Curriculum Intent

The curriculum intent has been shaped by all stakeholders and we feel they give a clear focus to our aim of all children being the very best they can be.  We teach a progressive skills-based curriculum in line with the statutory requirements set out by the National Curriculum.  Our curriculum is customised to focus on the backgrounds and experiences of our children to enable all children to succeed and achieve their highest potential.  The knowledge children acquire is revisited and built upon each year to ensure a progressive learning experience. 

At South Street, our curriculum has the following drivers which underpin our curriculum:

Accelerated Reading and Phonics

Upon their return to school, all children were re-assessed used our Accelerated Reader scheme.  This is regular practice to ensure that we have an accurate reading age for each child so they can be set books to read at home and at school to boost their reading ability.

Any children who were working through the various phases of phonics (1-6) have been re-assessed using an online assessment and tracking tool called Phonics Tracker.  An analysis of the results will allow children to resume from the autumn term their phonics learning at the correct phase for each child.

Recovery Curriculum: Return to School Priorities

Mental Health and Wellbeing

The safety of everyone at South Street is paramount and many risk assessments and measures are being enforced at school to follow Government guidance to protect against Coronavirus.  We are also keenly aware that the mental health of our children may have suffered due to the pandemic lockdown so we have concentrated our efforts towards addressing these issues through use of the PSHE Association’s ‘Mental Health and Wellbeing’ unit of work.  On return to school each phase explored the emotional impact of lockdown, the effect of the feelings involved during these times and how to safely manage these moving forward.

Each phase follows a two-yearly cycle to ensure National Curriculum coverage.  With the absence of the Summer Term in 2020 and part of the Spring Term 2021 due to lockdown, the advice given from the Local Authority was to continue progressing through the curriculum as originally set out. Topics and context missed due to lockdown will be factored into planning provision moving forward so that any gaps in knowledge are addressed throughout the school year and beyond.