Curriculum Vision Statement
At John Scurr Primary School, our curriculum is deeply rooted in our core values—Respect, Resilience, Resourcefulness, Readiness, and Reflection. These values are woven into daily learning, equipping our children with the qualities needed to "be the best that they can be" throughout their lives.
Curriculum Drivers
We recognise the unique needs and aspirations of our vibrant community in the heart of the East End of London and our School Improvement Plan reflects this by focusing on three essential drivers: Possibilities, Resilience, and Communication. These drivers are crucial in helping our students thrive both academically and personally.
- Possibilities: We inspire students to build aspirations and recognise the numerous possibilities for their future.
- Resilience: We cultivate a growth mindset in our children, encouraging them to persist and excel in all areas of their lives.
- Communication: We develop confident communicators who can articulate their thoughts, ideas, and opinions effectively.
‘To be the best that we can be’
At John Scurr Primary School, we recognise the importance of preparing children and young people for the next stages of education and adult life. Our goal is to equip our students with the knowledge, skills, and understanding they need to lead fulfilling and successful lives both now and in the future.
Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND)
We believe that everyone is different, everyone is special, and everyone matters. John Scurr is an inclusive school committed to helping children overcome barriers to learning. Our curriculum has been designed to enable all children to know more, remember more and be able to do more. We aim for every child to achieve their full potential through a tailored, graduated approach where teachers and the SENCO identify individual needs. We aim for every child to achieve their full potential through tailored planning and teaching, with additional support provided as needed, using any teaching strategies or approaches that are needed as scaffolds to ensure success. The class teacher remains responsible and works with all children on a daily basis. The impact and quality of this support given is evaluated, along with the views of the pupil and parents.
Brief explanation of Packham Provision – Evelyn can you write just a sentence or two – we can then just add a hyperlink to the High Needs Support at John Scurr page. Thanks
Our Commitment to Your Child's Success
- A Secure and Engaging Learning Environment: We strive to create a safe and welcoming atmosphere where children look forward to coming to school.
- Curriculum-Driven Progress: Our students advance through a well-rounded curriculum that equips them with valuable knowledge and practical skills, preparing them for both present and future challenges.
- Fostering Positive Relationships and Confidence: At John Scurr, we prioritise the development of strong, positive relationships between students and their peers and teachers. We nurture their confidence and character, promoting mental and emotional well-being. This holistic approach helps them make positive life choices and become active, contributing members of their community.
Curriculum Intent
Our school curriculum aims to promote our school values through developing:
Resilience
- Building Strong Foundations: Our curriculum emphasises essential skills in communication, phonics and reading, numeracy, physical and personal, social, and health development (PSHE). We aim to cultivate resilience by preparing our students to tackle challenges with confidence and perseverance.
Resourcefulness
- Encouraging Effective Communication: We focus on enabling each pupil to develop practical communication skills they can confidently use in various settings, including school, home, and the community.
Reflection
- Fostering Individual Growth: We ensure that each child's school experience is both enriching and intellectually stimulating. Our curriculum promotes self-reflection, encouraging students to review and refine their work regularly. Children engage in frequent low-stakes quizzes, which aid in long-term retention of knowledge and provide valuable insights for both students and teachers to identify the next steps in learning.
Readiness
- Promoting Independence: We support young people in becoming as self-sufficient as possible in everyday tasks, including dressing, organising their resources and becoming self-reflective. By teaching these essential life skills with a focus on fostering self-confidence, we prepare them for greater independence and readiness for life's challenges.
Respect
- Teaching Safety and Well-being: Our curriculum equips pupils with the knowledge and skills to stay safe and healthy, both physically and emotionally and emphasise the importance of respectful relationships.
Celebrating Our Rich Tapestry of Diversity - Promoting British Values
At John Scurr Primary School, we are incredibly fortunate to be part of a vibrant, diverse community where we can learn from our unique backgrounds and experiences. Our commitment to promoting British Values is deeply rooted in this celebration of diversity, and we embrace every opportunity to learn and grow together.
We integrate British Values throughout our curriculum, supporting all pupils to experience these concepts
meaningfully:
- Democracy: Every member of the school community; children, parents, staff have many opportunities for their voices to be heard. Our Pupil Voice Committee are elected annually to reflect our British electoral system and meet regularly to discuss issues raised.
- The Rule of Law: Establishing clear class rules and boundaries, supporting pupils to self-regulate and maintain positive behaviour.
- Individual Liberty: We believe in empowering each student to make their own choices and express themselves freely in a safe and supportive environment. We encourage our students to explore their interests, voice their opinions, and develop their unique talents and abilities. By teaching the importance of making informed decisions and respecting others' rights to do the same, we help our students understand and value the freedom they have to shape their own lives.
- Mutual Respect and Tolerance of Different Faiths and Beliefs: Mutual respect and community spirit is at the heart of school ethos. We offer a culturally rich and diverse curriculum in which all major religions are studied and respected and strongly believe that tolerance is gained through knowledge and understanding. We believe that by embracing and celebrating our differences, we create a richer, more inclusive learning environment. Our students are not only prepared for academic success but are also equipped with the cultural awareness and respect that will help them thrive in an increasingly diverse world.
Curriculum Implementation at John Scurr Primary School
Our Approach to Teaching and Learning
At John Scurr Primary School, we are committed to providing a dynamic and engaging curriculum that meets the needs of all our students.
Leadership and Guidance
- Curriculum Design: Subject leaders and senior leaders provide a clear progression in vocabulary, knowledge, skills, and concepts across all subjects.
- Teacher Support: We ensure that all teachers understand curriculum expectations through comprehensive training, regular monitoring, and personalised coaching.
- Ongoing Evaluation: Leaders work closely with class teachers to monitor and evaluate the progress, outcomes, and overall impact of the curriculum.
Classroom Excellence
- Inclusive Teaching: Our teachers deliver high-quality, inclusive lessons that are both engaging and effective, meeting the diverse needs of all students.
- Structured Learning: We utilise an evidence-based 'six phases of learning' approach to guide our teaching methods.
- Tailored Planning: Teachers plan lessons that use resources and materials strategically to scaffold learning and provide appropriate challenges for all students.
- Collaborative Practice: Our educators share best practices and support one another, sharing their professional knowledge and expertise.
- Comprehensive Assessment: We use a variety of low-stakes formative, diagnostic, and summative assessments to inform and advance student learning.
- Enriched Experiences: Our curriculum is enhanced with meaningful visits and hands-on experiences that bring learning to life.
- Vision and Values: Teachers focus on instilling our school’s Vision and Values, emphasising learning behaviours, personal achievement, and continuous progress.
Student Engagement and Growth
- Positive Learning Behaviours: We encourage students to develop excellent behaviour for learning based on our structured learning phases.
- Love of Reading: Children learn how to read and develop a love of reading as the key to unlock the wonders of learning and life
- Vocabulary and Knowledge: Children are taught to retrieve, recall, use, connect, and expand their vocabulary and knowledge effectively.
- Skill Development: Students continually acquire and refine their knowledge, skills, and vocabulary within and across the curriculum.
- Communication Skills: We emphasise the importance of reading, literacy, oracy, numeracy, and digital communication skills to help students articulate their learning.
- Self-Discovery: Our curriculum encourages students to explore our Vision and Values, helping them discover who they are and what they can achieve.
At John Scurr Primary School, we strive to create an enriching educational environment where every child can thrive and reach their full potential.
Measuring Curriculum Impact at John Scurr Primary School
Subject Leaders and Senior Leaders:
- Active Support and Challenge: Subject leaders and senior leaders regularly conduct supportive drop-ins designed to coach and mentor both staff and students. These sessions focus on helping everyone become ‘the best they can be’ and fostering a love for both teaching and learning.
- Continuous Evaluation: We regularly assess the effectiveness and outcomes of our curriculum, ensuring it meets our high standards. This is done in a variety of ways, including Pupil Book Study, which enables us to know what the children know and can remember in the long term, regular shared book looks for all staff to share good practise and learn from one another and Pupil Progress Meetings which provides time and space for teachers and leaders to talk about individuals and class needs.
- Data-Driven Improvement: Insights from these evaluations are used to refine the curriculum, adjust assessments, and set benchmarks to maintain and elevate quality.
Class teachers:
- Ongoing Assessment: Teachers continually assess students' progress during and across lessons, using this data to inform and adapt their teaching strategies.
- Targeted Planning: Based on these assessment results, teachers tailor their planning to ensure all students are progressing as expected or beyond.
- Clear Communication: Teachers provide detailed, timely updates to subject leaders and senior leaders about student outcomes and the curriculum's impact.
Our Vision for Student Success
At John Scurr Primary School, our curriculum vision focuses on fostering a nurturing, inclusive, and well planned learning environment. We aim to ensure that every child can thrive, achieve their full potential, and develop the skills and knowledge they need for future success.
Proud to be a Lead CUSP School
We are proud to be a Lead CUSP School and value the opportunity to share our journey and best practices with visiting schools throughout the year. Being a Lead CUSP school means we have been quality assured by the Unity CUSP Team and are recognised as an exemplary model of CUSP practice, showing fidelity to CUSP principles and pedagogy. As a lead school, we offer advice and support to other schools locally, nationally and even globally, as they adopt and develop their use of the CUSP curriculum.