How we teach

We offer a curriculum based on the National Curriculum for England and follow the Renewed Framework for Literacy and Numeracy.  Our teaching is predominately in English, except for our Mandarin lessons.  Some of our specialist lessons – for example Music, Dance, PE and Art – may be partially taught in Mandarin.  In addition to these specialist lessons we also teach ICT.

Many parents ask for the textbooks we use.  The curriculum is not textbook based, though we may use a range of books to support the teaching and learning on occasion.  We focus on group and paired work to teach the skills of how to learn, such as how to find information from a text, how to research, investigating the properties of number to find patterns, etc.  Our learning is practical in the Key Stage 1, becoming more formal in Key Stage 2.

The children are assessed through APP – Assessing Pupil’s Progress.  Rather than administering frequent tests, we use the work the children produce in class as evidence of their everyday level.  This provides a more realistic picture of where the children are in terms of ability. Mandarin is taught in streamed classes and an assessment may be given to decide each child’s placement in these groups.

At the end of Key Stage 2, we assess the children using a SATs style paper for English and Maths.  These papers look at problem solving skills for maths and at how children construct a text in English.  We look at the structure of the writing and how the children use different stylistic devices.  In reading, the children are asked to interpret a text, looking for implied meaning as well as extracting information. An end of year assessment that looks at an accumulation of knowledge and skills may also be given in other year groups in Key Stage 2.

What my child needs to know

A child coming into Year 2 or above would be expected to hold a simple conversation in English.  Children in Years 3-6 will be expected to provide more detail.  In Year 2, they would be expected to read text of an appropriate level for their age and to discuss a story. They would also be asked to write simple sentences about the story they have read.  As the children get older, they will be expected to read progressively harder texts, give more details about characters and write in more detail about the story. 

For younger children, the ability to hold a conversation in English is a positive advantage. A child joining the school partway through the year would be expected to hold a simple conversation in English and to have an understanding of the phonics of the English language.  They may be interviewed in larger groups to assess how well they socialize.