Curriculum Information
The Curriculum at MBHS
We are proud of our curriculum at MBHS. Drawing from the outstanding curriculum of a partner school, we have refined and adapted the high quality content to make it relevant and engaging for our pupils. Children at MBHS have the chance to explore a broad and balanced range of subjects, taught in a way to allow pupils to learn actively and retain the key knowledge needed from unit to unit, year to year and stage to stage.
If you would like to know more about our curriculum please do not hesitate to get in touch using the contact details provided. We have a range of passionate and experienced subject and curriculum leaders who would be happy to chat to parents and stakeholders about our exciting curriculum.
Maths
We follow the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM) scheme of learning for maths. Units are taught according to the NCETM prioritisation materials. Staff use our planning pro forma to fit the learning points into a sequence that allows children to review prior learning, be introduced to small steps for success, undertake paired, deliberate practise and then independent practise. As per the NCETM guidance, a range of visualisations are shared with pupils to help them develop a deep understanding of key concepts (mastery). More information can be on NCETM can be found here.
English
Our English long term plans have been adapted from materials sourced from an outstanding partner school. We have taken these units (mapped for coverage, hierarchy and progression) and adapted them to link to our thematic learning (i.e. geography or science learning). This allows children to be be offered opportunities outside of wider curriculum learning to explore key concepts and themes (e.g. the story of Romulus and Remus, or research about the animals of the Amazon). Pupil voice and feedback has stated that this has had a really positive impact on English sessions - making them enjoyable and engaging. Writing units are no longer than 5-10 days, and each unit results in an extended writing opportunity. Stimulus texts are from high quality authors and include a range of texts, films, picture books and poems. Writing units always start with a key text and pupils work to explore the features, before planning and writing their own versions.
In addition to these high quality writing lessons, children are also taught discrete reading skills through our 'reading masters' programme. Each week, children undertake five sessions where they read and 'unpick' a text, answer retrieval questions, answer inferential questions, justify opinions and summarise the text. The text chosen for each unit offers a chance for children to experience the type of text being taught the following week in English. This idea of 'pre teaching' has been recognised as having clear benefits to helping children know more and remember more over time.
Children also hear high quality texts during our D.E.A.R (drop everything and read) time. Staff read a text daily with no other expectation than relaxation and enjoyment from the class.
This year we have launched our new reading app 'Boom Reader' which allows parents to log their children's home reading using a digital device. Feedback has stated that this has been really supportive in ensuring home reading is easy to record - staff can see children who have and haven't read and can also log reading in school sessions.
Our English LTP and reading spine can be found below.
Humanities and Science
As with English, our schemes of learning for these curriculum areas have been taken from an outstanding partner school and adapted to meet the needs of our pupils. In each subject area, long term plans structure learning term by term. The sessions are taught in the same way across the school; starting with immersion into the content and then building substantive and disciplinary knowledge before the development generative knowledge . Pupils learning is activated through the use of Knowledge Organisers and regular reviews ensure children keep a hold of the key knowledge required (residual knowledge). Planning highlights the end points of units and the overall end points/essential knowledge of the year group. Examples of planning and KOs can be found below.
RE
We use the Devon and Torbay Agreed Syllabus to structure our Religious Education teaching from YR - Y6. Units are planned using this syllabus and this ensures that we have appropriate coverage, hierarchy and progression across the school when teaching Religious Education.
PSHE
Our PSHE curriculum is delivered through the use of the PSHE Association materials; this ensures we have a coherently planned PSHE curriculum. We use the thematic scheme of work to ensure all PSHE lessons are linked to wider school themes, and are progressive and hierarchical. The materials ensure we also meet our statutory RSE responsibilities. The PSHE association say that this planning:
"...covers the breadth of PSHE from all statutory RSHE requirements (including Relationships Education, RSE and Health Education) to economic wellbeing and careers, setting out suggested content for each key stage. Learning opportunities are spread across three core themes: Health and Wellbeing, Relationships, and Living in the Wider World.
This is the only national programme of study for PSHE education and is signposted to by the Department for Education."
Computing
We use the scheme 'Kapow' to teach our computing curriculum. This has been developed by experts to offer an engaging and progressive scheme of learning. The curriculum map can be fond below.
If you would like more information on any of our curriculum, please contact the school office on 01752 225649 or by emailing high.st.primary.school@plymouth.gov.uk and one of the team will be in touch.