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Summerlea CP School Growing thoughtful learners and independent thinkers

Curriculum & Assessment

Across our whole school, we aim to develop our pupils as inquisitive, motivated and reflective learners.

Children will be encouraged to question, think and be creative when problem solving and expectations of both achievement and behaviour are high.

Our teaching is focused on developing essential knowledge, attitudes and skills for life and is personalised to individual children and their learning needs. The curriculum  provides a wide range of opportunities, activities and challenges that develop each child’s understanding of themselves as learners. Click here to view our current curriculum policy.

EYFS

 

The mandatory Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Framework forms the basis of the curriculum for children in Reception. It sets the standards that all early years providers must meet to ensure that children learn and develop well, ensures children are kept healthy and safe and that they have the knowledge and skills they need to start school.

 

 

 

The four guiding principles of the EYFS Framework shape practice in our Reception classes. These are: 

  • every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured;
  • children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships;
  • children learn and develop well in enabling environments, in which their experiences respond to their individual needs and there is a strong partnership between practitioners and parents and/or carers; and
  • children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates. The framework covers the education and care of all children in early years provision, including children with special educational needs and disabilities.

There are seven areas of learning and development and all are important and inter-connected. Three areas are particularly crucial for igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, and for building their capacity to learn, form relationships and thrive. These three areas, the prime areas, are:

Communication and language development involves giving children opportunities to experience a rich language environment; to develop their confidence and skills in expressing themselves; and to speak and listen in a range of situations.

Physical development involves providing opportunities for young children to be active and interactive; and to develop their co-ordination, control, and movement. Children must also be helped to understand the importance of physical activity, and to make healthy choices in relation to food.

Personal, social and emotional development involves helping children to develop a positive sense of themselves, and others; to form positive relationships and develop respect for others; to develop social skills and learn how to manage their feelings; to understand appropriate behaviour in groups; and to have confidence in their own abilities.

Children are also supported in four specific areas, through which the three prime areas are strengthened and applied. The specific areas are:

Literacy development involves encouraging children to link sounds and letters and to begin to read and write. Children must be given access to a wide range of reading materials (books, poems, and other written materials) to ignite their interest.

Mathematics involves providing children with opportunities to develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems; and to describe shapes, spaces, and measures.

Understanding the world involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community through opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology and the environment.

Expressive arts and design involves enabling children to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials, as well as providing opportunities and encouragement for sharing their thoughts, ideas and feelings through a variety of activities in art, music, movement, dance, role-play, and design and technology.

In planning and guiding children’s activities, practitioners consider the different ways that children learn and reflect these in their practice. Three characteristics of effective teaching and learning are:

  • playing and exploring - children investigate and experience things, and ‘have a go’;
  • active learning - children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties, and enjoy achievements; and
  • creating and thinking critically - children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things.

See the full EYFS Framework here
 

Years 1 to 6

The statutory National Curriculum as well as Religious Education (RE) and Sex and Relationships Education (SRE) forms the basis of the curriculum for children in Years 1 to 6. The National Curriculum is a set of subjects and standards used by primary and secondary schools so children learn the same things. It covers what subjects are taught and the standards children should read in each subject.

The National Curriculum is organised into blocks of years called ‘Key Stages’. At the end of each Key Stage, teachers will formally assess each child’s performance to measure their progress. We report progress to parents in a number of ways including at termly parent consultation meetings and via annual reports.

 

Compulsory National Curriculum subjects at primary school are:

  • English
  • maths
  • science
  • design and technology
  • history
  • geography
  • art and design
  • music
  • physical education (PE), including swimming
  • computing
  • ancient and modern foreign languages (at key stage 2)

Schools must provide religious education (RE) but parents can ask for their children to be taken out of the whole lesson or part of it.

We also teach:

  • personal, social, health and citizenship education (PSHCE)
  • modern foreign languages (at key stage 2)

To view the National Curriculum in full please visit this page:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-curriculum

You can find out more about our curriculum by visiting the tabs on the signpost opposite. You can also contact the school and ask to speak to a member of the leadership team.