Curriculum Aims

Hugh Joicey Curriculum Statement

At Hugh Joicey CE Aided First School we aim to provide a broad balanced curriculum with progression of skills, relevance, purpose and challenge at its heart.

We teach the programmes of study set out in the 2014 National Curriculum. All themes and topics covered in each term can be found in the long term plan section of the website.

Reception are taught by Miss Carr.

Key Stage 1 are taught by Mrs Howie 

Lower Key Stage 2 are taught by Mrs Burn. 

Our Teaching Assistants are Mrs Rawlings and Mrs Wakenshaw.

If you require any further information about your child's curriculum please contact school.

EYFS - We use Development Matters and work closely as a staff to ensure the foundations and skills are in place to transition from our pre-school setting and into the Key Stage 1 class. 


English
We follow the recommended guidelines of the Primary Curriculum. English lessons are structured around units of work which includes high expectations for: reading, writing, Read Write Inc phonics and spelling, punctuation and grammar, speaking and listening and handwriting.

Work in English may be linked to a cross curricular theme or topic or may be based on a particular genre of writing.

Writing: Children are taught to write in a range of styles and for a variety of purposes. Writing skills learned in English lessons are reinforced through writing in a range of curriculum areas. Handwriting is taught discretely, using the Twinkl joined handwriting script, and reinforced in every lesson  Children are expected to work towards a neat cursive style by Years 3 and 4, and to apply their writing skills consistently across their curriculum work.

Mathematics

Our mathematics curriculum is based around White Rose Maths.  This is informed by the work of leading researchers and practitioners across the world, White Rose brings together a team of highly experienced and passionate maths teaching experts.

White Rose offers training programmes and a vast bank of clear, practical resources.

https://whiterosemaths.com/parent-resources 

Science
We believe that children will get the most out of the science curriculum if they are learning in a practical exploratory and investigative way. We encourage children to ask questions about the world around them and how things work. They are encouraged to explore ways to answer scientific questions and to find explanations for the results they get in their investigations. Through investigation each child has opportunities to develop essential scientific skills such as observing, classifying and fair testing as well as developing positive attitudes toward science work such as curiosity, perseverance and co-operation. These skills and attitudes enable a child to acquire an informed and critical understanding of the world.

Humanities
History and Geography are taught through our topic based curriculum. We follow the areas of study identified in the National Curriculum document but also explore themes related to the rich and diverse local area such as the Battle of Flodden, the River Till and the history of Ford village and Lady Waterford.

In History we explore the lives of famous people and past events in Britain and the world. We aim to give the children as much first-hand experience as possible through a programme of visits and visitors, as well as referencing primary historical sources such as our old school log books. Our teaching aims to give children a comparison between the lives of people in the past and their own lives.

In Geography we explore our local area as well as the wider world. Children are taught the importance of looking after the environment and how to improve it, as well as learning about how some geographical features were formed and the impact they have on the settlements around them. Map work is an important part of our Geography curriculum and is reinforced by work in our Forest School. 

Reading is a key focus in all lessons. Children read in groups with the teacher and will also be given an independent reading book, which they are expected to read at home and at school. Additionally, reading volunteers and school staff listen to children read weekly and ensure reading books are regularly changed. We use a wide range of reading schemes including Rigby Star, Collins Big Cat, Oxford Reading Tree, Jelly and Bean, Oxford Phonics and Code X but all are matched to the appropriate Read Write Inc Phonics stage that the individual child is at. Reading for pleasure is promoted througfh a well-stocked library, class books and free choice.

 

Phonics: We use the Read, Write Inc (RWI) program to teach reading, writing and spelling from Reception to Year 2.

In Key Stage 2 the emphasis moves from phonics to spelling rules. Spellings to learn are sent home weekly and are related to spelling rules learned in Phonics/Spelling or English lessons, Common Excepetion Words or words related to cross curricular topics.