1. Come to our curriculum evening after school on Monday Speak to staff about how your child learns Ask questions about how your child is assessed Find out about guided reading

2. What is the purpose of this event? 1.To explain how we teach at Thornhill Primary school 2.To explain why we use particular methods 3.To explain assessment arrangements and what particular levels mean 4.To give parents/ carers the opportunity to ask questions about our curriculum

3. What subjects do we teach? The subjects currently part of the National Curriculum are: English ( Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening) Mathematics Science Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Geography History Religious Education Personal and Social and Health Education Art and Design Design and Technology Music Physical Education Please note: Not all subjects are given the same amount of teaching time/ priority in a school week.

4. How are these taught? Some subjects are taught discretely (eg) Music or P.E. But many are linked together thematically, wherever possible as we believe this enables pupils to look at subjects in depth and develop their skills. This is called a cross-curricular approach.

5. Reception classes Children in Reception are still classed as being in the Foundation years, which include pre-school nursery provision. The Early Years Foundation Stage splits learning into areas, rather than subjects. Pupils are assessed using evidence collected through-out the year. Learning in Reception, is often less-formal than in later classes. We have an extremely well-resourced and engaging, continuous provision room to cater for the play-based learning needs of these pupils.

6. English The three areas of English are: Reading, Writing* and Speaking and Listening. *Writing includes spelling, handwriting and grammar. Because of the nature of English as a subject, it needs to be taught daily as a specific lesson but also is taught in a cross-curricular way linked to History for example.

7. Reading and Guided Reading Pupils learn to read using a variety of processes but start by learning letters and sounds. This ‘early’ learning is called phonics. In Reception Year, your child will be given a school reading book and it is expected that your child reads daily to an adult through-out their time in Primary school. Reading books are linked to national curriculum level. Once your child is at a particular level, they become a ‘free reader’ which means they can choose from a variety of novels in school, or read books from home. We have close links with Thornhill Library and encourage all pupils to become members and borrow books weekly. Guided Reading is where small groups of pupils read with a teacher- Mrs Steele will be demonstrating this today. The use of good quality novels is a priority for our school and we have adopted the Power Of Reading model. This strategy supports and encourages a love of stories.

8. Phonics Phonics is the word used to describe the teaching and learning of letters and sounds. Phonics is taught in 5 phases and most children reach phase 5 by the end of year 1 or into year 2. There is now a test of phonic acquisition at the end of Year 1 for all pupils. Miss Clark will be free to discuss phonics and how children learn to read.

9. Writing skills Early writing is taught as part of phonics. From the very beginning, we encourage all pupils to mark-make and experiment with communicating in this manner. The correct formation of letters is then taught and as a child progresses through school hand-writing skills are practiced. By the end of Key Stage Two, it is expected that the majority of pupils will have joined up, consistently sized handwriting. Most experts believe that there is a link between handwriting and spelling. We are keen that our pupils develop a range of strategies allowing them to spell accurately. Pupils often have spellings to learn at home. The school has adopted the Big Write approach to teaching writing. Pupils focus on key areas: Vocabulary, Connectives, Openers and Punctuation and are taught the requirements for progress at each Curriculum level. Pupils are taught how to organise and structure a range of writing styles, from stories to reports, from instructions to letters. They practice their writing in Big Writing sessions, these are marked in line with the pupil’s targets and the session objectives.

10. Maths In Reception classes maths skills are formally taught and acquired as part of play-based learning. In Key Stage One and Two pupils develop mathematically in these key areas: Number, calculation, shape and space, measures and data handling. At Thornhill, we teach in a variety of ways, and recognise that only by using and applying maths knowledge do pupils gain a secure mathematical understanding. Parents can easily help their child develop mathematically by explaining how they use maths in every day situations (eg) at the shops, when measuring during DIY or cooking. They can also help children to learn key facts- doubles, halves, number bonds under 10 or 20, times tables… They can also help in the early stages by pointing out shapes and numbers or by singing maths rhymes.

11. Assessment Daily Records are kept of pupils reading, mental maths scores and other tests, where appropriate. End of a unit At the end of a unit of work pupils are assessed in maths, English and ICT alongside national curriculum levels. Termly Pupils are assessed by their teachers, termly. These allow them to be tracked according to targets which have been set for them. Those who are falling behind may receive additional support. Teachers are aware that children make progress at different rates. Yearly By the end of Key Stage One pupils are expected to reach level 2 and by the end of Key stage 2, they are expected to reach level 4. In Year 2 and 6 children sit SATS tests which have been developed by the Government as a method for showing how children a performing. Pupils in years 3-5 also sit tests to help their teachers prepare for the following school year.

12. The future of the Curriculum We live in changing times. We have been told that there will be changes to the Curriculum ( what we have to teach) over the next year and beyond. The school is in a good position to make any changes as it is used to adapting and improving. We will of course keep you informed of any changes and how they effect your child. There will also be information in the media.