We use the Northern Education Trust Primary Curriculum, which is our framework for teaching the foundation subjects. It is a curriculum which meets the needs of the community and offers pupils the opportunity to develop their knowledge and understanding of the world and the skills they will need to flourish in it. At the heart of the curriculum lies enrichment, enquiry and vocabulary. We constantly focus on standards as we understand that outcomes are paramount. Our decision making is driven entirely by what is best for children. By doing this we enhance the life chances of the children and young people in our care.
The Northern Education Trust music curriculum is intended to provide children with opportunities to understand musical concepts through a repetition-based approach to learning. Learning about the same musical concept through different musical activities enables children to develop a more secure, deeper learning and mastery of musical skills. We recognise that teaching and learning is not neat or linear and that over time children need opportunities to revisit and repeat musical skills. Music can inspire and motivate children; it is a vehicle for personal expression and plays an important part in personal development. Music reflects culture and society; teaching and learning, therefore, supports children in understanding the world in which we live. It also plays an important role in helping children feel part of a community. For this reason, we provide opportunities for all children to create, play, perform and enjoy music, to develop the skills to appreciate a wide variety of musical forms, and to begin to make judgements about the quality of music.
The Northern Education Trust geography curriculum inspires in pupils a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. Teaching equips pupils with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes. As pupils progress, their growing knowledge about the world helps them to deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes, and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments. Geographical knowledge, understanding and skills provide the frameworks and approaches that explain how the Earth’s features at different scales are shaped, interconnected and change over time. The NET geography curriculum lays down the essential content for teachers to plan a set of rich and engaging experiences, focused on all children acquiring essential knowledge and skills.
Northern Education Trust’s history curriculum helps pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. It inspires children to be inquisitive and want to know more about the past. The curriculum promotes critical thinking and encourages children to be judicious: to make decisions about the information they are presented with. History helps pupils to understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups, as well as their own identity and the challenges of their time. The NET curriculum recognises the communities many of our schools serve and the need for children’s understanding of history to give them a sense of purpose, democracy and society.
Art, craft and design embody some of the highest forms of human creativity. A high-quality art and design education should engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design. As pupils progress, they should be able to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of art and design. They should also know how art and design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation.
Design and technology helps to prepare children for the developing world. The subject encourages children to become creative problem solvers, both as individuals and as part of a team. Through the study of design and technology, they combine practical skills with an understanding of aesthetic, social and environmental issues. Design and Technology helps all children to become discriminating and informed consumers and potential innovators. It should assist children in developing a greater awareness and understanding of how everyday products are designed and made.
At Hilton Primary Academy we follow a Read Write Inc approach to teaching phonics for five-to seven-year-old children. It is a rigorous and dynamic teaching programme, proven to create fluent, enthusiastic readers, confident speakers and willing writers by the age of six or seven.
Our reading scheme throughout the Academy is driven by Accelerated Reader – a powerful tool for monitoring and managing independent reading practice while promoting reading for pleasure.