School Curriculum
Montgomery Whole School Curriculum Intent
'Curriculum 2100'
At Montgomery, we are proud to have an ambitious, knowledge-based curriculum which stimulates our children into independently minded, confident and kind citizens of the future.
Our children will be citizens in the year 2100 and our curriculum ensures that children have the knowledge and skills to go out into the wider world and be part of the next generation to improve the planet they inhabit. This is underpinned by the school strapline ‘Taking care of the future’.
The topics have been coherently designed to build on one another with clear progression and links so that in subsequent year groups, they will be able to explore concepts deeper, applying their knowledge and skills in different contexts. In Years 1 to 6 foundation subjects with the exception of PE, PSHE and MFL are paired up and taught half termly to ensure that we offer a broad and balanced curriculum.
‘All children should study a broad and rich curriculum. Schools are doing a disservice to their pupils if they are only focussing on English and maths. Experiences and skills gained from the foundation subjects (including Humanities, Art, DT, PE and Music) provide children with a rich variety of knowledge, taking them one step closer to understanding the complex world in which we live.’
– Amanda Spielman Ofsted Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills
Our curriculum is designed around three key strands:
1) The environment and sustainability: Montgomery is the first Zero Carbon Passivhaus School in Europe, this coupled with the issue of climate change and sustainability which is likely to be the defining issue of the next generation, means our curriculum- where possible- considers the environment and our wider impact on it through topics and subjects.
2) Locality: Montgomery has a high number of children who speak English as an additional language and arrive from other countries- many of these mid-year. It is important therefore, that the curriculum gives our children a sense of place and the knowledge of where they fit into the world. Montgomery, although it is a diverse community drawing from 11 countries and 14 different languages, it is a single community.
3) Enriched by trips, visitors and experiences: Our children come from a diverse range of social backgrounds. This means that there is a wide variety of first-hand experiences encountered by the children outside of school. It is therefore our expectation that we will ensure all children leave Montgomery with a broad range of experiences. These experiences also help to deepen children’s knowledge and to make links between units of learning.
The topics have been coherently designed to build on one another with clear progression and links so that in subsequent year groups, they will be able to explore concepts deeper, applying their knowledge in different contexts.
The curriculum is underpinned by the Monty Values of determination, passion, self-belief, teamwork, honesty and respect. The impact of our curriculum will be seen in not only measurable attainment and progress but also those qualities seen in our children.
What is covered in our school curriculum?
As a maintained school, we follow the 2014 National Curriculum as a basis for our curriculum which has then been formed using the whole school curriculum intent described above.
Curriculum Overviews By Year Group
Maths At Montgomery
White Rose is a maths curriculum designed for each year group. This covers the whole content of the 2014 National curriculum. It is designed to support reasoning and problem solving alongside fluency to ensure challenge and ambition for all pupils.
https://whiteroseeducation.com/resources?year=year-1-new&subject=maths
Reading At Montgomery
EYFS and Key Stage 1 Reading Scheme
At Montgomery Primary School we use Read Write Inc. We use this scheme to teach phonics and reading.
You can find more details on the reading provision we provide at KS1 in our KS1 Reading Progression Map .
Learning Phonics in EYFS and Key Stage 1
The children in EYFS, Key Stage 1, yrs 3 and 4 follow Read Write Inc for teaching and learning phonics.
Read Write Inc is a validated phonics scheme. It aims to build children's speaking and listening skills and prepare children for learning to read by developing their phonic knowledge and skills.
Key Stage 2 Reading
At Key stage 2 pupils transfer on to the Accelerated Reader Programme. Accelerated Reader is a computer programme that enables teachers to monitor pupil progress. Your child will pick a book within their ZPD and then take a short quiz when they have completed the book. We have a Teaching Assistant designated to monitoring reading, tracking pupil progress and providing intervention.
You can find more details about the reading provision we provide at KS2 in our Lower KS2 Reading Progression Map and Upper KS2 Reading Provision Map
Writing at Montgomery
At Montgomery we use the ‘Talk4Writing’ approach to teach key writing skills. ‘Talk4Writing’ enables children to read and write independently for a variety of audiences and purposes within different subjects. A key feature is that children internalise the language structures needed to write through 'talking the text', as well as close reading.
You can find further information on the language features taught at each Year Group using the through ‘Talk4Writing’ approach in our
KS1 Writing Progression Map and
KS2 Writing Progression Map.
Physical Education
At Montgomery, every child is given between 2 - 2.5 hours of timetabled curriculum time for PE every week, split into two separate lessons. The PE curriculum is planned and organised by our specialist department, including a qualified PE teacher and Sports Instructor. One lesson per week is delivered by the PE department, while the second lesson is delivered by class teachers with support of the specialists.
We strive to provide a broad and wide ranging curriculum for PE, including a breadth of different physical activities and opportunities to take part in many diverse activities, split into 5 areas:
- Games Activities
- Aesthetic Activities
- Athletic Activities
- Outdoor & Adventure Activities
- Aquatic Activities
Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Education – British Values and Montgomery Values
