Our curriculum is designed to enable all children to make good progress through lessons that are both challenging and enjoyable. We aim to develop children's knowledge, understanding and skills through well-balanced lessons which allow all our children to develop their personal talents and skills. Our learning is based around famous films, books and historical periods which we believe will capture children's interest and encourage their curiosity. 

We have based our curriculum on the interests and needs of our children at Meadgate Primary and it builds upon the cultural capital that they have already developed. Our local studies are relevent to our children and include areas that are familar to them and local to the school. Our school is well situated to develop all key areas of the curriculum. For example, in geography we have the River Chelmer and Can just a ten minute walk away within the growing city centre of Chelmsford. 

At Meadgate Primary School we represent the diverse City of Chelmsford. It is therefore important that our pupils develop a strong sense of this diversity. Diversity and Equality have become important drivers for our curriculum. We ensure that diversity and equality are at the centre of our curriculum and that pupils are taught about differences and diversity throughout the curriculum. In order to promote equality and to develop our children's knowledge and understanding of diversity and tolerance, our curriculum, especially PSHE, teaches the children the importance of seeing each other as equal to one another.

We use a range of resources to support learning and try to ensure these are presented in a variety of ways, which suit a range of learning styles. Our 'Revisit and Revise Links' documents support users to understand the importance of their own year groups and where they fit into the 'bigger picture'. This ensures our children develop key skills progressively in a logical and well planned manner. 

Our teachers use the concept maps to assess the children's understanding of the key concepts that have been taught. This information is shared with the children's next year's teachers which supports the children's development of key skills.  

To find out more about our school's curriculum please speak to your child's class teacher or a member of the senior leadership team.

Art & Design

At Meadgate Primary School, art contributes to the development of the whole child emotionally, aesthetically, spiritually, intellectually, creatively and socially. It creates a sense of enjoyment and purpose. It enables children to express themselves and to communicate what they see, feel and think through the use of colour, texture, form, pattern, different

materials and processes. Art offers children the opportunity to learn about the visual world and how artists from Britain

and the wider world have interpreted it, throughout history and within different cultures.

Computing

Meadgate Primary School believes computing to be an essential part of a curriculum, which equips children to use computational thinking and creativity to understand the world. Computing plays a significant part of all our daily lives and should therefore be integral to children’s learning both as a standalone subject and also woven into other curriculum areas. We want children to be enthused about computing and equipped with the capability to use

technology throughout their lives. We believe that technology can provide: collaborative learning opportunities; better

engagement; easier access to rich content; develop conceptual understanding and can support the needs of all our pupils, throughout the curriculum. Computing lessons can provide a wealth of learning opportunities and transferrable skills explicitly within the Computing lesson and across other curriculum subjects.

It is our intention to provide an exciting, rich, relevant and challenging Computing curriculum for all pupils, which instils critical thinking, reflective learning and a ‘can do’ attitude for all our learners. We teach pupils to become responsible, respectful and competent users of data, information and communication technology and to equip them with skills, strategies and knowledge that will enable them to reap the benefits of the online world, whilst being able to minimise risk to themselves or others. We encourage opportunities to use technology imaginatively and creatively and to develop computational thinking beyond the Computing curriculum.

On leaving our school, children will have gained key knowledge and skills in the three main areas of the computing curriculum: computer science (programming and understanding how digital systems work), information technology (using computer systems to store, retrieve and send information) and digital literacy (evaluating digital content and using technology safely and respectfully). The objectives within each strand support the development of learning

across the key stages, ensuring a solid grounding for future learning and beyond.

Design and Technology

Design and technology helps to prepare children for the developing world. The subject encourages children to become creative problem-solvers, both as individuals and as part of a team. Through the study of design and technology they combine practical skills with an understanding of aesthetic, social and environmental issues. Design and Technology helps all children to become discriminating and informed consumers and potential innovators. It should assist children in developing a greater awareness and understanding of how everyday products are designed and made.

English

Our phonics programme is Essential Letters and Sounds (OUP).

At Meadgate, we believe children achieving fluency in English is essential if they are to both access and succeed across all areas of the curriculum. We endeavour to ensure children reach their full potential in these areas by providing an inspiring and relevant English curriculum which promotes high standards of language and literacy, equips pupils with a strong command of spoken and written word, and develops a life-long love of literature through reading and writing for enjoyment. Books are at the heart of our English curriculum and, through reading, pupils have a chance to develop culturally, emotionally and intellectually. Reading and writing tasks often link to other areas of the curriculum so children have a deep understanding of the context for each task. This also enables pupils to use technical and subject-specific language well. 

Geography

At Meadgate Primary School, we believe that geography helps to provoke and answer questions about the natural and human world, encouraging children to develop a greater understanding of their world and their place in it. It helps to develop a range of investigation and problem- solving skills that are transferable to other curriculum areas and which can be used to promote children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Geography is, by nature an investigative subject, which develops an understanding of concepts, knowledge and skills. We seek to inspire in children a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people which will remain with them for the rest of their lives; to promote children’s interest and understanding about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with an understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes such as mountains, rivers and tourism.

History

At Meadgate Primary School we aim to stimulate the pupils’ interest for learning about the past and help them gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. We endeavour to develop our pupils’ understanding about the life of people who lived before us and also how our own lives have changed over time. We teach children a sense of chronology so that they can better understand when historical events happened around the world and how these events have influenced life today. History complements Religious Education and PSHE as they also assist pupils in understanding other people’s cultures. Through these subjects children can appreciate and understand their place in modern multicultural Britain and, by considering how people lived in the past, they are better able to make their own life choices today. We teach our pupils to investigate historical events and, by so doing, help them to develop the skills of enquiry, analysis, interpretation and problem-solving.

Mathematics

For mathematics, we use the White Rose Hub and associated resources as well as using resources that support learning and progress. Teachers then adapt the plans to suit the immediate needs of their learners.  Games and activities which reinforce and extend learning are available both to use in school and at home.

Modern Foreign Languages

The curriculum at Meadgate Primary School for Modern Foreign Languages aims to ensure that all

children:

- Understand and respond to spoken and written language from a variety of authentic sources.

- Are able to speak with increasing confidence, fluency and spontaneity, finding ways of communicating what they want to say, including through discussion and asking questions, and that they are continually improving the accuracy of their pronunciation and intonation.

- Can write at varying length, for different purposes and audiences, using the variety of grammatical structures that they have learnt.

- Discover and develop an appreciation of a range of writing in the language studied.

A high quality languages education should foster children’s curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world. At Meadgate Primary School we are committed to ensuring that competence in another language enables children to interpret, create and exchange meaning within and across cultures. It also helps children develop skills that will open further opportunities later in life. The teaching of French in EYFS, KS1 and KS2 provides an appropriate balance of spoken and written language and lays the foundations for further

foreign language teaching at KS3.

At Meadgate Primary we aim to:

• Have fun and experience success in speaking a foreign language

• Have the opportunity to participate in MFL at their own level of development

• Secure and build on a range of skills

• Develop good linguistic and cultural attitudes

• Understand basic rules of language

• Experience positive language contexts

• Have a foundation to build on for lifelong and active use of other languages and leaving primary school as an inquisitive individual.

Music

“Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. A high quality music education should engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement. As pupils progress, they should develop a critical engagement with music, allowing them to compose, and to listen with discrimination to the best in the musical canon” (National Curriculum, 2014).

As recommended above, we aim to foster a love for music education in our pupils, whilst also developing their musical talent and skills. At Meadgate we believe in the power of music. We recognise that music has the ability to spread self-confidence and joy through our school which is something that is at the core of the Meadgate values. We recognise the

important role that music can play in people’s lives and are committed to helping our pupils to realise the significance music can have in the wider community. Our curriculum aims to support pupil progress in an enjoyable, engaging way so that students embed the musical skills of listening and appraising, composing and performing.

Personal, Social, Health & Citizenship Education

At Meadgate, we help all children to develop an understanding of the place that they hold in society and in groups within society such as families, school, clubs etc. We aim to enable children to understand their own bodies and how to keep safe and healthy and to encourage a growing sense of self-worth and self-responsibility towards keeping themselves safe and healthy and to build meaningful and happy relationships with others within these groups.

We use The Jigsaw scheme of work and we make meaningful links with other subjects of the curriculum.

We teach children about their rights and responsibilities. We encourage our pupils to play a positive role in contributing to the life of the school and the wider community through participation in clubs, sporting activities, school council and other activities within and outside the school. Through this, they learn to appreciate what it means to be a positive member of a diverse and multicultural society.

Our objectives in the teaching of PSHE and citizenship are;

• to know and understand what is meant by a healthy lifestyle and to make healthy choices relating to food choices, exercise and screen time.

• to be increasingly aware of potential dangers and risks they may encounter and how to keep themselves safe.

• to understand how to build and maintain good relationships with others and how to resolve conflict where it may arise.

• to have and show respect for others.

• to be thoughtful and responsible members of their community and their school.

• to become active members of our democratic society.

• to develop self-confidence, resilience and self-esteem.

• to make informed and responsible choices regarding personal and social issues.

• to develop good relationships with other members of the community.

Physical Education

Meadgate Primary School recognises the value of Physical Education (P.E). We fully adhere to the aims of the national curriculum for physical education to ensure that all children:

 develop competence to excel in a broad range of physical activities

 are physically active for sustained periods of time

 engage in competitive sports and activities

 lead healthy, active lives

 participate in at least 2 hours of PE a week

 encouraged to participate in before and after school clubs

 are active, where appropriate, during lessons and during break times

 encouraged to celebrate sporting success

Religious Education

At Meadgate, we help all children to develop an understanding of the place that religion plays in people’s lives and how it has influenced history and our society and continues to do so. We will use The Agreed Syllabus for Essex as our scheme of work and we will make meaningful links with other subjects of the curriculum. Our aim is to instil curiosity for and tolerance towards world religions and to help children understand about faiths, beliefs and how religion has influenced the development of society and the community in which we live. Through the Scheme of Work, we aim to make links between the beliefs and practices of people from world faiths with aspects of the children’s own lives, whether religious or otherwise.

1. investigate and understand the beliefs and practices of world religions.

2. investigate how religions and other world views address questions of meaning, purpose and value.

3. investigate how religions and other world views influence morality, identity and diversity.

4. develop tolerance, understanding and acceptance of the beliefs and practices of others in this

country and around the world by relating these to their own lives, where possible.

Science

Meadgate Primary School aims to deliver a stimulating and varied science curriculum which promotes the skills of scientific thinking and enquiry necessary for children growing up in a technologically advanced world. We believe that our children should not only reach their best academically, but also develop a thirst for knowledge, foster a love of learning and leave our school with exceptional independent learning skills. The children of Meadgate Primary School are happy learners who work hard to reach the challenges set by their teachers. Excellent teaching and learning opportunities allow children to be successful in a creative, safe, calm environment where classrooms and other learning spaces promote creativity and high aspiration. Children are encouraged to find their ‘stretch zone’, avoid ‘coasting’ and so maximise progress.

Science is a practical subject. Science stimulates and excites pupils’ curiosity about the world around us. It provides explanations as to how the world works. It is based on observable, measurable and repeatable processes. Because science links direct practical experience with ideas, it can engage learners at many levels. The explanations obtained by experimental evidence and modelling are based on methods and defined approaches. Increasing pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the world goes alongside developing skills associated with Science as a process of enquiry which develop the natural curiosity of the child, encourage respect for living organisms and the physical environment and provide opportunities for critical evaluation of evidence.

Scientific enquiry is also aimed at encouraging learners to apply their knowledge to the implications of a changing future world in which science raises implications for the future of our planet and our place within the universe. So our aim is for our learners to be equipped with the scientific knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of Science, today and for the future.

At Key Stage 1 pupils 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.

At Key Stage 2 pupils 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 develop a respect for the materials and equipment they handle with regard to their own, and other children’s safety. 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.