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Will It Rain?
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Curriculum:Age GroupsOur School is made up of 3 age groups:
Foundation Stage:The Foundation Stage covers Nursery age AND Reception (3 to 5 years.) Many people think of the Reception class as being in the Juniors. Whilst it is still the start, in some respects of "big school" - an important milestone for our young children, it is still organised in a similar manner to Nursery, since this is correct for the children's development. The work the children cover during Reception has many similarities to that covered in Nursery, building upon the children's experiences at that stage. In our School the Assistant Headteacher managing Foundation Stage is Mrs. K. Berry The Pre- School is managed by Mrs. G. Fazackerley. Key Stage 1Key Stage 1 covers Year 1 children (the Year group after Reception) and Year 2 children (the Year Group before the children go into the Juniors - ie children aged approx 6 to 7 years) At Key Stage 1, the children start their work from the National Curriculum. The Assistant Headteacher managing Key Stage 1 in our school is Mrs. K. Berry
Key Stage 2Key Stage 2 is the biggest age group, covering Years 3,4,5 and 6 ie the Junior Department. (ie children aged 7 to 11 years.) Children in Key Stage 2 develop their understanding through the National Curriculum and follow programmes of work based around it. The Assistant Headteacher managing Key Stage 2 in our school is Mrs. E. Smith
In More Detail:Foundation Stage (Pre-School and Reception:)The Curriculum is based upon the Foundation Stage Guidelines. The Pre-School and Reception provide the ideal educational environment. The children will be given every opportunity to develop their physical, intellectual, social and emotional abilities. At the early stages of development a child learns through play. The Pre-School and Reception have the materials, equipment and staff to help each child progress at their own pace. Experiences include sand and water play, numerous art activities, baking, plasticine, home corner and sorting / matching activities. There is also a well-equipped and closely supervised outside play area. The children spend a large part of each session outside. We intend that the children will learn independence, communicate, make friends, release their emotions and develop concentration.
Interactive Whiteboard (Smartboard): 21st Century Teaching Techniques The children work towards Early Learning Goals: (Click each title for more information - which links to an external site.)
Personal,social and emotional development
Foundation Stage Profile: The staff will contact you to talk about how the children are managing, from time to time. They will talk to you about the Foundation Stage Profile, which is a way of gathering assessment information about your child. They will ask for your views and the views of the children. More information about the Foundation Stage can be found by clicking here.
Key Stage 1 (Infant Department:)The Infant Department is designed to provide a lively and active learning environment where the children can work on both an individual and group basis. Children make maximum use of the large open areas. The National Curriculum has been revised and the teaching staff are constantly reviewing their schemes of work in order to adapt to the new requirements. The core subjects of English, Mathematics and Science are given most teaching time. In addition, we teach the following “Foundation” subjects:
For more information on the National Curriculum, please click here. Our Key Stage 1 Department has always given the highest priority to the teaching of reading. We use the ' New Way' reading scheme along with ‘Oxford Reading Tree’. Children are heard read every day in the Infants and use is also made of a wide range of interesting and appealing materials. Children are encouraged to make maximum use of home-reader materials. We teach English based upon the Literacy Framework. The children experience about an hour of Literacy each day, structured into times where they have whole class teaching, they break into groups, where the teacher works mainly with one of the groups, and finally they come back to assess and consolidate what they have learned. More information can be found about the Literacy Framework at the government's National Strategies Site. Click here for more details. Mathematics is taught through the Numeracy Framework. This involved a daily Maths lesson which starts with a basis on mental Maths skills. In Infants the Daily Maths lesson length can vary according to what is being covered, however as the children get older, the lesson will expand to about one hour per day. The Numeracy Framework is an approach that involves the children doing far more “Mathematical thinking” than in previous times. They respond to teachers questions with verbal answers and often “show me” responses written on small white boards etc. This means that in comparison with the past, the children, especially in the Infants will have less Maths written down in their books. The teacher makes assessment about progress without having to see so much “written down” work and can immediately adjust work to the child’s ability. Teachers have a variety of materials available to them. We aim to enable the children to acquire knowledge, skills and understanding through a combination of practical work, reasoning and using materials. Attention is drawn to using mathematics in the solution of real-life situations. More information can be found about the Numeracy Framework at the government's National Strategies Site. Click here for more details. Science: The children's scientific development includes finding out about themselves, how they grow, feed, move and use their senses. Science in the Infant classroom is very much interwoven into a variety of activities, helping the children to make sense of the world around them. Broad and Balanced: The overall aim is to provide a balanced and broadly-based curriculum with which to promote the mental and physical development of every child. Close links with parents are encouraged, staff are always willing to meet parents to discuss any problems (or successes). Computers: The computers have a range of software to help develop different areas of the curriculum, including the “industry standard” suite of Office Software. Interactive Whiteboards: All classrooms in our school now benefit from Interactive Whiteboards (also known as "Smartboards.") These greatly improve the teaching experience for teachers and children alike. The children interact with vibrant teaching experiences that staff can download from the internet to create more vibrant experiences - which helps the children learn more efficiently. This demonstrates our commitment to 21st Century teaching techniques and equipment.
Key Stage 2: (Junior Department:)The Junior Department is designed to provide a vibrant, lively and active learning environment where the children can work on both an individual and group basis. The National Curriculum has been established for a long time, however staff constantly review their teaching schemes to make the work more interesting and relevant for the children. The core subjects of English, Mathematics and Science are given most teaching time. In English, we base our work around the National Literacy Framework; which is approximately 1 hour of English teaching every day made up of group and individual time. Typically the children have whole class teaching, break into groups, where the teacher works mainly with one of the groups, and finally they come back to assess and consolidate what they have learned. More information can be found about the Literacy Strategy at the government's National Strategies Site. Click here for more details. In Maths, we work around the National Numeracy Framework. This involves a daily Maths lesson, again based around group and individual teaching time. At Key Stage 2, the daily Maths lesson will normally last approximately an hour. The Numeracy Framework is an approach that involves the children doing far more “Mathematical thinking” than in previous times. They respond to teachers questions with verbal answers and often “show me” responses written on small white boards etc. This means that in comparison with the past, the children, will have less Maths written down in their books. More information can be found about the Numeracy Framework at the government's National Strategies Site. Click here for more details. Science: The children's scientific development includes finding out about themselves, how they grow, feed, move and use their senses. Science in the Infant classroom is very much interwoven into the activities that normally go on there, helping the children to make sense of the world around them. In addition, we teach the following “Foundation” subjects:
The overall aim is to provide a balanced and broadly-based curriculum with which to promote the mental and physical development of every child. Close links with parents are encouraged, staff are always willing to meet parents to discuss any problems (or successes). Computers: We have a range of networked computers
available in school. They are organised so that larger numbers of children can
work together at the same time, or so that a small group from a large number of
classes can work simultaneously. The computers have a range of software to help develop different areas of the curriculum, including the “industry standard” suite of Office Software. Interactive Whiteboards: All classrooms in our school now benefit from Interactive Whiteboards (also known as "Smartboards.") These greatly improve the teaching experience for teachers and children alike. The children interact with vibrant teaching experiences that staff can download from the internet to create more vibrant experiences - which helps the children learn more efficiently. This demonstrates our commitment to 21st Century teaching techniques and equipment.
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