Drop Down Curriculum
Randal Cremer Primary School’s Drop Down Curriculum
Our Drop Down curriculum’s primary aims are to ensure the children are given the opportunity to learn a variety of skills throughout the whole curriculum, value is given to all subject areas and the children are ready for the 21st Century.
The “drop down” part of it is referring to let’s drop down our pens and pencils and actively learn some important skills.
The Drop Down curriculum consists of creative arts (art, design, textiles), performing arts (music and drama) and design and technology (including cooking and film).
Each half term there is a whole school theme based on our school values.
This academic year they are as follows:
Autumn 1: Mixed focus – Black History Month
Autumn 2: DT focus – The school Winter Fair
Spring 1: DT focus- Engineering and Movement
Spring 2: Performance focus-International Evening (school event)
Summer 1: Art Focus- Significant artists and art history
Summer 2: Mixed focus – Japan Olympics opening ceremony
The children receive a list of the courses being taught in their phase and then they may choose which ones they do. The children are set in mixed ability and mixed year groups; Year 1 mix with Y2, Y3 mix with Y4 and Y5 mix with Y6. This has created collaboration and stronger friendship links across the school.
Over the year, each child should complete six courses including at least one creative art course, one performance art course and one DT course. This is overseen by the DHT.
Teaching and learning within these courses is based on the children actively learning skills. We follow the cycle of:
- Ideas, what works well now?
- Plan
- Design/Draft/Practise
- Make/Perform
- Evaluate
Both staff and children enjoy this time in school and this ensures our children are getting the broad and balanced curriculum needed. Please keep an eye out on Twitter and on the website for updates of what our children are doing.