Autumn 2020 Recovery Curriculum

Guiding Principles 

• Keeping everyone safe – during the Coronavirus pandemic it is important that we follow our agreed risk assessments. As with all work we undertake, ensuring pupil and others are safe remains our first priority and guides the approach we take with individuals, groups or families as required. To follow all safeguarding practice in line with our school and locally agreed policies.
• Wellbeing - ensuring regular contact for children and young people with a key adult from school who knows them well, to talk about their wellbeing; to share experiences during lockdown, including successes and challenges; to offer compassion and individual support as required; and to support engagement with learning.
• Curriculum rationale - using the National Curriculum as our guiding tool to support the curriculum rationale, with an early focus on reconnection in the initial stage of returning to school. Periodic review of the curriculum rationale during the recovery phase will help to ensure the curriculum is shaped locally and takes account of children and their families’ circumstances.
• Broad and balanced - focusing on learning across literacy (particularly early reading and phonics), numeracy and health and wellbeing will be the initial priority with increasing learning experiences across all curriculum areas. There will be no narrowing of the curriculum. Cross curricular linked themes can help learners’ experiences and activities.
• Adapting to meet pupils’ needs - adaptation of the timetable and approaches taken, including any blended learning provision, provides opportunities for teachers and other adults to deliver learning appropriate to the needs of the learners. This approach can be adapted over time as resilience of learners builds.
• Age-appropriate - ensuring that the curriculum remains, for the vast majority, age appropriate and that any foreseen gaps in skills or knowledge are addressed at the start of any new aspects of learning. Our overarching aim is that every child will achieve to the highest standard possible, whilst accepting that there will have been vastly different experiences of engagement with learning.
• Igniting curiosity - providing opportunities for children to develop a sense of curiosity, inquisitiveness and excitement in their learning by providing opportunities that ignite this passion and thirst for knowledge.
• High-quality activities - ensuring regular access for learners to high quality activities through working with teachers and practitioners in school and remote learning at home, in line with the curriculum to reflect local circumstances.
• Communications - maximising opportunities for communications and dialogue with children and their families, gaining pupil voice around their learning needs and continuing to build relationships and resilience.
• Learning plans - play and outdoor learning will be factored into learning plans and approaches - including opportunities for learners to be physically active, to enjoy and learn about their natural environment, and to relax.
• Developing skills - focusing on promoting and developing skills that will increase children and young people’s abilities to learn remotely and identifying opportunities to develop future skills that will help equip them for the uncertainties of the future.
• Assessment/gaps - supporting children and young people through a variety of approaches to demonstrate their learning, skills, knowledge and understanding across the curriculum, e.g. through discussions, writing, reflection, observation and practical activities. Evidence should be collected in a sensitive way that does not include potentially stressful approaches to assessment. Formal tests may not be the most appropriate approach to assessment during the early Recovery Phase.
• Achievements - working with learners and their families in drawing together evidence of learning to begin to determine children’s achievements together with their next steps in learning.
• SEND and Disadvantaged - recognising that children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and those with SEND may have faced multiple barriers to learning over the period of the school closures. Applying the principle of equity, consider how to provide additional and appropriate support where it is most needed in order to maximise engagement with learning and continue the work to close the poverty or learning related attainment gap.
• PSHE/RE - setting out a clear statement of intent to prioritise the physical, mental and emotional wellbeing of children and young people, practitioners and families in line with the new PSHE/RSE curriculum. Recognition that good health, wellbeing and strong relationships is fundamental to ensuring that children and young people can engage effectively in their learning.
• Zones of Regulation - Building on the significant work already in place in school around positive behaviour, to use zones of regulation and mindfulness to support all children and staff in ensuring all work is a safe, calm and purposeful environment.
• New starters and transition - ensure that all new starters, including those EYFS pupils transitioning into school have a clear package of support, the learning needs are swiftly addressed and appropriate support is in place to ease a smooth transition into school.
• Support for all staff - provide appropriate emotional and professional support, training, CPD and guidance to staff to understand the new ways of working to ensure they and others they work with remain safe and well and are best equipped to undertake their role.
• Catch up funding - utilise any additional resources, including expenditure of any catch up funding, appropriately in order to maximise its impact on the outcomes for learners. Ensure all required accountability measures associated with additional resources demonstrate impact.
• Challenge and support - ensure the Trust and the Governing Board, are clear about the actions being taken, the resources being deployed and the intended outcomes of the recovery curriculum are understood. In turn they hold Trust and school leaders to account for their actions.