We aim to make our curriculum relevant, inspirational and imaginative so that the children will be engaged, challenged and excited to learn. We recognise that children learn in different ways and so provide opportunities for children to work together, independently, with support, outside or off site. Among other outcomes, our aim is for children to be inquisitive, literate, numerate, sociable and empathetic, and to enjoy a sense of well-being, within a secure, nuturing Christian community.
We believe that children should be given every opportunity to succeed; that all children should be exposed to high quality learning materials; that we should have the same expectations for all children; and that all children have the chance to 'keep up, not catch up'. We strive for success in achievement, whatever that looks like for each child and whatever that takes for each child, and for our children's social, moral, spiritual and cultural development too. Our core Christian values of Truth, Trust, Forgiveness and Love underpin our learning climate and all we do together at Amport School.
Children in years 1-6 follow the National Curriculum for Key Stage 1 (KS1) and Key Stage 2 (KS2); children in the reception year (Year R or YR) follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum (EYFS). The phonics reading scheme is Letters and Sounds. All children are taught RE through the 'Living Difference III' materials and through the 'Understanding Christianity' materials. Our curriculum is delivered through discrete teaching of subjects where appropriate and relevant links are made. We use high quality text drivers as the foundation to quality writing experiences and we often use an enquiry approach to subject areas such as geography, history and RE. Our EYFS curriculum is delivered predominantly through exploratory outdoor learning.
Usually, teachers will organise at least one main external visit or visitor to the school for each class to support and enrich the curriculum and typically, additional visits are also organised. Parents are asked to financially support such visits and sometimes to accompany the children too.
A wide range of physical activities is enjoyed by all pupils each week. A course of swimming lessons is organised for Year 3 and 4 children in the summer term at Farleigh School. Usually, various sporting fixtures are organised and we take part in Rural Schools sporting events and local cluster events throughout the year. Every other year, in the spring term, our Year 5 and Year 6 children take part in Bike-ability, a programme that teaches how to ride a bicycle safely and about road safety awareness. In Year 5, the children undertake lessons in drug and alcohol use and abuse and in Year 6, a series of Sex Education lessons are taught. From 2021, the revised Relationship and Health Education curriculum will be delivered.
Currently, coaches from District Sports South and PH Sports Coaching are employed to run after school sports clubs and PH Sports run our breakfast club.
Music plays an extremely important part of the life of the school. There is the opportunity to learn to play an orchestral instrument through Hampshire Music Service who can provide peripatetic brass, woodwind, keyboard, guitar and strings teachers. Our older children are given the opportunity to play in the Andover Area Ensembles run by Hampshire Music Service staff.
In the summer term, residential opportunities are offered to all children in Years 5 and 6. Currently we use the PGL Education and Adventure Centres Osmington Bay (Dorset), Little Canada (Isle of Wight) and Liddington (Wiltshire). Children in Years 3 to 6 learn French.
Teachers will always meet with parents, if parents would like more information about a curriculum area, for example, how we teach multiplication or how we teach children to read. The website itself provides a wealth of information about our curriculum but further enquiries can be made to the office in the first instance, if more information is required.
New for 2020 onward, we are engaging with a digital platform to further support parents' involvement and understanding of the curriculum. This is Google Classroom. It is the vehicle through which homework will be set by the teachers and returned as required by children.
Should you require more information about our curriculum, please ask to speak to your child's class teacher.