We have explained below what we intend our children to learn as a result of receiving lessons in each subject and how this will be implemented. We start each of our intents with a short but powerful quote in order to ensure every decision we make – about what we teach and when we teach it – is grounded in a clear vision.

Art

 “Every human is an artist.” – Miguel Ruiz

Intent – At Brooklands, we want to inspire, engage and challenge pupils by equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment and create their own works of art. As they progress through the school, they will develop a deeper understanding of art and design, exploring the impact it has on contemporary life and that of different times and cultures. Pupils will learn to appreciate and evaluate the work of a range of artists, from different genres and eras of art. They will identify similarities and differences, demonstrating a secure understanding of the correct artistic vocabulary. Artists from Nursery to Year 6 will experience a wide range of tools and techniques, explored through different tasks resulting in the production of a gallery of artwork.

Implementation – At Brooklands, teachers use the art progression document to plan and deliver lessons.  In EYFS, this is implemented through daily continuous provision, using the workshops, transient art areas and through other enhanced provision opportunities. In KS1 and KS2, art is delivered in units of work across the term. Children are given the opportunity to explore and create their ideas through a range of media including paint, pastel, clay, charcoal and Pupils record their creative learning in a sketchbook that the artists take with them from Year 1 to Year 6, celebrating their artistic journey and development. Teachers make an assessment for each pupil, against the art progression document termly on Insight. We offer a wide variety of extra-curricular opportunities in the form of lunchtime and after school clubs. These may be led by teachers and teaching assistants, alongside outside agencies who offer their services in school. We welcome artists from our parents and the wider community to share their talents and expertise to inspire our pupils further. Parents and children also work together as part of seasonal craft workshops.

Computing

“Computing is not about computers any more. It is about living.” – Nicholas Negroponte

Intent -At Brooklands, we intend for children to gain knowledge and develop skills in computational thinking and creativity which will prepare them for and allow them to flourish in an increasingly digital world. As a society, we are becoming ever more reliant on technology in every aspect of our lives and therefore it is imperative that children are comfortable in their use and understanding of computers. Computing is intrinsically linked to technology and therefore we believe pupils should have access to a wide variety of digital tools and devices. Within computing lessons, pupils will be given engaging, real-life contexts through which they can become digitally literate and competent users of technology whilst at the same time developing their skills in creativity, problem solving and critical thinking.  We want children’s confident use of technology to support learning across the entire curriculum. As technology advances, it is important that we model to our children how to use it in a responsible manner in order to allow them to become respectful and confident digital citizens who have an awareness of how to keep themselves safe online.

Implementation -At Brooklands, we teach the National Curriculum, supported by a clear skills and knowledge progression that allows children to progress confidently into secondary education and everyday situations. This ensures that knowledge and skills are built year-on-year and sequenced appropriately to maximise learning for all children. Each child from Years 1-6 have a 1:1 device which facilitates maximum opportunity and progress in both in discreet computing lessons and across the curriculum. We use and adapt the government funded ‘Teach Computing’ scheme of work as a vehicle to deliver our computing lessons which meets National Curriculum objectives. This covers Computing Systems and Networks, Creating Media, Programming and Data and Information, and Online Safety (linked to our PSHE curriculum. Extra-curricular opportunities include Coding Club and developing Digital Leaders who attend development sessions to further their knowledge and understanding, supporting children in all year groups with using IT effectively and safely.

Design & Technology (DT)

‘Design is thinking made visual’ – Saul Bass

Intent – At Brooklands, we intend for every child to have left our school having unlocked their creativity, developing the technical and practical knowledge needed to contribute successfully in an increasingly technological world, honing their skills as innovators, designers, makers and evaluators. They will have had the experience of engaging in designing, making and evaluating tasks using a wide range of materials including food technology.  Children will have multiple opportunities to reflect on what they have learned through their practical exploration and then to use this knowledge to design and make their own product. We aim to encourage children to take risks, to develop innovative designs and to be reflective learners by giving them opportunities to evaluate their own work, as well as the design and work of others within school and the wider world. Children are given time to test their own products and make adjustments which enable them to change their designs and improve their product both during the process, and evaluate its effectiveness at the end of the project.

Implementation – At Brooklands, we implement this through discreet DT lessons in KS1 and 2, usually taught in a blocks equating to two full days per term.  Teaching in a block leads to more efficient use of time, especially for the making element of the work. Teachers use the progression document, supplemented by the Projects on a Page document to plan and deliver lessons. DT often involves strong cross curricular links to subjects such as science, geography, history and art.  In EYFS, DT is taught through the areas of learning (primarily Expressive Arts and Design, Understanding the World and Physical Development), through direct teaching and continuous provision. Early Years classrooms have dedicated areas including the workshop, and indoor and outdoor construction areas offering opportunities for pupils to explore designing, making and evaluating. Pupils’ work is recorded using floor books (whole school), Google Classroom (KS1 and 2) and Earwig (EYFS). Teachers make a teacher assessment against the DT progression document termly on Insight. Extra-curricular opportunities for DT include STEM club and Kiddy Cook after school club.

English

“If you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write.” – Dr Martin Luther King

Intent – At Brooklands, language is at the heart of everything we teach. In order for children to access the curriculum, they must first have strong reading skills. In order to represent their ideas and their understanding, they must have strong writing skills. We aim to foster a love of reading and books in every child, and every child must leave our school being able to read fluently and represent their ideas clearly in writing. We aim for our children to enjoy playing with language through drama and poetry, and expressing their ideas in both oral and written form. As part of a strong reading culture, our children are exposed to a range of appropriate and aspirational texts and vocabulary that inspires a love of reading and of books. We aim for books and stories to take our children to far away places, to allow their imaginations to run wild and to see themselves as both readers and writers.   

Implementation – At Brooklands, we believe that early immersion in books and language gives children the best start in their education. From the very beginning of Early Years, children follow the Little Wandle daily phonics programme, which allows them to develop their early reading and spelling skills. This programme continues throughout KS1, until all children are secure in decoding, prosody and comprehension. Children who have completed the Little Wandle programme progress onto banded books, which further develop their knowledge of vocabulary and comprehension. We aim for children to be free readers by the end of Year 2. Children are also encouraged to develop a love of books, with regular visits to the school library and reading for pleasure events such as book fairs, book week, story workshops and author visits. Using the National Curriculum and medium term plans developed to take into account the context of our school, teachers plan and deliver daily English lessons that follow a teaching sequence of explore (reading texts, exploring language and analysing text features), construct (practising different sentence types, learning about grammatical structures and exploring author intent), and compose (shared, guided and independent writing and editing). Throughout EYFS, KS1 and KS2, we teach reading through the use of high quality picture books, novels, poetry texts and non-fiction books. This exposes children to a range of challenging texts and allows teachers to develop purposeful linked activities. Core texts are chosen for each year group from a comprehensive book spine and class sets of books allow children to access the texts and focus on the exploration of vocabulary in context. Audience and purpose are at the centre of our writing curriculum. Across EYFS, KS1 and KS2, children are taught how to write to entertain, write to inform, write to persuade and write to discuss. Within these units, grammar is taught in context and given a real life purpose where possible. Drama and speaking and listening are given a high profile within each unit, with children being encouraged to develop their oracy skills and express themselves articulately. Spelling is taught discretely, first through Little Wandle, and then using phonetic patterns from Year 2. Children have an opportunity to practise their spellings daily, with a weekly test allowing the teacher to identify gaps. Children learn to form their letters and print handwriting whilst following the Little Wandle programme and begin to join their handwriting from Year 2; this is practised regularly until children are fluent. Enrichment in English is provided through clubs such as drama and poetry club, book buddies between older and younger children, the opportunity to become junior librarians and running a popular book fair.

Geography

“Geography is about studying the complexity of our world, appreciating the diversity of cultures that exist …and using that knowledge to help bridge divides and bring people together.” – Barack Obama

Intent – At Brooklands, we believe it is essential for every child to understand our ever-changing and interconnected world. Our enquiry based curriculum is designed to promote curiosity and helps to provoke and provide answers to questions about the natural and human aspects of the world. We support our children to develop a greater understanding and knowledge of the world, as well as their role as global citizens within it. Our curriculum offers regular fieldwork opportunities so that our children develop an understanding of the impact of human development on the natural and physical world around them. By carrying out fieldwork, we intend to capture children’s natural curiosity about the world and what they observe, and to promote respect for the environment.

Implementation – At Brooklands, we teach the National Curriculum, supported by a progression document. This ensures that skills and knowledge are built year-on-year and sequenced appropriately to maximise learning for all children. We begin each geography unit by introducing an enquiry question, designed to promote curiosity. At regular points throughout the geography learning journey, the enquiry questions are reflected upon and teachers facilitate rich discussion around them to secure knowledge. Geography is taught weekly, and alternatives half-termly with history. Within each academic year, all year groups study a range of discrete geography and topics ensuring that our children receive a well-rounded teaching of the humanities subjects. Children have opportunities to investigate and interpret a range of geographical locations in Britain and across the wider world to allow for comparison and contrast with their own environment and experiences. This begins with our local area in Nursery and concludes with The Americas in Year 6. Key geographical knowledge and language (continents, countries, capital cities and oceans) are revisited frequently, to make learning memorable, relevant and easy to retrieve. We support learning with field trips to inspire our children and widen their cultural experiences. As well as trips, the school’s grounds and local area are fully utilised and opportunities for learning to take place outside the classroom are embedded in practise.

History

“A people without knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” – Marcus Garvey

Intent – At Brooklands, we intend for every child to leave our school with a strong understanding of the past, and how important events and eras of history have shaped the modern world in which we live. We want our learners to develop an inquisitive and curious mind about the past, creating a sense of awe and wonder. Children should leave our school being able to make strong links of the similarities and differences between the present and the past, and forecast how these events will shape our future. They will be able to act as historians, analysing primary and secondary sources materials, comparing a range of types of sources and drawing their own conclusions using evidence. They will see the value and interest in visiting places of historical significance and find fascination in the need to imagine what life was like in the past.

Implementation – History is taught weekly and on rotation with geography (the other humanities subject). The history curriculum has been personalised to challenge our children and expand their understanding of different eras. We have based our historical learning on the following themes: chronology, monarch and government, invasion and settlement, conflict and, key people, and events that shaped Britain and the wider world. In combination with the use of enquiry questions we are able to discover key historical figures, concepts and develop a critical toolkit for looking at different types of sources and cultural context. In addition to class based work, we also have whole school events such as jubilees, remembrance days and coronations which bring the school community together to commemorate and celebrate our local history. In EYFS, history skills are taught through ‘Understanding the world’ which links to their families and current events. In KS1 and KS2, history is covered through a creative curriculum, with a wealth of cross-curricular opportunities. Across the school, we also plan visits and visitors to enhance the learning experiences of all the childrenStaff work together to ensure the breadth of study is covered, while allowing the children’s interests and questions to shape the topic. Planning stems from our history curriculum overview which shows the progression of skills for children from Nursery to Year 6. Work is recorded by the children in numerous ways but primarily in topic books. Teachers make teacher assessments against the history progression document termly on Insight.

Inclusion

“Inclusion elevates all.” – Elaine Hall

Intent – At Brooklands, we are an inclusive school where every one of our pupils, whatever their attainment or needs, has equal opportunities to succeed and reach their full potential. Through the commitment of staff, high expectations and targeted adjustments, children are supported to be able to access learning, make progress and thrive. In all aspects of school life, children will feel confident, secure and valued, knowing that there is no limit to their ability to succeed. Working closely with families, educators and outside agencies, school staff provide appropriate, personalised support to each individual child.

Implementation – At Brooklands, the Inclusion Team, led by the Deputy Headteacher, promotes inclusion across school. The SENDCo is responsible for coordinating provision and support across school for all children, including those with special educational needs, through effective inclusion. Working closely with staff, outside agencies and parents, the SENDCo ensures high standards for all children to enable them to access the support they need, make progress and reach their potential. Teachers are accountable for all children in their class, including those with additional needs. Through high quality first teaching and carefully planned adjustments, teachers ensure learning is accessible for all children’s needs, so they are able to make progress with their learning. Teaching Assistants are well utilised, trained through weekly CPD and directed by class teachers to provide additional support, primarily in class but through well planned interventions with clear entrance and exit points. We are part of the National Tutoring Programme that provides additional post-pandemic catch up support for our most vulnerable pupils. Our Learning Mentor and School Counsellor work with children to support their emotional wellbeing, ensures can overcome emotional barriers to learning and make the best possible progress. Pupils with SEND are given priority for extra-curricular clubs and are given additional support to access these if barriers arise. School uses a range of professional services to supplement our offer including Educational Psychologists and Speech and Language therapists. This support ensures all children at Brooklands, whatever their needs, are valued, with high expectations to be the best they can be. 

Maths

 “Mathematics is, in its own way, the poetry of logical ideas.” – Albert Einstein

Intent – At Brooklands, we aim for all children to see connections between mathematical concepts, both within and beyond the study of maths. Pupils will develop a deep, conceptual understanding of the topic and be able to build on this, progressively, over time. We aim for all children to develop a love and appreciation of maths and see it not just as an ‘area of learning’ but a ‘way of thinking.’ We allow children the space to experiment with maths: to make mistakes, to explore alternative strategies and to overcome their own misconceptions, We believe this to be an essential part of learning and in order to build the confidence to challenge themselves with richer, more sophisticated mathematical problems.

Implementation – At Brooklands, the National Curriculum is taught through daily maths lessons. To support with planning, teachers use Master The Curriculum (EYFS) and White Rose Small Steps (Y1 – 6) to ensure progression as a guide to inform their teaching, but create their own individual plans to match the high starting points of our children. In conjunction with WRSS, teachers supplement their planning with Nrich, Focus, NCETM and Deeper Understanding materials. These additional resources ensure children are exposed to a wide and deep range of questions for each concept. Children’s conceptual understanding is developed by teaching children to work in concrete, pictorial and abstract manner, with the appropriate level of resource to support this learning. Pupils will access work that requires them to demonstrate fluency, reasoning and problem solving. This is a research based approach which teachers use not only to teach new concepts, but all children use to demonstrate ‘mastery’. We assess pupils termly using Insight and offer additional in and beyond class support as appropriate to support those falling behind. We celebrate and raise the profile of maths beyond our curriculum via STEM club, NSPCC Number Day and the SumDog maths competition.

Modern Foreign Languages (MFL)

 “One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages opens every door along the way” Frank Smith

Intent – At Brooklands, we believe that pupils should have access to a high quality language education that fosters their curiosity and deepens their understanding of the world. We are committed to ensuring that we lay the foundations for future language learning and the understanding of its culture in an enjoyable and motivating way. We hope to embed the essential skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing, which will enable children to express their ideas and thoughts in another language, and respond to its speakers, both in speech and writing. Alongside the acquisition of language skills, the children are regularly introduced to the culture and traditions of other countries, in order to increase their ‘cultural capital’.

Implementation – At Brooklands we believe that early immersion in a language will facilitate the learning of other foreign languages later in life. In EYFS, the children are introduced to a variety of Spanish games, vocabulary and common phrases. They sing songs and begin to understand the differences between languages. At KS1, they continue their language learning with weekly Spanish lessons. They are introduced to further basic vocabulary and phrases and begin to express themselves orally. In KS2 the children begin to learn French. They are taught all of the objectives of the National Curriculum through activities from the Primary Languages Network scheme of work. They express themselves orally, read simple sentences and begin to look at French spelling and grammar. Lessons in KS2 are taught by a native French speaking language assistant and language learning is regularly reinforced throughout the week by class teachers. This prepares the children for the KS3 language curriculum, to enable them to transfer confidently and successfully. In addition to the curriculum offer, we have a number of extra-curricular clubs. Weekly French and Spanish clubs in KS2 allow children to develop and practise their language skills, and BSL Club develops deaf awareness and teaches our children a non-verbal method of communication. During Mother Tongue Week, children are encouraged to meet and converse in their home languages, sharing them with each other.

Music

“Music is life itself.” – Louis Armstrong​

​Intent – At Brooklands, we intend for every child to have left our school having been instilled with a love of music. They will have the experience of listening to, appreciating, discussing, composing and performing music. They will have opportunity to discuss and explain their musical preferences. Children will learn about and compare different genres of music, using musical terminology. They will experience playing a range of percussion instruments and will have opportunity to play tuned instruments. They will develop their singing and have opportunity to perform regularly to an audience. 

​Implementation – At Brooklands, teachers use the Music Progression document, informed by Charanga, to plan and deliver weekly lessons. In Years 2, 4 and 6 pupils receive peripatetic music tuition provided by Trafford Music Service (WCIT). Pupils’ work is recorded via devices and uploaded onto Google Classroom and collated by the music leadership team on the music padlet. Teachers make a teacher assessment against the music progression document termly on Insight. Children take part in weekly singing assemblies in KS1 and KS2. Every child performs to a community audience at Christmas. EYFS and KS1 perform at Easter and Years 4-6 take part in a musical production in spring/summer term. We offer a range of extra-curricular opportunities for children in KS2 through the school choir and orchestra. The school choir perform regularly at a variety of events, including the Sale Festival, Young Voices and Walkden Gardens Christmas Fair. 1:1 peripatetic music tuition is offered by TMS (with a term’s funding for disadvantaged pupils), who teach a variety instruments in school. 

Physical Education (PE)

“An active mind cannot exist in an inactive body.” – General Patton

Intent – At Brooklands, we recognise the importance PE plays in the curriculum and are committed to providing all children with opportunities to engage fully in Physical Education. 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, strong physical literacy, 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. We are also fully committed to giving our children a broad extracurricular programme where children can extend their learning and competitive opportunities both in school and against other schools. We also intend for children to: be physically active for sustained periods of time and find enjoyment in physical activity; acquire and develop a variety of physical skills to promote a healthy lifestyle and posture; suggest how one’s own performance and that of others can be improved and find a sense of achievement and fulfilment; acquire knowledge and understanding of fitness and health; understand the need for safe practice in physical activities for self and equipment; understand and demonstrate the values of teamwork, co-operation, respect and fair play; engage in competitive sports and activities.

Implementation -At Brooklands, we implement this through twice weekly PE sessions covering two sporting disciplines each half term. Teachers follow the PE National Curriculum and progression grid, supported by the PE Planning scheme. Lessons fit into the following categories: invasion games, net & wall games, strike and field games, gymnastics, dance, swimming and outdoor & adventure. Our curriculum is further enriched through encouraging children to participate in a varied range of extra-curricular activities. We run a range of extra-curricular clubs including football, dodgeball, multi sports, netball, lacrosse, chess, cross-country, dance and many more. Through the Trafford Sports Partnership, Brooklands compete in at least 12 different inter-school sports competitions and festivals within the local area throughout the year. These sports include Quick Sticks hockey, Lacrosse, Football, Girls Football, Cricket, Cross Country, Handball, Dodgeball, Tag Rugby, Netball, Basketball, Orienteering, Tri-Golf and Tennis. Some events are targeted for competition and others for inclusion. By the time a child leaves in Year 6, they will have represented the school in at least one sporting tournament. Year 5 and 6 children are trained to become Sports Leaders or part of the Sports Crew, and act as sporting role models for the younger children, assisting with lunch-time clubs, our annual Sports Day and and other intra/inter school competitions. To ensure all children can swim a minimum of 25m, each Y4 class attend a 12 week block of one hour sessions at Sale Leisure Centre and school take part in a Trafford swimming gala. Sports premium is used to improve the provision of PE. This includes adding additional specialist coaching staff to support lessons and clubs, run practices and prepare for events and continued CPD opportunities for staff. The funding also covers transport to events and new equipment/sports kits. Each year group has at least 6 weeks of high quality PE delivered by external sports specialists currently in lacrosse, tag rugby, cricket and handball. To develop sportsmanship ‘Sale Sharks’ work with Year 3 pupils teaching the values of respect and fair play. This also includes a 6 week block of Tag Rugby taught by qualified rugby coaches for each class. There is also a half termly ‘Sportsmanship award’ for each KS2 class in the school.

PSHE including RSE (Personal, Social, Health & Emotional including Relationship & Sex Education)

 “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom” – Aristotle

Intent – At Brooklands, we intend to enable all our children to become healthy, confident, resilient, independent, responsible and kind individuals. As part of their PSHE lessons, hey will learn to appreciate what it means to be a positive and compassionate member of a diverse and multi-cultural society, identify characteristics of healthy relationships whilst developing the skills to safely navigate both the virtual and real world around them.

Implementation – At Brooklands, we implement this through weekly PSHE lessons. These may be discursive lessons such as circle times or philosophy sessions where pupils explore their understanding or feelings, or lessons where they learn discreet knowledge such as the effects of smoking on the body. Teachers use the PSHE progression document to plan and deliver creative and thought provoking lessons, informed by The PSHE Association’s Yasmine and Tom scheme of work. Pupils record their work via Google Classroom and examples are collated by the PSHE leadership team via the PSHE Padlet. Teachers make a teacher assessment against the PSHE progression document termly on Insight. PSHE works collaboratively with many other subjects from computing and science to PE and RE so that the children can make links to their learning and understanding. Throughout the year, children, staff and parents take an active role in many whole school events such as World Mental Health Day, Children’s Mental Health Week, Hello Yellow, Road Safety Awareness and Friendship Week (formerly Anti-Bullying Week). We teach children about relationships from Nursery up to Year 6. This does not involve promoting any type of relationship but that healthy relationships come in a range of different ways, as long as they are built on love and respect. As part of relationships, sex education is taught in a short block of lessons in the summer term of Years 5 and 6, from which parents have the right of removal and for which they will be given prior notice.

Religious Education (RE)

“Differences were meant not to divide but to enrich.” – JH Oldham

Intent – Religious Education has a significant contribution to make in our diverse school, with children from many different backgrounds and faith groups. RE explores big questions about life, in order to find out what people believe and what difference this makes to how they live, so that pupils can make sense of religion and worldviews, and reflect on their own ideas and ways of living. The Religious Education we deliver at Brooklands, helps our young people understand what it means to be human, encouraging empathy, generosity and compassion, leaving our school equipped to flourish as knowledgeable and tolerant citizens in a diverse society.

Implementation – At Brooklands, we implement this through weekly RE lessons. Teachers use the RE progression document to plan and deliver lessons, informed by SACRE Agreed Syllabus, along with their professional judgement. RE sessions consist of discussions, storytelling and drama, together with first hand experiences of artefacts, places of worship and visitors. Pupils’ work is recorded in a number of ways for example in books, on devices and floorbooks. It is collated by the RE leadership team on the RE padlet. Teachers make a teacher assessment against the RE progression document termly on Insight. We arrange a number of visits to places of worship throughout children’s time at school to further support their understanding.

Science

 “Science is magic that works.” – Dr Carl Sagan

Intent – At Brooklands, our intent is to ignite our children’s curiosity about the world around them, as well as develop an understanding of the uses and implications of science, today and for the future. Through fun and engaging science lessons, we encourage children to explore confidently in order to develop and deepen their understanding of the world in which they live, whilst acquiring specific skills and knowledge to help them to think scientifically. We believe that pupils need to acquire the key scientific knowledge to develop their understanding, combined with developing the skill of accurate scientific investigation through practical first-hand learning experiences.

Implementation – We implement this through the teaching of weekly science lessons where all children are given the opportunity to develop their independent scientific enquiry skills of: observing over time; pattern seeking; idenfitying, classifying and grouping; comparative and fair testing; and researching using secondary sources. Scientific enquiry skills are embedded in each topic of study and these are revisited and developed throughout their time at school. Beginning in EYFS, children form an understanding of the world in which we live and communicate these ideas. As they move through the school into Year 6, children are able to draw on previous areas of learning to explore more challenging scientific concepts and principles. Teachers use the science curriculum map to plan and deliver lessons, informed by National Curriculum and their own professional judgement. Teachers make links to other STEM subjects including mathematics, design and technology, PSHE and PE. In addition to science lessons, there are a range of whole school events such as British Science Week and Whole School Projects (e.g. We are Scientists) to immerse children in the world of science, whilst trips and visits from scientists allow children to learn and explore science beyond the classroom and as part of their everyday lives. STEM club allows those budding scientists to further develop their passion with likeminded enthusiasts.