A well-planned curriculum
Our Curriculum
Knowledge will be expertly taught over a sequence of lessons, designed to be remembered to provide a firm foundation for a successful secondary school career. We create a love of learning, making independent, gritty learners.
Wider Opportunities
Early Years
Curriculum subjects
MATHS at Beckfoot Allerton
We teach maths every day and each lesson follows a similar lesson with six parts. There is a ‘do now’ where children have the opportunity to retrieve prior knowledge they have learnt such as number facts or times tables. The teacher then introduces some new learning and explains this using concrete objects or visuals. The pupils then have an activity to tackle and talk about with their partner at their table before having their understanding deepened further with the teacher. We ensure that we waste no moment of learning time, as all transitions have chants where children will practice counting or other number facts. Next comes their independent task where children will have time to work by themselves whilst the teacher checks for any errors or misconceptions before the plenary at the end of the session.
ENGLISH at Beckfoot Allerton
We follow a Talk for Writing (T4W) approach for teaching fiction and non-fiction writing. This is based on high-quality texts that teach children how to orally retell texts, innovate them and then independently write their own. A range of activities are purposefully designed so that children can internalise the text. Children chant stories, generate actions, perform and create new characters. Children are taught to identify the key features, practice them and then apply them in their own writing. Discrete teaching of grammar, spellings and handwriting are taught alongside T4W lessons.
SCIENCE at Beckfoot Allerton
Our science curriculum was developed by Rebecca Wardell (assistant headteacher), our headteacher and colleagues at Dixons Academies Trust during the Covid lockdown period. Since then we have trialled and refined the curriculum for Beckfoot Allerton. The curriculum builds from early years all the way to Year 6 and is intelligently sequenced so that children can learn and remember more. Each topic builds on previous learning and every lesson features retrieval practice looking back over previous topics from the year as well as previous year groups. We wanted children to leave us in Year 6 with firm foundations in scientific knowledge such as learning and applying facts about biology, physics and chemistry, but also how to plan, carry out and evaluate an experiment.
From Year 1 upwards, children mostly work in specially designed booklets that act as mini text books, allowing them to read and write across the curriculum. Additionally, each year group learns about an important scientist. Here, we have tried to include both local scientists and those of colour to represent the diverse community of Bradford that we serve. Finally, we use our wonderful county to complement our curriculum with trips to the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford, Eureka in Halifax and our glorious countryside.
PSHE at Beckfoot Allerton
PSHE stands for Personal, Social and Health Education.
GEOGRAPHY at Beckfoot Allerton
After much research, we selected and adapted the Pearson Geography curriculum for KS1 and because we liked how it was sequenced and it builds on our existing EYFS curriculum for knowledge and understanding of the world.
HISTORY at Beckfoot Allerton
After much research, we selected and adapted the Pearson Primary History curriculum for KS1 and KS2 Beckfoot Allerton because we liked how it was sequenced and it builds on our existing EYFS curriculum for knowledge and understanding of the world.
MUSIC at Beckfoot Allerton
At Beckfoot Allerton, we value the contribution of music in our broad and balanced curriculum. Music improves listening and attention skills, teamwork, oracy and brings joy to the school culture. All classes have weekly music lessons following the Charanga scheme of work. In addition, we have weekly singing assemblies, ensemble lessons (currently tuned and untuned percussion) and instrument tuition. There is a school choir, newly formed in September 2023 who perform for the school and at local events. All classes take part in regular performances throughout the year and all children get to experience live music.
ART at Beckfoot Allerton
After much deliberation, we have chosen the PKC art curriculum for our art teaching and learning. This is because it links strongly to our school sentence of children gaining ‘powerful knowledge’, taking children beyond their lived experiences. Children have art lessons every week all year round and where appropriate the art lessons link to our humanities curriculum.
DESIGN TECHNOLOGY at Beckfoot Allerton
We are delighted to be working with DT specialists ‘Hepp DT’ to deliver our design and technology curriculum. Their entire ethos centres around creating learning experiences that are engaging, memorable but more importantly, raising the profile of Design and Technology within the primary curriculum. Hepp DT ensure that primary Design and Technology in primary schools develops children’s skills and knowledge in design, structures, mechanisms, electrical control and a range of materials.
PE at Beckfoot Allerton
At Beckfoot Allerton School, students are empowered to participate in physical activity and understand how this influences their own well-being and that of others. By demonstrating the benefits of an active lifestyle to our children, members of our school staff encourage others to participate in sport, dance and exercise.
COMPUTING at Beckfoot Allerton
As we’re all part of an increasingly digital world, we highly value our computing lessons as it is vital for our children’s futures. Schools play a vital role in teaching young people the skills they need thrive in a digital future through a knowledge rich computing curriculum. Because of this, Beckfoot Allerton children are taught how to be computer-literate citizens through four major units: online safety, media, programming and data and information. The computing curriculum offers many benefits to children at Beckfoot Allerton. Use of digital technology improves the language skills of young people and promotes social development and creativity. Having a deeper understanding of computing also helps children to become better equipped at other STEM lessons. In school we follow a stimulating curriculum journey where the fundamentals are taught from EYFS, extended further in KS1 and this is then built upon in KS2.
FRENCH at Beckfoot Allerton
At Beckfoot Allerton, we have selected Early Start Languages as our scheme of work to support the teaching of French. We introduced this to all year groups in September 2023 with year groups starting at the beginning of the programme. Early Start has videos of native French speakers so children can listen to authentic accents. As the scheme becomes embedded, older year groups will start on the advanced programmes. Children in KS2 will have a French lesson each week and then practice elements of the language throughout the week.
PHONICS at Beckfoot Allerton
At Beckfoot Allerton, we use the Ruth Miskin ‘Read Write Inc’ scheme for teaching phonics. This is a government approved scheme and is renowned for achieving excellent results. From the moment children start school in reception (and even in our nursery) children are assessed on a 1:1 basis and then put into homogenous groups so that each child is working on just the right level for their ability. Children are then taught daily phonics lessons in their small group. Each lesson features learning sounds, blending, word reading and then children will complete tasks in their ‘Get Writing’ book. Every six weeks, children are re-assessed and new groups are formed.