Key Stage 1 and 2 Curriculum Information Broad Overview All primary age groups are taught the nine subjects of the National Curriculum (Mathematics, English, Science, Computing, Design Technology, History, Geography, Art, Music and Physical Education). PSHE & C. (Personal, Social Health, Emotional Education and Citizenship) and Religious Education are also taught in addition to the above subjects. The programmes of study for Mathematics and English are taught principally as distinct subjects. These appear on the school timetable on a daily and weekly basis. Phonics is taught as a discrete subject in Reception and KS1 classes (and KS2 classes where appropriate) using the Letters and Sounds scheme. Other phonetic-based reading schemes may be used as home readers in the early stages e.g. Floppy's Phonics and Oxford Reading Tree, before the children are ready to progress to 'real' books. The remaining aspects of the curriculum, such as Science, History, Geography, Design Technology and Religious Education are taught through focused Themes, mapped out to take place at different times in the school year, often making purposeful links to events happening outside school. English In Key Stage 1 we teach communication and language (speaking and listening), phonics, reading and writing every day. In Key Stage 2, classes have a Literacy lesson taught every day. Content can include communication and language, spelling, reading and writing. Communication and Language At St Mary's our children experience a wide range of both spoken and written English. In Key stage 1 the children are taught to listen to others and speak fluently and confidently. They are encouraged to use language to explore their own experiences and imaginary worlds. In Key Stage 2 our children are taught to change the way they speak to suit different purposes and audiences. In both Key Stages communication and language skills are developed through role play, talking partners, group work and drama in lessons across the curriculum. Ipads, digital cameras, voice recorders and Interactive White Boards provide the children with an opportunity to hear themselves speak and assess their performance. Children also have regular opportunities to develop their confidence and speaking skills before an audience with Christmas Performances, regular assemblies and opportunities to speak in church. In addition children may join a popular drama club. Phonics and Reading At St Mary s, phonics is taught following the Letters and Sounds programme, which is complemented by teaching approaches from the Read, Write, Inc. scheme of work. The Letters and Sounds programme clearly follows the six phases of phonic progression throughout the Early Years and Key Stage One. Phonics is taught explicitly daily in Early
Years and Key Stage One, and where necessary in KS2. Please see our Reading and Phonics policy for further information. At St Mary's we use a range of reading scheme books to meet the needs and interests of our pupils. Reading scheme books include Oxford Reading Tree, Rigby Star, Floppy s Phonics and Project X. Our reading scheme runs from the Early Years to the end of Key Stage 2, whereby once children finish the scheme they become independent readers who select their own books as they are at a point in their reading journey to be able to read fluently and accurately with excellent comprehension. At the same time children may take home other reading books for them to practice their reading skills with such as those from our school library or the class reader area. Parents communicate with teachers via a Reading Record book which is sent home and comes back into school daily. In Key Stage 2 the Oxford Reading Tree guided reading scheme has been recently introduced to develop further our children's reading comprehension skills secure mastery standard at the end of Year Six. In addition to reading schemes, teachers plan for reading and writing activities based on 'real', quality fiction and non-fiction books for children. Each classroom has a book area and classroom displays which contain books of interest to the children and the topics they are studying across different curriculum areas. Writing Writing is taught as a discrete lesson in Literacy in Key Stage One, and also alongside the teaching of reading within phonic sessions following the Letters and Sounds programme. In Literacy, children are exposed to the Pie Corbett 'Talk for Writing' philosophy and approach from Reception class though to the end of Key Stage 2. In both Key Stages the children have the opportunity to write frequently and for a sustained period and they complete at least one piece of independent writing a week. Children are taught to write independently and with enthusiasm for a real purpose. The children explore a range of text types and genres and are taught to write in a variety of styles and forms appropriate to the situation. At the end of every half term every child from Reception class through to Year 6 complete the same, independent writing task. These are kept in Writing Assessment books which follow the children from Reception class and provide a record of the children's writing development whilst at St Mary's Church of England Primary School. Mathematics In line with the National Framework for Mathematics, we adapt our teaching to suit the needs of the children at St Mary s. Mental maths is taught daily throughout the school, using both pencil and paper methods, and also the idea that some problems can be solved in their heads. Importantly, cross curricular links are made so that children can see the everyday importance of Mathematics in their lives. Children are naturally curious; they want to explore and discover. Where possible Mathematics activities are made to be hands on
and practical, meaning worksheets are avoided. The children learn better when the pressure of being right or wrong is removed. Religious Education As a Voluntary Aided school, St Mary s has developed its own RE curriculum in consultation with the Diocese of St. Albans to ensure that children receive the depth to their learning about and from other religions as well as Christianity. The school uses the Bedfordshire Agreed Syllabus which has an enquiry approach for each unit covered. The teaching of RE seeks both to impart knowledge and develop understanding of religious experiences, feelings and attitudes through a variety of teaching and learning approaches. We achieve this by some direct teaching and whole class, group, paired or individual activities. A range of teaching styles will be used including enquiry, exploration, discussion, role play, drama, asking and answering questions, using a range of sources including ICT, works of art, artefacts, visits and visitors. We work closely with the St Mary s Church; regular visits to the church and assemblies and lessons from the Vicar ensure the Christian ethos and values are embedded throughout school. Our pupils learning in RE is backed up and extended through whole school collective worship. Science Our aim with the Science curriculum at St Mary s is to harness our pupils natural curiosity for the world around them. Our key focus is on encouraging children to ask questions and discover ways to learn the answers for themselves. We encourage children to think for themselves and use their curiosity when investigating. Children are taught essential aspects of the knowledge, methods, processes and uses of science. Through exploring and regularly completing practical investigations children are able to become equipped with scientific knowledge. Music We have raised the profile of Music at St Mary s to make it a natural part of school life and learning for our pupils. Throughout different parts of the day music can be heard in our school. We have singing assemblies every week and the children sing in St Mary s Church at our beginning and end of term church services. Year 4 pupils are provided with instruments to use in weekly brass lessons provided by Hertfordshire Music Service. The school has a Composer of the Month who features in collective worship each day in order to build the children s knowledge of music history and the stylistic features of each musical genre. In Key Stage 2 children have the opportunity to learn an instrument with a specialist music teacher, in a small group setting. Our choir, perform at different events over the year.
Personal Social and Health Education and Citizenship (PSHE & C) At St Mary s our teaching of PSHE enables children to learn about rights and responsibilities for themselves and promotes self-confidence and esteem. Sex education is addressed in the final term of Year 5 and revisited in Year 6. Parents are given details of these sessions which deal with the problems of adolescence and the fundamentals of sex education. Art and Design Art brings out the creativity in children and it is also a great subject for building enthusiasm and excitement. We aim to give the children a variety of experiences in art. We use a wide range of art materials for drawing, painting, printing and collage. Throughout KS1 and KS2 children also study particular artistic styles or artists. Design and Technology Through our topic based learning we aim to offer opportunities to be creative, to think in new ways and to bring their original ideas in to reality through design and making in our DT curriculum. Children learn skills of construction, textiles, food preparation and graphics, and are taught to plan, design and evaluate their work. Computing At St Mary s we follow the Hertfordshire Scheme of Work which means we have a very structured framework which helps us teach all children important Computing skills. Time is built in for children to consolidate and practise using these skills during lessons in tasks directed by the teacher but shaped by the children themselves. Following on from learning these skills we provide opportunities across the curriculum for the use of Computing. St Mary s has a 15 Ipads available for use throughout the school in addition to 45 laptops to give opportunities for mobile learning. In addition, there are computers and Interactive Whiteboards in every classroom to support and facilitate the children s learning. We are currently exploring a range of opportunities to secure more resources to support ICT within the school. Modern Foreign Language At St. Mary s we discretely teach French to those children in Years Three to Six, although we naturally expose our younger children to the language wherever appropriate (e.g. counting). The school uses the La Jolie Ronde scheme of work to ensure pitch and progression of the language throughout KS2.
History Our History curriculum aims to support children s interest in the world around them and curiosity to explore the past. History is taught through a wide range of topics including The Greeks, our Local Area, The Great Fire of London and the Second World War. Through our History teaching we encourage children to ask questions, be observant, make links between the past and present and think like historians. We aim to bring History to life by looking at artefacts, inviting visitors into the school, school trips and hearing valuable stories. Geography When teaching Geography at St Mary s, we strive to provide children with the skills to ask geographical questions and carry out enquiries. Knowledge and understanding of places, patterns and processes, environmental change and sustainable development are all areas that we look at. Throughout the Key Stages pupils investigate a variety of people, places and environments at different scales in the United Kingdom and abroad, and start to make links between different places in the world. They find out how people affect the environment and how they are affected by it. They carry out investigations inside and outside the classroom. In doing this they become confident using resources such as maps, atlases, aerial photographs and ICT. Physical Education During their time at St Mary s every child will have the opportunity to experience games, athletics, dance, gymnastics and swimming. Specialist sports coaches are used to ensure that games lessons are of high quality. During the summer term swimming is offered to all children from Reception to Year 6. We also take part in National School Sports Week and run both a swimming gala and sports day. St Mary s promotes healthy living and we encourage children to travel actively to and from school as well as continue with physical activity outside of school. Key Stage 2 children are able to participate in a variety of sports events with local schools via the School Sports Partnership.