Sticky Knowledge Mats

Each class has a variety of Sticky Knowledge mats on their pages.  Sticky knowledge is effectively knowledge that will stay with us forever. In other words, an alteration has happened to our long-term memory. We divide sticky knowledge into two main parts. Firstly, interesting facts that will remain with us forever and secondly, knowledge that we need to learn as part of the national curriculum. New learning is often fragile and usually forgotten unless steps are taken over time to revisit and refresh it. The mats can be used to dip into at various points throughout the school year to reinforce and embed learning.

These Knowledge Mats are available on the class pages for you to use with your child at home as well as being used in school.

Technology platforms

All classes use Google Classroom for remote learning, in class learning, and homework.

In Early Years and Key Stage 1, the children will access Purple Mash, Spelling Shed, Oxford Owl, and Phonic Play

In Key Stage 2, the children will access Purple Mash, TT Rockstars, Spag.com, Maths Whizz, Spelling Shed and Read Theory.

Reading Record

Every child is given a Reading Record at the beginning of the year, and the challenge is to read every day.  The child needs to read to their parent or carer at home, who completes the daily record to say what book has been read, and what pages / chapters have been read.  The teacher makes a weekly record of the progress in school.  It is a useful place for parents and teachers to communicate about reading, so if your child is struggling with particular words, concepts or themes, this can be written down, or if you child really loves a particular book, this is wonderful for a teacher to hear.  If a child reads at school, the staff member will complete the daily record, or put a comment in the box about what has been read in school for guided reading.

In the front of the reading record books are a series of age appropriate questions to ask your child about what they have read, and each week we ask you to choose a question and ask your child to answer it.  For young children, the parent might write what the child says as the answer, but for older children, they can complete this themselves.  These questions alter as the child progresses through school.

In the back of the reading record is a tally chart – for every day a child reads, the parent signs the chart. If a child reads 3 times a day, they still only get one signature – it is reading each day, not each reading event.  There are several milestones throughout the year which receive rewards, and the aim is to read every day and reach 300 reads in the academic year from the start of the Autumn term to the end of the Summer Term.

Reading Record Example

Expectations of Parents for Home School Reading

Reading for Pleasure

At school we are promoting Reading for pleasure, and trying to instill a love of reading.  As part of this, teachers are sharing their favourite books in assembly. We are also creating a display in our main corridor with information the children can read about different places both in this country and around the world.  We are asking parents to support your children in writing a Tripadvisor style review for anywhere you visit as a family. (Day visits or holidays).  Here is a template for you to use to create the review.    These will be displayed and then put into a book that children can read to promote the reading of non fiction texts.

We are hoping that this is an initiative that all our families can get behind. If you have Grandparents or friends who are visiting interesting places please pass this on and encourage them to write a review and send it in to school so that the children can read it. Thank you

Maths Calculation Policy

The way maths is taught is different to when most parents were at school, and as a result it can be confusing and frustrating when parents are trying to support their children at home.  In Reception, the class teacher runs some workshops for parents to explain how maths is taught in the Early Years environment, and for Year 1 upwards, below are the calculation policy documents explaining how maths is taught, starting with mental skills and moving onto written methods as the child moves up through school.

Calculation Policy Documents

Please refer to the class pages for the class specific information, and remember you are welcome to contact the class teachers by email if you have any queries about activity in the classroom.

Curriculum

In reading, we use Read Write Inc in the Reception and Year 1 classes, and the Oxford Reading Tree graded system from Year 1 upwards where children meet Biff, Chip and Kipper and their friends and family.  As children become more confident, they move onto Oxford Reading Tree Project X Origins books, and eventually onto free reading.

We use the Focus Maths and Focus English schemes of work throughout the school, as well as Learning By Questions and Mini Maths in Years 5 and 6

In Key Stage 2, FODS have funded the iLanguages French scheme.

PSHE and citizenship is an aspect of the National curriculum. The children cover this area in lessons once a week. These three folders contain an overview of the planning for all the areas taught. KS1 covers Years 1 and 2; Lower KS 2 covers Years 3 and 4; Upper Key Stage 2 covers Years 5 and 6.

PSHE and Citizenship KS1 Planning Overviews

PSHE and Citizenship Lower KS2 Planning Overviews

PSHE and Citizenship Upper KS2 Planning Overviews

Secure Spellings

Each class from year 1 upwards has their own list of secure spellings.  These are important words that are every child needs to learn – both how to spell them and when and where to use them in the correct way.  These words are taught by the teacher at the beginning of the year, and available in the classroom for children to refer to. They build each year so by the time a child leaves, they have a full language complement of key words that are used naturally by the children in their writing.  The Secure Spellings for each year group can be found on the class pages.