Below are links to what we teach:
Staff at Evergreen, believe that our English curriculum should re-ignite, re-engage and develop a child’s love of reading, writing and communication. Our English curriculum provides purposeful opportunities for reading, writing and communication and enables the wider development of English by linking opportunities for English with our wider Cornerstones curriculum. To support all our children and to support their eventual reintegration, whether that is back to mainstream or onwards to specialist provision, it is important that our curriculum is based on and aligned with the objectives and outcomes of the National Curriculum.
Children are exposed to Phonics immediately as they arrive at Evergreen. When they arrive, children are taught synthetic phonics through Bug Club Phonics, a comprehensive teaching programme and DfE-approved systematic synthetic phonics scheme. The scheme follows a proven progression and assists our children to progress in Phonics and Early Reading at a time when the provision of phonics may have been impacted by the reason for their placement at Evergreen. As well as helping children academically, we believe the lesson progression and books in our scheme help increase positive attitudes to the development of reading for our children and to reengage learning so that they can once again realise the enjoyment of reading and resume their reading journey once again.
Our curriculum is supported by and based upon Cornerstones. Cornerstones supports Evergreen to cover all aspects of learning.
We believe that children deserve a balanced curriculum that enables them to develop a deep understanding of all subjects and the interconnections between them. However, it must be noted that the pupils who attend Evergreen PRU are often disengaged with school and many may already come with a significant negative view and experience of themselves, the curriculum and wider education. As children come to Evergreen from across the city our children will have already experienced a wide range of different and diverse curriculums and expectations.
The rationale for the Cornerstones Curriculum takes the form of 10 big ideas that provide a purpose for the aspects, skills, knowledge and contexts chosen to form the substance of the curriculum.
These big ideas form a series of multi-dimensional interconnected threads across the curriculum, allowing children to encounter and revisit their learning through a variety of subject lenses, topics and experiences. Even in the short time that many of our children are with us, these encounters help children to build conceptual frameworks that will enable a better understanding of increasingly sophisticated information and ideas and help them to be better prepared for their future and onward educational journey, wherever that may be.
The most important underlying principle of our curriculum is to help children re-engage with learning. We believe that a successful curriculum is brought to life by the quality of teaching, inspirational learning activities and opportunities to listen and plan for the developing interests and motivations of children.
That is why the Cornerstones Primary Curriculum is built upon a four stage teaching and learning philosophy…
ENGAGE – DEVELOP – INNOVATE – EXPRESS
To ensure whole consistency and progression, the school uses and adapts the nationally recognised White Rose Maths scheme. The White Rose curriculum is cumulative so that once a topic is covered, it is met many times again in other contexts. Mathematical topics are taught in blocks, to enable the achievement of ‘mastery’ over time.
These teaching blocks are broken down into smaller steps, to help children understand concepts better. This approach means that children do not cover too many concepts at once, which can lead to cognitive overload and impact the development of positive dispositions towards maths.
To ensure whole consistency and progression, the school uses and adapts the nationally recognised White Rose Maths scheme. The White Rose curriculum is cumulative so that once a topic is covered, it is met many times again in other contexts. For example, place value is revisited in addition and subtraction and multiplication and division. The curriculum is designed to have an emphasis on number, with a large proportion of time spent reinforcing number to build competency.
Lessons are planned to provide plenty of opportunities to build reasoning and problem-solving elements into the curriculum. When introduced to a new concept, children have the opportunity to use concrete objects and manipulatives to help them understand what they are doing. Alongside this, children are encouraged to use pictorial representations. These representations can then be used to help reason and solve problems. Both concrete and pictorial representations support children’s understanding of abstract methods.
Mathematical topics are taught in blocks, to enable the achievement of ‘mastery’ over time.
These teaching blocks are broken down into smaller steps, to help children understand concepts better. This approach means that children do not cover too many concepts at once, which can lead to cognitive overload and impact the development of positive dispositions towards maths.
True mastery aims to develop all children’s mathematical understanding at the same pace. As much as possible, children should be accessing the same learning. Adaptations should primarily be through support, scaffolding and deepening. Due to the needs of some of our children and their dispositions and anxieties towards learning it may be necessary to adapt the task as well to aid and support access to learning.
Consistency in language is essential for pupils to understand the concepts presented in mathematics. But it may be necessary to use more accessible terminology. If this is necessary, accessible language must be alongside and in keeping with terminology recommended by maths specialists. Using this will support children with their future learning opportunities.
It is important that this document is adapted to meet the needs of learners so that learning is accessible and inclusive for all. It is important to adapt not only for those who find maths a challenge, but to also ensuring that the more confident mathematicians are being extended.
Concrete, pictorial, abstract (CPA) concepts should not be confused as adaptations to ensure lower, middle, higher attaining children meet the intended mathematical outcomes. CPA is an approach to be used with the whole class and teachers should promote each area as equally valid. Manipulatives in particular must not be presented as a resource to support the less confident or lower attaining pupils.
The aims of personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education in our school are to:
Open the children’s eyes to the wonder of the world around them both now and in the past; how it relates to
them and how it will influence their futures.
Support children to develop a self knowledge and self belief so that they can succeed at school and in their
life beyond. This is in line with our school ethos: Believe, Expect, Succeed.
Prepare the children for the challenges they will face in life.
Help our children flourish.
Support their wellbeing and attainment.
Help young people to become successful and happy adults who make a meaningful contribution to society.