Subject-Information (ID 1023)

• English
  English

  Whole School Reading, Writing and Phonics Approach

  Speaking and Listening -Children are encouraged by all staff to express themselves orally in an appropriate manner. Staff model how to match style and response to the audience and purpose. Children are able to demonstrate that they understand what makes a good listener and this skill is encouraged in all aspects of school life. Children are encouraged to make use of their speaking and listening skills when talking to adults around school. We make opportunities for children to speak to adults outside of school through a variety of real life projects and situations; we believe this empowers the children for the future. Pupils regularly plan and present whole school assemblies, further providing opportunities for children to talk to an audience.

  Regular opportunities for speaking and listening are planned for within lessons throughout the curriculum, these take the form of drama and role play activities, hot seating and response partner work. When reading in class, children are encouraged to discuss their opinions of the book, make predictions and justify their reasoning.

  Writing -English lessons are based around core texts, which children read, analyse the impact of author choices and discuss in depth. Writing activities are linked to the texts to ensure that they are purposeful and engaging. In line with the2014 curriculum, when writing, pupils understand the following:

  • There is a purpose to all types of writing.
  • The need to consider their audience when writing.
  • There are a range of text types; each with their own features and conventions to be applied when writing.
  • Their writing must make sense and flow.
  • The need to pay close attention to Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar (EGPS) when working in order to improve the sense and clarity of their work.
  • Writing is a process which allows for changes and edits to be made.
  • A wide range of interesting and exciting vocabulary should be experimented with.
  • They can look at and make use of existing real life examples when working.
  • That writing is an enjoyable activity with great value.
  • There are different dimensions to the writing process; immersion, practise and application.

  Handwriting -At Cardwell, letter formation is taught during discrete handwriting lessons. Printed formation follows the Little Wandle formation programme and once this is accurate (usually in KS1), children begin to learn cursive script. Handwriting is clearly modelled and then practised.

  Reading for Pleasure-Curriculum time is also allocated to reading for pleasure, for the joy of reading. In order that the children gain a life-long love of reading, we provide them with a wide range of stimuli, including visual media. These include diverse, interesting, age-appropriate books in class reading corners as well as the large school library and extensive stock of levelled reading books. It is through our resources that children are able to read widely across fiction and non-fiction, experiencing a range of text types.

  Author visits and ‘book themed’ days ensure that reading is prioritised and promoted across the curriculum. Authors are invited to school, opportunities to dress up as book characters are provided and parents and carers are invited into classes and encouraged to share their much loved books with the children. We also host book fairs, which provide parents and carers the opportunity to spend time with their children choosing books to purchase for home.

• Phonics
  Phonics

  It is essential that our approach to teaching phonics and reading is accessible to all learners, regardless of background.

  
  Programme Overview Reception and Year 1

  Intent -Phonics (reading and spelling)

  At Cardwell Primary School, we believe that all our children can become fluent readers and writers. This is why we teach reading through Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, which is a systematic and synthetic phonics programme. Click Here for further information and videos.

  We start teaching phonics in Nursery/Reception and follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised progression, which ensures children build on their growing knowledge of the alphabetic code, mastering phonics to read and spell as they move through school.

  As a result, all our children are able to tackle any unfamiliar words as they read. At Cardwell Primary School, we also model the application of the alphabetic code through phonics in shared reading and writing, both inside and outside of the phonics lesson and across the curriculum. We have a strong focus on language development for our children because we know that speaking and listening are crucial skills for reading and writing in all subjects.

  Comprehension

  At Cardwell Primary School, we value reading as a crucial life skill. By the time children leave us, they read confidently for meaning and regularly enjoy reading for pleasure. Our readers are equipped with the tools to tackle unfamiliar vocabulary. We encourage our children to see themselves as readers for both pleasure and purpose.

  Because we believe teaching every child to read is so important, we have a Reading Leader who drives the early reading programme in our school. This person is highly skilled at teaching phonics and reading, and they monitor and support our reading team, so everyone teaches with fidelity to the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme.

  Implementation -Foundations for phonics in Nursery

  We provide a balance of child-led and adult-led experiences for all children that meet the curriculum expectations for ‘Communication and language’ and ‘Literacy’. These include:

  • o sharing high-quality stories and poems
  • o learning a range of nursery rhymes and action rhymes
  • o activities that develop focused listening and attention, including oral blending
  • o attention to high-quality language.

  We ensure Nursery children are well prepared to begin learning grapheme-phoneme correspondences (GPCs) and blending in Reception.

  Daily phonics lessons in Reception and Year 1

  We teach a discrete phonics lesson every day. In Reception, we build from 10-minute lessons, with additional daily oral blending games, to the full-length lesson as quickly as possible (maximum 30 mins). Each Friday, we review the week’s teaching to help children become fluent readers.

  Children make a strong start in Reception: teaching begins in Week 2 of the Autumn term. We follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised expectations of progress:

  • Children in Reception are taught to read and spell words using Phase 2 and 3 GPCs, and words with adjacent consonants (Phase 4) with fluency and accuracy.
  • Children in Year 1 review Phase 3 and 4 and are taught to read and spell words using Phase 5 GPCs with fluency and accuracy.

  Daily Keep-up lessons ensure every child learns to read

  Any child who needs additional practice has daily Keep-up support, taught by a fully trained adult. Keep-up lessons match the structure of class teaching, and use the same procedures, resources and mantras, but in smaller steps with more repetition, so that every child secures their learning.

  We timetable daily phonics lessons for any child in Year 2 who is not fully fluent at reading or has not passed the Phonics Screening Check. These children urgently need to catch up, so the gap between themselves and their peers does not widen. We use the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised assessments to identify the gaps in their phonic knowledge and teach to these using the Keep-up resources – at pace.

  If any child in Year 3 to 6 has gaps in their phonic knowledge when reading or writing, we use Little Wandle Rapid Catch-Up sessions to address specific reading and writing gaps. These children have three reading sessions a week and take home a Little Wandle Rapid Catch-Up reading book.

  Teaching reading: Reading practice sessions three times a week

  We teach children to read through reading practice sessions three times a week. These:

  • are taught by a fully trained adult to small groups of approximately six children
  • use books matched to the children’s secure phonic knowledge using the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised assessments and book matching grids on pages 11–20 of 'Application of phonics to reading’
  • are monitored by the class teacher, who rotates and works with each group on a regular basis.
  • Each reading practice session has a clear focus, so that the demands of the session do not overload the children’s working memory. The reading practice sessions have been designed to focus on three key reading skills:
    • o decoding
    • o prosody: teaching children to read with understanding and expression
    • o comprehension: teaching children to understand the text.

  In Reception these sessions start in Week 4. Children who are not yet decoding have daily additional blending practice in small groups, so that they quickly learn to blend and can begin to read books.

  In Year 2 and 3, we continue to teach reading in this way for any children who still need to practise reading with decodable books.

  Home reading

  The decodable reading practice book is taken home to ensure success is shared with the family.

  • Reading for pleasure books also go home for parents to share and read to children.
  • We use the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised parents’ resources to engage our families and share information about phonics, the benefits of sharing books, how children learn to blend and other aspects of our provision, both online and through workshops.

  Additional reading support for vulnerable children

  Children in Reception and Year 1 who are receiving additional phonics keep-up sessions read their reading practice book to an adult more frequently.

  Ensuring consistency and pace of progress

  Every teacher in our school has been trained to teach reading, so we have the same expectations of progress. We all use the same language, routines and resources to teach children to read so that we lower children’s cognitive load.

  Weekly content grids map each element of new learning to each day, week and term for the duration of the programme.

  Lesson templates, Prompt cards and ‘How to’ videos ensure teachers all have a consistent approach and structure for each lesson.

  The Reading Leader and SLT use the Audit and Prompt cards to regularly monitor and observe teaching; they use the summative data to identify children who need additional support and gaps in learning.

  Ensuring reading for pleasure

  ‘Reading for pleasure is the single most important indicator of a child’s success.’(OECD 2002)

  ‘The will influences the skill and vice versa.’(OECD 2010)

  We value reading for pleasure highly and work hard as a school to grow our Reading for Pleasure pedagogy. This encompasses creating engaging social reading environments, reading loud daily, giving children time to read and explore books independently and recommending books to children. At Cardwell Primary School, we choose books carefully in order for children to experience a wide range of texts that both reflect our children’s experiences and those of our local community as well as open windows to other worlds and cultures. Every classroom has an inviting book corner that encourages a love for reading. We curate these books and talk about them to entice children to read a wide range of books.

  In Nursery/Reception, children have access to the reading corner every day in their free flow time and the books are continually refreshed.

  Children from Reception onwards have a home reading record. The parent/carer records comments to share with the adults in school and the adults will stamp or write in this on a regular basis to ensure communication between home and school.

  As the children progress through the school, they are encouraged to write their own comments and keep a list of the books/authors that they have read.

  Children are encouraged to join the local library and class visits the local library are arranged.

  The school library is made available for classes to use. Children across the school have regular opportunities to engage with a wide range of Reading for Pleasure events (book fairs, author visits and workshops, national events etc).

  Impact -Assessment

  Assessment is used to monitor progress and to identify any child needing additional support as soon as they need it.

  Assessment for learning is used:

  • daily within class to identify children needing Keep-up support
  • weekly in the Review lesson to assess gaps, address these immediately and secure fluency of GPCs, words and spellings.

  Summative assessment is used:

  • every six weeks to assess progress, to identify gaps in learning that need to be addressed, to identify any children needing additional support and to plan the Keep-up support that they need.
  • by SLT and scrutinised through the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised assessment tracker, to narrow attainment gaps between different groups of children and so that any additional support for teachers can be put into place.

  Statutory assessment

  Children in Year 1 sit the Phonics Screening Check. Any child not passing the check re-sits it in Year 2.

  Ongoing assessment for catch-up

  Children in Year 2 to 6 are assessed through their teacher’s ongoing formative assessment as well as through the half-termly Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised summative assessments.

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• Mathematics
  Mathematics

  At Cardwell we aim to develop children’s mental and written calculations, while developing their love for number and problem solving, helping them to become more curious and enjoy mathematics.

  All classes have a daily mathematics lesson based upon the 2014 national curriculum objectives. The mathematics curriculum is devised to develop fluency, reasoning and problem-solving in all areas of mathematics.

  As Mathematics is such an important life skill, we have not only embraced the new curriculum, but have introduced a new ‘Mastery’ approach to our lessons. What this means is spending greater time going into depth of all maths strands and operations. These operations would be addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. The key idea of mastery is that pupils gain a deeper understanding of the mathematical concept being taught, so that they can apply it to new situations and contexts.

  Another feature of the mastery approach is the importance of high expectations - that all pupils are capable of achieving high standards and that the majority of learners will progress at the same pace, using the concrete, pictorial to abstract model.

  Here is an example of the concrete, pictorial, abstract model:

  
  

  Alongside this teaching and learning strategy, all pupils are encouraged to learn key number facts, such as number bonds to 5, 10, 20 and 100 and multiplication tables.

  Maths Intent Statement

  Calculation policy

  Key Mental Maths progression policy

  Mental Maths Strategies

  Multiplication, Times-Tables Policy

  Maths Overviews

• Science
  Science

  Science units are based on the National Curriculum and our progression document ensures sequenced learning builds knowledge. Investigative elements are included in all units to ensure children are exposed to enquiry and seeking answers to questions that are asked. A Science week and enrichment visits ensure pupils receive a broad Science curriculum.

  There is a strong focus on scientific investigation throughout the curriculum. The main areas of teaching cover; life and living processes, materials and their properties and physical processes. Cross curricular links are made wherever possible.

  We encourage children to make observations and comparisons, to test their own ideas, consider evidence and provide their own possible solutions to problems. Science is as much to do with the way we find out as what we find out.

  As children grow older, scientific knowledge about subjects such as magnetism, electricity, light, temperature, growth, plants, weather and space is acquired through observation, investigation, experimentation, access to books, use of computers and visits to the local environment as well as to museums.

  We aim to bring the world around us to life through our Science program of study.

• Physical Education
  Physical Education

  For PE we use PE Passport which is a portable Physical Education planning, assessment and tracking tool. PE Passport is child centred and allows pupils' achievements to be recorded and tracked from Reception right through to Year 6. Our PE curriculum consists of engaging, interactive PE lessons for each year group with each lesson containing clear and progressive learning objectives; and teachers assess and monitor the progress of each child within the curriculum. Our provision of extra-curricular activity also enables children to develop their physical skills further and enables pupils to learn other sports and physical activity outside of the curriculum such as Taekwon-Do and Yoga.

  Our children follow a progressive PE curriculum which teaches the skills necessary for a variety of sporting and creative activities and according to the requirements of the new National Curriculum 2014. Our children learn the skills necessary to take part in gymnastics, dance, team games, swimming and athletics.

  The government has provided additional funding to schools in the form of a sports premium to improve provision for physical education (PE) and sport in primary schools. We believe that embedding healthy lifestyle habits and a love of physical activity in children is essential to good development, as well as reinforcing core values such as mutual respect, resilience, determination and responsibility.

  We have chosen to use our sports premium in the following ways:

  • A dance/gymnastics teacher to teach dance, gymnastics and performance skills.
  • A specialist yoga teacher to teach yoga sessions.
  • Training an LSA who is now a qualified sports coach to working with our children daily, during lunchtimes and playtimes, allowing our children to experience a broad range of games whilst up-skilling our lunch time staff.
  • Training an LSA to provide scooter training and balance bike training for pupils in the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1.
  • Offering a range of different sports and dance clubs before and after school to encourage the involvement of more children.
  • Provision of outstanding teaching and learning and PE training for our PE subject leader.
  • A multi-sensory approach to teaching and learning in the foundation stage incorporating PE and Physical development and skills in English and Maths.
  • Opportunities to take part in inter and intra school competitions and travel to and from those competitions.
  • Providing costumes and suits for children in Ballet and Taekwon-DO to enable them to enter gradings and competitions and gain qualifications.
  • Use of the ‘PE Passport’ assessment tool to track pupil progress in PE and the development of their health and wellbeing.

  Impact -Abetter level of physical development in our younger children with improved fine and gross motor skills – with a noticeable impact on children with special educational needs.

  Children enjoy playtimes more and have developed their skills and teamwork.

  Children are confident in PE lessons and are keen to take part in PE lessons in all areas.

  Pupil questionnaires demonstrate that children value the input of specialised coaches and particularly enjoy taking part in sports activities before school, at break and during lunch times.

  Children have developed their fitness and skills in various sports and physical activity and are able to confidently talk about healthy lifestyles and healthy choices with greater confidence.

• Computing
  Computing

  At Cardwell, technology is used across all the areas of school life and we give children the chance to use and explore a variety of technology and tools. This could be anything from listening to recorded stories, drawing images on an interactive whiteboard, recording sounds or creating their own computer games - the possibilities are endless. Children at Cardwell experience a broad and balanced computing curriculum that is based on the expectations of the new Computing programme of study that was introduced in September 2014. It allows staff the flexibility to plan and teach computing in purposeful contexts across different topics, subjects and lessons. There are three strands to our Computing curriculum, which are developed and built upon as the children progress through the school: The computer science element of our computing curriculum focuses on programming and networks through outcomes such as creating animations, interactive games and blogs. The information technology element includes a wide variety of outcomes including creating images, animations, recording audio, filming, presenting ideas, quizzes, a variety of graphs and designing 3D models. The digital literacy element includes teaching children to be safe, responsible and respectful when using technology and the internet to learn and collaborate. The curriculum is divided equally between the computer science element and the information technology element with digital literacy weaved throughout. In addition to this, every half term starts off with a discrete internet safety lesson in each phase, ensuring that there is clear progression of digital literacy as children move up through the school and that using technology safely and respectfully has a continuously high profile within the children's lives. It is our ultimate aim that by the time the children leave us at Cardwell, they are competent and confident users of a variety of technology, who are aware of a range of tools and can make informed decisions about which to use for a given task. All of our classrooms are fully equipped with interactive whiteboards to support teaching and learning and the school has a bank of networked laptops for all classes to use as well as a dedicated Computing Suite.

• Art and DT
  Art and DT

  Art- In line with the National Curriculum, we believe; ‘a high-quality art and design education should engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design.’
  At Cardwell we aim to teach art and design in a fun and creative way and we value the opportunities it provides for developing the core learning skills of resilience, resourcefulness and reflectiveness. In order to achieve their best potential children have access to a range of good quality resources that will support each topic and enable a confident approach.Pupils have opportunities to draw upon other areas of the curriculum, such as links to history, geography, science, RE and literacy to further develop their understanding and enthusiasm in the topics they are studying. There is also an opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of art and design by exploring various artists and their wider impact.Pupils learn to experiment with colour, form, texture and pattern using different materials. They are encouraged to use their skills and imagination to create their own independent works of art and then to evaluate their work to suggest any improvements that could be made. The use of sketchbooks throughout the school also allows pupils to record ideas and artwork produced. We ensure that this work is evident in displays around the school giving opportunities to inspire others and celebrate their success.Frequently, we interact with local community projects and we encourage participation and links with art galleries and companies, who often provide exciting visits and workshops.

  Design and Technology -Using creativity and imagination, pupils design and make products, including creating puppets; buildings and toys, which incorporate the skills of cutting, sewing and food preparation. Pupils are also expected to problem solve and evaluate their own pieces of work in order to make improvements and develop the skill of adaptability. Design and Technology promotes both independent and team work, which is something we actively encourage.

• Modern Foreign Languages
  Modern Foreign Languages

  The chosen language for MfL at Cardwell is French. It is taught by a specialist French teacher. Children in KS1 are exposed to French through a weekly assembly where songs are learnt. Children in KS2 receive a weekly lesson and key vocabulary is recapped by teachers during the week.

• Religious Studies
  Religious Studies

  As a school we adopt the RBG scheme of work, established by the SACRE. Understanding religion is essential in supporting our pupils in being next stage ready and understanding the society that we live in.

  We aim to foster a knowledge and understanding of the diverse religions which make up our worldwide community and also to understand and respect the position of people who do not hold religious beliefs.

  

  Religious Education is taught through a variety of approaches such as topics, themes, assemblies, stories, visiting places of worship and visits from members of different religious communities. We believe that one of the best ways to learn about people is to share our thoughts and ideas. We hope to encourage children to develop open minds with a caring and tolerant view of the beliefs of others.

  Children have ‘Thinking Time’ during daily assemblies and discussions and considerations of our shared whole school values as well as multi-faith celebrations, also take place at these times.

  If parents and carers wish to withdraw their children from assemblies or R.E, they should discuss this with the head teacher and put their request in writing. Should parents and carers wish to withdraw their children from school to celebrate religious festivals, they should inform the Head teacher or the Attendance Officer in writing.

  Please complete the contact us form on the school website for more information about the right to withdraw your child from religious education and/or collective worship.

• Humanities
  Humanities

  Geography

  Throughout Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 pupils are involved in investigating a variety of people, places and environments both locally, and further afield in the United Kingdom and also abroad. Geographical enquiry is undertaken inside and outside the classrooms and pupils are taught key skills such as; observing and recording, asking geographical questions, analysing evidence and drawing conclusions. Children are provided with opportunities to develop knowledge of globally significant places both terrestrial and marine, focusing of their characteristics through a range of topics. Geography

  Pupils learn about vocabulary specific to the subject, the use of globes, maps and plans at a range of scales, fieldwork techniques and instruments, and the use of a range of sources of information including aerial photographs, diagrams and GPS.

  We use the 2014 curriculum to uniform our planning and include topical geographical issues which relate to how people affect the environment and how they are affected by it. Environmental change and sustainable development are areas of geographical study which are especially important for the future of all our pupils.

  Geography units ensure that children gain a wide knowledge of the human and natural world and understand their impact on the world. Each class has a world map through which to refer during Geography learning or when addressing current affairs.

  
  History

  Like geography, history is taught within specific cross curricular themes with clearly identified learning objectives. Pupils learn about the lives and lifestyles of people in the past, including those of significant men, women and children as well as events from the recent and more distant past in our own area, further afield in Britain as well as across the wider world. Chronological understanding is central to an understanding of history and our expectation is that as pupils move into Key Stage 2 they will be expected to be able to place events, people and changes into correct periods of time as well as using dates and vocabulary appropriately and with accuracy. Acquiring appropriate knowledge and understanding about the periods and the people of the time, including their characteristic features, their social, cultural, religious and ethnic diversity and being able to give reasons for, and the results of, the main historical events and changes, enables pupils to learn not only how the past is different from the present but how and why historical developments have shaped the world and their lives.

  Local visits and field trips provide excellent learning opportunities for the children in history and geography and enable them to apply their knowledge.

• PSHE
  PSHE

  The school celebrates in particular the achievements of pupils who demonstrate kindness and friendship and places due emphasis on the importance of developing good relationships and respecting the differences between people, both of which are an essential part of life and learning. Cardwell’s strong ethos actively promotes, supports and secures high standards of personal behaviour and our pupils are helped to learn about their own and other people’s feelings and develop an awareness of the views, needs and rights of their peers and older people.

  Our policies for Behaviour and Equality reflect the importance we place upon these aspects of our curricular provision and in our day to day dealings with both pupils and adults, equal opportunities and inclusive practice are always at the forefront of everything that we try to do.

  Regular class ‘Circle Time’ opportunities provide an opportunity for all our pupils to reflect upon their experiences leading to an understanding about how they are developing personally and socially. The PSHE & Citizenship curriculum across the Foundation Stage, key Stage 1 and 2 tackles many of the key spiritual, moral, social and cultural issues that are central to the process of growing up between the ages of 4 and 11 years as well as preparation for Key Stage 3 and the world of work.

  The school actively supports a range of charities and fundraising activities organised by the pupils and these take place on a regular basis each term. Our School Council for pupils in Key Stage 1 and 2, the ‘Playground Friends’ system for playtimes and the school responsibilities undertaken by pupils in years 5 and 6, all contribute fully to the life of the school and its place in the community.

  As well as being taught as a discrete subject through our PSHE and Citizenship curriculum, all staff and subject leaders take responsibility for SMSC and it is promoted at every opportunity through the life of the school and throughout every curriculum subject.

  Cardwell is a Rights respecting school. This is a UNICEF initiative. We are working towards gaining Level 1 status. Each class has a charter, where the children choose appropriate rights and responsibilities to ensure they are able to learn in a safe and calm environment.

• Music
  Music

  In line with the National Curriculum, we believe that music; ‘should engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement.’

  At Cardwell, we provide pupils with a broad music education, which includes performing, composing, listening, reviewing and evaluating music. We recognise that music is something that develops the whole child by providing a practical, co-operative and enjoyable experience, which every pupil can access at some level and develop a life-long appreciation of the subject.

  Pupils develop understanding and knowledge of music through experiencing a wide range of musical styles from different times and cultures and they also have the opportunity to enjoy music that they create themselves.

  Every pupil has the opportunity to learn the recorder through whole class ensemble teaching and we offer musical instrument tuition in the: Trumpet, Guitar, Saxophone, Fife, Flute and Clarinet. As well as this pupils have the opportunity to go to musical extra-curricular activities including recorder groups, school band and choir.

  Singing is a part of every pupil’s school life through all the key stages with songs being used across the curriculum as a creative and fun way to increase enjoyment and achievement in other subject areas. Singing assemblies provide an opportunity for pupils to sing as a collective group and develop their ability to sing for pleasure as well as increase their accuracy, fluency, control and expression and promote a sense of group identity and togetherness. Pupils also have opportunities to perform musically to a wider audience in class assemblies and school performances. The choir frequently sings in borough events and processions throughout the year and sings at various venues.

  We have various links with colleges, companies and community groups who provide musical workshops and performances throughout the year that inspire and enthuse pupils in music.

  Please see Cardwell's Music Development Plan below:

  Music Development Plan Summary