Warwick Road Primary School

Key Stage 1 and 2 Curriculum

The school curriculum includes all the learning and experiences we plan for our pupils. The National Curriculum forms one important part of this wider offer.

As a school we:

• follow the statutory National Curriculum programmes of study for each key stage;

• publish our curriculum online by subject and academic year;

• provide regular opportunities for collective worship;

• teach Religious Education in every key stage in line with the locally agreed syllabus;

• deliver statutory Relationships Education and Health Education through our PSRE curriculum.

We also provide Personal, Social, Relationships and Economic Education (PSRE), drawing on best practice to support pupils’ wellbeing, safety and personal development. In addition, we design learning beyond the National Curriculum to reflect the needs and interests of our pupils and community.

Our curriculum promotes equality, diversity and inclusion in line with the Equality Act 2010 and supports pupils’ understanding of fundamental British Values: democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance. Learning is adapted so that all pupils, including those with SEND and disadvantaged learners, can access an ambitious and meaningful curriculum.

The school is aware of the national curriculum and assessment review (2024–25) and will update our curriculum in line with any future reforms to ensure it continues to meet statutory requirements and the needs of our pupils.

THE NATIONAL CURRICULUM IN ENGLAND

The National Curriculum provides pupils with an introduction to the essential knowledge they need to become educated and informed citizens. It introduces children to the best that has been thought and said, and helps to foster an appreciation of human creativity, achievement and cultural heritage.

The National Curriculum is one important element in the education of every child, but it does not represent the whole of our curriculum. There is time and space within the school day, week and year to go beyond the National Curriculum specifications, enabling us to provide a rich and varied programme of learning.

The National Curriculum sets out an outline of core knowledge around which our teachers develop engaging and stimulating lessons. These lessons promote the development of pupils’ knowledge, understanding, vocabulary and skills, supporting curiosity, creativity and a lifelong love of learning as part of our wider school curriculum.

INCLUSION

We have high ambitions for every pupil and believe that all children are entitled to an education that enables them to achieve their best, become confident individuals and make a successful transition to the next stage of their lives. Teaching is carefully planned to meet a wide range of needs, with appropriate challenge for pupils whose attainment is above expectations and targeted support for those with low prior attainment or who are disadvantaged.

We fulfil our duties under the Equality Act 2010 and the SEND Code of Practice. Lessons are designed using Quality First Teaching and adaptive approaches so that there are no barriers to learning. Where pupils require additional support, we follow a graduated approach of Assess–Plan–Do–Review, led by the SENDCos in partnership with class teachers, families and external professionals.

Progress of pupils with SEND and those who are disadvantaged is reviewed regularly through termly Inclusion and SEND meetings. All pupils eligible for the Pupil Premium have an individual plan which identifies bespoke strategies to support their wellbeing, engagement and academic progress. The impact of these plans is monitored and adapted throughout the year.

A small number of pupils may require specialist equipment, interventions or an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). We work closely with parents and external agencies to ensure that appropriate provision is in place and that pupils can access the full curriculum wherever possible.

We also recognise the needs of pupils for whom English is an Additional Language (EAL). Planning takes account of each pupil’s age, length of time in the UK, previous educational experience and ability in other languages. Teaching opportunities are designed to develop English language skills while enabling pupils to participate fully in all curriculum subjects.

NUMERACY AND MATHEMATICS

We will use every relevant subject to develop pupils’ mathematical fluency. Confidence in numeracy and other mathematical skills is a precondition of success across the national curriculum.

We will develop pupils’ numeracy and mathematical reasoning in all subjects so that they understand and appreciate the importance of mathematics. We will teach pupils to apply arithmetic fluently to problems, understand and use measures, make estimates and sense check their work. Pupils will apply their geometric and algebraic understanding, and relate their understanding of probability to the notions of risk and uncertainty. They should also understand the cycle of collecting, presenting and analysing data. We will teach them to apply their mathematics to both routine and non-routine problems, including breaking down more complex problems into a series of simpler steps.

Mathematics in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 is taught using a mastery approach, ensuring that all pupils develop a deep, secure and flexible understanding of mathematical concepts. We follow Power Maths (White Rose Maths Edition) as our core scheme, which provides a clear progression, small steps learning, and carefully sequenced lessons that emphasise fluency, reasoning and problem solving. Lessons are structured to allow children to explore concepts in depth, use precise mathematical language, and apply their learning to a range of varied and challenging problems.

To support and extend learning at home, we use Mathletics for maths practice and consolidation, and Times Tables Rock Stars to build rapid recall and confidence with multiplication and division facts. Across both key stages, pupils regularly use a wide range of physical resources, including counters, number lines, tens frames, base ten equipment, place value counters, fraction resources and other manipulatives, enabling children to represent, explore and explain their thinking. This combination of high-quality teaching, engaging resources and purposeful practice helps children become confident, resilient and enthusiastic mathematicians.

LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Spoken language, reading, writing and vocabulary are at the heart of our curriculum. English is both a subject in its own right and the medium through which pupils access all areas of learning. Fluency in language enables children to think clearly, express themselves confidently and succeed across the curriculum.

Oracy and Spoken Language

We place a strong emphasis on oracy – learning to talk and learning through talk. Pupils are taught to speak clearly, listen attentively and develop their ideas through structured discussion. Regular opportunities for talking partners, debate, idea generation and performance enable children to:

• justify ideas with reasons and evidence;

• ask and respond to questions to deepen understanding;

• build and refine vocabulary;

• negotiate and evaluate the ideas of others;

• select the appropriate register for different audiences and purposes.

Oral composition is a central part of our writing approach. Through modelled “I do – we do – you do” sessions, pupils rehearse sentences aloud, organise their thinking and refine ideas before writing, ensuring that talk becomes a bridge to high-quality written work.

Writing

Our teaching of writing follows a carefully sequenced curriculum informed by The Writing Framework (DfE, 2025), EEF Improving Literacy guidance and the Path to Success model. Children learn to write through five connected stages: experiencing high-quality texts, playing with language, applying skills, developing independence and connecting learning to the wider world.

We teach handwriting, spelling and sentence construction explicitly so that these skills become automatic. Grammar is taught in context through daily SPaG starters and purposeful writing tasks rather than in isolation. Pupils are supported to:

• generate and refine ideas before writing;

• craft sentences using precise vocabulary and varied structures;

• write for a clear audience, purpose and tone;

• produce a wide range of genres including narratives, explanations, reports, poetry and persuasive texts;

• edit and improve their work using feedback and self-reflection.

Quality is valued over quantity. Collaboration, creativity and gamified practice help children to enjoy writing and see themselves as confident authors.

Reading

We teach pupils to read fluently and with understanding using a structured approach to phonics, decoding and comprehension. Children read a wide range of fiction, non-fiction and poetry and are encouraged to develop a genuine love of reading. We promote reading for pleasure through class texts, recommended reads, library provision and high expectations for reading at home.

Reading is used across the curriculum to support knowledge acquisition and to expose pupils to ambitious language and ideas. Comprehension teaching focuses on vocabulary, inference, retrieval, prediction and summarising so that pupils can engage critically with what they read.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary development is central to all subjects. We teach new words explicitly, make links to pupils’ existing knowledge and explore shades of meaning. Subject-specific language is carefully introduced so that pupils can think and communicate like historians, scientists, mathematicians and authors. A rich command of vocabulary enables pupils to understand challenging texts and to make powerful choices in their own writing.

STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS AND NON-STATUTORY GUIDANCE

We will teach all statutory requirements of the curriculum. In regard to the non-statutory notes and guidance we will be sensitive to the religious and cultural beliefs of all our staff and pupils. Therefore we will…

• focus upon teaching the Y6 evolution and inheritance programmes of study through natural selection.
• ensure all food products are vegetarian or Halal.
• not play music during the holy month of Ramadan.
• be sensitive to the types of music the pupils experience.
• introduce dance as movement to music.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

The syllabus is supported by an extensive range of units of work which have been written by teachers from within Kirklees and Calderdale and by RE Today Services. The units of work are non-statutory and we are free to use, adapt or change these in line with our needs. Other world views is taken to mean beliefs, arguments or philosophies that approach questions of meaning and purpose without reference to belief in a deity. This may include a structured, named philosophy such as Humanism, or a more general argument or approach relevant to the questions studied. Exemplar materials are provided within the units of work. 

The syllabus requires us to teach about Christianity and another five world faiths: Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism. However, there is enormous diversity within these traditions and this will be recognised in curriculum planning. The syllabus also encourages us to study faiths and traditions not included in the six world religions defined in guidance. We have discretion in this and should reflect the community and context within which we work.

In addition, we are required to include other world views throughout the study of RE. This recognises that one of RE’s most important contributions to education is enabling all learners to explore questions of meaning, purpose and value. This is important from a perspective of faith or non-religious understanding and recognises that most people do not adhere to formal religious structures.