Created with Staff, Pupils and Parents in September 2019

Milne’s Primary School

Curriculum Rationale

Vision, Values and Aims

What do we Want for our Learners?

By the end of Primary 7, we would like our learners to:

Have ownership of their learning and behaviour.

Know how their decisions affect other people.

Understand the consequences that their actions can have in the future.

Have a strong work ethic.

Have a Growth Mindset.

Have a firm grasp of Literacy and Numeracy concepts, in accordance with CfE.

Have well-developed communication and social skills.

Possess some leadership skills.

Understand their responsibilities as a citizen within the school, community and wider

world of work.

Be resilient.

As a school community, we will reflect regularly on our curriculum and school aims to ensure

we are supporting the development of these skills and qualities.

Curricular Drivers

Numeracy

Raising attainment for all

Application in different real life

contexts

Problem-based learning

Literacy

Raising attainment for all

Application in different real life

contexts

Familiarity with different genres

Community Links

Businesses

Outdoor learning

Community Groups

ASG school links

DYW (Developing the

Young Workforce) Employability skills

Exploring local opportunities

Exploring different pathways

Challenging traditional stereotypes

National Guidance

Our National Key drivers for school improvement from

The Moray Council and Education Scotland

The National Improvement Framework, How Good Is Our School 4, Building the

Ambition, and Moray’s Strategic Overview, Moray Skills Pathway documents

help inform and guide our learning and teaching at Milne’s Primary School. We

engage in self-evaluation against the HGIOS 4 quality indicators. Our self-

improvement planning is driven by the NIF drivers, to ensure that we are

looking inwards, outwards and forwards at Milne’s.

Curriculum for Excellence

Curriculum – The Four Contexts

Defined as “the totality of all that is planned for children and

young people throughout their education” – this comprises:

Ethos and life of the school and community

Curriculum areas and subjects

Interdisciplinary learning

Opportunities for personal achievement

The Seven Principles for Curriculum Design

Our curriculum is engaging, broad and rich. It is a curriculum that evolves, based on the needs of our

children and changes in the world around us. It takes into account the experiences and backgrounds

of our children and provides them with relevant new experiences to become rounded successful

citizens.

•Well differentiated lessons and activities

•Extension activities

•Use of KWL at the beginning of cross curricular topics

•Activities are motivating and active

•High expectations

Challenge and Enjoyment

•Opportunities to apply learning in different situations and curricular areas

•Flexible timetables

•Bundled outcomes to ensure all E’s and O’s covered and revisited

•Previous learning an d knowledge taken into account.

Breadth

•Pupils teach each other’s and others to show understanding

•Big Question approach

•Play based learning is a focus in early years

•Higher order thinking skills are encouraged

•Opportunities for pupils to transfer skills in other areas.

Depth

•Use of school’s progressions and Programmes with flexibility to ensure all learners follow appropriate pathways

•Use of National Frameworks and Benchmarks provide reference to ensure progression

Progression

•Pupil set personal targets, which are shared with parents

•Pupils involved into the IDL planning process

•Personal projects

•Designing individual curricula

Personalisation and Choice

•Links are made to support transference of skills

•Promote the learning of skills for learning, life and work

•Mindmaps

•Learning walls

•Discussion

•Highlighting connections

•Making appropriate and relevant connections across different subjects

•Applying former/prior learning to cross curricular tasks

Coherence

•Real life experiences are supported

•Outdoor learning is emphasised

•Use of real life contexts

•Flexible cross curricular themes which take account of current themes ( community or wider world based e.g. global citizens)

•IEP’s for children who require targeted support

Relevance

Curricular Areas

Our curriculum is engaging, broad and rich. It is a curriculum that evolves, based on the

needs of our children and changes in the world around us. It takes into account the

experiences and backgrounds of our children and provides them with relevant new

experiences to become rounded successful citizens.

Learning at Milne’s Primary School

Curriculum Area What/How/Why Resources Assessment

Maths and Numeracy Using school progression to

inform planning.

Baseline assessments carried

out and analysed prior to

teaching.

Early Years – Numicon, elements

of SEAL, Big Maths CLIC and

TeeJay.

First and Second Level –

Heinemann Active Maths,

TeeJay, Big Maths and New

Wave Mental Maths.

Five Maths and Numeracy

sessions each week. This

comprises of three Numeracy

sessions, one Beyond Number

session and one Problem Solving

session.

Pre and post block assessments

to track impact

Problem based learning

activities

Formal assessment – SNSA

ASG transition papers

Continuous formative

assessment

Literacy

Reading

Writing

Talking and Listening

Reading, Writing and Listening

and Talking school progressions

in place.

Early Years – Emerging Literacy,

Jolly Phonics, Oxford Reading

Tree and Big Writing

First/Second Level – Big

Writing, Single Word Spelling,

Oxford Reading Tree, Ginn,

Novels and Accelerated Reader

Weekly spelling, reading and

writing sessions. Pupils

encouraged to uplevel

Vocabulary, Connectives,

Openers and Punctuation daily.

Termly Big Write cold piece

assessments marked to

criterion scale across the school

– moderated as a staff and

within ASG

Termly/weekly single word

spelling assessments

Emerging Literacy assessments

within Early Years – transition

tool

Continuous formative

assessment

RME Using school progression to

inform planning.

Class lessons.

Religious assemblies.

Visits to local church with Rev

Seoras.

Bible Alive visits senior classes

in blocks throughout the year.

Discussions

Reports

Drama

Continuous formative

assessment

Expressive Arts CfE Experience and Outcomes

inform all

planning/teaching/assessment.

Drama, Music and Art

frameworks for planning used

where core depth knowledge and

understanding is identified.

Weekly Music lessons delivered

by visiting specialist.

Art work

Drama

Musical performances

Continuous formative

assessment

Science We have bundled these

Experiences and Outcomes to

make interesting Contexts for

Learning.

Pupil Led Planning – pupils lead

the learning in choosing the

context, planning lessons and

identifying different

assessment methods. Skills

development is highlighted

throughout. Links within the

community are established and

the learning is meaningful.

Where possible pupils partake in

outdoor learning.

Say

Write

Make

Do

Health and Wellbeing

Social Subjects

Technologies

What makes Milne’s a great place to learn?

“I am very happy with my child’s progress.”

“Staff are friendly and welcoming.”

“Goals and next steps are clear.”

“My child enjoys school. Staff work really hard.”

“Class Teacher understands my child’s strengths and weaknesses.”

“Good communication between home and school.”

How do we deliver the entitlements?

Nurture break/lunch

ASN provisions

IEPs

Active Schools

Peer Mediators

Community groups

Playground leaders

Parental Involvement

All Teach, All Learn

Parent Council

Learner Updates

Feedback forms

School shows

School Website

Formal reports

Parent helpers – clubs/trips

Fundraising

What makes Milne’s unique?