Art
Our Art is a constructed curriculum that focuses on developing proficiency in drawing, painting, understanding colour and shade and sculpture, with the overall aim of developing a rigorous understanding, critical awareness and inspiration of art and design. Through our art curriculum, we will develop children’s creative and critical abilities and understanding of their own and others’ cultural heritages through studying a diverse range of male and female artists and designers throughout history.
They will be engaged, inspired and challenged to invent and create their own works of art. Pupils will develop the ability to think critically and have a rigorous understanding of art and design. They will know how art and design reflects and shapes our history as well as contributing to the culture.
Computing
We have adapted the Teach Computing Curriculum so that by the time children leave LEFS they will have knowledge and skills in programming and understanding how digital systems work, information technology and digital literacy – evaluating digital content and using technology respectfully and safely.
Skills that children learn in computing are transferable and therefore will be implemented in subjects across the curriculum. It is our aim that children develop a wide range of knowledge, understanding and skills that will equip them for modern day life.
Design and Technology
At LEFS our adapted curriculum (based on the DT Association Projects on a Page) encourages children to use their creativity and imagination, to design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values.
Through a well sequenced DT curriculum we teach the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in an iterative process of designing and making which allows for progression across year groups in all areas of DT (textiles, mechanisms, structures, food and electrical systems). The context for the children’s work has been well considered ensuring the children learn about real life structures and the purpose of specific examples, as well as developing their skills. Design and technology lessons are also taught as a block so that children’s learning is focused throughout each unit of work.
Geography
Through our personalised constructed curriculum, we aim to inspire students’ curiosity and fascination about the world as well as their own place in it, as we believe that Geography helps to provoke and provide answers to questions about the natural and human aspects of the world. Children are encouraged to develop a greater understanding and knowledge of the world, its interconnectedness and their place in it.
Our constructed curriculum is designed to ensure coverage of the National curriculum as well as equipping our pupils to understand more about our world through learning about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments. From EYFS we consider the world by looking at human and physical features, building key knowledge from the immediate area around school and then building out wards to look at the wider world and it’s features continents and oceans. This is built upon in KS2 where we identify regions of countries of the UK. As they progress through our curriculum they will develop an understanding of some of the Earth’s key physical and human processes, alongside making links to our own locality. Mapping skills are embedded into the units and a range of maps across the year groups with focused units in KS1 to form foundations for further work in KS2.
Geography is taught in a half term block from EYFS ( although in EYFS the focus is within Understanding of the World) allowing the building of geographical skills and knowledge, although we make links across all our subjects so children can build their own mental models of understanding about the world in which they live.
History
Our constructed history curriculum will help pupils gain a secure knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. Our curriculum starts in EYFS by exploring children’s immediate past and changes over time; this builds into exploring specific important events and historical eras, before learning about the history of Britain and the wider world. Teachers use the long term plans for history to make comparisons between historical periods previously taught, developing children’s chronological knowledge. Children learn to pose questions and explore the past by making inferences and drawing conclusions and study a variety of significant historical figures and events that underpin the diversity of Britain and the wider world.
History is taught in half term blocks from EYFS ( although in EYFS the focus is within Understanding of the World) allowing the building of historical skills and knowledge, although we make links across all our subjects so children can build their own mental models of understanding about the world in which they live.
French
We have adopted the Language Angels Curriculum to provide a progressive and supportive curriculum for non specialist teachers. Through Language Angels children at LEFS will learn the basics of French as it provides an opening to another culture. It fosters children’s curiosity and deepens their understanding of the world and provides opportunities for them to communicate for practical purposes and learn new ways of thinking. We believe language teaching at this age should provide the foundation for learning further languages, equipping pupils to study and work in other countries. By the end of their time here, children should be able to understand and respond to spoken language and recognise some written words, and enjoy the chance to find out about another country.
Music
We believe all children should perform, listen to, review and evaluate music. Our intention is that all children develop an understanding of what music is through listening, singing, playing, evaluating, analysing, and composing across a wide variety of historical periods, styles, traditions and musical genres.
We have adopted the SingUp music curriculum throughout EYFS and it is adapted in KS1 as the lessons are led by a music specialist, Initially through singing children at Lickey End First School learn about the structure and organisation of music. We teach them to listen and to appreciate different forms of music. As the children progress through school we expect them to concentrate for a sustained amount of time and so listen to more extended pieces of music. Children develop descriptive skills in music lessons when learning about how music can represent feelings and emotions. We teach them the disciplined skills of recognising pulse, pitch and rhythms and how to work with others to compose music and perform for an audience. Within our curriculum there are opportunities for the children to learn instruments as a whole class, with Year 2 and Year 4 learning ocarina and recorder respectively ( led by a music specialist) and in Year 3 children participate in the FAME programme led by Severn Arts
There is also the opportunity for children to learn instruments in a more formal session in year 3 and year 4 as the children have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument through the peripatetic service. Alongside this we also run the Rock steady Programme where children can learn to be part of a band from EYFS through to Year 4 .
Physical Education
At Lickey End First School, we offer immense opportunity for personal achievement and growth across the PE and sport provision. At LEFS, we continuously monitor and adapt our educational offer to ensure inclusivity, diversity and challenge. For our PE curriculum we have adapted the Get Set 4 PE platform, which aligns with our core values, our whole child approach to PE and the objectives laid out in the National Curriculum. Our lessons are primary led by a sports coach, but by adapted Get Set 4 PE enables teachers to learn alongside the coach and develop their own curriculum knowledge. The aim of our PE programme is to develop children’s basic physical competencies, build confidence in their ability and build the foundations for a lifelong love of sport, physical activity and a healthy lifestyle. PE lessons encourage children to compete against themselves and others whilst being challenged to improve their physical, social, emotional and thinking skills. Our objectives in the teaching of PE align with the National Curriculum in that we aim to ensure all pupils:
Develop competence to excel in a broad range of physical activities
Are physically active for sustained periods of time
Engage in competitive sports and activities
Lead healthy, active lives
Throughout their time at LEFS, students have significant opportunities for improving personal performance, through participation in a wide range of sporting events arranged between local schools. This allows the nurturing of students’ individual talents to ensure they reach their personal potential.
PSHE
At Lickey End First School, it is our intent that all children will be ‘lifelong learners’ with the confidence and ability to develop their skills and understanding when having new experiences, meeting new challenges and finding themselves in unfamiliar situations. We offer a nurturing learning environment in which each child is encouraged to develop their full potential and where their achievements and successes are celebrated and rewarded. As a school, we believe that children are all individuals and therefore, we aim to encourage mutual respect, responsibility and foster self-esteem in a happy and caring atmosphere. The teaching and learning of PSHE is done alongside Votes for School scheme and our core values of our school which are ‘respect, resilience, teamwork and independence.
Religious Education –
Our Religious education curriculum is inline with the Worcestershire Sacre 2025 – 2030 and we have adopted the Natre scheme of learning to support our non specialist teacher.
We aim for our school curriculum to engage, encourage, inspire and challenge pupils while equipping them to have an understanding of a range of religious beliefs so that they can be respectful and tolerant of others. We aim to develop open-mindedness towards others with different faiths and beliefs and encourage pupils to develop their own sense of identity and belonging through reflection.
We aspire for them to know how RE promotes and enables them to combat prejudice to prepare them to be successful in adult life and to promote their own tolerance and mutual respect in a diverse society.
At LEFS we aim that all children leave our school with a good level of knowledge and understanding of the world in which they live, both on a local and global scale, and also the part in which Science plays in our lives today. We strive to develop children’ s curiosity, a respect for the natural environment and equip them with the skills to ask scientific questions, find answers and evaluate evidence. To achieve this within the classroom we have adapted the Oak Academy science scheme of to ensure that our curriculum is progressive and building on foundational skills sets in our EYFS constructed curriculum. Children are encouraged to use their skills from other subjects, including Maths, English and Computing to interpret and present data and with support, draw simple conclusions from investigations.
Working Scientifically skills are embedded through each topic, and developed every year throughout their time at LEFS whilst building on children’ s previous knowledge of a topic. Children are encouraged to plan, test and evaluate results of investigations to be able to make sense of scientific processes.