How do we organise Learning | Dussindale Primary School

How do we organise learning?

Maths & English

During the majority of morning lessons children are taught the core subjects; Maths and English, which includes learning key skills in maths, mastery maths/daily multiplication or calculation practice, handwriting, spelling, phonics and guided reading. We ensure that there is continuity in how these lessons are taught throughout the school to enable all children to achieve their full potential. Foundation subjects are taught in the afternoon, although meaningful links are made where appropriate. All areas of the curriculum encourage children to form links to their prior learning and identify progression.

The core subjects of maths and English are taught using a consistent approach during the majority of the morning sessions. We follow a progressive curriculum in these core subjects, learning is cumulative, allowing children to build upon their prior learning. Strong phonics teaching starts in the foundation stage and continues through the school using a consistent approach. As well as learning to decode, children are taught to comprehend texts and develop a love of reading using a combination of guided and whole class reading.

The Foundation Subjects

Planning takes on the form of medium term units and these are delivered over a half term basis. Planning is led by a question, theme or end goal, which staff use to plan a series of lessons that teach the key golden threads of knowledge and/or specific skills in small steps. Knowledge/skills are consolidated and built upon to support retention and recall and is clearly outlined in lesson plans, with key vocabulary identified. Our teachers present subject matter clearly, check pupils’ understanding, identify misconceptions and provide opportunities for feedback.

This ensures that by the time children leave our school they have learned, and are able to recall and apply the key information that we feel is important in order for them to be society ready. Subject leaders are integral to the planning process and understand the pathway that their subjects take. Progression of knowledge and skills is carefully mapped across Key Stage for all our subjects to ensure continuity of learning. In some subjects we use schemes to help implement our curriculum but these are adapted to meet the needs of our pupils.

History, Science and Geography

Knowledge and skills are taught through a unit question in science, history and geography. Each unit consists of a main question that the children are unable to answer at the end of a blocked unit. Teaching provides the children with the knowledge and skills to provide or demonstrate a response to this unit question, where teachers have identified the golden threads of knowledge to be taught and assessed. Links to the children’s community and environment have been built in to enable the children to make connections.

Writing and reading opportunities are thread through lessons, with formative assessment built in across the units and an end of unit independent task used to assess the child’s ability to answer the question. Our curriculum is organised this way to allow for a deeper understanding and so we can prepare our children for subject specific learning in Secondary School.

Computing, PE, PSHE/RSE, Music, Modern Languages, Art and Design Technology

These subjects are taught in half term units, where subject specific skills and knowledge are planned and taught in a sequence of lessons. Across the unit of work children practise key skills and secure subject specific knowledge and lessons are sequenced so our pupils develop the skills needed to work towards an end goal or task. For example, making some tray biscuits, learning skills to play tag-rugby or knowing how to edit, save and print a document. Our school have adapted schemes for these subjects to ensure that we are providing high quality planning written by specialists for our teachers.

The Dussindale Curriculum

The Dussindale Curriculum runs alongside and compliments the National Curriculum. The Dussindale Curriculum nurtures our children’s spiritual, moral, cultural and social development to help them to gain an understanding of the world that they live in, learn to respect their own and of others beliefs, cultures and identities and to equip them with the knowledge and skills they need to form positive, healthy relationships. The Dussindale Curriculum underpins our curriculum drivers, broadens the horizons of our children and links to our “School Values of a Learner”. The curriculum allows our children to find their learning passions, learn to believe in themselves, feel a sense of achievement, experience and enjoy areas of learning, which go above and beyond the statutory curriculum.

The Dussindale Curriculum includes

Weekly PSHE (RSE) and RE lessons (British Values are woven through these lessons)
Daily assemblies, including celebration assembly
Enrichment days
Special weeks – Mental Health Week, Science Week, Refugee Week,
Key events
Assemblies, events and lessons that underpin the British Values
Performances in front of an audience
Enrichment Days and events
Attending sports events/competitions as part of the Schools Sport Partnership
Educational visits and visitors
Access to music lessons
Safeguarding curriclum

Dussindale

Primary School