Curriculum
Thrussington C. of E. Primary School, as an academy, has chosen to implement the National Curriculum as broad, balanced, deep and enriched provision. The school provides an inclusive curriculum to ensure that all pupils participate fully and it is constructed to provide the teaching of discrete subjects with the linking of subjects where appropriate. This enables children to master specific, subject skills and knowledge and apply them in a cross-curricular, way, thereby ensuring depth of knowledge.
“ … from a close knowledge of the children, teachers plan work that meets their
individual needs extremely well and at the same time reinforces the underpinning values. Given this quality of provision, pupils flourish.” Ofsted.
Click here for 'A Parents' Guide to the New National Curriculum'
The Early Learning Goals.
In the Early Years Foundation Stage, (Reception), the work is planned to help the children achieve and, where appropriate, exceed the Early Learning Goals. The new Early Years Foundation Stage (E.Y.F.S.) is divided into the two sections of prime and specific areas. Under those headings, the areas of learning are found and organised thus:
Prime areas.
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Physical development
Communication and Language
Specific areas.
Literacy
Mathematics
Understanding the World
Expressive Arts and Design
The National Curriculum.
The activities planned for these areas allow children to learn in a way that is considered most appropriate for their stage of development. Each child will have different needs and we try to ensure that the programme is appropriate for the individual.
The National Curriculum has two, linked, aims: to promote the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of children and to prepare pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of adult life. The Curriculum which encompasses the National Curriculum and other aspects, is planned to include the following subject areas:
English, Mathematics, Science (which includes Sex and Relationships Education), Computing, Geography, History, Music, Physical Education and games, Religious Education, Art and Design, Design and Technology, Thrussington teaches French, Personal, Social, Health Education (P.S.H.E.) and Citizenship. In addition, the personal and social needs of children are recognised and every effort is made to ensure that they develop physically, aesthetically, socially and morally as well as academically.
Reading (Foundation Stage and Key Stage One)
Children begin their ‘reading journey’ with books with no words to encourage them to use the pictures to explore stories and to develop their use of story language and vocabulary. As they begin to recognise sounds, they will be introduced to a variety of books with words. There is a wide range of reading books, including schemes, to entice a love of reading. For this reason, children choose their own reading books from a specified box so that they can pick reading material that interests them but that is of a suitable level. Many of the books on offer are phonically decodable, meaning that the children can sound out and blend the sounds in a word to read it. Some books, however, rely on the children using other reading cues, such as the sense of the sentence and the pictures, to predict a word as it cannot be sounded out and blended. Both of these skills are important.
The following reading schemes are included in the collection of reading books –
Oxford Reading Tree
Oxford Reading Tree - Songbirds
Oxford Reading Tree – Fireflies
Oxford Reading Tree - Floppy’s Phonics
Oxford Reading Tree – Snapdragons
Oxford Reading Tree – Treetops
Oxford Reading Tree –All Stars
Alphablocks
Comics for Phonics
Rigby Rocket
Collins Big Cat
Project X
Phonic Bug
Rapid Phonics
Bug Club – fiction and non fiction
DC Super friends
Orchard Books
Cambridge Reading
Marvel DK Readers
Story chest
Ginn Pocket Tales
Wolf Hill
Bayard Adventure Box
Corgi Pups and Young Corgi Pups
Phonics
At Thrussington we use a combination of two schemes, namely Jolly Phonics and Letters and Sounds. We believe the progression of the phases in Letters and Sounds supports children’s reading and spelling skills effectively. There is an initial focus on listening and discrimination games, moving to oral segmenting and blending before moving towards using these skills with written print.
The Jolly Phonics Scheme encourages children to learn sounds with actions, supporting a multisensory approach to learning and allowing children to recall sounds by a picture or action. Tricky words (words that cannot be sounded out and blended) are taught from early on in phonics learning and children have their own tricky word packet with these words in which they build up at their own rate.
Sex and Relationships.
Sex and Relationships is included in the school’s curriculum for children in Years 5 and 6. Parents are invited to view the materials used and to discuss any aspect of it with the Headteacher, a Governor and the School Nurse, in the wider area of health education work. Note: School Nurse provision for the delivery of Sex and Relationships Education has been withdrawn from the beginning of this academic year. It is possible for children to be withdrawn from Sex and Relationships education by parental request.
Religious Education.
Religious Education, at Thrussington School, is based upon the Diocese of Leicester Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education and the Leicestershire Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education.
The aim of Religious Education is to encourage and assist all pupils to explore, reflect and express their own response to the spiritual and religious approaches to life. The children will acquire a knowledge and understanding of Christianity and other religions, beliefs and practices. They will understand and respect how religious beliefs and values affect ways of living and develop a more reflective and caring approach to life. Tolerance and understanding will be considered very important. Daily acts of Collective Worship are of a broadly Christian nature, as required by the Education Reform Act.
The vicar, and other visitors, share in the leading of collective worship. Parents may exercise their right to withdraw their children from Religious Education of Collective Worship, under the Education Reform Act. Please speak to the Headteacher for further information.
The school has its own curriculum policy papers and schemes of work developed from the documents which form the basis of the procedures in school. Details of plans and the curriculum to be followed for the year are published in class newsletters. All work is carefully planned, assessed and recorded to ensure that every child has access to a broad, balanced, deepened and enriched curriculum.
A variety of teaching styles and methods are employed to meet each child’s needs and requirements of particular age groups and subjects. Targets for individual improvement are set during each term and carefully monitored throughout each term. The targets are discussed with children and their parents and they are very clear about how they might improve their standards of achievement and are given the opportunity to do so.
Enhancement of the curriculum.
The school strives to provide an exciting, relevant and accessible curriculum. To this end, visits, workshops, visitors are used to widen the children’s experiences. In addition, the school has initiated and customised many links with a variety of institutions, other schools and the general community to enhance the children’s experiences. Each year, all children will be able to have access to places of interest and to attend workshops invited into the school, linked to their work. Such activities have included archaeology workshops by Leicester University; business plans with local industries involving the children growing, cultivating, packaging, producing for sale or use in recipes to local restaurants as part of a healthy eating project; Science workshops to inspire and challenge all children and the
More Able. Children have the opportunity to participate in residential visits, the purpose of which is curriculum linked with an emphasis on social and personal development.
“…In the lessons seen by inspectors the extent of their (the pupils) attention and concentration, and their collaboration together, were exceptional. They spoke of their enjoyment of the wide range of opportunities to take part in other activities. Attendance is consistently high as a result, and behaviour is excellent.” Ofsted.
Music.
In addition to Music timetabled as part of the curriculum, instrumental lessons are available through the school and are provided by individual, accredited musicians. The lessons are delivered by peripatetic teachers, at the school, for a charge which will be agreed between parents and the tutor.
Forest School.
Thrussington School has a “Platinum” Forest School for the quality of the work done to enrich the curriculum. In principle, the purpose of the initiative is to promote outdoor learning, predominantly for the early years children; to allow them to pursue their own creativity and to scaffold skills and ideas. It is “ … an inspirational process that offers children regular opportunities to achieve, develop confidence and self-esteem through hands – on learning experiences in a local woodland environment”. For Thrussington School, the effect has been tremendous. All the children participate in the Forest School, not just the youngest. Planning takes account of the national curriculum but fits the outdoor principles enabling the pupils, amongst other things, to explore ideas, theories, problem-solve; to experience the use of creating structures using everyday tools; to cook. The result is that we have children who are enthusiastic about learning; feel confident; proud and excited by responsibility. The school has been extremely fortunate in being supported by the wider community. Parents and friends of the school have given their time, skills, and supplied materials to improve the Forest School environment. The Forest School is situated in the extensive school grounds but the area for use has been extended to a wood development a parcel of which the children are developing for the community. This work will form the School Council’s submission for the House of Commons, Speaker’s Award – an initiative which encourages children to participate in, contribute to and feel responsible for their community. The Forest School is a wonderful opportunity for the children to learn about themselves; to explore the environment and to develop a sense of civic pride.
“ … from a close knowledge of the children, teachers plan work that meets their
individual needs extremely well and at the same time reinforces the underpinning values. Given this quality of provision, pupils flourish.” Ofsted.
Click here for 'A Parents' Guide to the New National Curriculum'
The Early Learning Goals.
In the Early Years Foundation Stage, (Reception), the work is planned to help the children achieve and, where appropriate, exceed the Early Learning Goals. The new Early Years Foundation Stage (E.Y.F.S.) is divided into the two sections of prime and specific areas. Under those headings, the areas of learning are found and organised thus:
Prime areas.
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Physical development
Communication and Language
Specific areas.
Literacy
Mathematics
Understanding the World
Expressive Arts and Design
The National Curriculum.
The activities planned for these areas allow children to learn in a way that is considered most appropriate for their stage of development. Each child will have different needs and we try to ensure that the programme is appropriate for the individual.
The National Curriculum has two, linked, aims: to promote the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of children and to prepare pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of adult life. The Curriculum which encompasses the National Curriculum and other aspects, is planned to include the following subject areas:
English, Mathematics, Science (which includes Sex and Relationships Education), Computing, Geography, History, Music, Physical Education and games, Religious Education, Art and Design, Design and Technology, Thrussington teaches French, Personal, Social, Health Education (P.S.H.E.) and Citizenship. In addition, the personal and social needs of children are recognised and every effort is made to ensure that they develop physically, aesthetically, socially and morally as well as academically.
Reading (Foundation Stage and Key Stage One)
Children begin their ‘reading journey’ with books with no words to encourage them to use the pictures to explore stories and to develop their use of story language and vocabulary. As they begin to recognise sounds, they will be introduced to a variety of books with words. There is a wide range of reading books, including schemes, to entice a love of reading. For this reason, children choose their own reading books from a specified box so that they can pick reading material that interests them but that is of a suitable level. Many of the books on offer are phonically decodable, meaning that the children can sound out and blend the sounds in a word to read it. Some books, however, rely on the children using other reading cues, such as the sense of the sentence and the pictures, to predict a word as it cannot be sounded out and blended. Both of these skills are important.
The following reading schemes are included in the collection of reading books –
Oxford Reading Tree
Oxford Reading Tree - Songbirds
Oxford Reading Tree – Fireflies
Oxford Reading Tree - Floppy’s Phonics
Oxford Reading Tree – Snapdragons
Oxford Reading Tree – Treetops
Oxford Reading Tree –All Stars
Alphablocks
Comics for Phonics
Rigby Rocket
Collins Big Cat
Project X
Phonic Bug
Rapid Phonics
Bug Club – fiction and non fiction
DC Super friends
Orchard Books
Cambridge Reading
Marvel DK Readers
Story chest
Ginn Pocket Tales
Wolf Hill
Bayard Adventure Box
Corgi Pups and Young Corgi Pups
Phonics
At Thrussington we use a combination of two schemes, namely Jolly Phonics and Letters and Sounds. We believe the progression of the phases in Letters and Sounds supports children’s reading and spelling skills effectively. There is an initial focus on listening and discrimination games, moving to oral segmenting and blending before moving towards using these skills with written print.
The Jolly Phonics Scheme encourages children to learn sounds with actions, supporting a multisensory approach to learning and allowing children to recall sounds by a picture or action. Tricky words (words that cannot be sounded out and blended) are taught from early on in phonics learning and children have their own tricky word packet with these words in which they build up at their own rate.
Sex and Relationships.
Sex and Relationships is included in the school’s curriculum for children in Years 5 and 6. Parents are invited to view the materials used and to discuss any aspect of it with the Headteacher, a Governor and the School Nurse, in the wider area of health education work. Note: School Nurse provision for the delivery of Sex and Relationships Education has been withdrawn from the beginning of this academic year. It is possible for children to be withdrawn from Sex and Relationships education by parental request.
Religious Education.
Religious Education, at Thrussington School, is based upon the Diocese of Leicester Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education and the Leicestershire Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education.
The aim of Religious Education is to encourage and assist all pupils to explore, reflect and express their own response to the spiritual and religious approaches to life. The children will acquire a knowledge and understanding of Christianity and other religions, beliefs and practices. They will understand and respect how religious beliefs and values affect ways of living and develop a more reflective and caring approach to life. Tolerance and understanding will be considered very important. Daily acts of Collective Worship are of a broadly Christian nature, as required by the Education Reform Act.
The vicar, and other visitors, share in the leading of collective worship. Parents may exercise their right to withdraw their children from Religious Education of Collective Worship, under the Education Reform Act. Please speak to the Headteacher for further information.
The school has its own curriculum policy papers and schemes of work developed from the documents which form the basis of the procedures in school. Details of plans and the curriculum to be followed for the year are published in class newsletters. All work is carefully planned, assessed and recorded to ensure that every child has access to a broad, balanced, deepened and enriched curriculum.
A variety of teaching styles and methods are employed to meet each child’s needs and requirements of particular age groups and subjects. Targets for individual improvement are set during each term and carefully monitored throughout each term. The targets are discussed with children and their parents and they are very clear about how they might improve their standards of achievement and are given the opportunity to do so.
Enhancement of the curriculum.
The school strives to provide an exciting, relevant and accessible curriculum. To this end, visits, workshops, visitors are used to widen the children’s experiences. In addition, the school has initiated and customised many links with a variety of institutions, other schools and the general community to enhance the children’s experiences. Each year, all children will be able to have access to places of interest and to attend workshops invited into the school, linked to their work. Such activities have included archaeology workshops by Leicester University; business plans with local industries involving the children growing, cultivating, packaging, producing for sale or use in recipes to local restaurants as part of a healthy eating project; Science workshops to inspire and challenge all children and the
More Able. Children have the opportunity to participate in residential visits, the purpose of which is curriculum linked with an emphasis on social and personal development.
“…In the lessons seen by inspectors the extent of their (the pupils) attention and concentration, and their collaboration together, were exceptional. They spoke of their enjoyment of the wide range of opportunities to take part in other activities. Attendance is consistently high as a result, and behaviour is excellent.” Ofsted.
Music.
In addition to Music timetabled as part of the curriculum, instrumental lessons are available through the school and are provided by individual, accredited musicians. The lessons are delivered by peripatetic teachers, at the school, for a charge which will be agreed between parents and the tutor.
Forest School.
Thrussington School has a “Platinum” Forest School for the quality of the work done to enrich the curriculum. In principle, the purpose of the initiative is to promote outdoor learning, predominantly for the early years children; to allow them to pursue their own creativity and to scaffold skills and ideas. It is “ … an inspirational process that offers children regular opportunities to achieve, develop confidence and self-esteem through hands – on learning experiences in a local woodland environment”. For Thrussington School, the effect has been tremendous. All the children participate in the Forest School, not just the youngest. Planning takes account of the national curriculum but fits the outdoor principles enabling the pupils, amongst other things, to explore ideas, theories, problem-solve; to experience the use of creating structures using everyday tools; to cook. The result is that we have children who are enthusiastic about learning; feel confident; proud and excited by responsibility. The school has been extremely fortunate in being supported by the wider community. Parents and friends of the school have given their time, skills, and supplied materials to improve the Forest School environment. The Forest School is situated in the extensive school grounds but the area for use has been extended to a wood development a parcel of which the children are developing for the community. This work will form the School Council’s submission for the House of Commons, Speaker’s Award – an initiative which encourages children to participate in, contribute to and feel responsible for their community. The Forest School is a wonderful opportunity for the children to learn about themselves; to explore the environment and to develop a sense of civic pride.
