Functional Curriculum

Functional Curriculum Intent

The intent of this curriculum is that all children will have the knowledge and skills to learn and achieve independently, with opportunities to practice and consolidate information, allowing all to make continual progress. The children who follow this pathway (aged between years 1 and 6) will be ready for subject-specific learning.  
 

The promotion of our school values (which link to Personal Learning and Thinking Skills) encourages all learners to be positive, and reflective and promote responsibility for success. Each child will have the chance to think about their adult lives and the achievements that they desire. They will all be encouraged to be aspirational for their future roles in life. Underpinning this curriculum are the strategies taught to every child to develop their communication, behaviour for learning and self-regulation. In conjunction with this, each child’s Education Health and Care Plan Outcomes are continually addressed, worked through and evidenced. 

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Functional Curriculum Implementation

This curriculum is largely based on the Cornerstones Curriculum, with all learners following carefully planned sequential Long Term Plans. These plans have been designed to encompass knowledge and understanding of the world in which we live, and also the events that have shaped it in the past to make it what it is today. The topics have been designed to complement and build on one another with clear progression and links so that in subsequent teaching, the children will be able to explore concepts deeper, applying their knowledge in different contexts. The knowledge sequence provided through the cornerstones topics links to retrieval practice and has a corresponding lesson sequence. This carefully maps out the objectives and aims of the National Curriculum to ensure curriculum coverage. It also sets out the content of  study and builds a coherent sequence. All plans are then further differentiated by each class teacher.

 
Each class follows a more traditional timetable with subjects such as Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar (SPAG); Maths; Project (incorporating English, Science, Art, D&T, History, Geography, Music and Computing); PE and Sport including Swimming; Forest Schools; RE; Languages and PSHE.  Most topics are taught following the cornerstones curriculum, however, at Fountains Primary School we have recognised that some subjects need a more discrete approach   
 

Alongside the Cornerstones curriculum, other subjects are taught discretely, whose methodology is highly research-led. These subjects are RE and PSHRE (both following the Jigsaw scheme of work); Music (through Music Express); PE and Sport (through Getset4PE) and Computing (through iCompute). We also follow the Read Write Inc synthetic phonics programme and the Maths White Rose Scheme.

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Functional Curriculum Impact

The impact of this curriculum is that children will have the sound knowledge and key skills needed to build on during their High School journey. All young people will have made the best possible progress and attainment, through subject-specific learning which has been assessed through Pre Key Stage Standards and end-of-year expectations. All progress is evidenced by different subject-specific books. 
 

Young people will also be thriving, tolerant, healthy and accept each other’s differences. They will have the confidence for future learning, as well as become more self-regulated with a well-rounded character. Every young person should have the tools to communicate expressively and listen to others.