Thursday 13th November 2014

New Curriculum – September 2014 The New Curriculum sets out what children need to learn and when The changes have taken effect from September 2014 for children in Years 1,3,4 and 5 Children in Years 2 and 6 will follow the existing programmes of study until September 2015 in English, Maths and Science There will be new tests for Years 2 and 6 from May 2016

Why the big curriculum change? To raise standards The New Curriculum is intended to be more challenging However, the content is slimmer There is a renewed focus on excellence and core skills Whilst some of the content is totally new, existing topics will be introduced a year or two earlier than used to be the case

The new curriculum has been developed partly by comparing England's curriculum to those in other countries. As the Department of Education puts it, it's all about trying to compete in the global economy and the forthcoming curriculum "combines the best elements of what is taught in the world's most successful school systems, including Hong Kong, Singapore and Finland, with some of the most impressive [existing] practice from schools in England."

English – New Content or emphasis Year-by-year objectives for Year 1 and Year 2, then LKS2 (Years 3 and 4) and UKS2 (Years 5 and 6) Spelling and grammar objectives and wordlists (a list of challenging spellings should be learned by age 11) Priority for phonics in both key stages Focus on reading for pleasure Reciting poetry Clearer expectations on aspects of writing Emphasis on spoken English, debating and presenting skills What’s new?

Maths – New Content/emphasis/higher expectations Year-by-year expectations Children in Year 1 will be expected to count forwards to 100 (and backwards from any given number) Number bonds to 20 by the end of Year 1 (addition and subtraction facts Times tables to 12 by the end of Year 4 Converting fractions to decimals in Year 4 Calculators will not be introduced until near the end of KS2, to encourage mental arithmetic Divide proper fractions by whole numbers in Year 6

Changes in other subjects Science – Strong focus on scientific knowledge. Evolution will be taught in primary schools for the first time. ICT – Will now be called ‘Computing’ with a focus on programming. From age five, children will learn to write and test simple programs, and to organise, store and retrieve data. From seven, they will be taught to understand computer networks, including the internet. Internet safety – previously only taught from – will be taught in primary schools. Geography – Reduced emphasis on investigative Geography but increased focus on geographical knowledge. For example, being able to name and locate the worlds 7 continents and 5 oceans as well as naming and locating the 4 countries of the UK, along with capital cities and surrounding seas.

History – Only small changes in KS1 but significant changes in KS2 breadth of study, with topics such as the Stone Age being added. See link below for additional information. primary-history-curriculum Music – Slimmed down programme of study. KS1 emphasis on experimentation with voice, tuned and untuned instruments. KS2 emphasis on notation and the understanding of the history of music. Art and Design – Greatly reduced detail in content. A focus on mastering techniques such as drawing, painting and sculpture. Design and Technology –Afforded greater importance under the new curriculum, setting children on the path to becoming the designers and engineers of the future. Children will use a broader and more ‘technical’ range of drawing techniques including ‘computer aided design. In KS2, children will learn about how key events and individuals in design and technology have shaped the world. There is also an increased focus on cookery across each year group.

PE – Relatively unchanged but more focus on mastering basic skills and playing in team games. Foreign Languages – a modern foreign language or ancient language (Latin or Greek) will be mandatory in KS2. Children will be expected to master basic grammar and accurate pronunciation and to converse, present, read and write in the language. For more information visit:

New Long Term Plans New long term plans have been published for each year group on the school web Many new exciting topics have been included ng+Term+Plans &pid= ng+Term+Plans &pid=1108

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Assessment Levels have now been removed (apart from for the current Year 2 and Year 6 children) Schools are expected to devise their own assessment systems We have just started to used new assessment materials – a list of expectations for each year group in Reading, Writing and Mathematics