Our Approach

We take the business of learning seriously at St Giles CE Primary School. We know we can succeed with the right attitude to learning, such as determination and not giving up. We expect to get it wrong sometimes, but we learn from our mistakes, give it another go and keep practising. Children are taught to make connections, to reflect and to analyse. We have high expectations and believe all children regardless of their starting point be given every opportunity to achieve their own potential. 

We believe the curriculum should be as exciting and as stimulating as possible but should also develop key knowledge that children need to know so that they can flourish in the future. 

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Curriculum

At St Giles CE Primary School we are committed to ensuring the scope and ambition for the curriculum matches the requirements of the National Curriculum. It is designed to reflect the local context of our school, the needs of our children and takes account of evidence-based research on how children learn best. 

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EYFS

The children in Reception follow an Early Years Curriculum which staff have carefully designed and developed. This ensures our children attain strongly within the seven key areas of learning and development

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Key Stage 1 & 2

Children in years 1 to 6 follow the discrete subjects within the National Curriculum: English, Mathematics, Science, Computing, Religious Education, Design and Technology, Geography, History, Art, Music and Physical Education. PSHE is also taught across school. Children in KS2 also learn French.

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Curriculum Design

Our curriculum is designed to be knowledge rich and aims to support the children to know more, remember more. Key knowledge and vocabulary is revisited so that it becomes embedded in the long term memory through a carefully planned out curriculum map and the use of knowledge organisers. This is based on the principle that if nothing has changed in the long-term memory then nothing has been learned. However, teaching and learning approaches also aim to develop skills and values alongside knowledge organisers, ensuring that both are explicitly developed. The curriculum is designed to enable progress by teaching new information that relates to what is already known enriching and or transforming what is already known.

Curriculum Organisation:

The schemes or resources listed below form a part of the teaching in these subjects and are based on National Curriculum entitlements, although these are supplemented by carefully chosen plans. 

Art & Design  - Kapow

Computing - Teaching Computing

DT - Kapow

Maths - Power Maths

MFL - Language Angels

Music - Charanga

PE - PE Hub

Phonics - Little Wandle 

PSHE - PSHE Matters

RE - Derbyshire Agreed Syllabus, Understanding Christianity

Science - Developing Experts

The curriculum at St Giles is organised into a comprehensive 2 year cycle, where the National Curriculum is taught to children in mixed ages classes.   The whole school two year cycle can be viewed below.