In Key Stage Two, children learn about a wider range of living things, materials and physical phenomena. They make links between ideas and explain things using simple models and theories. They apply their knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas to familiar phenomena, everyday things and their personal health. They think about the effects of scientific and technological developments on the environment and in other contexts. They carry out more systematic investigations, working on their own and with others. They use a range of reference sources in their work. They talk about their work and its significance, using a wide range of scientific language, conventional diagrams, charts, graphs and ICT to communicate their ideas.

Foundation Subjects

Please click here to see our long-term overview for the foundation subjects from Years One-Six.

Please go onto the Reception page to view our planning documents for Foundation Stage Two.

We teach foundation subjects as discrete disciplines so that children can learn the knowledge and skills required for specific subjects and so that the understand the difference between, for example, history and geography.

History

Please click here to see our long-term overview for history from Year One-Six.

We use the PKC to support our teaching of history.

Geography

Please click here to see our long-term overview for geography from Year One-Six.

We use the PKC to support our teaching of geography.

Design & Technology

Please click here to see our long-term overview for design and technology from Year One-Six.

We use Kapow to support our teaching of design and technology.

Art & Design

Please click here to see our long-term overview for art and design from Year One-Six.

We use PKC to support our teaching of art and design.

Music

Please click here to see our long-term overview for music from Year One-Six.

We use Kapow to support our teaching of music.

Physical Education (PE)

Please click here to see our long-term overview for PE from Foundation Stage Two-Year Six.

We have a high quality PE curriculum which inspires all children to succeed and excel in physical activity. It provides opportunities to become physically confident in a way which supports their health and well-being. Throughout the key stages, pupils should be physically active for sustained periods of time – all pupils receive two lessons of high quality PE every week.

Pupils are encouraged to engage in personal challenges and competitive sport.

Pupils are given the skills to be active and healthy through PE, active play times, cross-curricular active lessons and a broad extra-curricular programme.

We have further information on our PE lessons page- please click here.

Computing

Please click here to see our long-term overview for computing from Foundation Stage Two-Year Six.

We use the Kapow scheme of learning to support our teaching of computing. We aim to teach progressive knowledge that enables all children to become competent and confident users of ICT. We also ensure that the teaching of online safety and responsible digital citizenship is embedded throughout the curriculum. This means that not only do we teach stand-alone lessons around online safety but we also re-visit these areas in PSHE and also by participating in events such as Safer Internet Day. All members of our school community sign an Acceptable Use Policy which is addressed at an age-appropriate level and reinforced throughout the school year.

Religious Education (RE)

Please click here to see our long-term overview for RE from Foundation Stage Two – Year Six.

The teaching of Religious Education is statutory in all schools. We use the Discovery RE scheme of work to support our teaching in this subject.

Languages

Please click here to see our long-term overview for Spanish from Years Three-Six.

We teach Spanish from Year 3 to Year 6, using La Jolie Ronde to support our teaching. Each half-term, children in Key Stage Two participate in a Spanish day with specific foci that are taught and, when appropriate, re-visited.

Personal, Social & Health Education (PSHE)/Sex & Relationships Education (SRE)

Please click here to view our separate page all about PSHE/SRE.

Extra-Curricular Opportunities

At Hatfield Academy, we seek to create opportunities for children to experience and excel in a range of activities that enhance and extend the National Curriculum. The introduction of the Astrea Promise ensures that children have opportunities both inside and outside the classroom, for example, residential trips, community visits, workshops, a variety of sporting events, visiting theatre companies and art projects. We also plan purposeful trips that link to learning.

We have a range of after-school clubs, ranging from sporting activities like tag rugby through to art and photography. Opportunities are given to all year groups.

To find out more about your child’s curriculum, please click on the correct year group page on the tabs above. You can also speak to the class teacher or contact the school office.