Curriculum

(Please see the document at the bottom of the page for more information.)

Our Ormesby Odyssey is a challenging, knowledge-rich and sequential curriculum designed to provide children with a broad window of learning about the wider world and their local surroundings. Our curriculum has an over-arching and driving theme of DISCOVERY and every subject we teach has a rationale that endeavours to achieve this for all our pupils. We ensure that quality first teaching enables our pupils to have a real purpose for their learning alongside stimulating and engaging content. Our expectations are of the highest level and to achieve this we enable pupils’ efforts to be celebrated, praised and valued by all stakeholders. In order to maintain a progressive outlook, we are regularly reviewing and evolving our curriculum and in so doing we are able to keep learning fresh and appealing to all.

We intend to plan our children's educational journeys so that they are intellectual and spiritual quests, which will enable them to learn about themselves and the world. We want our pupils to embark on the beginning of a life-long pilgrimage, full of adventures and experiences that deepen their knowledge and understanding.

It is our privilege to start them off on the beginning of their passage through life, when we must instil in them a passion for embracing new experiences, the courage to face the many changes of fortune they will encounter and the determination to conquer the obstacles and fears that can so easily blow them off course. 

We intend to light in them a SPARK, which we will nurture into a FLAME. These flames will burn strongly and brightly through all our planning for the Ormesby curriculum. We will aim to incorporate the following key skills, attributes and principles into every lesson, for every child. 

Our intended aims for our curriculum cycle are:

• open up our global and diverse world, with its myriad of opportunities to all our pupils.
• furnish our pupils with the aspiration, motivation, knowledge and skills to be able to achieve their dreams.
• develop in our pupils the feelings of self-worth, self-belief and strength of character, so that they will never be defeated by adversity, but will try, try and try again.

For some foundation subjects, we still teach them through discreet weekly lessons as this may be dependent on specialists teaching them, such as in Sport and Music.

Each class teacher delivers English and Maths in daily, whole class sessions. These sessions cater for the variety of needs within the class. All classes have access to a teaching assistant during these sessions, who can be used to support our lower ability children and challenge our higher achievers. Every class in the school delivers their English and Maths at the same time in the day, including sessions for guided reading and phonics.  

On entry to the Reception classes the children receive a curriculum based on the needs of young children which recognises the important balance between Language, Mathematics, Knowledge and Understanding of the World, Creativity, Physical, Social and Emotional development. 

As the children progress they meet the requirements of the National Curriculum. 

Ormesby Village Infant School aims to provide a curriculum which balances the requirements of the National Curriculum and the development of a child's attitudes and values, leading to a responsible membership of the community. The National Curriculum has English, Mathematics, Science and Religious Education which, along with the rapidly developing Information and Communications Technology, form the main core subjects. History, Geography, Design & Technology, Art & Design, Music, Physical Education and PSHE form the other subjects. Parents have the right to withdraw their children from Religious Education and/or collective worship and if they wish to do so are invited to discuss this with the Headteacher.

The staff place great emphasis on the development of the whole child. The importance of personal, social, emotional and health education is woven into all our activities. 

See more information about our own curriculum, which we have called Ormesby's Odyssey by clicking on the document below.

Approaches to Learning 

Although the National Curriculum is set in subjects, we link aspects of the curriculum together to provide a unifying thread. 

We use a variety of teaching styles to cater for the differing learning modes, teaching children as individuals, in pairs and group work, in ability groups and as a whole class. 

Teachers plan together to provide progression and continuity, taking into account previous learning and the levels at which the children are working in the National Curriculum. 

Homework

Children work and play hard at school and they need time at home in the evenings to rest and be with their family, to play with friends and enjoy other activities. We do expect the children to complete some homework and we want to work in partnership with parents so that the experience is beneficial. All children are encouraged to read and share books regularly and we send home a 'home-school' reading diary for comments from teachers and parents/carers. Children are asked to learn spellings and times tables and may undertake work linked with projects. Homework is differentiated to match pupils' ages and abilities.

Assemblies/Collective Worship

A whole school assembly takes place each day and gives opportunities for children to think about the world and the people who live in it. We talk about feelings and behaviour, things people do and why and right and wrong actions. We learn about the different religious beliefs of people in our country and all over the world. Sometimes we invite visitors to take our assemblies and the vicar of Ormesby often takes an assembly in person or virtually. We also say our school prayer, sing songs and reward children's achievements in and out of school.

Parents have the right to withdraw their children from assemblies and collective worship in school. Parents who wish to do this need to inform the Headteacher in writing.