Horizon Academy Trust have worked together to create an academy-wide curriculum which is progressive, in-depth and ensures repetition of key skills and knowledge to embed learning.

This allows teachers to collaborate across the Trust to access a wide ranging set of skills and expertise.

We share outstanding practice and regularly review the impact of what the pupils are taught.

At Gillshill Primary, we block many of our foundation subjects so that pupils are immersed in a discrete subject for consecutive lessons over a two week block. These subjects are planned to allow teachers and pupils to become fully engaged in the learning and deeply embed the knowledge and skills for each topic.  Pupils build on prior knowledge and use retrieval strategies to ensure clear progress. Our 1-3-5 assessment system allows the timely retrieval of knowledge in order to ensure learning is retained in the long term.

Some subjects do not fit being blocked and are therefore taught weekly, such as, PE, PSHE and RE.

Our Curriculum Overview

Long Term Plan

The new curriculum is intended to be more challenging and focuses on essential core subject knowledge and key skills. Units of work are ordered in a progressive way to ensure knowledge and understanding builds on previous learning.

The English programmes of study focus heavily on a foundation of fluent reading with writing being taught through the principles of 'Talk for Writing.' The decision to follow this programme is based on the understanding that children learn through talk.  Pupils will be expected to develop a stronger command of the written and spoken word and through the teaching of phonics pupils will be helped to read fluently.

In Maths there is a strong emphasis on arithmetic, and the promotion of efficient written methods of long multiplication and division. There is also a more demanding content in fractions, decimals and percentages.  Our Maths programme follows the Concrete, Pictorial, Abstract approach which ensures pupls embed their mathmatical understanding through practical activities, diagrams and methods.

In Science there is a stronger focus on the importance of scientific knowledge and language and a greater emphasis on the core scientific concepts underpinning pupils’ understanding.  We are committed to harnessing the ethos of STEM within our Science lessons.

The Computing curriculum places emphasis on computational thinking, practical programming skills and safe communication.

The study of languages is compulsory in Key Stage Two and History is taught chronologically.

All schools must provide a curriculum that is broadly based, balanced and meets the needs of all pupils. The new curriculum has been divided across the three phases in primary schools i.e. Key Stage 1 (Years 1 & 2), Lower Key Stage 2 (Years 3& 4) and Upper Key Stage 2 (Years 5 & 6).

In order to prepare pupils for the more ambitious end of year expectations in English, Mathematics and Science, as set out in the new curriculum, the new programmes of study for English, Mathematics and Science have been adopted in full, in line with guidance from the Department of Education.