Curriculum

"Teachers’ subject knowledge is secure. The school ensures that teachers are provided with the training and support that they need to implement the curriculum with expertise.Overall, staff explain new concepts with precision and use a range of strategies to check on pupils’ understanding effectively. In mathematics, for example, staff identify pupils who require additional support, intervening swiftly to help them keep up. They adapt activities well to ensure that pupils with different needs access their learning successfully."

"Reading is prioritised for every year group. Across the curriculum, pupils are provided with a rich repertoire of books and authors reflecting their own diverse backgrounds. Children in the early years are immersed in activities relating to their class stories. The school has
made sure that staff who deliver the phonics curriculum are well trained. Pupils practise reading from books that contain the sounds that they have learned. When pupils struggle with reading, the school makes sure that they get the help that they need to develop into confident and successful readers."

Ofsted 2024.

Reading

The teaching of reading at Bevendean is centred on the objectives for reading in the Reading Framework – Teaching the Foundations of Literacy (published July 2021) and the 2016 National Curriculum in England: English programmes of study Updated July 2016.

Reading at Bevendean (in depth look)

Phonics

Staff in Reception and Key Stage 1 are currently being or have recently been trained in a new Systematic, Synthetic Phonics programme called 'Phonics Shed'. This is one of the validated systematic synthetic phonics programmes on the list published by the DFES following the January 2022 update to the phonics validation process.

The Phonics Shed approach to teaching phonics is phonographic, which is to say it starts with what all children acquire naturally and right from the start – the sounds of their own language; then it teaches that letters or combinations of letters, called graphemes are the agreed ways in which we represent these sounds when we write.

Handwriting

At Bevendean, we use 'Letterjoin' for our handwriting curriculum. Using four main threads of making bodies stronger, holding the pencil, learning the letters, and flow and fluency, the programme enables children to develop legible handwriting that is produced quickly and automatically. With the development of automaticity, handwriting becomes a valuable tool and not a hindrance to learning.

Maths

At Bevendean, we believe that learning mathematics is about enjoyment, curiosity and discovery. We don’t just want to ‘get things right’, we want to talk about different and efficient ways of finding answers, explain why they are true and maybe ask more questions! We use concrete materials and visual representations to expose mathematical concepts and we learn how to use precise mathematical language to communicate ideas.

Through problem-solving and talking about our maths we develop deep and secure understanding. We also rehearse, repeat and revisit key concepts to help ideas stick. We know that if we build good mathematical fluency (knowing and understanding key facts), it is much easier to move on to more complex problems. At Bevendean, everyone is a mathematician; we learn to notice patterns, make connections, spot mathematical rules and feel success.

PSHE

The importance of PSHE education in for example preventing bullying, prejudice, and in contributing to positive physical, emotional and mental health and healthy relationships is increasingly recognised at Bevendean. Therefore, at Bevendean, PSHE education is an important part of our curriculum as it enables our pupils to build healthy friendships and keep themselves safe now and in the future. We believe that effective PSHE education supports the teaching of behaviour for learning, and that it contributes to the wellbeing, safety and achievement of all pupils in this school.

Please view our policies in our policy section under 'About Us'.

Computing

Please click on the following link to view the Bevendean Programme of Study for computing lessons.

Bevendean Programme of Study

Please have a look at the website links below for information on internet safety, ranging from how to help boost body image and self-esteem to an interactive online game you can play with your children to help them become more confident and safer online.

https://parentzone.org.uk/ or https://parentinfo.org/

Curriculum Intent/Implementation and Impact Statements

Maths Intent Statement

English (Reading and Writing) Intent Statement

Science Intent Statement

PE Intent Statement

Computing Intent Statement

History Intent Statement

Geography Intent Statement

Phonics Intent Statement

PSHE Intent Statement

Music Intent Statement