Art and Design at Falmouth Primary Academy is a creative and inspiring subject that aims to provide the opportunity for every pupil to reach their creative potential as an artist, whatever their ability.

Our curriculum is designed to immerse pupils in the work of local and international artists, who they will learn about and take inspiration from when creating their own works of art. Pupils will research and discuss the key ideas, techniques and practices of artists using the appropriate vocabulary and in reference to historical and cultural contexts. Each unit makes cross-curricular links with other subjects where possible to give pupils’ art a greater purpose and relevance.

Throughout their art career at Falmouth Primary Academy, pupils will have the experience of using a wide range of materials to develop and refine their skills and techniques in drawing, painting, printing and three-dimensional art. They will have the opportunity to experiment with a range of mark-making tools such as charcoal, pencils, pens, pastels and crayons as well as combining media such as fabric, paper and paints in collage to create a range of exciting artwork. Pupils will learn different printing techniques using paint and inks on paper and fabric. Drawing will be used to experiment, plan out ideas and make observations of photographs, real-life and others’ art as well to draw three-dimensional images using tone and shading as well as perspective. Pupils will be able to accurately mix colours and use appropriate brushes and techniques with water colours, gouache and acrylic.

Pupils will learn to think, work and speak like artists, critiquing their own and others’ artwork and using every opportunity to learn and improve on their creations as well as building on their skills over time to be competent and confident artists.

 

Our Computing curriculum focuses on the three core areas of:

• ICT (Using programs such as Office, internet browsers, Google tools etc)
• Computer science (Understanding how computers work and being able to code)
• Digital literacy (Being responsible and confident digital citizens)

We aim to give the children a broad and challenging Computing curriculum, which continually builds on skills they develop earlier in their school lives and also from what they encounter at home.  We recognise that computing is becoming more and more embedded into people's daily lives and so we must prepare our pupils to actively and successfully engage in this.

It is our intention that children at Falmouth Primary are confident in how to utilise the internet successfully to achieve whatever purpose they require it for.  However, we also want them to be capable of making decisions and analysing the suitability of different resources to ensure they stay safe.  The pace of technological change is now so swift that our children can actually be ambassadors to their peers, friends and family on how to stay safe online.

By engaging our children in a wide range of different computing tools we also aim for them to be capable of selecting the most appropriate for any learning activity they are set.  It is also important that they are able to understand the underlying mechanics of what happens when using digital resources, as well as how to manipulate these tools themselves such as by coding.  The modern workplace requires a greater knowledge of how to both use and control these tools, so we endeavour to give Falmouth Primary pupils a depth of experience to prepare them for this.

Computing features across our curriculum and includes exciting learning, like making stop-motion animations or coding.

 

 

Indigo and Turquoise used different apps to make gifs, added photos/text, as well as recording audio, to make advertisements to sell our products for the "Make £5 grow" project.

Our Year 5s and 6s completed the "Make £5 grow" project and as part of their final business proposal, produced Sway presentations to show their progress - click here to see a presentation about their project.

 

On this page you will find useful information related to the topics covered in DT across the school as well as the way in which skills progress in the subject throughout the school.

In DT, we provide opportunities for each child, in each topic, to design, make and evaluate their final product. They have opportunities to be innovative, creative and take risks. At Falmouth Primary Academy children create products with continuous evaluation throughout the process making necessary adaptations as they go through. Our curriculum is designed to expose the children to rich technical vocabulary throughout.

The intent of Design and Technology at Falmouth Primary Academy is for it to be a subject that inspires, is rigorous and practical. Design and Technology encourages curiosity and develops the children’s problem-solving skills. We encourage children to use their growth mindset to overcome and set backs during the process.

The Design and Technology curriculum is designed to develop the skills and knowledge as part of a spiral curriculum throughout the years. The children will build upon their skills and knowledge in each year. Design and Technology at Falmouth Primary Academy provides children with a range of experiences and opportunities. Throughout their time at school they will develop their skills in structures, food technology, electrical systems, mechanisms and textiles.  We aim to, wherever possible, link work to other subject areas such as mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art thereby enabling pupils to notice connections and patterns in their learning. We always give the children a target audience to design their products for so it is meaningful and relatable to real life experiences.

Implementation

The children at Falmouth Primary embrace the opportunities given to them during DT.  The overview below allows you to see what skills, knowledge and topics the children will cover across the year in each year group.

 

 

Writing

At Falmouth Primary Academy we work hard to instil a joy of language into the hearts and minds of all our pupils. We have found that the teaching of writing works best when it is embedded in speaking, listening and reading activities and tailor a range of strategies including Talk for Writing and story maps to deliver a writing curriculum that is skills based but aimed at developing vocabulary, stimulating creativity and giving the children the building blocks that they need to be able to write with purpose and accuracy. Handwriting and spelling are taught daily and children can work towards earning a ‘pen licence’ when handwriting is consistent, joined and legible. We link writing closely to the class guided reading book and class topic to ensure immersion in language and examples of techniques used by real authors in real books for children to ‘magpie’ – children can record these in magpie books to allow the children to build up a bank over time. Children need to have exposure to a wide range of stories and genres of writing to develop a structure to build upon and add their own ideas. 

Reading

At the heart of our curriculum is the development of reading. At Falmouth Primary Academy we are passionate and committed to raising the profile and attainment of reading throughout the school. We aim for the children to develop a love for literature and value the importance of reading as a gateway to a wealth of knowledge about the world around them. As well as the teaching of reading through synthetic phonics, we aim to develop each child’s comprehension skills through daily whole class reading lessons centred round high quality texts which link to the class topic and also provide a stimulus for writing.  These lessons focus on developing vocabulary, applying reading strategies, generating discussion and careful questioning to enable children to infer and deduct information from the text. Throughout their time at school, all children will experience a range of quality texts, from both current and classic authors and have the joy of exploring them in shared reading experiences with their peers. Teachers read aloud to the children daily to further develop a love of reading. 

Children are able to take home a reading book that is well matched to their reading ability. Children can also choose a book from the school library weekly which they can either read themselves or share with an adult at home. 

All classrooms have enticing book corners that display a range of texts, as well as a selection of carefully chosen stories and non-fiction books relating to the topic being taught. The children are encouraged to communicate their opinions about books they have read through book reviews and by commenting in their Reading Diary which is shared with their parent or carer and their class teachers. 

Special events in school such as Poetry Week and World Book Day play an integral role in fostering a love of reading. Authors and storytellers visit the school, children take part in workshops at school and at local organisations, visit the local bookshop and library and children and staff dress up as their favourite book character. 

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At Falmouth Primary Academy, we use the ‘Read Write Inc’ phonics programme designed by Ruth Miskin to teach early reading. The structured programme helps all children learn to read fluently and at speed so they can focus on developing their skills in comprehension, vocabulary and spelling. At the core of the programme is the lively and vigorous teaching of synthetic phonics. Children learn the 44 common sounds in the English language and how to sound-blend words for reading (decoding) at the same time as developing handwriting skills and spelling (encoding).

We have found that by using the Read Write Inc. programme, children experience success from the very beginning of their reading journey. Lively phonic books are then closely matched to their increasing knowledge of phonics and as children re-read stories their fluency increases. The stories include prompts to support thinking out loud and discussions, helping children develop the skills they need to be successful storytellers.

Read Write Inc. lessons are fun and engaging and all staff who deliver the reading sessions are fully trained. The lessons are taught daily and pupils are regularly assessed and grouped to enable appropriate challenge and pace throughout the programme.

 

At Falmouth Primary Academy we strive to give our pupils a life-long interest in the lives of other people from around the world, a sense of their own identity and an understanding of their responsibilities as a global citizen.

Our pupils are equipped with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes. As children move through school they deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes, and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments. Alongside this knowledge, children develop the skills to collect, analyse and communicate with a range of data gathered through experiences of fieldwork that deepen their understanding of geographical processes.

Through Geography, we are able to teach pupils about our ecological responsibilities; for example children learn about local threats to our coastline in year 3, the impact of global warming in year 5 and deforestation in year 6.

Topics all include opportunities for children to develop their enquiry skills. Pupils are taught to ask questions and learn more about other places by comparing different photographs, maps, charts, data, television programmes, Internet sites such as ‘Google Earth’ and by having first hand experiences. Fieldwork forms an important part of our geography learning and gives the children the opportunity to apply many of the skills that they have learned.

 

 

 

At Falmouth Primary Academy we aim to develop a child’s interest and curiosity in the past and increase their knowledge of different periods of history. Children should acquire an understanding of events in this country as a coherent, chronological narrative and gain an understanding of significant events in the wider world during their time here at school. All children will develop analytical and evaluative skills when learning about the past and understand the role that evidence plays in the making of historical claims. Children will have the opportunity to learn about a range of different historical periods and societies – from the ancient Egyptians, to Vikings, to the Tudors and the history of the 20^th century. Our history curriculum aims to impart knowledge of the past alongside the skills needed to interpret, compare, question and evaluate it.

To enrich our study of history, we regularly arrange school trips to places of interest connected to the topic being studied and also invite experts into school to share their knowledge.

 

 

 

Mathematics is taught through daily lessons. Carefully planned personalised learning activities ensure that expectations of the new National Curriculum are embedded. Children are encouraged to apply their skills in a variety of ways. Reasoning, fluency and problem solving is integral to our curriculum and ensures that children are applying their basic skills and knowledge in different contexts. There is a strong focus on learning and recalling number facts, multiplication and division facts. We endeavour to ensure that our children are confident and numerate mathematicians.

https://whiteroseeducation.com/resources/schemes-of-learning/primary-sols

KIRFs (Key Instant Recall Facts)

KIRFs (Key Instant Recall Facts) are designed to support the development of the mental skills that underpin much of the mathematics work in school. They are particularly useful when calculating, be it adding, subtracting, multiplying or dividing. 

Each year group is allocated up to six facts to focus on throughout the year, in line with age related expectations. It is important that they know these facts thoroughly and can recall them instantly. The KIRFs are designed to be a set of facts that need to be learnt thoroughly as they build on each other year on year. Again, we stress that the children must aim to know their KIRFs inside out, back to front and with instant recall. 

We strongly encourage you to engage with your children in the learning of their KIRFs and find fun and practical ways to do this. There are many online tools that you can use such as Times Table Rockstars for Years 2-6, Daily ten and Hit the button which can both be found through these web links.

Daily 10

Hit the Button

TTRS

 

Music is vital to life at Falmouth Primary Academy. Our music curriculum is based on the Charanga scheme of learning although some classes have chosen to adapt this to make closer links to their topic learning. Whole-school singing assemblies, events and productions help to maintain high standards of performance, creativity, enjoyment and pride in our achievements. Pupils take part in whole class instrument tuition and have the opportunity to take part in peripatetic music lessons. Our school choir sings at community events such as the Christmas lantern parade in Falmouth and has sung on local radio. Through music, we engage with each other and our wider community. We aim to foster a life-long love of music in all its forms. 

Physical Education

We use the PE PRO app to support the delivery of PE across the whole school. This programme develops core skills which are then applied in a variety of different team and individual sports. We ensure that children are active across the week, in a variety of different ways. PE is carefully planned and teaching is enhanced through the use of expert coaches across the different aspects of the curriculum. The school also offers a range of extracurricular sports clubs free of charge and physical education is an important part of our enrichment afternoons. We encourage the children to have a healthy lifestyle and we run a additional clubs at lunchtime for targeted children. The school works closely with other local primaries and takes part in a wide variety of inter school competitions and tournaments. We have two school halls and extensive school grounds which enables the children to have excellent facilities to support their PE curriculum. Swimming is currently available from Y2 upwards and we also partake in different watersports activities such as surfing, sailing and kayaking.

 

Falmouth Primary Academy follows the Cornwall Agreed Syllabus for the teaching of Religion and Worldviews.

What is Religion and Worldviews, and why do we learn about it?

Religion and Worldviews explores big questions about life; it finds out what different people believe and the difference this makes to how they live.

Religion and Worldviews helps us to make sense of religion and belief, reflecting on our own ideas and ways of living.

Our approach at Falmouth Primary Academy

Our approach to the teaching of Religion and Worldviews in Falmouth Primary Academy is built around the Cornwall Agreed Syllabus’ three main aims:

1. Making sense of a range of religious beliefs
2. Understanding the impact and significance of religious and non-religious beliefs
3. Making connections between religious and non-religious beliefs, concepts, practises and ideas

In our Reception classes, children will encounter Christianity and other faiths present in their local community. In Key Stage 1 children will start exploring Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, in more depth. They will expand their knowledge of these, alongside Hinduism, in Key Stage 2.

The Cornwall Agreed Syllabus uses a Spiral Curriculum approach – whereby pupils have the opportunity to revisit the same themes and religions. As they progress throughout the school, they will explore concepts at a deeper level and with increasing complexity. This enables pupils to consolidate and build upon their existing knowledge, whilst deepening their understanding and developing new skills.

We teach using a variety of exciting and engaging methods, which includes the use of drama and role play, stories, art and music. We provide opportunities for our pupils to go on educational visits and invite a range of visitors to the school to enhance their learning experiences.

Links to other subjects

Religion and Worldviews plays a key role in supporting our pupil’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, as well as providing important opportunities to explore British values.

Pupils’ literacy and oracy skills are promoted throughout all of our Religion and Worldviews lessons – with an opportunity to engage in a range of written tasks, alongside verbal discussions and debates.

At Falmouth Primary Academy we interweave many of our topic subjects throughout our delivery of Religion and Worldviews, including Computing, Art and Music, in order to ensure that experiences are engaging and meaningful for our pupils.

Collective Worship

At Falmouth Primary Academy there is a daily act of worship, which is either whole school or class/key stage based. This aims to make links with the themes explored within the Religion and Worldviews curriculum. We additionally provide opportunities for pupils to explore different festivals and celebrations throughout the year, and relate these to the religions that they are studying.

Right to withdraw

Whilst our approach to Religion and Worldviews encompasses a range of religious and non-religious viewpoints, parents have the right to withdraw their child from Religion and Worldviews lessons, or any part of the Religion and Worldviews curriculum. This must be requested in writing to the Headteacher.

At Falmouth Primary Academy we strive to provide a high-quality science education that develops children’s understanding of the world through the scientific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics.

In an ever changing world, where our children’s future jobs may not even exist yet, it is vital our children understand how science has already changed their lives and how it may shape future prosperity.

We seek to provide children with scientific knowledge, methodologies, and processes but also to give them the real world uses of this science. Our children are encouraged to recognise the power of rational explanation through exciting investigations, which build on their natural curiosity. They are expected to:

• Try to explain what is occurring;
• Use appropriate scientific vocabulary and ideas;
• Explain the ‘why?’

We provide a range of different types of scientific enquiry throughout children’s time at Falmouth Primary and also encourage open-ended questioning, where they decide how to try to find answer. It is important children are not always directly guided to the ‘right’ answer and they realise that some of the most significant scientific advancements occurred from mistakes or someone saying ‘What if…..?’

As well as using technical terminology accurately and precisely, children will also apply their mathematical knowledge to their understanding of science, including:

• collecting,
• presenting
• and analysing data.

We believe that as well as being able to understand a scientific enquiry for themselves, it is important our children can also explain this coherently and with a critical mind to someone else.

At Falmouth Primary we are passionate that a broad and balanced science education is the entitlement of all children, regardless of ethnic origin, gender, class, aptitude or disability. Enabling all children to access a scientific education should also encourage open-mindedness, self-assessment, perseverance and responsibility, which are skills they can apply in all walks of life.

In the words of Carl Sagan, an astronomer and astrophysicist, “Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our Year 5s have been using their scientific knowledge to create a book about the Vikings.

Viking materials

Click to read this book, made with Book Creator

https://read.bookcreator.com

Lobster class used their anchor task to draw together all of their learning this half-term about light and shadows. See the shadow puppet theatre shows created about their literacy film 'Tabula Rasa' - https://www.flexclip.com/share/d068c102a4c73b8643ab24af54558cb8.html

Lobster class have been exploring light and how shadows are formed.

 

Science Club

We have an active afterschool club to promote children's love and interest in science.  This half-term it has been KS1's turn.

Our slinky made a very strange sound when we wobbled it up and down!

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Since 2021, Falmouth has also been part of an Ogden Trust science partnership with seven other schools from across Kernow Learning.  The partnership offers funding and support to groups of schools that are committed to enhancing physics teaching and learning, in particular by raising the profile of science at Primary level through exciting and engaging activities.

The partnership works alongside Constantine, Leedstown, St Merryn, King Charles, Mabe, St Agnes and St Francis schools to conduct regular professional development for members of staff, to run competitions like creating posters for Spaceport Cornwall and operating science clubs to enthuse learners in every school.

In recent years, projects that have been funded by Ogden Trust and operated by the schools include:

• A whole school "Science Week" with our sister partnership, which is run across eleven other schools in Kernow Learning - This included whole school investigation, an online science fair and science competitions.
• Establishing Science Ambassadors in every school with responsibilities to support their classes and raise the profile of science.  Children also had the opportunity to receive training from an Ogden Trust representative alongside other Ambassadors from partnership schools.
• Funding science book clubs so that children have high-quality, engaging science texts to support their own interests and the learning happening in classes.
• Developing links with external providers such as secondary schools, colleges and universities to access their expertise and resources.

Our projects for this year include:

• Setting up science bags that can be resourced easily within school and then sent home for families to complete together, encouraging science learning and discussion.
• A Physics Olympics event with qualifying events in every school and then a "Grand Final" between teams from every Partnership school.
• Another "Science Week" across the entire trust with exciting competitions, events and visitors.

We were very excited to host our first ever Physics Olympics final with the aim of a team from one of seven schools winning the title of "Ogden Trust Falmouth Partnership Physics Olympics winners 2023".

The Falmouth team, including two children who stepped up on the day, competed admirably in four heats for:
- Tallest (Paper tower)
- Fastest (To empty 1.5l of water)
- Strongest (Boat to hold the weight of 5p coins)
- Longest (Marshmallow catapult)

All of the children showed skills in good communication, problem solving, working under pressure, perseverance and being creative in their learning.

Overall, Falmouth came a strong third and we pass our congratulations to Constantine Primary for taking home the title.

We are very proud to have had our recent Physics Olympics event shared nationally on the Ogden Trust website:

https://www.ogdentrust.com/about-us/news/tallest-fastest-strongest-longest/