At Belmont Grosvenor we aim to deliver an inspiring and creative curriculum which enriches children’s knowledge, skills and enthusiasm and that is appealing, balanced and relevant. While emphasis is placed on pupils learning core skills of English and maths, we place great value on developing the ‘whole child’ and provide an engaging programme of study in all curriculum areas.
Our child-led and knowledge-based curriculum offers a broad range of subjects from early years through to Year 6. We believe in bringing learning to life, both indoors and outside the classroom, with an emphasis on engaging and purposeful learning.
Going well beyond the statutory requirements of the national curriculum, the BGS curriculum ensures pupils achieve high standards, acquire the ability to work both independently and collaboratively, and develop a strong belief in the value of learning.
Early years curriculum
Our highly-qualified staff aim to build on what parents have already started successfully at home, and enable our children to learn and develop in their earliest years of education through the statutory play-based Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum.
Our pupils are constantly learning and beginning to acquire essential skills for their further development, across seven key areas of learning:
Personal, social and emotional development
Communication and language
Physical development
Literacy
Numeracy
Understanding the world
Expressive arts and design
They follow the EYFS curriculum, with the added advantage of specialist teachers in music, drama, dance, tennis, French, Forest School, and swimming.
We’re skilled at developing learning through both adult and child-initiated activities. Whether it’s indoors or outdoors, our EYFS team are there to ensure each child’s interests are being stimulated, their next steps are catered for, and they are being supported and challenged appropriately, according to their individual needs.
They are encouraged to ‘have-a-go’ at new activities, to explore different toys, as well as play with familiar games.
We inspire our children to think for themselves and to come up with their own way of doing things to reach their end goals.
Key Stage 1 curriculum
During this important early stage, the form teacher and classroom assistant work closely with our pre-prep children to develop a firm grounding and confidence in the basic skills of literacy and numeracy.
There are also plenty of opportunities for play as the children start to develop socially and academically to become both secure and confident learners.
In Key Stage 1, creativity is nurtured in specialist taught art, design technology, music, and drama lessons while thinking skills and communication are developed through philosophy for children classes.
As they move through the school, they are encouraged to build their knowledge and understanding of the world in which they live through science, geography, history, religious studies, and personal social health economic education (PSHE).
Our children’s physical development advances as they enjoy PE, games and swimming, taught by specialist teachers.
A significant feature of Belmont Grosvenor is the teaching of modern foreign languages from Reception to Year 6. Forest School and Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC) offers an extra dimension to the curriculum.
Key Stage 2 curriculum
As our children advance through the school, there is increasing input from specialist teachers covering French, ICT, music, drama, games, and PE, including swimming, as well as personal social health economic education (PSHE), religious studies, art, and design technology.
A strong emphasis on the core subjects continues through Years 5 and 6 and it is expected that everyone will achieve a high standard of work, both in content and presentation.
Increasingly our children are encouraged to apply their new knowledge and skills in practical and scientific investigation, and to advance their appreciation and understanding in the media of drama and music.
Sport is a major feature of the prep timetable, with regular matches against other schools played by our teams to great success in local, regional and national competitions.
As in Key Stage 1, philosophy for children and Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC) further enhances the curriculum at Belmont Grosvenor. Enrichment activities offer that extra dimension to Key Stage 2.
Our children are well-prepared for entrance to independent and local maintained schools at 11 when appropriate, and excellent results are achieved.
Enrichment mornings
Once a term we suspend our normal school timetable to give all our Prep children the chance to enjoy an enrichment morning with the aim of encouraging collaboration and co-operation through mixed-age team building and problem-solving activities, and to increase flexibility of thinking.
Enrichment is exciting: it’s about imagination, discovery and challenge, an opportunity to extend the creative learning that goes on at Belmont Grosvenor and further the personal and social development of our children.
Reporting and assessment
At BGS we use GL Assessment to monitor pupil progress closely through a carefully planned programme of assessments which are used to inform teaching and learning and ensure that each child receives the support or challenge they need to reach their full potential.
Our skilled teachers use a variety of informal (formative) and formal (summative) assessments to monitor and track progress. Formative assessments are tracked and evaluated in all subjects using the online assessment tool, Classroom Monitor which allows teachers to personalise learning, locate gaps in knowledge and skills, and adapt lessons to ensure all children make progress.
At the end of the year children in Years 2 to 6 take progress tests in maths and English. Year 6 pupils do not take SATS tests at Belmont Grosvenor.
Parents receive termly reports providing information on their child’s progress, achievement and attitude to learning. In the autumn and spring term, Parents’ Evenings are held to give the opportunity to discuss their child’s progress with form teachers and subject specialists.
For more information regarding GL Assessment please visit their website: https://www.gl-assessment.co.uk/assessments/primary/
Assessment in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
On entry to Reception, CEM Baseline assessments are carried out to give snapshot of where children are in the areas of literacy, numeracy, communication and language and personal, social and emotional development. During this stage our children will be assessed using the Foundation Stage profile which is based on the teacher’s ongoing observations and assessment in the seven areas of learning.
An EYFS profile is completed in the final term of the year in which they reach the age of five where each child’s development is assessed against the Early Learning Goals.
