Kells Lane Primary School

The curriculum for pupils in Key Stages 1 and 2 is composed of the National Curriculum and RE. The National Curriculum has been in place since the 1988 Education Reform Act. This Act requires each school to promote the spiritual, moral, social, cultural, academic and physical development of its pupils and to prepare them for the opportunities and experiences of adult life.

Lessons are organised, for planning purposes, around National Curriculum guidelines for the core and foundation subjects, the Literacy and Numeracy Strategies. These documents form the basis for the teacher's plans.

It is expected that children begin working from the National Curriculum at age 5. This is interpreted as Year 1, however occasionally we begin working on some aspects in Reception where children have the ability to do so. Tasks and work are differentiated to meet the needs of the child at that age or stage in their development. We also place a high value on collaboration and co-operation with others and this is reflected in the way that some activities are organised.

This is the foundation stage for all of the children's learning. They are introduced to a wide range of lessons and are given lots of practical tasks and opportunities to ask questions. They are also encouraged to meet and make new friends, learning to share and take turns. Some of these children will have attended nursery or playgroup, others will not, but the curriculum will match their needs in terms of age and ability.

This begins in Year 1 and the foundations are built upon. As the children are able to concentrate for longer periods of time they can use some of the reading and number skills they have already learned. The work is planned around the core subjects although reading is done at first on an individual basis, then they are grouped and taught to read with children of similar ability using guided group reading books. Children are actively encouraged to take books home to read, and parents are asked to listen to and support them.

In Year 2 the children are expected to work with greater concentration often at a quicker pace in many areas of the curriculum. We have maths homework to help with Numeracy skills. During the summer term, they will be tested in all aspects of English and mathematics, using the Standard Attainment Tasks and teacher assessment. Science is also assessed using ‘in school' assessments. These are a legal requirement and all results will be reported at the end of that term.

This begins in Year 3 and continues until Year 6 when the children will again be tested and the results reported to you. In Years 3 to 5 we administer the optional SATs in Maths and English to assess the progress of the children in these subjects before they are entered for the end of Key Stage 2 tests. These tests take place during the summer term.

In Years 3 to 6, much of the work is subject based using the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority's schemes of work. The children are regularly assessed in reading, spelling, oral mental work and tables. The work becomes more formal; there is greater use of text books, extended writing activities, project work and research. The children are expected to use higher order reading skills and develop research techniques using the ICT suite and school library as sources.