We have worked hard to make sure our school curriculum is rigourous, ambitious and appropriately challenging. We want it to open doors for our pupils in terms of opportunities and mindset. 

Below, you can find information on our curriculum and each of the subjects within it. If you would like to know more, please contact the school office and the subject or curriculum lead will arrange a discussion with you.

Subjects

Click below for information on each of our subjects including the vision for that subject, what is covered in each year group and how knowledge and skills progress across year groups.

Assessment

Assessment is a crucial part of teaching and learning. It is how we know what the children have understood and remembered so that we can adjust our planning and teaching accordingly. This results in greater retention of taught material. 

Assessment for Learning 

We assess the children during every lesson, adapting tasks and resources to support and stretch. Assessment helps us to tailor questions to ensure clarity and to develop deeper thinking.  During the lesson the children's work will be marked 'in the moment' and feedback will be given to support or to move the learning on, this might be verbal or written. 

Marking and Feedback 

Teachers mark books inline with our policy, focussing on basic skills such as punctuation, spelling and calculation errors. Sometimes pupils will mark their own (self) or the work of others (peer), allowing them to reflect on their own learning and next steps. Teachers will over all books if self or peer assessment has taken place. 

Pupil Progress Tracking 

At the beginning of each academic year, each child is set an end of year target, this is aspirational and is based on the previous year's assessment grade and what the current teacher feels they may achieve. 

Grades used to assess in years 1-6 : 

GDS - working above the expected standard

EXS - working at the expected standard 

WTS -  working towards the expected standard 

BLW (year) - working below the expected standard (this numbers explains which year group the child is working at) 

For children with specific SEN needs,  we assess using the Sandwell Assessment Tracker, this allows us to tracker smaller steps of progress - if your child is assessed in this way, we will provide you with the framework. 

Each term, data is submitted by teachers in our SIMS system. The data is moderated across key stages and is checked by leaders. We also work with local schools to ensure our moderation is accurate. 

Once the data has been submitted and agreed, pupil progress meetings are held between the class teacher and a member of the senior leadership team. Each child's progress  is discussed, especially any child who is not on track to meet their end of year target. Plans are made for specific interventions or support that may be required, which is recorded and then checked on by leaders. 

Parents 

Parents are informed about their child's attainment and progress in a number of ways. 

Autumn Term - Parent's evening is held the week before half term. 

Spring Term - A report card is sent to parents of children in years 1-6, with their child's yearly target and current Autumn level in reading, writing and maths. Parents are informed if their child has made expected, better than or less than expected progress in the Autumn term. 

Spring Term - Parent's evening is held the week before half term, this is where the report card can be discussed. 

Summer Term 1 - A report card is sent to parents of children in years 1-6, with their child's yearly target and current Spring level in reading, writing and maths. Parents are informed of their child has made expected, better than or less than expected progress in the Spring term. Parents are able to arrange a meeting with the class teacher if they have any concerns about their child's progress. 

Summer Term - A full yearly report is sent to parents, this will include attainment data for all subjects, along with a written comment and effort grade for reading, writing and maths. Next steps are also included to inform parents about how they can help at home. 

This report will also include the results of any statutory tests that have been taken and a written personal comment about the child's general attitude to school, their strengths and areas for development. 

Summer Term - A less formal parent's evening is held for any parent who wishes to discuss their child's end of year report, these meetings are booked directly with the class teacher. 

We encourage parents to approach teachers during the year if they have any concerns about their child's attainment or progress. Teachers can be spoken to at the end of the day at collection, or a meeting can be arranged via the school office. 

Formal Testing 

The following statutory assessments are carried out in school each year: 

Reception

An initial baseline assessment in the first 6 weeks of school is carried out. Then an end of year judgement for each area is given, a child can be considered 'emerging' or 'expected' . A Good Level of Development refers to a summative assessment judgement which is made for each child at the end of the Reception year. It is a measure of attainment, not progress.  A ‘good level of development’ or GLD is defined as reaching the expected level in the prime areas of learning (along with specific aspects of mathematics and literacy).

Year 1

Phonics screening test, this is 40 words to read, some are 'alien' words to test phonics knowledge and application. A children usually needs to  score 32 to be considered 'at the expected standard'. 

Year 2

Phonics re-screening for any new children or for those that did not meet the expected standard in year 1. We no longer do SATS in year 2.  

Year 4

Multiplication Tables Check, this is an online test. Children need to quickly answer 25 times tables questions e.g. 6x5. The questions test knowledge of times tables facts up to 12x12. There is no pass mark for this test, school report how many children scored 100% and our average score. 

Year 6

SATs tests for Reading, Maths and Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling. Writing and Science are assessed by the class teacher. If a child is working below the standards of the Key Stage 2 tests, they will be teacher assessed using the Pre-Key Stage Standards.  A child with significant needs, who cannot access Key Stage 1 standards, will be assessed using The Engagement Model.  

The results of all formal assessments will be included in your child's end of year report. 

Age-Related Expectations

Below are links to support you with knowing what your child needs to be able to do to meet the age-related expectations. There are national frameworks at the end of Key Stage 1 (year 2) and Key Stage 2 (year 6) which are useful indicators of some of the key skills your child should have. 

We have also provided a number of maths resources for each age which give visual representations of some of the concepts they should know and will provide good practise prompts to check their understanding. 

Please click on the relevant age group for more information.

National Curriculum

St Martin's follows the National Curriculum. This provides the guidance about the content to be covered in each subject area. To view the National Curriculum, click below.

Remote Learning

If school is closed for any reason e.g. snow, flood, no heating, the following will apply. 

Day 1 - parents to use pre-existing links to Numbots, TTRockstars, Oak Academy resources 

Day 2 - the teacher will spend links to specific work to be completed via Class Dojo 

Day 3 - Live teaching will begin on Microsoft Teams 

Should school need to close for a longer amount of time, live teaching on teams will continue, with specific tasks being set to be inline with a 'normal' school day of around 4 hours of teaching.