Helme Church of England Academy

Dream, Believe, Achieve

Intent

At Helme C of E Academy we strive to offer a curriculum that is broad and balanced and gives each child the best possible start. We deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum, National Curriculum and the Leeds Diocese RE syllabus, including the Understanding Christianity Programme. Alongside these we offer a broad range of additional learning experiences such as outdoor learning, visitors to school and off-site visits. Our curriculum is underpinned by our Christian ethos and vision, allowing the opportunity for everyone to flourish and discover the best within themselves in order to achieve their full potential. Please click here to see our vision and values statement which is intrinsically linked to our curricum intent.

Implementation

At Helme C of E Academy, our curriculum is planned on a two or three year rolling programme. Cross curricular links are explored to enhance, excite and form connections in the children’s knowledge and understanding.  During learning, children are given the opportunity to develop and answer their own questions to deepen understanding.

In EYFS we plan our environment to support our chosen topic, dependent on children’s interests. EYFS at Helme C of E Academy promotes and values all areas of learning. Our EYFS curriculum prepares the children for the next stage of their learning in Year 1.

English, including phonics and spelling, and Maths are taught daily. We have a clear structure for the teaching of writing to ensure key skills are embedded. Phonics is taught on a daily basis using the systematic synthetic 4-part lesson sturcture (DFE Letters and Sounds) , based on the LCP planning documents, with additional support for some children (linked to the DFE Letters and Sounds Principles and Practice).  Reading is taught initially using synthetic phonics; moving from individual reading to small group reading and then whole class reading. This ensures we are able to develop fluency in reading as well as embed the skills which are needed to comprehend. 

Maths is taught using the White Rose mastery approach. At Helme C of E Academy we understand the necessity for children to have a secure understanding of fluency in the foundations of number work and place value as well as developing mathematical thinking through reasoning and problem solving. 

The approach to teaching at Helme C of E Academy is that of quality first teaching, with small interventions when necessary. These are vital for some pupils in order for them to develop key skills and then be able to use them across the curriculum. Our curriculum take into consideration the Equality Act and the SEND regulations and teacher adapt their teaching and curriculum as needed. 

As we are a small school, we teach mixed age classes. There are huge social and cognitive benefits of children working with older and younger pupils. We understand that children have an uneven development pattern and mixed age classes enable children to develop at their own pace. Our mixed age classes also develop a sense of community across school: there is no segregation of ages. At some point in their school lives, our pupils have the opportunity to be the oldest, youngest and middle children: leadership becomes natural. In the afternoon, KS2 move into two learning groups: LKS2 and UKS2, this allows the children to come back together as a year group.

At Helme C of E Academy each year groups has a weekly outdoor and adventure and Forest School lesson. Our outdoor learning focuses on 4 main areas: PSHE, Physical Education, the Wild Passport and developing curriculum skills in the outdoors. Please see our Forest School page for more details. 

Our curriculum is constantly evolving to match the needs of the children, their families and our community. We are developing a curriculum that moves beyond the classroom, where children are empowered to be the best they can be. If you would like any more information about our curriculum, please contact the office.