COSMIC Team:
The COSMIC team is made up of a dedicated teaching staff that are committed to providing unique learning experiences as well as developing learners understanding and appreciation of the environment that surrounds them. They aim to ensure learners have an understanding of their own emotions, values and thinking. Through P4C and the COSMIC curriculum they can explore their role in the wider world and develop their personal and social understanding.
All of the teaching staff are committed to creating special learning experiences that enable learners to question the environment, their emotional wellbeing, roles in society and to explore their understanding of the curriculum in a practical way. The staff support learners, helping them to answer their own questions, to address misconceptions and to deepen their knowledge. The COSMIC sessions allow learners space and time to develop and embed their knowledge of the curriculum and of themselves. Staff use questioning to challenge as well as to assess the learners understanding of subjects that we cover.
The teaching staff have high expectations of the learners and continually foster independence, discovery, exploration and investigation. They encourage learners to try hard and seek to reward positive attitudes to learning. They are determined to ensure that all of the learners can achieve well and that these achievements are celebrated.
The COSMIC team continually deepen their own understanding of the subjects that we cover. The staff all have a passion for learning outside, environmental subjects, wellbeing and social skills. They share their passions with the learners and hope to inspire a passion in them that will stay with them beyond their education at Warren Park.
Learning the COSMIC Way
Over their time in COSMIC the learners are exposed to activities that nurture resilience, encourage team work and spark intellectual curiosity. Our learners develop these skills during their lessons and can use these skills back in the classroom environment. The team ensure that all learners have opportunities to be successful and to be challenged. All learners have access to the teaching staff’s knowledge as well as resources to support their inquisitiveness. Staff will support and seize opportunities to extend learners and develop their understanding.
Some learning will take place in classes, on trips and in a large wooded area of the school which is specifically used by the COSMIC team. The learners are introduced to the guidelines every year on how to keep safe and take care of others. The team continuously reinforce the guidelines and ensure that the learners are safe. They are supported with the management of their own behaviour during the early years and we slowly encourage self-management as they progress through the school. The team maintain a safe environment for the learners to explore risk, learning how to understand risk as well as how they can manage risk through behaviour and conduct.
History
The learning experiences in COSMIC time are developed from the National Curriculum, alongside subject leaders, and are tailored to meet the changing needs of the children. The learners will be taught about local history, investigating an enquiry about the history on their doorstep. The team deliver activities that facilitate learning about the History through an enquiry, children get to explore this by conducting research, generating questions and reframing their original enquiry. In the time that the children spend with us we want them to become historians and develop knowledge and skills. The learning is done chronologically so the children can build on their understanding and develop a sense of order of events.
Science
The science that the learners experience in the COSMIC time is developed from the National Curriculum. The learners will experience activities and opportunities for investigation in ‘Animals and Humans’ and ‘Plants and Living Things’. These activities are designed to allow children to build on the knowledge they have developed in class lessons. It gives them the chance to apply scientific thinking in a new environment and develop a scientific approach to learning and exploring. The areas are broken up over the year giving us an opportunity to assess what learning has been embedded and to address any areas that need to be consolidated. The delivery of the lesson and the teacher questioning varies according to the year group and is sequenced. Each year group is given a scientific question which they then have a longitudinal study around, allowing children to explore their investigations over the year.
Art
The art that we cover in COSMIC is textiles but we use the time with us to develop a creative approach to learning. During these creative sessions we explore different artists and their approach to design and art. We have opportunities to make connection to craft and traditions in our exploration of textiles and make connections to their environment and be inspired by the natural world.
DT
We deliver a large part of the DT curriculum and we draw on the environment to create projects and task for the year groups. We encourage children to invest the learning time into projects that support and develop the school and environmental areas. Children’s investment and contributions to the school and environment mean they can have ownership of their school. The COSMIC team take time to develop transferable practical skills and to be confident planners and evaluators. These skills can then be used in the classroom to build further DT knowledge. The children are shown different designers and design projects and are encouraged to form opinions and be critical about the finish products and meeting the design brief. The COSMIC team work with the local DT ambassador group to develop links with the local industrial community.
Geography
The COSMIC team develop projects both in site and in the local area for children to develop the skills and knowledge they need to be a geographer. We want the children to be confident about their environment, the local areas and the world around them. They have an opportunity to learn and use directional language, map skills and build an understanding of the features of the local area, including the school.
SEMH
Learners will have a different experience learning in COSMIC session. Many of our session are supported by both P4C and 6 Strands. These session aim to explore both our Warren Park Values the schools PSHE curriculum. We want our children to be balanced learners and understanding their emotions is a part of that. In COSMIC we use the emotional language of 6 Strands to aid children in understanding their emotions and be able to work with them. We set children and classes challenges around the 6 Strands. The children learn how to listen, explore their own voice and develop their own views and opinions. One of our aims is to broaden the learner’s view of the world. They will be exposed to opportunities to question how they impact the world around them and how they can be a positive force in the world they live in.
Beyond Learning in Outside Classroom
As well as teaching the curriculum we aim to teach positive attitudes. The teaching staff nurture the idea of ownership of the school and its outside classroom. All learners and visitors to our area of the school are held accountable to the animals and wildlife that live and grow there. Learners are taught that the area is a man-made feature and therefore they are responsible for its upkeep and protection. Our learners grow a deep respect for the nature and apply their knowledge to keeping it safe. Learners are given opportunities to help maintain areas and we always choose to discuss any damage done, reflecting on its impact to the nature and the learning in the Outside Classroom. We hope to encourage a respect for nature that extends beyond our boundaries and time at our school.
The teaching staff seek events in the local community where we can get involved with projects and competitions. We have a good relationship with local schools, farms and agencies; we frequently share good practices and celebrate achievements with them. Our learners have a sense of pride of our outside classroom and are always willing to share that with others.
Impact and Evaluation
The COSMIC team use assessment for 6 Stands and the subject curriculum standards to ensure all children are accessing the curriculum successfully and meeting standards. We use this assessment to inform next lessons and to feedback to subject leads and class teachers. We use this assessment throughout the year to enable us to evaluate the impact of the lessons as well as to ensure coverage and understanding. Each year the COSMIC team uses this information to feed into class assessments of the children. The 6 Strands assessment is used as target setting for classes but also to highlight children who may need additional support with their social and emotional learning. Two members of the COSMIC team also form part of the wellbeing team and can use this information to assist with intervention and support.