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 from Early Years to the end of Year 4.

The children work from 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 and Year 1 are taught by Miss Carr.

Year 2 are taught by Mrs Dalrymple.

Year 3 and 4 are taught by Mrs Burn. 

Our Teaching Assistants are Miss Blair, 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 smoothly into Year 1. 


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 Twinkle 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 equips pupils with the skills of fluency, reasoning and problem solving, as well as instilling confidence in mental and written calculation. Reception and KS1 children use Rekinrek ( simple abacus appartaus) to develop secure Place Value. KS2 have Big Maths CLIC maths sessions as well as Maths lessons. CLIC is a sequential programme of mental maths provision, with a strong emphasis on learned facts and developing the mental agility to apply these facts. It develops core skills in one clear method and highlights how small steps of progress with core numeracy follow on logically from one to the next. Big Maths lessons are fast-paced and fun. It helps children manipulate numbers and become more confident and successful at maths. 

We use a ‘mastery approach’ and make use of NCETM documentation,  Mathematics Mastery’s Calculation policy, White Rose and the NRICH resources to support teaching and learning. We ensure that marking identifies errors and misconceptions and gives insightful feedback (often verbally) for children to respond to.

We believe that skilful questioning is key, as is creating an environment in which pupil’s grapple with mathematics. Challenge therefore comes through more complex problem solving, not a rush to new mathematical content. We ensure that links are exploited between maths and other subjects and maths beyond the classroom. We also ensure that children are given opportunities to work both collaboratively and independently to reason and solve problems. 

Pupil progress is monitored through Age Related Expectation sheets highlighted in back of books,   termly targets and pupil progress meetings. 

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.