Curriculum

Curriculum Planning

 

At St Mary's we believe that all our children can become fluent readers and writers. This is why we teach reading through Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, which is a systematic and synthetic phonics programme. We start teaching phonics in Reception and follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised progression, which ensures children build on their growing knowledge of the alphabetic code, mastering phonics to read and spell as they move through school.

 As a result, all our children are able to tackle any unfamiliar words as they read. At St Mary's, we also model the application of the alphabetic code through phonics in shared reading and writing, both inside and outside of the phonics lesson and across the curriculum. We have a strong focus on language development for our children because we know that speaking and listening are crucial skills for reading and writing in all subjects.

Validated systematic, synthetic phonics programme: 'Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised'

We teach early reading through the validated systematic, synthetic phonics programme 'Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised' which we have just purchased and implemented.

Right from the start of Nursery, children will have a daily phonics lesson which follows the progression for Little Wandle Letters and Sounds and this continues in Year One to ensure children become fluent readers. 

In Reception, we build from 10-minute lessons, with additional daily oral blending games, to the full-length lesson as quickly as possible. Each Friday, we review the week’s teaching to help children become fluent readers. Children make a strong start in Reception: teaching begins in Week 3 of the Autumn term.

We follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised expectations of progress (see below). Four new phonemes and their corresponding graphemes are taught (GPCs) each week and they are then used in the final lesson of the week to review the week’s learning. Children will also learn tricky words during these sessions.

In the Autumn and Spring term, Reception learn phase 2 and phase 3 GPCs and then will spend the final term learning phase 4. Year 1 begin the Autumn term with 3 weeks of revision of phases 2, 3 and 4 before learning phase 5, which will be completed by the end of the year. Year 2 children will begin the year by revisiting phase 5 and other previously taught phases to ensure all children are completely confident with applying these GPCs in both their reading and also their writing. They will then continue with the Bridge to spelling programme. (please see the overview here for what this progression looks like).

Half termly assessments take place through Reception and Year 1 to help inform future teaching and help identify children who have gaps in their phonic knowledge and need additional practice. Daily assessment of learning also takes place within the classroom so staff can quickly identify any children who are in danger of falling behind and provide the appropriate daily ‘Keep Up’ intervention.

Useful Documents

Comprehension

At St Mary's we value reading as a crucial life skill. By the time children leave us, they read confidently for meaning and regularly enjoy reading for pleasure. Our readers are equipped with the tools to tackle unfamiliar vocabulary. We encourage our children to see themselves as readers for both pleasure and purpose.Because we believe teaching every child to read is so important, we have a Reading Leader who drives the early reading programme in our school. This person is highly skilled at teaching phonics and reading, and they monitor and support our reading team, so everyone teaches with fidelity to the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme.

Supporting your child with reading

Although your child will be taught to read at school, you can have a huge impact on their reading journey by continuing their practice at home.

There are two types of reading book that your child may bring home:

A reading practice book. This will be at the correct phonic stage for your child. They should be able to read this fluently and independently.

 A sharing book. Your child will not be able to read this on their own. This book is for you both to read and enjoy together.

Reading practice book

This book has been carefully matched to your child’s current reading level. If your child is reading it with little help, please don’t worry that it’s too easy – your child needs to develop fluency and confidence in reading.

Listen to them read the book. Remember to give them lots of praise – celebrate their success! If they can’t read a word, read it to them. After they have finished, talk about the book together.

Sharing book

In order to encourage your child to become a lifelong reader, it is important that they learn to read for pleasure. The sharing book is a book they have chosen for you to enjoy together.

Please remember that you shouldn’t expect your child to read this alone. Read it to or with them. Discuss the pictures, enjoy the story, predict what might happen next, use different voices for the characters, explore the facts in a non-fiction book. The main thing is that you have fun!

Statement of Intent for English

 

1. Intent

 

At St Mary’s we believe that a good quality English curriculum should develop children’s love of reading, writing and discussion. One of our priorities is helping children read and develop their all-important comprehension skills. We recognise the importance of nurturing a culture where children take pride in their writing, can write clearly and accurately and adapt their language and style for a range of contexts and purposes. We want to inspire children to be confident in the art of speaking and listening and who can use discussion to communicate and further their learning.

We believe that children need to develop a secure knowledge-base in Literacy, which follows a clear pathway of progression as they advance through the primary curriculum. We believe that a secure basis in literacy skills is crucial to a high quality education and will give our children the tools they need to participate fully as a member of society.

 

2. Implementation

These aims are embedded across our literacy lessons and the wider curriculum. We have a rigorous and well organised English curriculum and framework, that provides many purposeful opportunities for reading, writing and discussion. Following the Pathways to Write Programme, we use a wide variety of quality texts and resources to motivate and inspire our children. Teachers also ensure that, when applicable, cross curricular links with topic work are woven into the programme of study.

 

The National Curriculum (2014) for English aims to ensure that all pupils:

● read easily, fluently and with good understanding

● develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information

● acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language

● appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage

● write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences

● use discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas

● are competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate.

 

At St Mary’s we begin our English Curriculum using the Little Wandle programme, Letters and Sounds Revised. Our Reading Buddies scheme introduced in the Autumn term of 2018 goes from strength to strength with children looking forward to reading to a buddy, or hearing fiction and non-fiction texts read to them by older children. Our school library is full of books which, twice a week, year 6 children supervise and monitor the borrowing of across the whole school. Each classroom has age appropriate books in their books corners and feature a range of fiction and non-fiction.

 

 At St Mary’s, we identify children who need support and provide intervention in the most effective and efficient way that we can. We are fortunate to have parents and helpers who come in regularly to hear children read. Most children on the SEND register have reading and comprehension as one of their targets. Teachers plan and teach English lessons which are adapted accordingly to the particular needs of each child.  We help each child maximise their potential by providing help and support where necessary whilst striving to make children independent workers once we have helped to equip them with the confidence, tools and strategies that they need.

 

We run parent information sessions on reading and Phonics and a SATs meeting for Year 6 parents so that they understand age-related expectations. These sessions are always very well attended by parents.

 

Marking is rigorous in English and across the curriculum, with regular verbal feedback and spelling corrections to help children correct and consolidate their work. Regular English book scrutinies are carried out by the English lead to check all teachers are following our marking policy rigorously.

 

We love to celebrate success of all learners and strive to help all children achieve their goals. Reading is celebrated in classrooms and around school at St Mary’s, where our bright and colourful and topical displays celebrate children’s writing, their favourite books and reading reward schemes.  In addition, our literacy curriculum is enhanced annually through World Book Day.

 

Within the Early Years, children are encouraged to develop a love of reading from an early age. They enjoy listening to and joining in with a range of stories and they are encouraged to explore books independently. The children have daily taught phonics sessions using the Little Wandle Letters and sounds and they quickly develop their confidence as they blend and segment phonemes for reading and writing. The children are encouraged to use the phonological knowledge that they have acquired when writing. Writing and reading areas are integral to the continuous provision within the classroom and children are encouraged to access these independently. Fine motor skills are developed through daily early morning activities and the children are encouraged to develop a tri-grip pencil hold as they develop their hand dominance.

 

3. Impact

 

The impact on our children is clear: progress, sustained learning and transferrable skills.  With the implementation of the writing journey being well established and taught thoroughly in both key stages, children are becoming more confident writers and by the time they are in upper Key Stage 2, most genres of writing are familiar to them and the teaching can focus on creativity, writer’s craft, sustained writing and manipulation of grammar and punctuation skills.

 

Termly assessment is undertaken using NFER Assessment papers. We hope that all the new literacy initiatives outlined above will help continue to boost children’s learning and progress.

 

As all aspects of English are an integral part of the curriculum, cross curricular writing standards are beginning to improve and skills taught in the English lessons are being transferred into other subjects; this shows a move to a consolidation of skills and a deeper understanding of how and when to use specific grammar, punctuation and grammar objectives.

 

We hope that as children move on from St Mary’s to Secondary School: their creativity, passion for English and high aspirations travel with them and continue to grow and develop as they do.

Intent

At St Mary's, we believe that maths is essential to everyday life and provides a foundation for understanding the world. We want to ignite a sense of curiosity of maths in our children and ensure that they enjoy the subject. Our aim in maths is to ensure that the children become fluent in the fundamentals, can reason mathematically and can solve problems by applying their learning to varied situations with confidence.

We want the children to see that maths is an interconnected subject, to make connections across the different areas to develop their fluency. This is why we have adopted the mastery approach to teaching and learning maths. The idea is introduced in the Foundation Stage and developed through the White Rose scheme of work in Years 1-4. At the same time, we unlock a passion for the subject, motivating the children to learn; encourage the children to believe that they can and will achieve in maths; and produce lifelong learners of the subject.

Implementation

Our pupils are encouraged to physically represent mathematical concepts. Objects and pictures are used to demonstrate and visualise abstract ideas, alongside numbers and symbols.

Concrete – children have the opportunity to use concrete objects and manipulatives to help them understand and explain what they are doing.

Pictorial – children then build on this concrete approach by using pictorial representations, which can then be used to reason and solve problems.

Abstract – With the foundations firmly laid, children can move to an abstract approach using numbers and key concepts with confidence.

Below outlines the progression through the 6 distinct domains in maths at Christ Church First School.

Number and place value:

During the Early Years, children become familiar with the idea of numbers through songs, counting small numbers of objects, beginning to use marks to represent numbers and starting to recognise numbers in the environment. By the end of this phase, children are able to count to 20, use number bonds to 10 and recognise odd and even numbers. This number knowledge is then developed in Keys Stage 1 when children become familiar with numbers up to 100, understanding the place value of the digits in these numbers and being able to count forwards and backwards in jumps of 2, 10, 3 and 5. Throughout Lower Key Stage 2, children’s number knowledge is extended to 10,000. Again, they use place value to recognise the worth of each digit and use patterns to help them count forward and backwards in jumps of varying size. Rounding numbers is also introduced with children learning how to round to the nearest 10, 100 or 1000. Roman numerals to 100 are also introduced.

Number-Fractions:

In the Early Years, children are introduced to the language of sharing and describing amounts and are able to solve problems that involve halving and doubling. In Key Stage 1, children’s knowledge of fractions is extended beyond halves to quarters and thirds. They are able to find parts of quantities as well as sets of objects and can name different fractions. Children also begin to compare and order unit fractions and fractions with the same denominator. During their time in Lower Key Stage 2, children build on their knowledge of fractions by finding equivalents and simplifying fractions. They move on to comparing and ordering non-unit fractions as well as those with different denominators. Children are able to add fractions with the same denominator and the idea of mixed numbers and improper fractions are introduced. Decimals are also introduced at the end of this Key Stage, with children able to write and order decimals up to hundredths and round numbers with one decimal place to the nearest whole number. They use their understanding of decimals to divide whole numbers by 10 and 100. 

Statistics:

Whilst in the Early Years, children at Christ Church start to make comparisons of things in their environment and begin to collect simple data such as eye or hair colour. This data collection is then developed in Key Stage 1, when children start to present the information they have collected using picture graphs with a 1:1 scale or where the picture represents 2, 5 or 10. In Lower Key Stage 2, children are also introduced to bar charts as a way of presenting data and they are able to construct their own as well as interpret existing ones. Line graphs are also introduced. 

Geometry-Property of Shapes:

During the Early Years, children are encouraged to show an interest in shapes in the environment and to talk about the shapes of everyday objects. They are able to describe 2D and 3D shapes using the correct language and begin making and recognising repetitive patterns. When in Key Stage 1, children build on their base knowledge of 2D and 3D shapes to sort them according to the properties and to talk about 3D shapes in terms of faces, edges and vertices. In Lower Key Stage 2, children are introduced to angles and learn that there are different types of angles within the 2D shapes they have learnt about previously. They learn about different types of lines and begin to describe 2D shapes in terms of their angles and lines. Children learn about broad shape names (triangles and quadrilaterals) and use their properties to recognise them. Symmetry is also introduced as a way of describing the properties of shapes. 

Geometry-Position and Direction:

Children in the Early Years use positional language, prepositions and ordinal numbers. In Key Stage 1, the children are then introduced to the idea of objects and shapes moving left or right, clockwise or anti-clockwise, up or down etc. Turns are also introduced in terms of a quarter, half or three-quarter to describe how a 2D shape has moved. This language is then applied to positions of shapes on a grid in Lower Key Stage 2. Children also plot coordinate points (in the first quadrant) and translate shapes using language of up/down and left/right.

Measurement – Time:

In the Early Years, children begin using the language of time (before, later, soon) and begin anticipating time-specific events such as lunch time and home time. This understanding of time is developed in Key Stage 1 when children learn to tell the time to 5 minutes, including o’clock, half past, quarter to and quarter past. They are able to draw hands on clocks, sequence events and find start and finishing times. In Lower Key Stage 2, children build on their ability to tell the time by writing them to the nearest minute, using am and pm and using both analogue and digital clocks. They learn how to tell the time using a 24-hour clock and can convert between minutes and seconds, and hours and minutes.

Temperature:

Temperature is introduced in Key Stage 1, where children learn how to read and estimate temperature. This knowledge is then used and embedded throughout the rest of the school when teaching other areas such as statistics and negative numbers.

Money:

Children in the Early Years are introduced to some of the language associated with money. When in Key Stage 1, children learn how to recognise notes and coins, find total amounts and give money in coins, notes and a mixture of both as well as how to show equivalent amounts of money in different ways. After learning about money notations previously, children in Lower Key Stage 2 are able to add and subtract amounts of money and calculate change. The also begin to use other skills such as estimating to work out how much something will cost as well as rounding to work out an approximate total.

Length, Mass and Capacity:

During the Early Years, children begin to use language of size and start comparing and ordering objects in terms of their height, weight or length. They are introduced to capacity by talking about objects being full, half-full or empty. In Key Stage 1, children measure the length or weight of objects using non-standard measures (e.g. body parts, other objects) before being introduced to centimetres and metres; grams and kilograms; and litres and millilitres. Throughout this, children compare the length/weight/height/volume of objects. When in Lower Key Stage 2, children use the units they learned about previously to measure objects in a mixture of units (e.g. the length of a line in centimetres and millimetres). They begin reading scales to measure objects. It is in this phase that children are also introduced to perimeter and area of rectangles and squares. 

In the Early Years, maths is strongly linked to the adventure being taught giving real purpose to the subject. Due to the nature of White Rose Maths, this isn’t always possible in other year groups, although teachers are encouraged to use the context of their adventure where appropriate. In all classrooms, a selection of practical resources are available for children to select from to enable them to move through the concrete, pictorial and abstract model of learning in maths.

At all times, children are encouraged to make connections across the different areas of maths and to apply their knowledge to different contexts.

Impact

By the time children leave St Mary’s they will have –

• Moved through the programmes of study at broadly the same pace
• Confidence in each yearly objective and develop their ability to use this knowledge to develop a greater depth understanding, to solve varied fluency problems, as well as problem solving and reasoning questions
• Been challenged through rich and sophisticated problems, before any acceleration of new content, to add depth to the curriculum
• Ensure any concepts that are not sufficiently secured will receive rapid intervention, to consolidate knowledge and understanding through additional practise

 

Intent

The intent of our PSHE curriculum at St Mary’s is to deliver a curriculum which is accessible to all and that will maximise the outcomes for every child. In an ever-changing world, it is important that they have high aspirations, a belief in themselves and realise that anything is possible if they put their mind to it. We want our pupils to develop a confidence in sharing their own thoughts and opinions with others, develop skills and attributes to keep themselves healthy and safe. We want them to show tolerance of others beliefs, religions and life choices, and to build positive, respectful relationships with other people.

 Implementation

Our PSHE curriculum follows the You, Me, PSHE Scheme of Work (Islington). PSHE has been divided into 7 different strands. Within each strand, there are age appropriate topics for the different year groups. In the Foundation Stage, PSHE is an integral part of ongoing work covered during the year.

One topic per half term is taught to each year group (SRE is taught over a whole term in Y2, 4 and 6, please see RSE Policy for more information). Each topic consists of six lessons per half term and delivered by the PSHE lead (Miss Rhiannon Rhodes) in 45 minute carousel lessons.

Lessons involve class discussions and group activities and evidence of the work completed is gathered into a class book so that the focus is on the discussions and the children’s understanding of what is taught and not on the written aspects. Lessons are usually supported by age appropriate books and texts.

As needed, support is provided to children when they find particular topics more challenging and each class has created their own set of rules for support so that pupils know where to go.

Assessment has been included as an integral part of each topic. At the beginning of the topic pupils complete a pre-topic assessment activity, which is then repeated at the end of the topic. This enables pupils and teachers to understand and demonstrate the progress made.

 Impact

Our school values and inclusion of safeguarding within our curriculum is vital as first and foremost, we want our children to be safe and happy so that they can excel in all aspects of school life. Our PSHE curriculum provides them with a chance to reflect and learn about these crucial elements.

Our children and staff value well-being, mental health and good citizenship. Through our curriculum, we believe that we prepare children for the next stage in their education as well as preparing them, during this vital stage of their life, for the adult world.

At St Mary’s, we are proud to nurture a love of music and provide rich opportunities for our pupils to develop as musicians. Currently, 40.4% of our children are learning a musical instrument, reflecting our strong commitment to musical education. We host two music concerts each year, alongside participating in a range of musical events beyond school, giving pupils valuable performance experiences. Every child is given the opportunity to perform, helping to build confidence, develop teamwork, and foster a sense of pride in supporting their peers. We also take part in school music festivals across the county and provide opportunities for pupils to experience live orchestral performances, inspiring their musical journey and broadening their cultural understanding.

School Based Music Tuition

• One to one or group guitar and ukulele tuition with Mrs Rhysian Gault.
• Clarinet and Flute Tuition with Mrs Catherine Gibson (Entrust Music Services).
• Violin and Singing Tuition with Rhysian Gault.
• 1:1 piano lessons with Martin Jones.

Please contact the school office for more information and for bookings.

Intent

At St Mary’s School we aim to encourage the children to develop their creativity and self-expression as they explore a range of musical elements. We hope to develop a lifelong love of music as the children listen, reflect and compare a wide range of different musical styles and genres. The children are encouraged to develop their confidence to perform using both their own voices and a range of musical instruments.

In line with the National Curriculum objectives for music, our intent is that all pupils –

• Develop their voices so they can sing as part of a group and also as an individual.
• Play a range of tuned and untuned percussion instruments as part of a group and individually.
• Develop their understanding of musical instruments through listening to and watching musical performances.
• Have the opportunity to listen to a range of pieces of music, which cover a variety of musical styles, cultures and historical periods such as jazz, classical music, rock music etc.
• Develop their understanding of different composers and some of the music that they composed.
• Appreciate the different musical elements such as pace, pitch and dynamics and they are able to use appropriate vocabulary when discussing these.
• Compose music as part of group and individually. When appropriate, they will use technology to aid with this.

Children within the Early Years are encouraged to -

• Sing a range of well-known nursery rhymes and songs.
• • Perform songs, rhymes, poems and stories with others, and – when appropriate –
• try to move in time with music

 

Implementation

At St Mary’s children are taught using the online scheme Charanga. They have weekly lessons which always include an opportunity to listen and appraise music, perform music and reflect upon their performances. Children are taught to sing a wide range of songs both within their music lessons and within whole school worship. As part of the links with the wider community, children have the opportunity to perform in a variety of different contexts such as in Church for the Harvest Festival. Children are taught to read basic musical notations as they explore how to play tuned and untuned percussion instruments. Children are encouraged to compose their own music and to perform their compositions for their peers.

Children are encouraged to develop and use the language of musical elements through direct teaching, discussions and an appreciation of these within specific examples of music.

Children with Special Educational Needs are encouraged and supported to access the music curriculum through careful support and differentiation. 

Children within the Early Years access weekly music lessons with the year one and two children. They also have access to explore musical instruments within the continuous provision.

Impact

By the time children leave St Mary’s they will have –

• Moved through the program of studies at roughly the same pace as their peers. Children are encouraged to go on their own musical journeys as they discover areas of strength and aspects that they would like to further develop in the future.
• Developed their confidence and self-esteem as they perform in a variety of different contexts.
• Have an understanding of the elements of music, for example pulse, melody or rhythm.
• Develop an appreciation of music and an understanding that they can enjoy it in their own way, for example listening to, performing or composing music.
• Have an understanding of the culture and history of different musical genres from around the world.