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At Willow Tree Primary School we pride ourselves in offering our pupils the highest quality education with pupils’ learning at the heart of everything we do. We have designed our curriculum to be broad and balanced and equip pupils with the skills necessary to succeed in life after school. We believe that every child deserves an education which is relevant, engaging and provides a solid foundation on which to build on; one which offers pupils opportunities to grow as individuals as well as life-long learners, and one that meets the needs of all children irrespective of gender, disadvantage, disability, SEN, ethnicity, religion or legal status. The underlying philosophy guided by our mission and values is all pupils can learn, achieve and succeed. Gorton Primary School provides all pupils with a strong foundation for learning, ensuring they are well prepared for the next stage in their journey. At the core of our curriculum are the 8 personal learning goals, which underpins all that we do. Below is a full overview of the year 2 curriculum.
At Willow Tree Primary School we use Power Maths as our scheme of work. For a detailed overview of the Year 2 Maths curriculum please click on the link below.
At Willow Tree Primary School we use Read Write Inc as our scheme of work, combined with age appropriate quality texts by well known authors to support pupils in their reading and writing. For a detailed overview of the Year 2 English curriculum please click on the link below.
The International Early Years Curriculum (IEYC) and the International Primary Curriculum (IPC) are curriculum models based on thematic units that cover Nursery to Y6. Today’s children face more diverse challenges and opportunities than any other generation before them: climate change, political change, inequality, migration, an accelerating pace of technology and access to more information than ever before are just some of the issues that out children will face in their lives.
The Vision and Philosophy of the International Curriculum
Aim: the International Curriculum aims to improve learning in schools by supporting teachers and leaders through the provision of internationally researched curriculum materials and engaging units of learning.
Philosophy: central to the international curriculum is the belief in, and commitment to, the holistic development of learners through enjoyable academic, personal and international learning that prepares them for opportunities and challenges now and in the future.
At Willow Tree Primary School, the aim and the philosophy of the International Curriculum fits with our own school vision of ‘achieving excellence together’ where we offer an engaging curriculum where our children can foster a passion for learning and curiosity that will help to develop high aspirations and a lifetime of opportunities.
Seven Foundations of the IPC
The IPC is designed and driven by underpinning foundations that ensure the curriculum remains learning focused and puts the goal of improving learning at the centre of what we do. The following seven underpinning foundations from the structure of the IPC.
Each of the seven foundations for learning are exemplified below. Further detailed information can be found in the IPC Curriculum Guide 2020 to 2026.
Foundation 1: Learner-focused personal, international and subject learning goals
Learning should be at the core of what every good school does, and the overarching question that IPC asks is ‘how does this improve learning?’ The subject learning goals covered the knowledge, skills and understanding that children should learn across a range of subjects. The eight personal learning goals are integral to the IPC. The aim of the personal learning Goals is to develop character and attitudes rather than knowledge, skills and understanding. The development of an inquisitive mind and a sense of curiosity about the world and its people is essential for international learning. The international learning goals help learners begin the move towards increasing their knowledge and understanding of national, international, global and intercultural perspectives on the world around them whilst developing the capacity to take action and make a difference.
Foundation 2: A progressive pedagogy
A key part of the IPC focuses on brain-based learning. The IPC recognises that we have two types of memory: the working memory and the long-term memory. The IPC units of learning work on the theory of children being able to extract prior learning and apply this to new learning as they complete the units of work across the year groups. The international curriculum has been designed to promote the use of a constructive pedagogy in classrooms whereby learners connect new knowledge to prior knowledge and are actively engaged in constructing their own understanding. The Knowledge Harvest enables children the opportunity to share what they already know about the upcoming learning so that it can be tailored accordingly to their needs. It also supports the strengthening of neuronal connections by helping learners to make links between new and existing learning.
Foundation 3: A process to facilitate learning for all
All IPC units follow the process to facilitate learning with a learner at the centre, which is structured to make sure that children’s learning experiences are stimulating and therefore effective. The key parts of the process include: Entry Point, Knowledge Harvest, Explaining the Theme, Research, Record, Reflect and the Exit Point, all underpinned by assessment for improving learning. The process to facilitate learning is repeated many times through an academic year, providing familiarity and routine to children’s learning journeys.
Foundation 4: Globally competent learners
In order for children who learn through the International Curriculum to become engaged globally, competent citizens, it is crucial for them to develop not only a strong interest in their own and others cultures and a deep understanding of multiple perspectives, but also a keen desire to help shape local and global communities through actions that impact positively on society. Being globally aware starts in our own school community before expanding to the local area and then further afield to the UK and more globally. All units within the International Curriculum cover an international dimension to allow the children to reflect, deepen their understanding of the world in which they live.
Foundation 5: Knowledge, skills, and understanding are taught, learned and assessed differently
Across the international curriculum, Knowledge, skills and understanding are all considered valuable. All of the Knowledge Learning Goals start with ‘to know’, all of the Skills Learning Goals start with ‘be able to’ and all of the Understanding Learning Goals start with ‘understand’. Icons for knowledge, skills, and understanding are shared with children along with the definitions for each.
| KNOWLEDGE |  |
Definition: We think of knowledge as ‘knowing that’ | Characteristics of knowledge: Knowledge can be new or consolidated. Knowledge is continually expanding and can change as new discoveries are made. |
| SKILLS |  |
Definition: We think of skills as ‘being able to do something’
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Characteristics of skills: Skills are learnt in a practical way; they can be new or consolidated. We define developmental stages of acquiring skills as ‘Beginning, Developing, Mastering and Innovating’. |
| UNDERSTANDING |  |
Definition: We think of understanding as making meaning
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Characteristics of understanding: Understanding is personal and connections have to be made actively by the learner in order to make meaning. Multiple opportunities should be offered for learners to develop and demonstrate their understanding. Understanding includes components of knowledge, skills
and experience.
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Foundation 6: Connected Learning
The international curriculum promotes connected learning in a variety of ways. Learning is interdependent through connecting ideas to subjects and between subjects and prior learning to current learning so that the connections in the brain are reinforced. In the IPC subjects are built independently and interdependently into different thematic units of learning so that learners can engage in dialogue from different viewpoints. This enables children to see the wider context of their learning and to make connections both through and across different subjects.
Foundation 7: Assessment for improving learning
Whilst teachers are expected to plan for assessment opportunities, the reality is that learner performance, interactions and questions provide a constant stream of important information that the teacher should be using on an ongoing basis to inform future planning. Assessment for improving learning involves teachers and learners becoming partners in learning, helping teachers to further develop the knowledge, skills and understanding of their learners. Knowledge is assessed in a range of ways. This might include the Knowledge Harvest, quizzes, question and answer sessions. Skills are assessed through rubrics.
For more information on our IPC topics for Year 2, please click the links below.
Knowledge organisers are a summary of the key facts and essential knowledge that pupils need about a unit of work or a curriculum subject. At Gorton Primary School we use a topic based approach to teach our foundation subjects. Below are the knowledge organisers for these topics.