Our curriculum consists of a number of exciting learning opportunities and activities which promote our trust motto ‘Learning. Together. For life.’ It is a rich, balanced and relevant programme of knowledge and skills, which fulfils all the requirements of the National Curriculum (which sets out the knowledge and skills to be taught in all state-funded schools in England - and is also available on this page of the Newham website), and which is structured to meet the needs of each and every child. In addition to our classroom-based teaching, our children participate in outdoor learning experiences, which support the development of self-esteem and life skills.
The way in which we teach our children can be summarised by the statements below, which set out the principles underpinning the curriculum and reflect our school's commitment to developing all aspects of our pupils' lives:
Parents are provided with paper copies of the published curriculum maps for each half term, which are also available as documents to review/download on this page.
The National Curriculum states that all schools must offer a curriculum which is balanced, and which promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school and in their wider community; and which prepares pupils at the school for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life.
Our teaching is arranged around discreet subjects, which are linked together through a theme for the term/half term. Each half-term’s teaching is thus structured using a ‘curriculum map’, the design of which (a) reflects the content of the National Curriculum (see below), and (b) challenges our children in their learning. Our teachers work across year groups, across phases, and with subject leaders to ensure that their teaching covers all aspects of the National Curriculum, and encourages and stretches our children in their learning. Teachers are supported and provided with both school based and external training in order to continue to develop their skills, on an ongoing basis.
As outlined in the links provided, all children from Year 1 to Year 6 are taught: English, Maths, Science, ICT, PE, Music, Art & Design, Design and Technology (DT), History and Geography. The Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum (for Nursery and Reception children) has its own curriculum page on the website.
We follow the Newham Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education (RE) and have reflection time every week to develop children's Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship (PSHCE) skills and understanding. Details of how we teach RE, and the link to the understanding of British values, are provided in a document to download on this page.
All aspects of our curriculum are supported by a programme of educational visits/school trips and extra-curricular events (a mixture of events held at school, in London and across the country). Parents are advised of the arrangements for these events in advance. Further details are available in the calendar on the website, which is updated on a termly basis.
Walking around our school, visitors notice it is a calm and focused learning environment. We firmly believe that children benefit from a purposeful and tranquil setting in which to learn.
At Portway there is a clear homework timetable (further details of which are provided on the Homework page of the website), and children are expected to practise and consolidate their learning from school at home, supported by their parents and carers. Newsletters are sent home to inform parents and carers about the term’s learning, school events and planned educational visits.
In addition, the Parents’ Area of the website contains both further information about our learning (i.e. a more detailed overview of the curriculum, class timetables and end of year targets for English and maths), as well as information for parents re how they can help support their children’s maths and reading at home.
We all have high expectations of our pupils. High standards of presentation and individual commitment are paramount at Portway. We believe that the classroom should reflect and celebrate the learning and teaching through large, bright and visually stimulating displays.
An overview of our curriculum, by year group and by subject, for the academic year, is provided as three documents to download on this page – for the autumn, spring and summer terms.
Additional details re our teaching of English and maths are provided below. Further information regarding our curriculum and the way in which it is taught is provided in our subject policies, copies of which are available under our Model Publication Scheme. Please contact the school office for further information.
The teaching of the National Curriculum for English at Portway consists of the following:
At Portway, more than 60% of our children use English as an additional language (EAL), and there are over 50 different languages spoken across the school.
The teaching of National Curriculum maths at Portway is designed to:
Children learn about measures, number and how to apply their numeracy skills. This is in addition to focussed teaching time that is set aside to reinforce the learning of times tables and mental arithmetic.
In Reception, the aim is to have prepared the children for a daily 45-minute maths lesson by the end of the Autumn term.
In lessons, children engage in:
Throughout school, we have incorporated the Maths Hubs programme to support and supplement the teaching and learning of mathematics.
Areas covered in the new primary curriculum (as at September 2014) are:
Finally, NPW (Newham Partnership Working) has put together a selection of websites that support the learning we do at school.