The Curriculum
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The School Curriculum: An Overview
Social and Economical aspects of Learning
The School Curriculum
All children in school follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum in the nursery and reception classes and the National Curriculum in the rest of the school. In addition, children are taught RE, Health Education and Personal and Social Education.
The National Curriculum is divided into core subjects: English, Mathematics, Science, ICT and RE and Foundation subjects. The Foundation subjects include History, Geography, Art, PE, Design Technology, French and Music. Each subject has a curriculum that outlines the knowledge, skills and activities to be completed by each year group.
It is the policy of the school to organise children into mixed-ability classes. In each class, children will work in either mixed-ability groups or ability groups depending on the subjects and the task to be completed.
Each class is taught by a teacher who is supported in their work by additional staff such as teachers, nursery nurses and teaching assistants.
English
All children will have experiences of speaking, listening, reading, writing, spelling and handwriting through a dedicated literacy lesson. Further, they are encouraged to reinforce the skills they have learnt by using them in cross curricular reading and writing.
All children are encouraged to take home reading books and library books to improve their skills and to share books with adults at home. Our reading scheme is Oxford Reading tree supplemented by wider readers to give the children experience a wider genre of books.
Children in Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 have phonics teaching every day through Letters and Sounds.
Mathematics
In each year group, children will have experience of the following through a daily numeracy lesson:
- Knowledge, skills, understanding and use of number, algebra and measures.
- Knowledge, skills, understanding and use of shape, space and data handling.
- Oral and Mental Skills.
To achieve these aims, the school uses a variety of schemes to provide a practical basis for skills in numeracy.
Many resources are used to deliver the curriculum, including ICT. The school believes in a practical problem- solving approach to learning.
If you would like to support your child with addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. The methods we use are set out in our Calculations Policy.
Science
In each year group, the children will explore the following areas:
- Scientific investigation
- Life and Living Processes
- Materials and their Properties
- Physical Processes
In this curriculum area, we attempt to foster and build upon children’s natural sense of curiosity, building upon pupils' experiences to develop an awareness of the world around them.
Information Technology
The school has a fully equipped, networked computer suite as well as computers in classrooms. These computers are all linked to the internet.
Children develop skills in using hardware and software to find, process and display information. They regularly use computers to reinforce or extend skills in other subjects.
The school operates an Internet Use Policy to ensure safety at all times.
Design Technology
Children develop the skills of planning and making in response to a need or problem. They evaluate and make changes to improve their final product. Pupils have the opportunity to use these skills across the curriculum.
History and Geography
In these areas, we aim to develop the skills which will enable children to interpret the world around them. This will involve them looking at a variety of physical and human conditions around the world and looking at how to care for their environment. We also hope that by studying the past, they will appreciate relationships and how developments have taken place.
Physical Education/Sporting Aims and provision
The school holds the Sport England Active Mark in recognition of the work carried out in PE. All children will have the opportunity to develop agility, co-ordination and the ability to express movement through dance, movement, gymnastics, athletics, games and swimming.
Social skills are developed through team or group work, enabling children to work together and as individuals.
The school runs a number of sporting teams and extra curricular activities. Pupils also take part in festivals and other events, involving children from other schools.
Sports days at the end of the summer term are important events in our school year.
Social and emotional aspects of learning
School follows the SEAL programme. The resource provides a framework for explicitly promoting social, emotional and behavioural skills, with built-in progression for each year group within school.
This includes the topics Going for Goals, Say No to Bullying, Relationships, Changes, New Beginnings and Getting On and Falling Out.
Creative Arts and Music
Children are given the opportunity to express themselves through a variety of creative activities. The curriculum they follow gives them the opportunity to record and observe images. They transform materials into images and objects through drawing, painting, textiles, mouldable materials as well as studying the work of other artists. Art activities are often used to record work in other areas of the curriculum.
Our music scheme gives children the opportunity to sing, listen, create and appreciate music. There is also the opportunity for them to receive instrument tuition through extra curricular activities.
Religious Education
Lambton Primary School is non-denominational. Religious Education is provided within the framework of the local Agreed Syllabus and in accordance with the 1988 Education Act. Assemblies, which are mainly Christian-based, are held three days a week. We also have assemblies from visiting clergy from a range of Christian Denominations.
Parents have the right to withdraw their child from Religious Education and the daily assembly. Please contact the head teacher to arrange this and to discuss what alternative provision will be provided.
Sex Education
The Governors have agreed a policy for sex education that aims to teach sex education through a structured programme of personal and social education. Puberty and personal hygiene is taught in Years 5 and 6. We aim to teach children the facts as well as both the physical and emotional aspects of growing up. Parents will be informed when sex education lessons are to take place and of their right to withdraw their children from these lessons.
If you would like to see what each class is doing this year, click here to download a copy of the long term plan.