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Swavesey Primary School |
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Core
Subjects
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Foundation |
English
During their years at Speaking and Listening It
may seem to many parents that
children already speak effectively before they come to school - and indeed
this is generally true. Oral language comes naturally to most children, but
there is a continued need for development and improvement. Most of the talking
young children take part in within the home is casual, and if they forget what
they wanted to say, or fail to make themselves clear, then there is usually
someone who can help them to be understood. As they get older we encourage
children to put longer and more complex units of speech together, and to
express themselves clearly by selecting a vocabulary and style that is
appropriate to the occasion. A vital part of growth and
personal development is learning to be a good listener. The children will
experience listening to one another and to many adults from inside and outside
of school. They will be helped to understand the increasingly complex speech
used by adults and regularly encouraged to take part in paired small group and
class discussions. They will also learn to plan and present information,
taking into account the ideas and opinions of others. Reading The ability to read is crucial
to a child's progress and we take pride in our high standards at As the children progress, the
emphasis changes from learning to read, to reading to learn. Parents can give tremendous
support to their children by demonstrating the enjoyment they themselves
derive from reading and by taking every opportunity to stress just how
important reading is. It is from this positive attitude to reading both at
home and in school that successful reading habits will grow. (See
section on Homework) The main reading schemes used
in Key Stage 1 are
Writing Learning to write is a
complex. There are many things to consider all at the same time. In the early
stages of development children will learn how to hold a variety of writing
implements; they will learn which symbol represents which sound and the rules
for combining these sounds together to build words correctly; they will learn
about the construction of sentences and the correct use of punctuation; they
will learn how to form letters correctly and the importance of writing
legibly; they will think about what and how they want to write. As the children progress they
develop these skills. They are
taught to appraise and refine their writing, and also to evaluate and comment
on the writing of others. ICT is increasingly used for
written tasks. Children are taught
to express themselves clearly, accurately and imaginatively, with an
appropriate style.
Mathematics
Our main aim is to develop the
children’s knowledge, skills and attitude to enable them to use mathematics
confidently in everyday life, or as a basis for further study. This means much
more than just 'doing sums' or being able to manipulate numbers and symbols. The children
will be introduced to mathematics through a variety of practical activities,
consolidating and developing progressively more complex skills, leading to a
sound understanding of mathematical thinking and computation. They
are expected to use acquired skills and knowledge in a variety of problem
solving and investigative activities. Science All children experience a
broad, balanced, continuous science curriculum. This covers work on living
things and their environment; materials and their uses; the Earth in space;
forces; electricity and light; and sound. Science work is linked closely with
other areas of the curriculum, particularly English, mathematics, ICT and
design technology. Certain areas of health education are covered through our
science studies, notably the effects of drug, alcohol and tobacco abuse. Through first hand experience,
the children will develop the skills of scientific investigation. These
include planning, predicting, measuring, fair testing and observation. The
positive attitudes necessary to achieve success in science are also taught
through investigative work. In addition to practical
science resources, we seek to make use of our school grounds where living
things can be studied in a natural environment. Day visits may also be
organised occasionally to support topic work in science, including visits to
and from our partner secondary school, which enjoys Specialist Science Status.
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