Curriculum Statement:

From September 2022 the children of Ystruth Primary School will follow the framework of the New Welsh Curriculum. The Governing Body adopted the curriculum which has been devised by the school on Wednesday 25^th May 2022. The curriculum summary is available below. The curriculum must enable learners to make progress towards the four purposes, be broad and balanced and be suitable for learners of differing ages, abilities and aptitudes.

Covered in the curriculum are:

1. Mandatory Elements, which are;

• Religion, values and ethics.
• Relationships and sexuality education (RSE).
• Welsh.
• English

2. Mandatory Cross-curricular Skills, which must be embedded in any adopted curriculum of:

• Literacy
• Numeracy
• Digital competence

Curriculum topics studied at Ystruth will be based on values, ethics and children’s rights. They will be relevant to the child and centre on the rich heritage of Blaenau Gwent and Wales before moving to wider traditions of the United Kingdom, Europe and the World.

A broad-based curriculum has been devised to provide all children with a wide range of experiences in order to stimulate their interest and imagination. Emphasis is placed on the acquisition of reading, writing, listening, speaking, numeracy and digital competency skills taught through authentic experiences in six areas of learning.

Areas of Learning and Experiences are:

• Literacy, Languages and Communication [Welsh, English, Other Languages]
• Numeracy and Mathematics [Mathematics and the application of numbers]
• Science and Technology [Science, Information Communication Technology [ICT], Design and Technology]
• Humanities [History, Geography and Social Science]
• Expressive Arts [Art, Music, Dance and Drama]
• Health and Wellbeing [Physical Education, Personal, Social and Health Education]

Religious Education

Religious education is timetabled and taught discretely and in a thematic way where possible. In addition to this, we hold a daily act of worship. The school follows the S.A.C.R.E guidelines for collective worship. An act of collective worship takes place in school every day which is of a broadly Christian nature. Whole school assembly takes place on Monday and Friday. Separate Phase/ Class Acts of Worship take place on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Parents have the right to withdraw their children from collective worship and should inform the school in writing should they wish to do so. From time to time, we invite local people to lead an assembly.

Welsh and the Curriculum Cymraeg

We are proud to be a Welsh Primary School where Welsh is taught as a second language throughout the whole school and is used incidentally as part of the school day. Staff members attend courses on a regular basis to improve their Welsh. Use of the language is encouraged as widely as possible whenever and wherever appropriate. Children are encouraged to speak and follow instructions given in Welsh on a daily basis.

Our Welsh heritage is brought out in our weekly assembly with a Welsh theme, St David’s day celebrations and in many parts of our school curriculum.

Relationships and Sexuality Education [RSE]

The Welsh Government has designated this as a Mandatory Element of the curriculum. Primary schools have a graduated, developmentally appropriate programme of RSE tailored to the age and emotional maturity of the children. The content of this work is based around safe relationships. Children will learn appropriate language for body parts, including genitals, beginning in the nursery. Parents may discuss the teaching materials used.

Sports Activities

Our school has excellent grounds and we have a large grass pitch and two hard courts. There are a wide range of sports activities undertaken during the year where children represent the school. These include swimming, rugby, football, cricket, netball, rounders, athletics and cross-country. Any child taking part represents the school and this is recognised as a privilege equal to academic and artistic achievement. It also fosters team spirit and the development of skills. We aim to give children of all abilities the opportunity to participate in competitive events.

We allocate on average 2.0 hours per week in the curriculum to Physical Literacy and there are a number of opportunities to participate in PE in after-school clubs.

PE Kit

Pupils in Nursery and Reception take part in their school t-shirt and joggers or leggings. Sometimes they need daps and other times bare feet. No jewellery to be worn.

Years 1-6

Each child requires trainers, shorts, a T-shirt and a bag, all labelled with the child’s name. Sweatshirts or football/rugby tops and joggers may be worn for outdoor activities. No jewellery to be worn.

In the interests of health and safety, the LA policy states that children ought to be barefooted when participating in gymnastics and creative dance and wear no jewellery.

Swimming Kit

Pupils need a towel and a swimming costume. Girls are required to wear a full suit [not a bikini] and boys may wear swimming trunks or shorts [not board-shorts]. No jewellery is to be worn, and longer hair must be tied back.

Other Activities

We are committed to providing pupils with a range of creative opportunities. As a school, we provide a wide variety of social and cultural activities. Other pursuits include art, music (woodwind, percussion, brass, guitar and violin), drama, choir, outdoor education and working with computers. We arrange visits to theatres and other places of interest and performing groups also visit the school.

Additional Learning Needs [ALN]

Ystruth Primary School is an inclusive school. All children in the school with ALN have access to the Curriculum. Within every class there will be children with a wide range of abilities and staff prepare work to cater for the varying needs of these pupils.

The school works within the guidelines of the ALN Bill. We place a high emphasis on partnership between; parents, school and child. The school provides a graduated response to the needs of the child. The majority of children’s needs will be net using our Universal Provision.

If Universal Provision cannot meet the child’s needs then, as an initial step, the school will develop a one-page –profile in collaboration with the child and parents to establish appropriate Targeted provision, which includes an Action Plan.

If Targeted Provisions are not generating successful outcomes, we will need to conduct a Person Centred Planning Meeting with parents to establish the Focused provision required to overcome the barrier to learning for the child. This would be likely to involve contacting outside agencies to provide guidance to the school. On review of the Action Plan, using the Person Centred Planning process, the school would seek further additional advice from outside agencies. This would then generate a School Based Individual Development Plan.

Progress is reviewed regularly and decisions are made on how to proceed. This would constitute the child being supported using a School Based Individual Development Plan. If the child does not make sufficient progress, and parents and staff are still concerned, the school will refer the child to the Local Authority Additional Needs Panel to establish whether the child requires specialist provision. If the request is upheld, this would result in the Local Authority preparing and holding the child’s Individual Development Plan.

Ystruth Primary School Achieves Autism Friendly Status

At Ystruth Primary School we are committed to working in partnership with parents and pupils in providing the best possible education for all children. Every effort is made to support all children requiring provision. This includes very talented and able children as well, who may also require additional support.

The school is on multiple levels. However, should the need arise, we would be able to accommodate pupils with disabilities as there is a lift and ramps available to move between the main parts of the building.

The Accessibility Plan seeks to deal with any such eventuality.

A copy of the ALN Policy is available on request at the office and on the school’s website.

More able and Talented Pupils

At Ystruth Primary School we recognise that we have more able and talented children. Individual children are encouraged to develop their attributes, skills and potential within a learning environment that embraces equality of opportunity and provision. Abilities and talents will emerge in a wide range of subjects and fields: it is important to develop the whole child. Schools and individuals can thrive in a culture of ambition and aspiration.

Definitions:

• More able children would demonstrate a higher ability than average for the class and would often require differentiated tasks and opportunities to learn through challenges;
• Most able children will be working at two levels above the majority of children in the class and would sometimes require additional and different provision. This would be supported by an Individual DevelopmentPlan (IDP);
• Talented children demonstrate an innate talent or skill in creative, cultural or sporting fields.

Records

The school collects information about pupils and their parents/carers on admission to the school and for specific purposes during the school year. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy and security of the data collected, which is generally stored on the school’s computerised management information system. Individuals have certain rights of access to personal information held on them.

If you wish to see your child’s records, please make an appointment to see the Headteacher.

 

PDG Funding has been spent on targeting enrichment activities. There has also been a focus on developing literacy, numeracy and digital competency skills