Curriculum Key Stage 1
From September 2014 the school started to deliver a new curriculum in line with the new national initiatives. For full details see the National Curriculum Framework.
EYFS
When children enter our Foundation Stage we recognise that they are all unique and that they bring with them a wide variety of experiences. From these early years, through to leaving us at the end of year 6, it is our aim to help each child to develop socially, emotionally and academically to enable them to move on to their next school as confident, thoughtful and capable young individuals.
We recognise the important role that parents play in their child's education and wellbeing. Class teachers therefore welcome the opportunity to work closely with parents at every opportunity.
During the Foundation Stage children will develop at varying rates in the different areas of the curriculum. Continuous observations allow us to assess each child's ability, and progression, through the seven key areas of learning and development:
communication and language;
physical development; and
personal, social and emotional development.
literacy;
mathematics;
understanding the world; and
expressive arts and design.
For further information please see the EYFS Statutory Framework
Years 1 and 2
Developing independence,and an ability to remain focussed, becomes a key feature to a child's learning as they move on into years 1 and 2. This is a crucial stage in a child's development of knowledge and skills in subjects such as maths, writing and reading.
Much of the curriculum is taught through cross-curricular links based around class topics and opportunities to learn in many different ways are provided. Communication with parents continues to be highly valued. To ensure full coverage of the curriculum the topics taught in Key Stage 1 are through a two year rolling cycle as shown in the table below:
EYFS
When children enter our Foundation Stage we recognise that they are all unique and that they bring with them a wide variety of experiences. From these early years, through to leaving us at the end of year 6, it is our aim to help each child to develop socially, emotionally and academically to enable them to move on to their next school as confident, thoughtful and capable young individuals.
We recognise the important role that parents play in their child's education and wellbeing. Class teachers therefore welcome the opportunity to work closely with parents at every opportunity.
During the Foundation Stage children will develop at varying rates in the different areas of the curriculum. Continuous observations allow us to assess each child's ability, and progression, through the seven key areas of learning and development:
communication and language;
physical development; and
personal, social and emotional development.
literacy;
mathematics;
understanding the world; and
expressive arts and design.
For further information please see the EYFS Statutory Framework
Years 1 and 2
Developing independence,and an ability to remain focussed, becomes a key feature to a child's learning as they move on into years 1 and 2. This is a crucial stage in a child's development of knowledge and skills in subjects such as maths, writing and reading.
Much of the curriculum is taught through cross-curricular links based around class topics and opportunities to learn in many different ways are provided. Communication with parents continues to be highly valued. To ensure full coverage of the curriculum the topics taught in Key Stage 1 are through a two year rolling cycle as shown in the table below:
Reading in KS1
Reading in KS1 at Cossington C.E. Primary School.
At Cossington Reading is taught in three ways at Key Stage 1. The skills of decoding words are taught daily for twenty minutes through the phonics scheme (See section on teaching of phonics). Understanding and comprehension of texts is taught daily through guided reading sessions and within English lessons. These lessons teach children how to search for information in texts, answer questions about what they have read, understand unfamiliar ideas and learn strategies for working out the meaning of unfamiliar words. Finally children practise their decoding and comprehension skills through reading one to one with adults. This may be the class teacher, LSA or other school based adult. We also request that children practise reading at home at least three times a week with an adult to secure the skills they have been learning in school. At Key Stage 1 children take books home from our Key Stage 1 library and are given opportunities to change their books regularly through the week. The library is banded into colours based on the difficulty of the text and children are directed by the teacher to what colour is appropriate for them to select books from. The colour bands contain books from a wide range of reading schemes including Oxford Reading Tree, Project X and Bug Club. Children receive a reading diary for parents and teachers to communicate what children have been reading and how reading is progressing in class and at home.
Phonics at Cossington C.E. Primary School
At Cossington we teach the Letters and Sounds phonics scheme. This is a government recommended approach to teaching of synthetic phonics that is aimed at ensuring children can decode and spell a wide range of words by the end of Key Stage 1. Phonics is delivered from entry to the school at Foundation Stage through to Year 2. Any children not completing the scheme will receive further phonics support in Year 3 onwards through other interventions. Children are taught phonics daily for twenty minutes in groups of no more than fifteen children. These groups may contain children of various age groups as children are grouped by ability so that they receive phonics teaching that is closely matched to their stage of understanding and development. Children learn phonics through a range of games, active learning and interactive teaching activities designed by the class teachers. Teachers assess children at least once every half term in phonics and children move between groups as needed. At the end of Year 1 children are tested for their phonic ability according to government guidelines through the statutory phonics screening test. Parents will be informed of the result of this test in a letter at the end of year will the child’s school report.
Reading in KS1 at Cossington C.E. Primary School.
At Cossington Reading is taught in three ways at Key Stage 1. The skills of decoding words are taught daily for twenty minutes through the phonics scheme (See section on teaching of phonics). Understanding and comprehension of texts is taught daily through guided reading sessions and within English lessons. These lessons teach children how to search for information in texts, answer questions about what they have read, understand unfamiliar ideas and learn strategies for working out the meaning of unfamiliar words. Finally children practise their decoding and comprehension skills through reading one to one with adults. This may be the class teacher, LSA or other school based adult. We also request that children practise reading at home at least three times a week with an adult to secure the skills they have been learning in school. At Key Stage 1 children take books home from our Key Stage 1 library and are given opportunities to change their books regularly through the week. The library is banded into colours based on the difficulty of the text and children are directed by the teacher to what colour is appropriate for them to select books from. The colour bands contain books from a wide range of reading schemes including Oxford Reading Tree, Project X and Bug Club. Children receive a reading diary for parents and teachers to communicate what children have been reading and how reading is progressing in class and at home.
Phonics at Cossington C.E. Primary School
At Cossington we teach the Letters and Sounds phonics scheme. This is a government recommended approach to teaching of synthetic phonics that is aimed at ensuring children can decode and spell a wide range of words by the end of Key Stage 1. Phonics is delivered from entry to the school at Foundation Stage through to Year 2. Any children not completing the scheme will receive further phonics support in Year 3 onwards through other interventions. Children are taught phonics daily for twenty minutes in groups of no more than fifteen children. These groups may contain children of various age groups as children are grouped by ability so that they receive phonics teaching that is closely matched to their stage of understanding and development. Children learn phonics through a range of games, active learning and interactive teaching activities designed by the class teachers. Teachers assess children at least once every half term in phonics and children move between groups as needed. At the end of Year 1 children are tested for their phonic ability according to government guidelines through the statutory phonics screening test. Parents will be informed of the result of this test in a letter at the end of year will the child’s school report.
