Our Aims
Our aim is to provide a broad and balanced curriculum which builds upon the personal needs and interests of each child and engages all children with the learning expectations outlined in the National Curriculum. We aim to develop skills which children are then able to apply independently in a range of contexts.
We will encourage children to become independent learners by asking and answering their own questions, challenging themselves and to reflect on their own learning and making improvements. We will also encourage them to be resilient learners by taking risks and making mistakes, accepting that this is part of their learning journey.
We will share our curriculum plans termly through curriculum letters which will enable you to discuss and support your child's learning at home. These plans are flexible to allow us to respond to children's interests and the changing world around us. Your child's class teacher will be happy to discuss the plans further with you.
Our Curriculum
The National Curriculum states the subjects and the content to be taught at each stage of a child's education. Our role is to teach this in a way that excites and motivates children and that meets individual children's needs, allowing every child to reach their full potential.
In Key Stage 1 the subjects taught are: Maths, English, Science, Art and Design, Computing, Design and Technology, History, Geography, Music, Physical Education and Religious Education. We also place a strong emphasis on developing children's understanding of their own and others' needs and feelings through Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education.
Some subjects are taught on a daily basis, such as Reading, Writing, Phonics and Maths. Other subjects are taught during cross curricular time which allows topics to be explored by linking different subjects throughout the curriculum.
Phonics
From Nursery through to year 2 children follow a structured programme of phonics teaching (Letters and Sounds) where they learn the sound that letters or groups of letters make. They then apply this knowledge to read or spell words. They also learn to read and spell common exception words, which are words that do not follow the patterns that they have learned. We aim to make the learning fun and engaging by playing games, setting challenges and making learning active, using the outside space where possible.
Reading
Children are taught to read through daily guided reading sessions where they are encouraged to use a range of strategies to work out unknown words such as applying phonics learning, reading the rest of the sentence and using the pictures. Reading skills such as fluency, expression and developing understanding of vocabulary and text are modelled during group and whole class sessions. Children are given the opportunity to apply these skills independently. Books are banded in colours to indicate the level. We have a range of books and children are encouraged to read a variety of books including fiction and non-fiction. We encourage children to apply their reading skills throughout the curriculum.
Writing
Initially children learn to write by applying their phonics learning to write words. They then learn to build words into sentences and are taught to punctuate sentences correctly. Alongside the composition aspect of writing they learn to improve their handwriting and apply the spelling they have learned in phonics. As they become more confident, children are taught to develop the vocabulary they use, write in greater depth extending their ideas with conjunctions, write in different contexts and for different purposes and apply grammatical rules.
Speaking and Listening
Children learn to speak effectively, clearly and confidently for different purposes and audiences throughout the curriculum. They are taught how to listen, understand and respond to others, including how to take part in group discussions and drama activities.
Maths
Maths is taught daily in maths lessons using Power Maths and across the curriculum where appropriate. The National Curriculum for Maths aims to ensure that all pupils:
- become fluent in the fundamentals of maths, through varied and frequent practice, so that they develop the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately. Fast Maths is used daily to develop this.
- reason mathematically by identifying patterns and relationships to enable them to develop an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language.
- can solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of problems including breaking down problems into a series of simpler steps and persevering in seeking solutions.
Please see our termly curriculum letters for more detailed information on all the subjects we cover. These are on class pages and also up in classrooms.