Key Stages
Key Stages
Early Years
Our children in Reception follow the Early Year Curriculum and learn through play both inside and in the outside classroom. We ensure that our children feel secure and that they develop self-confidence and resilience through their daily learning. We consolidate their skills through Planning in the Moment where their individual interests and needs are nurtured and developed. We also teach discreet Phonic and Maths lessons daily.
The Foundation stage has seven key areas of learning as follows:
Prime Areas
- Communication and language
- Physical development
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Specific Areas
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding the World
- Expressive Arts and Design
Observation and Assessment.
The majority of our learning in Reception is child initiated and our committed and professional staff use 2 simple assessments to observe children’s learning and decide on individual Next Steps.
Partnership with parents
Our parents have such an important role to play in their children learning and development. We have regular meetings to discuss each child’s needs and skills. We offer regular Stay Play and Learn sessions for parents to come and work alongside their child and to understand ways in which they can support their child’s learning at home.
Key Stage One: (Year 1 & Year 2)
All class activities and lessons in Key Stage 1 are taught using a mixture of class, group and individual teaching methods. The National Curriculum in Key Stage 1 will be taught as part of carefully chosen topics but English and Maths are taught separately.
ICT is taught ‘distinctly’ as well as being used to support learning across the curriculum.
Key Stage Two: (Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6)
Our broad and balanced curriculum enables us to teach key basic skills through the core subjects such as English, Maths and Science, whilst also broadening the horizons of pupils through the foundation subjects (History/Art/Music/etc.) Each term, class teachers create a curriculum web which illustrates how they teach all of the key skills needed through a creative theme, making learning fun and engaging for all children (see year group pages for examples). Skills in Mathematics and English are taught in a systematic and carefully planned way.
Children will experience a mixture of whole class, group, paired and individual learning depending on the lesson. We feel this helps foster an independent attitude towards learning and encourages a growth mindset.
Computing skills are developed systematically and children learn to use computers as a tool to aid learning across the curriculum. Italian is also taught in Key Stage 2.
All classes partake in a minimum of 2.5 hours physical activity a week, in line with current government legislation.
The amount of homework children are asked to complete depends on the year group they are currently in. Homework will always be linked to current class themes or topics. Key Stage 2 children have a homework notebook. We encourage parents to sign this to acknowledge the homework that the children have been asked to complete.
