The 7Cs: A way for us to support the development of positive learning behaviours within the delivery of our Kyson Curriculum Tree.
Curriculum
The Kyson Curriculum
The Kyson Curriculum Tree sets out our curriculum offer. Our curriculum offer was fashioned in 2019 and came about following extensive reading and research as a tool to drive our curriculum forward. Particularly we have adopted aspects from The Learning Rainforest, by Tom Sherrington. Our curriculum offer has been tweaked and adjusted over the last 5 years to ensure robust coverage and progression to support both Kyson children and teachers.
The Kyson Curriculum Tree illustrates our curriculum offer; it is a metaphor for the learning experiences of an individual Kyson child, taking into consideration three key features:
- their development as a person and learner (their roots);
- their acquisition of curriculum knowledge (their trunk);
- their participation in enriching experiences (their crown).
At Kyson, we understand that every individual is unique and therefore each tree may look different. Collectively each tree represents the forest that represents the school.
Our Kyson Curriculum Tree is showcased at the front of the school; each child in the school has made their own contribution by designing a bespoke leaf to them.
Our curriculum is designed to help Kyson children succeed in The National Curriculum and beyond and is summarised by our vision ‘give them roots to grow and wings to fly’.
The Kyson Curriculum Roots - Developing as People and Learners:
- Healthy and Active
Daily mile, encouraging drinking water, healthy lunches
- The Kyson Way – Values for life
Kindness, courtesy, respect, consideration for others
- A Strong Moral Compass
Sense of community, global awareness, British values, spiritual awareness
- The Kyson 7 Cs
Curriculum, Control, Coordination, Communication, Cognition, Compassion, Creativity
The Kyson Curriculum Trunk – Acquisition of Curriculum Knowledge
Our curriculum sets high expectations and suitable challenges across The National Curriculum.
- We researched best-practice and made a strategic decision in 2019 to move from a topic-based curriculum to a subject-based curriculum. We now teach subjects within their own domain – pedagogical content knowledge. For example, we teach the knowledge of Geography within a Geography lesson, rather than within a topic-based approach.
- We have mapped out curriculum coverage across the school and made aspirational choices that come from our schemes of learning; this is illustrated through each year group’s Long Term Plans. Our long-term planning ensures we have a spread of subjects being taught across each half-term; this has been tweaked and developed to ensure efficiency in coverage while supporting teachers in delivery management.
- Our curriculum is broad and balanced, exposing children to the best that has been thought and said. It provides children with the skills, knowledge and understanding they need to develop into well-rounded, informed individuals. Our children experience a rich diet of learning.
- In our curriculum, we ensure we give opportunities for our children to experience a wide range of subjects; this is helped by our specialist teachers timetabled into lessons throughout the school.
- Cross-curricular links are made where appropriate.
- Curriculum days / weeks in various subject ensure to boost coverage and experiences for the children, i.e. science week.
- Our curriculum gives children the opportunity to learn the essential knowledge they need to become educated and well-rounded citizens, preparing them for life beyond Kyson.
- Our foundation subjects have Knowledge organisers / knowledge notes that help expose children to the essential knowledge and vocabulary and aid the retrieval of prior knowledge.
- Our curriculum reflects our local community. We taky any opportunity to make links with our local community, this includes trips, visits and enriching experiences, which we include in our Long Term Planning.
- Our curriculum is inclusive by responding to children’s needs and overcoming potential barriers for individuals and groups of children. We have made conscious efforts to include diverse topics in our long-term overviews, i.e. The Windrush in Year 6.
- Our curriculum places language and literacy as integral elements of the teaching of all subjects. Through our oracy project: Voice 21, we have placed oracy at the heart of everything that we do.
- Our curriculum uses specialist teaching to enhance experience and opportunity.
- We upskill our teachers through Tom Sherrington’s WalkThrus , following the Metacognition 7-step model – with our experienced staff, we use this approach to make marginal gains to high quality classroom teaching. For example a recent staff meeting focussed on high-quality modelling and Think Alouds, alongside placing oracy at the heart of our curriculum delivery.
- Our teachers are encouraged to’ scaffold up’, using mixed ability groups with high expectations for all children.
- We adopt a mastery approach to all subjects – exposing children to variation, fluency, representation and structure, coherence, small steps.
The 7Cs
We have aligned our Pride of Kyson with the 7Cs, where each class establish age-appropriate expectations alongside their class at the beginning of the academic year. This is then referred to each week as the class teacher establishes whether the class are put forward to win ‘The Pride of Kyson’.
We strive to provide regular opportunities to celebrate children across the school who demonstrate the attributes of the 7Cs. For example, our whole school assemblies are used as an opportunity to discuss the 7C Concepts and the additional 7 associated attributes.
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Compassion: Behaviours we want to see |
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Learning Attributes: Consideration is given to the pupil’s strengths and barriers relating to: 1. Friendships – initiate & sustain positive relationships with peers 2. Turn Taking – ability to wait, follow rules and share 3. Empathy – to anticipate experiences of others 4. Sense of Justice – own ethical code and sense of right and wrong 5. Self Esteem & Well being – sense of self worth and value of self care 6. Self Efficacy – belief in own capacity to effect change 7. Support for Others – befriend and encourage others |
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Cognition: Behaviours we want to see: |
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Learning Attributes: Consideration is given to the pupil’s strengths and barriers relating to: 1. Working Memory – capacity to hold and manipulate information 2. Speed of Processing – time taken to assimilate information 3. Inference – using information to make predictions 4. Anticipation – pausing, considering and identifying possible outcomes 5. Reflection – noticing actions and impact 6. Evaluation – weighing up and making judgements 7. Analysis –combining information |
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Control: Behaviours we want to see |
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Learning Attributes: Consideration is given to the pupil’s strengths and barriers relating to: 1. Self Regulation – control and manage behaviour, emotions & language 2. Behaviour for Learning – readiness to engage & participate 3. Anxiety Management –control over fear and anxious thoughts 4. Confidence –belief in self and own capacity to contribute 5. Resilience – capacity to ‘bounce back’ and try again 6. Language of Emotions – ability to label feelings 7. Independence – capacity to work alone Zones of Regulation |
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Communication: Behaviours we want to see |
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Learning Attributes: Consideration is given to the pupil’s strengths and barriers relating to: 1. Expressive Vocabulary – subject and category words 2. Articulation – accuracy of pronunciation 3. Language and Comprehension – understanding of spoken language 4. Collaborative Conversation – turn taking in speech, responding to questions 5. Listening – extracting information from speech 6. Social Communication (output) –use of verbal & non verbal communication to others 7. Social Interaction (Input) –reaction & response to verbal & non verbal communication Oracy / Voice 21 |
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Co-ordination: Behaviours we want to see |
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Learning Attributes: Consideration is given to the pupil’s strengths and barriers relating to: 1. Fine Motor – handwriting, cutting, threading, manipulation with fingers 2. Gross Motor – running, walking, jumping, hopping, skipping, kicking, catching & throwing a ball 3. Sensory – vision, hearing, tracking 4. Mobility – independent movement 5. Stability & Balance – control over movement 6. Posture – effective positioning 7. Sensory Processing – ability to filter, respond or extract sensory information |
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Creativity: Behaviours we want to see |
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Learning Attributes: Consideration is given to the pupil’s strengths and barriers relating to: 1. Generation of Ideas – thoughts and ideas 2. Problem Solving – using initiative to find solutions 3. Attention – sustained focus and concentration 4. Motivation – eager and willing to engage 5. Making Things – designing, construction, craft 6. Courage & Determination – fearless to have a go and sustain effort 7. Trust – secure in self and those around them |
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