Mission Statement

At Firs, the rights of all children to make a positive future contribution to society are respected by prioritising learning.

We challenge pupils to attain high academic and personal outcomes—setting and achieving ambitious goals in all they do.  Our curriculum is broad, balanced, and knowledge-rich—meeting individual needs and interests, building on children’s natural curiosity. Our expectations and values encourage pupils to work and play together positively, developing mutual respect by understanding each other’s cultures, faiths and opinions. 

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Firs Primary Curriculum for Learning and Life

A Powerful Knowledge Curriculum – developing the powerful knowers and knowing.

Intent

At Firs Primary School we ensure our curriculum is not only tailored to our pupils’ interests and needs but also ensures they are Ready for Learning and Ready for Life in the wider world. We believe in subject based lessons where pupils can articulate and have a passion for subject based learning.

We have recently reviewed our post pandemic curriculum to ensure that our provision is carefully sequenced and knowledge-rich which aims to inspire pupils and promote excellent outcomes for all children.  

A knowledge-rich curriculum at Firs Primary School:

• We place knowledge at the heart of the curriculum.
• We carefully chose the content.
• We organise the curriculum in a coherent way, ensuring it builds from year to year.
• We ensure it is cumulative, constructing firm foundations from which children can build conceptual understanding and skills over time.
• We ensure it is inclusive and an entitlement for every child, regardless of background.
• We deliver a coherent curriculum that ensures teaching does not jump from topic to topic, but enables children to develop knowledge and a love of learning.

Implementation

We continually work with teachers and WHMAT leaders to develop our curriculum offer and share the vision for our knowledge rich curriculum.  The curriculum is embedded through effective training and professional development opportunities, focused on subject knowledge and pedagogy.  Our Senior Leaders work hard to highlight the development areas of the curriculum with staff identifying what we do well and what we could do even better.  High quality CPD ensures our teachers are well equipped to deliver a high quality curriculum.

All children are taught through the National Curriculum subjects:

• English
• Maths
• Science
• Information Communication Technology
• RE
• Art and Design
• History
• Geography
• Music
• Design Technology
• Physical Education
• Modern Foreign Language – French.

Impact

The aims of our curriculum for our children:

• Children to be knowledgeable about content and the world around them.
• To transform children’s minds so that they are able to make reasonable and informed
• To ensure children can engage fruitfully in conversation and debate.
• To develop confidence that comes from possessing a store of essential knowledge and skills.
• To have a sub-set of knowledge and the accompanying vocabulary that will maximise children’s chances of leading rich and fulfilling lives.
• Ensure children are ready for the next stage of their development – Ready For Learning and Ready For Life.

 

Behaviour for Learning

(Ready, Respectful and Safe)

At Firs we believe all children should be aware of the standards of behaviour that are expected of them and that working with children we will help them to take responsibility for promoting these standards. We hope that by encouraging positive behaviour patterns we can promote good relationships throughout the school built on trust and understanding – through this approach we support all of our children to develop a high level of individual and social responsibility.  The key aims of the school are to:

• To create a culture of exceptionally good behaviour: Ready For Learning and Ready For Life.
• To ensure that all learners are treated fairly, shown respect and to promote good relationships.
• To use “affective language “which encourages the learner to engage positively and understand the impact of their behaviour.
• To help learners take control over their behaviour and be responsible for the consequences of it.
• To build a community which values kindness, care, good relationships and empathy for others.
• To ensure that excellent behaviour is a minimum expectation for all.

 

Values for Life

At Firs children will not only develop and achieve academically, they will also develop lifelong values.  The values we embed at Firs are:

Honesty – developing children who are truthful, trustworthy and genuine.

Ambition – developing ambitious children who have a strong desire to achieve. Providing a sense of direction and motivation towards life goals. 

Kindness – developing children who always treat others with kindness and respect.

 

Skills for Learning and Life

At Firs we ensure children develop the essential skills for learning and life based on the Skills Builder Universal Framework.  The framework allows children to build essential skills for everyday life.  The skills framework is built around and based on:

• Listening
• Speaking
• Problem Solving
• Creativity
• Staying Positive
• Aiming High
• Leadership

Teachers at Firs use a daily recognition focus to ensure these key skills are embedded in practice.  Teaching and Learning is underpinned by the Skills Builder Framework and ensures we develop positive attitudes towards learning and independence.