In Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 children follow the National Curriculum which consists of the following subject areas:
English
At Greenfields, we provide an inclusive and engaging English curriculum. The development of children’s language is crucial to their success across the curriculum. We want all children to be excellent communicators, to listen actively and to speak with confidence. At Greenfields, children are helped to develop a love of reading and to become skilful and imaginative writers. During all lessons across the school, children have the opportunity to develop their spoken language capabilities and improve their listening skills through a wide range of activities
Reading
Reading is taught within our Teaching Sequences for English, but also through Guided reading 4 x per week. In KS1 all pupils are heard read at least once a week and in Key Stage 2 where necessary. We also use texts and sequences of work as recommended by the CLPE to enhance the wide range of texts we offer the pupils.
Writing
Writing is taught within the Teaching Sequence for English. Children begin units by writing shorter incidental pieces, building up to a longer, extended piece towards the end. Pupils are taught to edit and improve their work for technical and language improvements. Non-negotiables are integral to each piece of written work; children are aware of the minimum expectations for completing a piece of work.
Our approach to teaching phonics and handwriting
Phonics is an integral part of our daily teaching in Early Years and Key Stage One.
At Greenfields, we know that phonics is the gateway to reading for the vast majority of our pupils and it is an integral part of our daily teaching in EYFS and KS1.
Children in Reception and Year 1 receive a daily, 30 minute phonics session, 5 x per week whereby they will learn and apply a sound a day. Children are grouped within their class group according to their current phonic knowledge and next steps. Phonics is continued into Year 2 and 3 where required, taught mainly through our specialist phonics TA.
Children in Nursery have daily songs and rhyme sessions before beginning to learn their Set 1 / Phase 2 sounds towards the end of their academic year.
The document below outlines our approach in more detail.
Phase |
Phonic Knowledge and Skills |
| Phase One (Nursery/Reception) | Activities are divided into seven aspects, including environmental sounds, instrumental sounds, body sounds, rhythm and rhyme, alliteration, voice sounds and finally oral blending and segmenting. |
| Phase Two (Reception) up to 6 weeks | Learning 19 letters of the alphabet and one sound for each. Blending sounds together to make words. Segmenting words into their separate sounds. Beginning to read simple captions. |
| Phase Three (Reception) up to 12 weeks | The remaining 7 letters of the alphabet, one sound for each. Graphemes such as ch, oo, th representing the remaining phonemes not covered by single letters. Reading captions, sentences and questions. On completion of this phase, children will have learnt the "simple code", i.e. one grapheme for each phoneme in the English language. |
| Phase Four (Reception) 4 to 6 weeks | No new grapheme-phoneme correspondences are taught in this phase. Children learn to blend and segment longer words with adjacent consonants, e.g. swim, clap, jump. |
| Phase Five (Throughout Year 1) | Now we move on to the "complex code". Children learn more graphemes for the phonemes which they already know, plus different ways of pronouncing the graphemes they already know. |
| No Nonsense Spelling | Working on spelling, including prefixes and suffixes, doubling and dropping letters etc.Phonics Booster and Intervention for those pupils who have not met the Phonic Threshold |
This is another core curriculum subject and consists of the following areas:
- Number
- Measurement
- Geometry
- Statistics (from Year 2)
These aspects are underpinned by the key skills of Working Mathematically which is the way children are able to think mathematically, use their knowledge flexibly to solve problems, see patterns and adapt what they already know to new situations that makes them good mathematicians.
At Greenfields, we use the CPA (Concrete, Pictorial, Abstract) approach which embeds a variety of strategies to support the children’s understanding. Our aim is to ensure that all children become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics and can reason mathematically. Daily fluency sessions ensure the children revisit and maintain core learning from the previous year or term.
We use termly Diagnostic assessments which identify gaps for each cohort, groups of children and individuals. Teachers use these assessments to plan future learning and ensure gaps are filled to enable the children to achieve at a higher level of mathematics.
Science is the third core subject and is divided into three areas:
- Life Processes and Living Things
- Materials and their Properties
- Physical Processes
As in mathematics these areas are linked through the element of Scientific Enquiry. The teaching of science is dependent on investigation and children are taught to ask questions, find ways to answer these questions or prove their ideas and interpret and explain what they have found out. This depends on being able to communicate using correct scientific vocabulary and by presenting data that they have collected in graphs, charts, tables, diagrams and written reports. Science therefore has strong links within the curriculum to Literacy and mathematics.
The school has developed an assessment document which details class progress and gives teachers a clear indication of what has been taught so that they can build on children’s previous knowledge and experience.
Computing underpins all subjects within the national curriculum. Children use technology throughout the school and although this is mainly linked to working with computers, they use a wide range of additional equipment.
Children learn the necessary computing skills in lessons but then apply them across the curriculum for research, presenting their work and increasingly through the internet to extend their learning.
Online safety is not only taught discretely through computing but additionally during PSHE lessons and whole school sessions such as e-safety day providing the foundations that lead to well-rounded global citizens.
The school has adopted a scheme of work that is used for both planning and assessment which exposes pupils to a wide variety of skills, experiences and real-life scenarios. This is a constantly reviewed provision for computing in a quickly changing and developing area.
The PSHE curriculum aims to help children to develop into active and responsible citizens of the future. They learn about health issues, practise their decision-making skills, and develop respect for themselves and others. They have the opportunity to participate in decision making through the School Council and older children are encouraged to take responsibilities across the school as House Captains, Eco-Councils, play leaders and peer mediators.
Relationship and Sex Education is part of the PSHE curriculum from Foundations Stage to Year 6. The youngest children begin by thinking about families and simple differences between boys and girls. Children in year 4 have sessions to consider changes at puberty. In year 5 they learn about same sex relationships and diversity. In year 6 we cover sexual intercourse and the birth of a baby. Children’s questions are answered sensitively, honestly and is much detail as is appropriate to the age and stage of development of the individual.
All materials are available for parents to view. As of September 2020, these lessons are statutory, therefore parents cannot withdraw their children from them.
Throughout the school, children are encouraged to develop the self-esteem and confidence which they need to respond safely and responsibly to situations as they arise, both while they are at Greenfields and in the future. As part of this the school uses guidance from the PSHE Association and linked learning skills aimed at teaching children how to work successfully together, negotiate and compromise, persevere and have the confidence to take risks in their learning.
All our children have access to two hours of PE each week plus the opportunity to take part in clubs and after school activities. Dance, gymnastics, outdoor adventurous activities including our Forrest School, and games are taught in both Key Stages while swimming is taught in Key Stage 2.
We want the children to take part in and enjoy sport and physical activity; we also want them to be aware of the importance of physical activity and sport in leading a healthy lifestyle. The children have the opportunity to participate in competitive leagues and take part in Festivals through the Schools Sports Partnership.
During the Summer Term, the school holds a Sports Week in which the children experience a wide range of activities and the older children organise and support activities for younger children.
The school follows the Hertfordshire Agreed Syllabus of Religious Education 2017-2022. RE is taught through eight key themes, in which children explore different religions and develop their understanding of Christianity. Children are also encouraged to explore their own personal and critical responses.
In geography children learn about their local area, the UK and the wider world. They learn to use maps and atlases to gain and understanding of where places are on a local and global scale. They learn about physical features that change places and environments such and rivers and mountains. Throughout their studies they are encourage to develop an appreciation, understanding and respect for the lifestyles and cultures of other peoples and to acquire a feeling of responsibility for the care of our planet.
Children study aspects from local, British, European and world history looking at why things happened and how changes in the past affect us today. They consider historical evidence and how this should be interpreted as well as making links between events and how these have changed societies and belief systems.
Literacy, ICT and aspects of mathematics are integral to the teaching of history and enable children to develop the correct vocabulary and an historian’s viewpoint.
At Greenfields, we aim to provide our pupils with a range of musical experiences and opportunities to support their understanding of the subject. Our curriculum is delivered by the teachers using the Charanga programme. Pupils explore musical vocabulary through a variety of pieces and develop their skills in singing, composing and listening and appraising. All pupils have the opportunity to perform musically through yearly class assemblies and concerts. Pupils in Year 4 learn to play the Ukulele and from Year 2 upwards, pupils are given the opportunity to learn the violin.
Art and design gives children the opportunity to develop their imagination and creativity. Throughout they are taught to observe carefully and develop a range of techniques such as collage, painting, drawing and printing. The work of artists and designers from different cultures and times is used to highlight different styles, approaches and methods which the children can then apply to their own work
Children are taught how to use a variety of tools, techniques and materials to produce quality products. They are given time and guidance to plan and design their product to match the purpose. They plan and develop ideas, evaluating the results to make improvements in their designs and to think critically about what could have been done differently.
In addition to the National Curriculum we teach French to all children in KS2. At times we are supported with specialist teachers, but we also use Oak Academy French to help us deliver these lessons. In Early Years and KS1 we celebrate our diversity and appreciate languages and cultures from across the globe. The aim of all the lessons is to help us understand and explore our ability to communicate with others at a simple level.