Our Curriculum

Shaftoe Trust Wise Academy is a small rural school in the heart of Northumberland. Children are surrounded by beautiful countryside, market towns, Hadrian’s Wall, local heritage and many other historic features. Children who attend the school come from surrounding villages, hamlets and farms. The school is part of a very strong, supportive community and we use the varied links whenever possible to enhance the children’s learning experiences. Community links include the church, the village library, artists in the community, the local care home and other village societies. 

Children enjoy their learning, are very well behaved and standards are good. 

Intent
Our intent is to provide a bespoke curriculum  which acknowledges our school’s unique characteristics and meets the needs of our children. The aim is to provide opportunities for all children to develop as independent, resilient, confident, successful learners with high aspirations. Through the curriculum we deliver, Shaftoe pupils will become understanding British citizens who make a positive contribution to their community and wider society.  Aspirational expectations will combine the acquisition of knowledge and the progressive development of skills to create a purposeful and imaginative learning journey for every child. 

Implementation
In order to achieve our aims and fully prepare our children for life in modern Britain and beyond, we have designed a robust 2 year rolling programme that is exciting and engaging. New topics are launched with “memorable experiences” that will capture children’s imaginations and stimulate their thirst for learning more.  Units of learning are carefully sequenced to ensure that learning builds lesson on lesson, key stage on key stage. Lessons incorporate retrieval skills to help children learn, link and remember knowledge. Transitions between year groups and teachers will be seamless through our sequenced and cohesive approach. We have high expectations for children to learn and use new, rich vocabulary in all subjects. 

In preparing children for modern Britain, we teach our children about the Fundamental British Values, diversity and equalities and wherever possible expose children to the rich and varied cultures of cities in the North East of England and beyond. Our lessons refer to future career opportunities and inspire children to think about their future and what they can become in the wider world.

Impact
We use rigorous triangulated monitoring throughout the year to gauge the impact of the curriculum design. Senior leaders, teachers and wider staff monitor individual subjects: reviewing learning, evaluating pupil voice, providing individual feedback to move practice forward, celebrating positives and highlighting areas of development. Our whole school team strengthens our ethos and vision as we work together to reflect upon our curriculum and share outcomes driving forward next steps. We don’t confuse coverage with progress when assessing as learning is measured through careful analysis of the application of skills across the curriculum; showing how acquisition of knowledge is enhanced dramatically by expectations to evidence quality thinking and demonstrate individual understanding.

Early Years Curriculum Overview

Key Stage 1 and 2 Curriculum Overview

Curriculum Subject Information

 

Online-Safety

At school we believe that IT should be used as a means of enhancing learning and engaging pupils.  IT is not a subject within its own right; rather skills that are taught and then used across the entire curriculum. The aim is to equip children for living in the 21st century; this is realised when the learning environment is resourced with up-to-date technologies and staff have the knowledge and skills to use these effectively to move learning forward..

Within School:

pupils are taught about how to stay safe in our modern digital world and we understand the importance of Internet Safety. We follow the procedures as set out in our IT & Acceptable Use Policy. Everyone in our school is allowed to use the school ICT network as long as they have agreed to keep our Acceptable Use Rules. We are a National Online Safety Certified School. Staff regularly keep up-to-date with the latest information.

The person responsible for E-Safety is Julie Phazey
The Designated Safeguarding Lead in school is Julie Phazey (Headteacher)
The Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads are Victoria Binovec
Our Safeguarding governor is Beth McDonough
 

If you have any concerns about online safety please contact one of these members of staff. The CEOP website contains some really important information for parents and the Childnet site gives helpful guidance on social networking for parents. The SaferInternet site also provides advice on setting up parental controls on your home computer. The Common Sense Media site has great information to aid parents in keeping their children safe.

As parents you can help by:

  • having open discussions about your expectations and how to stay safe online
  • closely monitoring the sites your children are accessing
  • limiting the amount of time your allow your child to spend online or using gaming devices
  • discouraging the use of social network sites under the legal age of 13 such as Facebook, however, if your child does use social media remind them to only communicate with friends and family (people they know and trust in the real world), and also to ensure that their privacy settings are set high and to make them aware of how to report an incident if they feel uncomfortable.
  • ensuring they do not give out any personal details to people they meet online including on games consoles.
  • take notice of PEGI ratings – age rating is there for a reason and could mean that your child is being exposed to inappropriate materials if you do not abide by them.

  Your Child's Online World - A Parent's Guide A Parent's Guide to being Share Aware

Advice and Information for parents

The internet is an amazing resource which enables children and young people to connect, communicate and be creative in a number of different ways, on a range of devices. However, the internet is always changing, and being able to keep up to date with your children’s use of technology can be a challenge.

You may sometimes feel that your children have better technical skills than you do, however children and young people still need advice and protection when it comes to managing their lives online

Find out more about how to keep your family safe online with the UK Safer Internet Centre’s four steps:

  1. Have ongoing conversations with your children about staying safe online and why not use our family agreement? 
  2. Use safety tools on social networks and other online services, eg Facebook privacy settings, YouTube Restricted Mode
  3. Decide if you want to use parental controls on your home internet
  4. Understand devices and the parental control tools they offer in this Parents’ Guide to Technology

 

How to Deal with Concerns

If at any point you have any concerns about your child’s safety on line please talk with your child’s class teacher.  You can also report it to CEOP (a police led online crime and safety service) using this button: CEOP always recommend the following;

  • If you need urgent help, i.e, your child is in immediate danger such as meeting a stranger they have met online, then call 999.
  • Don’t delete any emails, images or conversations related to this report
  • Don’t contact the suspect yourself. Let us do the detective work

Most sites will have their own report buttons too or facility to block people and pages that cause you concern.How you can report an issue:

  • To report an incident of online abuse click on the ‘Report Abuse’ button
  • If you beleive that a child under 13 is using Instagram you can report it here.
  • If you believe that a child under 13 is using Facebook you can report it here.

A useful and short video clip can be seen here to remind you of how to report things on the internet that might seem a bit strange or out of place and is well worth the 2 minutes it will take to watch it. A very useful checklist for parents can be found here.  It is full of ideas of how to keep your children safe whilst online. This is a guide to different ways you can start conversations about e-safety with your children – give it a go!  It was originally created for Safer Internet Day.

Cyber bullying

Extremism and Radicalisation

Children can be exposed to materials on line that can have great effect on their view of the world.  If you are concerned about how to help protect your child from exposure to views that could cause them harm please use the link below for further guidance. You can also use the CEOP button on every page on this site to report incidents. Families Matter – Extremism Online

Social Media

In addition to the sites above please download the following guidance on some of the many social media sites.  ***Also please remember that Social Media Sites (e.g. Facebook, You Tube, Twitter, Instagram etc) have a minimum age requirement of 13+ in their terms and conditions. Whats App and other internet based messaging services can only be used by 16 year olds and over.***

A useful and short video clip can be seen here to remind you of how to report things on the internet that might seem a bit strange or out of place and is well worth the 2 minutes it will take to watch it. A very useful checklist for parents can be found here.  It is full of ideas of how to keep your children safe whilst online. This is a guide to different ways you can start conversations about e-safety with your children – give it a go!  It was originally created for Safer Internet Day.

Help and Resources for Parents

We also recommend some videos which are used in school as a great reinforcement or the perfect talking point and conversation starter with your children: Lee and Kim’s Adventure is aimed at 5-7 year olds, but as a school we will use this video up to Year 5. Jigsaw is aimed at 8-10 year olds, but as a school we will use this video in Year 6.

Parental Controls

It is advisable to look at the website of your broadband provider or contact them as many of the large providers and restrictions and controls that you can put in place to restrict your child’s use of the internet in your home.  You can also action restrictions on individual devices.  Below are some links to relevant website which might assist you in this: Apple iOs (iphones, ipads etc) Samsung and android Windows

Websites

Google Firefox – Firefox has an add-on called ‘Fox Filter’ which can be applied. Internet Explorer does have parental/family settings. Please follow instructions below to set parental controls: To set controls:

  1. Open Internet Explorer
  2. Select “Tools” from the toolbar
  3. Select “Internet Options”
  4. Choose the “Content” tab
  5. Click “Enable”
  6. Adjust the slider to select the level you deem appropriate for your child
  7. Save changes

youtube

Online Safety Guidance sheets from National Online Safety

Our Childcare Offers

30 Hours Funding for 3 & 4 Year Olds

We offer fully flexible 30 Hours places for three and four year olds.

Parents of three and four year olds will need to meet the following criteria in order to be eligible for 30 hours free childcare:

  • They earn or expect to earn the equivalent to 16 hours at National Minimum or Living Wage over the coming three months.
  • This equates to £120 a week (or £6,000 a year) for each parent over 25 years old or £112.80 a week (or £5,800 a year) for each parent between 21 and 24 years old.
  • This applies whether you are in paid employment, self-employed or on zero hours contract.
  • The parent (and their partner where applicable) should be seeking the free childcare to enable them to work.
  • Where one or both parents are on maternity, paternity, shared parental or adoption leave, or if they are on statutory sick leave.
  • Where one parent meets the income criteria and the other is unable to work because they are disabled, have caring responsibilities or have been assessed as having limited capability to work.
  • Where a parent is in a ‘start-up period’ (example: they are newly self-employed) they do not need to demonstrate that they meet the income criteria for 12 months.
  • If a non-EEA national, the parent must have recourse to public funds.
 

Attendance

Why Attendance Matters

At Shaftoe Trust Academy we recognise the importance of being in school, on time, every day.

The national average expected for children is 96%.

Did you know that an attendance percentage of 90% is equivalent to missing 19 school days a year?

If your child is not in school regularly they will miss out on fundamental learning in the classroom. This is extremely difficult to catch up on and affects all aspects of their future education, as well as forming bad habits.

As part of our on-going support system for children and their families you will receive regular updates on your child’s attendance with a strong focus on how it affects their learning.

Please see the document here for Guidance on Infection Control from the Public Health agency. If your child has an infectious illness you can see how long they recommend you keep them off school e.g. Chicken Pox.

If you have any questions about attendance you can pop in to the school office or give us a call, we’re here to help!

What you can do

We understand that children will need time off school when they are poorly.

However you can avoid attendance becoming a concern by engaging with school and not taking unnecessary days off e.g. holidays during term time. Trying to make appointments for your child, and other family members, out of school hours will reduce time missed in the classroom. This will make less of an impact on their school life.

You may not realise how quickly the odd day off can lead to a big dip in attendance percentage, indicating to school and other agencies that there may be problems to address.

Punctuality is just as important as attendance. If your child has 100% attendance but regularly arrives up to half an hour late they are still missing vital learning.

Most importantly we have an open door policy. If you have ANY queries or would like support on any matter we have a great welfare team who can provide referrals or advice.

What you can do

If you wish to request time off during school term time there is a form you can complete. Please know that permission for holidays are only granted in exceptional circumstances.

You can view a copy of our attendance policy here

 

SEND Information

At Shaftoe Trust Academy, every child is seen as a valued and unique individual and we aim to provide a safe, caring environment where all pupils can thrive. We are committed to providing an ambitious curriculum and we want all children to achieve the best socially, emotionally and academically. It is our wish that all children love attending school and we hope to foster a curiosity and can do attitude that will help them reach their full potential beyond Shaftoe Trust Academy.

We understand that children are only with us for part of the day and we take pride in working alongside families to ensure our children receive the best possible support. This includes support for both in school and at home. If you feel you are in need of further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.

On this page you will find useful information about our SEND provision and links to other services in the local area that offer support and advice.

Useful SEND contacts at Shaftoe Trust Academy:

SENDCO:  Sophie Lawton

The Local Offer 

The Local Offer provides information for children and young people with special educational needs (SEND) and their parents or carers in a single place. It shows families what they can expect from a range of local agencies including education, health and social care.

You can find details of the local offer here

Useful Documents

SEND Rationale
SEND Information Report
SEND Policy

Letters

School Meals

Uniform

The children need to wear full school uniform at all times. This is:

Grey trousers/skirt/pinafore/shorts,
(Grey joggers can be worn in Nursery)
White or royal blue long or short sleeved blouse/shirt/polo shirt,
Royal blue jumper/ sweatshirt/cardigan,
White/black/grey socks or tights,
Plain black school shoes or trainers (which your child can put on and fasten independently),
A blue and white gingham dress may be worn in the summer.

Please note: the uniform does not have to have the Shaftoe Trust Academy logo on it –
plain jumpers, polo shirts etc. are fine as long as they are the right colours.

Branded uniform can be bought from Salto UK, Low Prudhoe. 

Blue reading folders, PE bags, caps, fleeces, school coats and hi-visibility jackets can also be bought.

The clothing/ footwear that your child wears to school must be clearly marked with your child’s name. Everything should be simple enough for your child to manage independently – eg. velcro fastenings on shoes, elastic waistband on trousers.

Fundamental British Values

The Department for Education states that there is a need “to create and enforce a clear and rigorous expectation on all schools to promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.”

The government set out its definition of British values in the 2011 'Prevent Strategy' and these values were reiterated by the Prime Minister in 2014. At Shaftoe Trust Academy, these values are reinforced regularly and in the following ways:

Democracy

Democracy is embedded at the school.  Children are always listened to by adults and are taught to listen carefully and with concern to each other, respecting the right of every individual to have their opinions and voices heard.  Children also have the opportunity to air their opinions and ideas through our School Council and regular questionnaires.  The elections of the School Council members and House Captains are based solely on pupil votes, reflecting our British electoral system and demonstrating democracy in action.

The Rule of Law

The importance of laws whether they are those that govern the class, the academy or the country, are consistently reinforced.  Our school has ‘School Rules’, which are deeply embedded in our work every day.  Each class also discusses and sets its own rules that are clearly understood by all and seen to be necessary to ensure that every class member is able to learn in a safe and ordered environment.  Our children are taught the value and reasons behind laws, that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws are broken.

Individual Liberty

Within the academy, children are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment.  As an academy, we educate and provide boundaries for our children to make choices safely, through the provision of a safe environment and an empowering education.  Our children are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are advised how to exercise these safely; examples of this can be clearly seen in our e-safety and PSHE lessons.  Whether it is through choice of challenge; of how they record; of participation in our numerous extra- curricular activities; our children are given the freedom to make choices.  They understand that with rights comes responsibility.

Tolerance of Difference and Respect for Others

Our core value of tolerance of and respect for those who have different faiths and beliefs, different genders, different sexual orientations, different abilities, different families and different economic circumstances underpins our work.  Shaftoe Trust Academy enhances children's understanding of different faiths and beliefs through Religious Education studies and different social circumstances through PSHE work.  Visits out of the academy and visitors to the academy provide a richness of experience for our children.  Through this our children gain an enhanced understanding of their place in a socially and culturally diverse society.

Term Dates and Opening Times

EYFS - 8:45am - 3.10pm
KS1 and KS2 - 8:45am - 3:15pm
 
Total of 32.5 hours per week
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