The Curriculum

For all details about our curriculum and how it links with the Curriculum for Wales please click below. This includes how we approach our planning, authentic learning, using learner voice and pupil progress.

Our Curriculum

For more information on how and why we assess our learners and how we address pupil progress please see our Assessment Policy.

Outdoor Learning

Use of our outdoor learning facilities play a huge part of our curriculum at St Athan Primary. It offers an ideal opportunity for experiential learning for our children to be creative and enjoy rich stimuli in a different environment. We have a Woodland Wonders area for our forest school activities, we have outdoor areas for all age groups, a well-resourced Poly tunnel type structure called Plantasia and new to the school we are developing two outdoor classrooms.

The children will gain first-hand experience to develop an understanding of themselves and the world around them. They will have opportunities to rehearse skills, consolidate and secure learning, solve problems and formulate individual and group decisions.

More time spent in the outdoors encourages an awareness and improved knowledge of nature, health and fitness opportunities and encourages independent learning and enquiry skills. This also ensures authentic learning in real life settings. We invite parent volunteers to engage with these experiences and all outdoor opportunities.

Language Development

Language development in Welsh and French are also a key focus for us. Year 3 to Year 6 enjoy French lessons weekly and these are very popular. Welsh is embedded within our every day practice and its development is planned in a structured skill based way following the Central South Consortium Welsh Scheme but delivered through fun sessions.

Our Criw Cymraeg is made up of eight children from Years 3-6, and takes a crucial role in planning and overseeing our progress towards the Silver Award.

We have an annual school Eisteddfod which includes Welsh dance, art, songs and poetry. Every year our Year 6 class spends a week in the Urdd Centre in Llangrannog.

Every week during Celebration Assembly, selected children are presented with a Seren yr Wythnos, as an acknowledgement of their effort to use and promote the Welsh language both within and outside the classroom.

Wellbeing

Pupil wellbeing is at the forefront of everything we aspire to do in St Athan Primary. This can look very different depending on individual needs e.g. we have specially created areas around the school to meet sensory, emotional, anxiety needs as well as break/lunch time. The Den, The Hive and The Cwtch are options for learners to take time out, talk to adults or take time to regulate. We ensure wellbeing is built into our curriculum, outdoor learning, physical education and in the way, we plan for change on a day to day basis.

Our school has a hugely successful breakfast club which is very well attended. The children are fed, encouraged to take part in a number of creative activities or if they wish, they can sit, play or read.

We also offer a selection of after school clubs to encourage children to increase skill levels, socialize and have fun. The mental wellbeing of all who work within St Athan Primary family is extremely important. We are an inclusive school where all children and their needs are catered for.

Links to Secondary School

We have very strong links with Llantwit Major Comprehensive School whereby transition procedures and fun activities begin at Year 4. All children take part in these events regardless of parent’s final choice of secondary school as the tasks are based on developing skills, enjoying and experiencing workshops at secondary level.

During the course of their school work and as part of their transition to Secondary School the children are given opportunity to spend time at the residential centre in Llangrannog. Here they can ski, toboggan, go trampolining, learn archery, enjoy walks and many other activities – under the strong guidance and control of fully qualified instructors as well as our primary and secondary members.

Digital Competence

All classrooms have access to laptops, chrome books, IPads and a computer suite. IT skills are integrated in all learning experiences.

The children are encouraged to be creative with their digital studies and use it in a cross curricular way.

Relationships and Sexual Education (RSE)

As part of the new statutory RSE (Relationship, Sexual Education) we integrate age appropriate studies into our weekly curriculum ensuring pupils are happy, well informed to make decisions about their wellbeing and encourage resilience whilst embracing diversity and their own identity.

For further details please see The Curriculum for Wales – Relationships and Sexuality Education Code. (Welsh Government Website) For further details about how RSE looks in our school see the Curriculum link.

Values

We adopt a value every half term and celebrate and discuss in assemblies and as part of our RVE (Religion, Values and Ethics) policy and our ethos as a school. This is shown on the school website, in our newsletters and on display boards across the school.

Learner Voice

Learner voice and involvement in all decisions made at our school is very important to us. Learners play a huge part in the development of topic planning in the classrooms, we have a selection of learner voice opportunities e.g. Eco Committee etc We have developed a Prefect system where the older children help the younger ones learn how to play new games, and ensure that those who want to play can!

We have a head boy/girl and deputy head boy/girl to work alongside our senior leadership and school council to further support learner voice opportunities. For more details please see our link to the curriculum

Supporting Military Families

We are the first primary school in South Wales to achieve our Forces Friendly Bronze Award. We pride ourselves on the additional support in place for our military children and families.

We run military child workshops every 2 weeks to engage pupils and share their experiences. We offer academic or emotional support and focus on settling them into our school and monitor their wellbeing. This is all run by Miss Parker. For families we have a family link – Mrs Chiplin, who works alongside parents to keep communication channels open, keeps up to date on changes for families and to sign post additional support if required.We also like to use this link as a welcome to new families and help them intergrate into our school community.

Partnership with Parents

We value our partnership with parents and work with families ensuring all voices are listened to and feedback reflected on. Parents are encouraged to support learners homework, attend events and volunteer in school activities.

We offer Community Coffee mornings, on a regular basis for parents to share their thoughts, opinions, ideas and also the needs of our school community. We take this information forward and arrange appropriate parent training, workshops or speakers to attend coffee mornings. We also offer coffee morning for parents with pupils who have additional learning needs and military families at different times of the year.

We hold a range of classes for parents including Reading Readiness projects as well and offer parent workshops on a variety of subject areas.

This year we are piloting a Family Support Hub with Families First and the Family Information Services. This allows our parents to ask advice, bring worries to the services and share concerns directly with the school coffee sessions.

We have a very active, committed PTA who are always looking to encourage new members and fresh ideas. There are meetings held both in school time and occasionally less formal gatherings in the evenings. Events are planned and alongside fund raising a great time is enjoyed by all.

Please note, all helpers need to undertake a DBS check which can be done simply and quickly through the school office.

We encourage an ‘open door policy at our school and ensure there are numerous opportunities for parents to join us, on whatever level they choose. Perhaps hearing readers, supporting our forest school activities, PTA member or simply to enjoy our events with the children for more details on the opportunities for parental involvement please ask.

THE LOCAL COMMUNITY

Our school is very much part of the local community. Visits to the local shop and Post Office play a very important role in our learning programme, as do the contributions made by local people who come into our school to volunteer to help with such activities as reading, Woodland Wonders, Earth and Turf and Green Finger Friday.

We work closely with the local library and visit regularly as well as working together on literacy projects.

Our Summer and Christmas Fayres are very well supported by local businesses through donations of raffle prizes and attendance to events.

We organise litter picks regularly within the community, working alongside members of the community, governors and local community police officers, outside agencies such as Keep Wales Tidy, all of these activities are well supported by local retailers.

An awareness of the dedication and caring of people who help in the community is brought to the children’s attention through regular visits. Volunteer roles, talks from our community police officer and through visits from other community services.

ECO School

In order to make environmental awareness an intrinsic part of our school life and ethos, we are registered ECO School and are proud owners of our third platinum flag.

We have an ECO committee who meet regularly to discuss and act upon issues which are relevant to the school. They have been involved in carrying out environmental audits, recycling of paper, batteries and clothing. They have contributed in discussions for the playground facilities, helping with the school grounds, focus on saving energy by regularly reading meters and playing an active role in Switch Off Fortnight both in school and at home. They have also with the support of the Head Teacher enabled our plastic recycling to be improved dramatically by no longer using small milk bottles within the Foundation Phase. The ECO Committee work closely with School Council and have been known to work together on projects.

Plantasia

Our Plantasia provides an amazing opportunity for the school as a whole and learners. The polytunnel/Greenhouse and raised vegetable beds enable a new type of learning that can be accessed throughout the year. The polytunnel/Greenhouse can provide learners with the opportunity of not only planning what to grow, use a budget, plan correctly a timetable of planting/harvesting but allows valuable learning opportunities that these natural cycles provide. It allows experiences they might not otherwise have and to have the opportunity of responsibility and ownership. The products grown can be shared and enjoyed or sold at school celebrations.

DIVERSITY

Our school is committed to working towards all aspects of equality, promoting positive approaches to difference and fostering respect for people of all backgrounds to enable all within the school community to achieve their full potential.

Our school recognises that Wales and the UK have diverse societies made up of people from many different racial, cultural, religious, sexual and linguistic backgrounds. It is important that all pupils are adequately prepared to live in such a diverse society.

Our new approach to Curriculum design fully embraces the diverse community our children are living in and our learning experiences encourage pupils to understand and accept differences in everyone.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

The staff and governors of St Athan Primary School are fully committed to providing equal opportunities in education and strive to take every step to implement policies to achieve this. Please see website for full details.

ADDITIONAL LEARNING NEEDS

Under the Code of Practice, a framework for identifying children with Additional Educational Needs is in place within the school.

In most cases the class teacher or parent will initially identify a child with special needs. The class teacher then assesses the needs of the child and informs the Additional learning Needs Co-ordinator (ALNCO)who will work with the class teacher and ALN team to meet the needs of the individual child or where needs are complex to devise an Individual Learning Plan. This will identify targets and strategies to support the child, inside and outside the classroom. In partnership with parents, the class teacher will monitor the progress made by the child and where necessary seek further advice and support from our Additional Learning Needs Team.

If a child needs more support than the school can provide the ALNCO, with parental consent, will seek advice and support from appropriate outside agencies.

For those pupils with physical disabilities, the school is totally accessible to wheelchairs. The school has an accessibility policy which is available on request.

Additional Parental Consultation appointments will be made with the ALN team for parents with children who are identified as having additional Learning Needs.

A Support Group has been set up for parents of pupils with ALN to share advice and information as well as support each other and form friendships.

ASSESSMENT

The purpose of assessment At St Athan Primary School is:-

Integral to learning and teaching and it requires an effective partnership among all those involved including the learner.

To support individual learners on an ongoing basis.

To identify, capture and reflect on individual learner progress over time.

To understand group progress in order to reflect on practice.

To have a secure overview of progress in line with school improvement priorities (Current and future)

To form a holistic picture of a child’s strengths, identifying their areas for improvements and next steps including support, challenge or resources required.

https://hwb.gov.wales/curriculum-for-wales/assessment-arrangements/supporting-learner-progression-assessment-guidance/

At St Athan Primary School we use a combination of assessment styles:

Formative – ongoing to inform learners’ next steps.

Summative – tests and specific assessments to identify individual targets

Diagnostic – National numeracy/literacy tests to identify individual and groups of learners’ strengths and areas for development

Opportunities for assessment are identified at the planning stage and at a whole school level. Pupils’ written work is marked regularly and wherever possible work is marked alongside the pupil. Younger pupils are encouraged to evaluate their work using the traffic lights system (red and green) to indicate level of confidence. (Nursery and Reception) Year 2 use Red Amber Green (RAG).

As ability increases, pupils are expected to comment upon their own work and eventually evaluate their learning against success criteria. Peer and Self-assessment are an integral part of the assessment process in St Athan Primary.

Due to the changing curriculum arrangements in Wales, St Athan Primary School is currently reviewing its assessment procedures in line with the Progression Steps and Achievement Outcomes. As a guide to planning, the school has mapped out expectations for year groups. However, learners may be working above or below the descriptors of learning within a particular progression step. A child’s progression step is not a best fit model but a way to genuinely plan for individual progression in different areas of learning.

Year Group

Progression Step

Nursery

Developmental Pathway/PS1

Reception

PS1

Year 1

PS1/2

Year 2

PS2

Year 3

PS2

Year 4

PS2/3

Year 5

PS3

Year 6

PS3/4

Assessment For Learning (AFL) at St Athan Primary School is a bank of teaching strategies used in the classroom to develop better quality thinking and pupils ability to assess their learning. They encourage our learners to activate prior knowledge, skills and understanding, determine their approach/success criteria, form logical opinions and make links.

AFL strategies are used to identify our learners’ current position, take the learner forward, meet targets and assess any misconceptions along the way.

AFL strategies offer rich opportunities to assess our pupils’ understanding before, during and after learning experiences take place.

BEHAVIOUR AND DISCIPLINE

We believe it is important to encourage children to become responsible for their own conduct and standards of discipline. From the beginning our school children are encouraged to behave with courtesy and consideration towards both adults and children and to treat property with respect. Children are always spoken to courteously and are expected to speak courteously to others.

As part of our Policy and in line with Government good practice all parents are asked to sign and return the Home School Agreement which is in your pack. This will then be signed by the Headteacher and a copy returned to you. The original will be kept in school on file.

Our school believes in a positive approach to behaviour management which is used throughout the school by all staff. Good behaviour is fostered by a variety of positive rewards and pupils are encouraged to make the correct choices and are given opportunities to reflect on their actions. Appropriate sanctions are used if behaviour falls below an acceptable standard, details of which can be found in our Behaviour Policy. You will find a summary of our Discipline Policy, along with our Anti-Bullying Policy, on our website or a hard copy can be given on request.

BULLYING is neither condoned nor tolerated and parents and pupils are encouraged to report any incidents which are felt to be hindering the pupil’s well being. Every member of staff is aware of our school policy which clearly defines the way in which the matter should be dealt with. Our Prefects and School Council members offer peer support and guidance when necessary.

The School Anti Bullying Policy is published on or school website and can be assessed through the school office on request. There is also a Learner voice policy for Anti-Bullying created by collating learners views on the subject. This is available on the School website.

WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS

HOMEWORK

Your help is vital to your child’s progress. Children who are achievers are invariably those whose parents are interested in their school work and who help at home in evenings and holidays. Please help us to help your child by committing yourself to helping with any “homework” which we may send home. You will be given information regarding homework at the beginning of each year by you child’s class teacher.

Do not hesitate to speak to the teacher if you have ANY concerns relating to homework and they will be able to suggest alternative activities for children experiencing temporary difficulties. We also run an after school homework club to help children complete their homework.

PARENT TEACHER CONSULTATIONS

Parents are kept informed of their child’s progress through an annual written report, sent towards the end of the Summer Term, and Parental Consultations in the Autumn and Spring Term.

In addition to these consultations, school offers opportunities for parents to come in to see pupils work and enjoy assemblies and presentations. You are welcome to discuss any aspect of your child’s work, progress or welfare at any time as well as additional informal pupil progress sessions run throughout the year. Minor concerns can be discussed directly with the class teacher, but you are asked to make an appointment, so that class work is not affected. More serious matters and concerns should always be discussed with the Deputy Mrs Davies or the Headteacher Mrs Haynes.

Page updated

Report abuse