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Our Curriculum - Whole School Overview
P.S.H.E at Orchard Academy
PSHE helps to give pupils the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to lead confident, healthy independent lives and to become informed, active and responsible citizens. Drugs Education and Sex and Relationship Education are part of PSHE teaching.
At Orchard Academy, we are proud to teach Jigsaw PSHE. Jigsaw is a mindful and child-centred approach to PSHE. It is an original and comprehensive scheme of learning which integrates personal, social, health and economic education with emphasis on emotional literacy, mental health and SMSC, especially spiritual development. We teach PSHE lessons weekly across our school on classes. These lessons are delivered by the child's class teacher.
Jigsaw aims to help children know and value who they really are and how they relate to other people in this ever-changing world.
Information for Parents
Jigsaw information leaflet for Parents and Carers
Jigsaw Sex and Relationship Education (SRE) information for Parents and Carers
Orchard Academy Relationship and Health Education (RHE) Policy
Relationships and health education (RHE) for primary aged pupils and relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) for secondary aged pupils becomes compulsory from September 2020, and schools are expected to start teaching by at least the start of the summer term 2021. We have we been covering this at Orchard for the last three years.
Relationship and Health Education (RHE) Government Guidance
PSHE Overviews (By Year Group)
British Values
Jigsaw PSHE helps promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.
British Values coverage by Year Group
Mathematics at Orcard Academy
Maths is taught daily across the school and focuses on equipping children with a deep, conceptual understanding of maths, rather than just a rule of set of procedures. In Years 3 and 4 maths is taught in mixed ability classes with lessons delivered by class teachers. In year 5 and 6 children work in ability groups.
Year 5 Overview Year 6 Overview
English at Orchard Academy
Across the school, we do everything we can to foster a love of reading and have invested money in ensuring that we have a fantastic range of high quality texts. English lessons are taught every day by class teachers in mixed ability classes. In addition to daily English lessons, children have 3 hours of Power of Reading lessons, daily Reading for Pleasure sessions and shorter spelling and grammar lessons.
Physical Education at Orchard Academy
At Orchard Academy, we believe it is important that children are able to keep active and healthy. This helps them to be successful with their learning. All children take part in 2 PE lessons each week, both inside and outside. ALl lessons are delivered by our specialist PE teachers, or Sports Coach.
Through our teaching of PE, we will provide opportunities for pupils to develop values and transferrable life skills such as fairness and respect as well as providing them with opportunities to take part in competitive sport.
All children in Year 4 will spend one term going swimming where they will learn to swim. These lessons are delivered by qualified swimming instructors with the support of our PE staff.
PE Overviews (By Year Group)
Year 3 Overview
Year 4 Overview
Year 5 Overview
Year 6 Overview
Science at Orchard Academy
Through our Science lessons, we will be developing children’s ideas and ways of working which enable them to make sense of the world through investigation, as well as using and applying process skills. Our teachers ensure that all children are exposed to high quality teaching and learning experiences, allowing them to explore their outdoor environment and their locality, thus maturing their scientific enquiry and investigative skills. These skills are embedded in each topic and the topics are revisited and expanded as the children journey through school.
To support children with increasing their scientific knowledge, we use 'Developing Experts'. All children have access to this website and teachers use it to support them in their lessons.
CLICK HERE to visit Developing Experts website
Science Overviews (By Year Group)
Science Knowledge Organisers
Year 4 Autumn Term (States of Matter)
Year 5 Autumn Term (Properties and Changes of Materials)
M.F.L at Orchard Academy
In our school we have chosen to teach French as our Modern Foreign Language, which is taught by our French teacher (a native speaker). The teaching of French at Orchard Academy will provide children with the opportunity to develop an interest in learning other languages in a way that is enjoyable and stimulating. We embed the skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing to enable the children to use and apply their French in a variety of contexts and the support the foundations for future learning.
All of our children across the school have 1 French lesson per week delivered by our specialist French teacher.
In order to support children with learning a second language, we use the following language mats. These can be used at home to reinforce the children's learning.
Autumn Term Language Mats
History at Orchard Academy
History is a subject where we really encourage children to use their learning muscles, especially their curiosity muscle. We want to help children become curious about the past and ask lots of questions to help them explore what the past was like. Our history units are structured in a way which builds chronology and helps children secure a good understanding of the changes over time. Our lessons are taught weekly and we include a retrieval quiz at the start of each lesson to help children recall key historical information, dates and events throughout history.
History Overviews (By Year Group)
History Knowledge Organisers
Year 3 Autumn Term (Stone Age to the Iron Age)
Year 4 Autumn Term (Ancient Greece)
Year 5 Autumn Term (The Saxons and Viking Struggle)
Year 6 Autumn Term (The Blitz)
Geography at Orchard Academy
At Orchard Academy, we teach our Geography in blocks starting in the Summer Term. We are currently in the process of reviewing and updating our Geography curriculum. More information will be shared soon.
Geography Overviews (By Year Group)
Year 3 Overview
Year 4 Overview
Year 5 Overview
Year 6 Overview
Geography Knowledge Organisers
Year 3 - in progress
Year 4 - in progress
Year 5 - in progress
Year 6 - in progress
Religious Education at Orchard Academy
Religious Education supports the promotion of community cohesion and plays a major role in helping pupils understand diversity and develop respect for the beliefs and cultures of others. We promote pupils’ spiritual development by allowing children to reflect on the implications of religion and belief for their own lives. Learning about religion and belief helps children to explore the nature of religion. Whilst learning from religion and belief allows them to reflect on and respond to their own experiences.
Throughout children's time with us at Orchard, they will have opportunities to learn about all of the main religions; Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism.
Parents/carers are able to withdraw their child from RE or collective worship but must discuss this with the Headteacher beforehand and in writing.
Religious Education Overviews (By Year Group)
Computing at Orchard Academy
Computing lessons at Orchard are taught weekly to all classes. We have a good supply of laptops and i-pads so that children are able to work on thieir own device in their lessons. We follow the Rising Stars 'Switched on Computing' scheme.
We aim to develop children’s ability to creatively communicate and present their ideas; learn to programme for different purposes and adapt to emerging technologies.E-safety is woven through our curriculum ensuring children develop responsible attitudes to digital life, preparing them for the 21st Century.
Computing Overviews (By Year Group)
Internet Safety
CLICK HERE for details about our E-Safety curriculum
Art at Orchard Academy
Art Overviews
Design Technology at Orchard Academy
DT at Orchard provides chidlren with an opportunity to be creative, solve problems and think critically to design, make and evaluate products for a variety of different purposes and users.
Children in all year grousp across the school are taught DT lessons on a rotation with their art lessons. DT is taught as one block per term, which covers all aspects of the DT curriculum.
Design Technology Overviews (By Year Group)
Music at Orchard Academy
Music Overviews (By Year Group)
Year 3 Overview
Year 4 Overview
Year 5 Overview
Year 6 Overview
Enriching the Curriculum at Orchard
