Calderwood Primary School
Our Curriculum
Welcome to Calderwood!
We are a large primary school situated in Rutherglen, South Lanarkshire.
Our school was established in 1950. Our new building opened in 2007.
We are a happy school, with a warm, welcoming and inclusive ethos.
We enjoy positive relationships between pupils, staff and families and benefit from excellent partnerships with our Parent Forum, the wider community and local businesses.
We value our fantastic school community and our AMAZING pupils!
Our Curriculum Rationale
When a school has a rationale for its curriculum, it means that everyone involved with the school can answer the question,
'What do we want for our children and how will we work together to achieve this?'.
Education Scotland
When we reviewed our school vision, aims and values at the beginning of 2023, we asked all stakeholders to describe their aspirations for our children and families. The responses to this question, alongside our understanding of our school community and context, and knowledge of local and national priorities, shape our vision, aims, values and curriculum at Calderwood.
What you told us....
What are our aspirations for our learners and families at Calderwood?
For learners, instil confidence, curiosity and self belief - that anything is possible. For families, ensure they feel welcomed and valued partners.
progression, empathy, inclusion, diversity
To feel supported and nurtured through their journey through primary school.
To grow into respectful citizens. Love their school & the town they live in. Be active in making it a safe, beautiful and happy place to live.
To embrace learning, be open to change and adapt to new methods and not to forget to have fun while learning.
To be kind and respectful. And brave with choices.
To both be, and become, the best they can be.
To build a learning community where parents, children, teachers and the wider community work in partnership together and with external organisations (that support learning and careers development) to enable every child to fulfil their potential.
Everyone working hard towards a bright happy future!
At Calderwood, our curriculum is informed and underpinned by...
...our community's shared vision for our school...
‘Our vision is for Calderwood to be a nurturing, inclusive learning environment where we are all safe, happy, respected, supported, and encouraged to achieve and be the best we can be. Where we work together collaboratively as a family, with understanding and compassion, and every member of the community plays a part in the success of the school. Where we support our young learners to develop as open-minded, positive, resilient, and respectful individuals, confident lifelong learners, equipped to thrive in the world of work, and as active members of our community, making Calderwood a safe, beautiful and happy place to be.
Calderwood CAN!’
At Calderwood, our curriculum is informed and underpinned by...
...our School Aims...
Connection
- Support each other and treat everyone with kindness
- Benefit from strong, positive partnerships with parents, carers and our wider community
Ambition
- Be leaders of learning, confident to lead change in our school and community
- Have fun, work hard and be the best we can be!
Nurture
- Feel welcome, safe, nurtured and included
- Respect and celebrate each other and all of our achievements, talents, strengths and differences
At Calderwood, our curriculum is informed and underpinned by...
...our School Values...
At Calderwood, our curriculum is informed and underpinned by...
...our School Motto...
Our school motto is Calderwood CAN! This conveys our belief that we can reach and exceed our goals (both individual and collective) with positivity and determination when we work together to support each other as a community.
CAN also stands for ‘connection’, ‘ambition’ and ‘nurture’. These are our key priorities at Calderwood: relationships and connections, high aspirations, expectations and determination, and looking after each other with kindness, care and understanding.
At Calderwood, our curriculum is informed and underpinned by...
...our School Rules...
Be Safe
Be Respectful
Be Kind
Gus,
our Calder Cat
To find out more about our school vision, aims, values and rules, please click here.
At Calderwood, our curriculum is informed by...
...South Lanarkshire Council's Priorities for All Schools...
Improve health and wellbeing to enable children and families to flourish
SLC Stretch Aims
ACEL Primary – literacy – P1, P4 & P7 combined
Ensure inclusion, equity and equality are at the heart of what we do
Provide a rich and stimulating curriculum that helps raise standards in literacy and numeracy
ACEL Primary – numeracy – P1, P4 & P7 combined
Empower learners to shape and influence actions on climate change and sustainability
Support children and young people to develop their skills for learning, life and work
Cost of the School Day
South Lanarkshire Council’s vision is to ‘improve the lives and prospects for everyone in South Lanarkshire’.
At Calderwood, our curriculum is informed by...
... the National Improvement Framework's Priorities and Drivers...
Click here for more information on the National Improvement Framework.
The National Improvement Framework and Improvement Plan (NIF) was established in 2015 and sets out a clear vision for Scottish Education based on delivering Excellence and Equity.
Priorities
Drivers
- Improvement in attainment, particularly in literacy and numeracy
- Closing the attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged children and young people
- Improvement in children and young people's health and wellbeing
- Improvement in employability skills and sustained, positive school-leaver destinations for all young people
- School Leadership
- Teacher Professionalism
- Parental Engagement
- Assessment of Children's Progress
- School Improvement
- Performance Information
At Calderwood, our curriculum is informed by...
...Curriculum for Excellence...
The Curriculum for Excellence is Scotland's Curriculum, which helps our children and young people gain the knowledge, skills and attributes needed for life in the 21st century.
What is Curriculum for Excellence?
Curriculum for Excellence places learners at the heart of education. The four capacities reflect and recognise the lifelong nature of education and learning and are aimed at helping children and young people to become...
Every child and young person is entitled to experience:
- a curriculum which is coherent from 3 to 18;
- a broad general education, including well planned experiences & outcomes across all the curriculum areas from early years through to S3. This includes understanding the world, Scotland’s place in it and the environment, referred to as Learning for Sustainability;
- a senior phase, after S3, which provides opportunities to attain and achieve, including to study for qualifications, awards and other planned activities to develop the four capacities;
- opportunities for developing skills for learning, life and work;
- opportunities to maximise their individual potential, benefitting from appropriate personal support and challenge;
- support to help them move into positive and sustained destinations beyond school.
Curriculum for Excellence
Principles of
Curriculum Design
Challenge and enjoyment
Breadth
Progression
Depth
Personalisation and choice
Coherence
Relevance
Curriculum Entitlements
Curriculum Levels
The broad general education has five levels -Early, First, Second, Third and Fourth.
The senior phase is designed to build on the experiences and outcomes of the broad general education, and to allow young people to take qualifications and courses that suit their abilities and interests.
Curriculum Areas
There are eight curriculum areas:
- Expressive arts
- Health and wellbeing
- Languages (including English, Gàidhlig, modern languages and classical languages)
- Mathematics
- Religious and moral education
- Sciences
- Social studies
- Technologies.
Literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing are recognised as being particularly important – these areas are seen as being the ‘responsibility of all’ staff
Taking curricular aims and translating them into practice is a continuous process based around...
At Calderwood, our curriculum...
...puts the wellbeing of our pupils, families and staff at the centre of everything we do...
...based on our vision, aims and values, and informed by local and national priorities and guidance.
Child Protection
In short....
Calderwood's Curriculum on a Page
We want our curriculum to be...
engaging
ambitious
inclusive
engaging
busy
innovative
relevant
fun
creative
At Calderwood...
To support our pupils to become...
...our curriculum is underpinned by our community's shared vision, aims, values and aspirations for our young people
compassionate
open-minded
respectful
curious
resilient
positive
confident
lifelong learners
active members of our
community
With a focus on...
developing skills
leadership
celebrating achievments
pupil voice
equity
equality and diversity
celebrating our community
sustainability
collaboration
...informed by our school, local and national priorities...
and grounded in the approaches, entitlements and key elements of the Curriculum for Excellence...
...with the wellbeing of our pupils, families and staff at the heart of everything we do!
Digging Deeper!
Below you will find more specific information about aspects of our curriculum at Calderwood, with links to our full position statements.
Cost of the School Day
Calderwood CAN… work together as a community to reduce the Cost of the School Day for all families and strive to ensure that there are no financial barriers preventing any pupil accessing our full curriculum and range of learning opportunities.
At Calderwood we strive to keep the Cost of the School Day to a minimum for all our families.
We consider the financial implications of all planned activities and are very conscious of the impact of the current cost of living crisis on our community.
We have a wide range of supports available for families and will always do what we can to help.
Free period products are available in our toilets and from the school office.
Eco Uniform
We run a successful Eco Uniform enterprise (led by our Parent Council Sustainability Group), which is very well-stocked with items, including jumpers, shirts, pinafores, blazers, shoes and outdoor jackets. All items are free of charge.
To order Eco Uniform items, just scan or click on the code and complete our form!
School Trips
Every session, each class will go on a school trip linked to their learning in school.
We are committed to providing all trips free of charge to pupils - thank you to our Parent Council who support us to do this!
Where to Get Help
We will always do anything we can to support families. Parents and carers should contact a member of the Senior Leadership Team with any queries or worries.
We are also always happy to take suggestions on how we can continue to improve in this area.
Click here for our full
Cost of the School Day
Position Statement
Learning and Teaching at Calderwood
Calderwood CAN… work collaboratively as a staff team to provide consistent high quality learning and teaching experiences for all pupils across the school.
What does a good lesson look like at Calderwood Primary?
Learning and teaching is our core business. High quality learning and teaching is a significant driver of pupil achievement and attainment, and is underpinned by our three key priorities of connection, ambition, and nurture.
Our school vision, aims and values set out our commitment to ensuring we have the highest expectations of - and aspirations for - every pupil at Calderwood, continually striving to offer valuable learning experiences in a caring and nurturing environment.
Establishing excellent and consistent teaching practices, together with close monitoring and tracking of learners’ progress, ensures that every young person has the opportunity to succeed, become equipped with skills for learning, life and work, and ‘be the best they can be’.
We aim to create a learning environment in Calderwood that motivates and engages learners...
... who are supported by a wide range of approaches which allow individual learning needs to be met.
Assessment in Calderwood
Calderwood CAN.... utilise a wide range of assessment strategies and resources to enhance learning and teaching, support teacher professional judgements and ensure all pupils are being appropriately supported and challenged in their learning.
At Calderwood, our aim is for all pupils to be successful learners and reach their full potential.
By routinely and regularly assessing our children’s learning – formally and informally – we will know how they are progressing, their strengths, their interests, their achievements and their next steps. This allows us to plan learning and teaching that will meet their needs and ensure that every child is progressing well and at an appropriate pace.
Calderwood CAN....
make positive relationships, built on trust, respect and kindness, central to our success as a school and community.
Relationships are central to everything we do at Calderwood: our first ‘Calderwood CAN’ priority is ‘connection’. Where positive, trusting relationships exist, we are at our best as a school, and we all have a greater sense of belonging and connection to our community. Fundamentally, positive relationships between pupils, staff, parents and partners lead to the best outcomes for our young learners.
Our school vision, aims, values and rules underpin our expectations of how we, as a community, behave and interact with each other. We expect all pupils, staff and families to engage with each other in a mutually respectful way, with consideration and kindness. It is our responsibility, as adults, to model for our pupils how to live our values and embed them into our daily interactions, so that pupils fully understand what they mean in practice.
As a school we are committed to, and strongly believe in, nurturing and restorative approaches to managing relationships, where pupils, staff and families are supported to identify underlying roots of behaviours and resolve conflict.
In our Relationships position statement, we refer to both South Lanarkshire Council's 'Treat Me Well' and the Scottish Government's 'Respect fo All' anti-bullying guidance. Click on the pictures below to read the full documents.
For more information on keeping your child safe online, please click on the images below.
Health and Wellbeing
Calderwood CAN.... place health and wellbeing at the forefront of everything that we do, creating a nurturing, inclusive learning environment where we are all safe, happy, respected, supported, and encouraged to achieve and be the best we can be.
Pupil health and wellbeing is at the forefront of everything we do at Calderwood. Supporting positive health and wellbeing is integral to who we are, and underpins our vision, aims and values.
We aim to support pupils to:
• develop their self-awareness, self-worth and respect for others
• meet challenges, manage change and build relationships
• experience personal achievement and build their resilience and confidence
• understand and develop their physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing and social skills
• understand how what they eat, how active they are and how decisions they make about their behaviour and relationships affect their physical and mental wellbeing
• participate in a wide range of activities which promote a healthy lifestyle
• understand that adults in our school community have a responsibility to look after them, listen to their concerns and involve others where necessary
• learn about where to find help and resources to inform choices
• assess and manage risk and understand the impact of risk-taking behaviour
• reflect on their strengths and skills to help them make informed choices when planning their next steps
• acknowledge diversity and understand that it is everyone’s responsibility to challenge discrimination
The eight wellbeing indicators from Getting it Right for Every Child, and the four capacities from the Curriculum for Excellence.
The Curriculum for Excellence structures health and wellbeing into six organisers:
• Mental, emotional, social and physical wellbeing
• Planning for choices and changes
• Physical education, physical activity and sport
• Food and health
• Substance misuse
• Relationships, sexual health and parenthood.
These national priorities underpin health and wellbeing at Calderwood. Click on the images for further information.
Literacy and English
Calderwood CAN... provide a literacy rich environment where children develop fundamental knowledge and skills in reading, writing and talking and listening, and where learners are engaged, motivated and all learning needs are met.
At Calderwood, developing literacy skills is our core business and underpins all learning. Literacy is an integral part of our day-to-day teaching, and is a key component of all curricular areas, where pupils are utilising and applying transferable skills to all aspects of the curriculum.
‘Literacy is fundamental to all areas of learning as it unlocks access to the wider curriculum. Being literate increases opportunities for the individual in all aspects of life, lays foundations for lifelong learning and work, and contributes strongly to the development of all four capacities of Curriculum for Excellence.’
Curriculum for Excellence, Literacy and English, Principles and Practice, 2009
At Calderwood, learning is planned and taught in line with literacy and English progression pathways, which are linked to the Education Scotland benchmarks. Literacy learning is outlined on a termly basis as part of our strategic planning process, and then planned in more detail on a weekly basis to ensure progression and steady skill acquisition for our children, reflecting on our daily teaching practice to ensure we are meeting the needs of all learners.
Our literacy curriculum focuses on the three organisers: reading, writing and talking and listening. We use a variety of planning materials and resources to support learning in these areas, appropriate to age and stage.
Numeracy and Mathematics
Calderwood CAN... provide engaging and motivating learning experiences which enable our pupils to develop their knowledge and skills in both numeracy and mathematics.
“To face the challenges of the 21st century, each young person needs to have confidence in using mathematical skills, and Scotland needs both specialist mathematicians and a highly numerate population.”
Building the Curriculum 1
Numeracy skills play a vital role across the curriculum, enabling learners to interpret data, analyse information, and solve problems in various subjects. By integrating numeracy skills across subjects, learners develop a well- rounded skill set that prepares them for real-world challenges and a diverse range of careers.
Click here for our full Numeracy and Mathematics Position Statement
At Calderwood, we aim for all pupils to:
• access experiences which provide opportunities to develop confidence in applying numeracy skills, to understand and solve problems, carry out number processes and access and interpret information,
• develop mental agility to increase confidence in a range of numeracy concepts,
• engage in investigative, collaborative, and independent approaches to learning,
• experience learning and teaching approaches that stimulate, challenge, and meet individual needs,
• learn with teachers who use a broad, skilful range of approaches and strategies which deepen understanding for all learners,
• access appropriate resources and technologies which enhance learning opportunities in numeracy and mathematics.
Interdisciplinary Learning at Calderwood
Calderwood CAN... plan fun, relevant and engaging IDL learning opportunities, enabling pupils to make connections across learning, explore links across different curricular areas, apply their knowledge and skills in new and different ways and further develop their skills for learning.
Interdisciplinary learning (IDL) is an integral part of our curriculum offer at Calderwood Primary School and is one of the four contexts for learning set out in the Curriculum for Excellence.
Education Scotland states that interdisciplinary learning “enables teachers and learners to make connections across learning through exploring clear and relevant links across the curriculum. It supports the use and application of what has been taught and learned in new and different ways. It provides opportunities for deepening learning, for example through answering big questions, exploring an issue, solving problems or completing a final project.”
At Calderwood, IDL is planned on a termly basis as part of our strategic planning processes, linking learning across CfE experiences and outcomes and considering opportunities to explore the key themes set out in our school aims and values, including citizenship, creativity, enterprise, sustainability and skills for learning, life and work.
Click here for our full IDL Position Statement
Homework at Calderwood
Calderwood CAN... provide engaging, meaningful and considered opportunities for pupils to enhance, consolidate and develop their learning beyond the school day, and enable parents and carers to engage and build upon their child’s learning from school.
The purpose of homework
is to...
Develop, consolidate and enrich learning that has taken place during the school day.
Give parents and carers the opportunity to engage with, and build on, learning that has taken place in school.
Expand learning and apply it to 'real life' experiences and contexts in the home and community.
The amount of homework given will depend on the stage of the pupil.
Homework will be given out on a Monday, to be returned on the Friday of the same week. This allows families to fit homework into their week.
Weekly homework will consist of a numeracy task, a literacy task, spelling or phonics activities and one activity from another curricular area.
For the 'other curricular area', pupils might be given a 'big' task which will last over a few weeks.
Homework looks different at the end of Early Level in Primary 1, with more focus on developing early literacy and numeracy skills.
Homework should not take more than about 20 minutes a night to complete. If homework is a source of stress for a parent or child, they should speak to the class teacher or a member of the Senior Leadership Team.
Support for Learning
Calderwood CAN... work collaboratively to provide high quality support and challenge which enables all children to achieve success and reach their full potential.
We aim to provide the best possible learning environment for all of our children, and our ethos is underpinned by our vision, aims and values and the nurturing principles:
•Children's learning is understood developmentally,
•The classroom offers a safe base,
•The importance of nurture for the
development of wellbeing,
•Language is a vital means of communication
•All behaviour is communication
•The importance of transition in children's lives
Click on the rainbow for our full Additional Support Needs Position Statement
We would encourage parents/carers with any concerns to speak to their child's class teacher or the Senior Leadership Team.
At Calderwood, we
work within the Getting
it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) framework to ensure that our children are given every opportunity to succeed and work to their full potential.
(Click on the sun for more information about GIRFEC.)
We support our pupils through universal and/or targeted supports, and the removal of barriers to learning.
Within South Lanarkshire, there is a four-stage model of staged intervention:
• Stage 1 – Additional needs met with the use of resources/support available from within the classroom
•Stage 2 – Additional needs met with the use of resources/support available from within the establishment
• Stage 3 – Additional needs met with the use of resources/support from beyond the establishment and within Education Resources e.g. Specialist Support Teacher, English as an Additional Language Teacher
• Stage 4 – Additional needs met with the use of resources/supports from partner agencies and services outwith Education Resources
Attendance
Calderwood CAN: collectively recognise the importance of attendance, including the correlation between attendance and attainment, whilst working together to ensure that all pupils feel safe, happy and secure in Calderwood and are given the best opportunity to achieve their academic and personal potential by fully engaging and participating in the life of the school.
For our pupils to reach their full potential and meet our aim of ‘being the best we can be’, it is essential that they regularly attend school to be able to fully engage with our curriculum and participate in learning opportunities. As a school community, we have a collective responsibility for pupil attendance. It is the responsibility of the parent or carer to ensure that their child accesses education – ‘Parents and carers are by far the most important influence on children’s lives and learning and it is parents and carers who are responsible for making sure their child is educated.’ (Scottish Government, 2010). It is the responsibility of Calderwood staff to ensure that pupils feel safe, happy and secure in school, and that any barriers to attendance are identified and addressed in a timely manner.
Celebrating Achievement
Calderwood CAN... celebrate all the successes and achievements of our pupils.
Opportunities for personal achievement are an important part of the Curriculum for Excellence, and one of the four contexts for learning.
At Calderwood we want to celebrate all the achievements of our pupils. We want to celebrate their successes and accomplishments from both in school - in all areas of our curriculum - and from out in the community. Celebrating our pupil’s personal achievements helps us to build a bigger picture of their strengths and interests, and supports them to develop as successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors
One of our school aims is to ‘respect and celebrate each other and all of our achievements, talents, strengths and differences’.
Tell us about your child's achievement here...
...or click on the box
Pupil Voice and Leadership
Calderwood CAN... foster a pupil-led culture where all of our young learners are leaders, and pupil voice is heard.
At Calderwood, we all have a role to play in driving our school forward, but particularly our pupils: it is their school! We aim to inspire pupils to be ‘leaders of learning, confident to lead change in our school and community’.
At Calderwood:
·All pupils are in a class leadership group,
·Pupils take on leadership roles within the classroom,
·Learning, teaching and assessment strategies actively engage pupils in their learning,
·We encourage regular opportunities for personalisation and choice through our curriculum,
·We respond to causes important to our pupils,
·Pupils are regularly consulted on school matters, improvement planning and initiatives through our assemblies, pupil surveys and questionnaires.
Our additional pupil leadership groups include...
·Pupil Council
·Young Leaders of Learning
·Primary 7 Buddies
·Digital Leaders
·Diversity Ambassadors
·Fashion Revolutionaries
·School Librarians
·Enterprise Leaders
·Reading Buddies
Self-Evaluation
Calderwood Can... collaboratively engage in regular and robust self-evaluation activities to ensure that our school continues to grow and progress on our journey towards excellence.
For further information about Calderwood Primary School, including full position statements, policy documents, our School Improvement Plan, most recent Standards and Quality Report and School Handbook, please see our school website.
http://www.calderwood-pri.s-lanark.sch.uk/
(click on the logo below)
For further information about our vision, aims and values, including what our values look like in action, please go to calderwoodcan.org, or click on the picture of Gus below!
Gus,
our Calder Cat
Connect With Us
Twitter: @calderwoodslc
Facebook: Calderwood Primary School Parent Council
School App for Parents
Address
Buchanan Drive, Rutherglen,
G73 3PQ
Email Address
office@calderwood-pri.s-lanark.sch.uk
Phone Number
0141 647 1277
Information for Calderwood Staff
