Curriculum at White Court School

At White Court Primary School, we have designed a curriculum which provides our children with the best educational start in life. Our curriculum considers the needs of a 21^st Century child and is ambitious in providing our children with the knowledge, skills and learning behaviours required to become successful life-long learners.

At the heart of our school, we place great importance on a curriculum which develops the whole child. Through our core values, we foster an environment where the emotional, physical, academic, social, moral, spiritual and cultural development of each child is considered. We firmly believe that everyone is entitled to an ambitious curriculum and our curriculum design is accessible for all. We enable learners to acquire relevant subject knowledge which underpins the application of skills. Skills are carefully and progressively mapped across each key stage and subject area.

Knowledge is consolidated and built upon to support retention and recall. This ensures that by the time children leave our school they have learned, and are able to recall and apply the key information that we feel is important in order for them to be successful in the future.

Cultural capital is the accumulation of knowledge, attitudes, habits, language and possessions that enables individuals to demonstrate their cultural competence and social status. Our school plays a crucial role in developing this through immersing children in dance and music, visiting theatres, galleries and historic sites and by introducing them to literature and art.

Embedding cultural capital into our curriculum is a way of ensuring that children from all backgrounds have the same opportunities in society to achieve their full potential. Pupils leave White Court Primary School with a secure understanding of the academic content; with the understanding of how to be socially, morally, spiritually and culturally responsible and aware; how to make positive contributions to the local community and how to endeavour to be the best that they can be. We aim for all of our children to be respectful, skilful, ambitious and with a thirst for life and all it has to offer.

Please use this link to visit our page on 'Equality, Diversity and Inclusion' which also includes lots of information about 'Educate and Celebrate':

Assessment at White Court 

Formative Assessment is used during every session at White Court School. It allows teachers and Learning Assistants to assess how well individual children have grasped, understood, applied and retained learning. Formative assessments are essential as they allow teachers to plan upcoming work based upon them. 

More formal Summative Assessments are used at regular intervals during the school year. Although mapped out, they may fluctuate each year depending on the cohorts. 

Reading 

• Salford Reading Test - completed by KS1 and KS2 at the beginning of each academic year. This identifies progress and highlights children who may need additional support. It tests sight reading at sentence level and comprehension skills using a verbal approach. 
• NfER Tests - In years 2, 3, 4 and 5, children complete an end of term assessment. Year 1 begin to introduce these in the Spring Term.
• Previous SATs papers - Year 6 complete mock SATs four times during the year. 

Phonics

• Foundation Stage, Year 1 and Year 2 use Phonics Tracker, half termly.

Spellings

• NFER SIngle Word Spelling Test - completed by all children at the beginning of each academic year. This gives a spelling age which can highlight progress with spelling. It also identifies children who may need additional support in spelling
• High Frequency words - Children are assessed in KS2 at intervals during the year 
• 10 word Spelling Test - half termly, based upon the spelling rules learnt that term. 

Maths 

• White Rose Termly - In years 2, 3, 4 and 5, children complete an end of term assessment. Year 1 begin to introduce these in the Spring Term.
• Previous SATs papers - Year 6 complete mock SATs four times during the year. 

Within each year group, a range of quizzes and end of unit tests are used to assess how well children have retained information in all subjects. These are generated from a range of sources, depending on the objectives teachers wish to assess. 

Further Information

If you want to find out more about the curriculum, please email admin@whitecourt.essex.sch.uk