Curriculum
We use the new National Curriculum at Horton School. See www.gov.uk/national-curriculum for more information.
Follow the link below to download the current curriculum overview and see areas of study:
2 year rolling prog 2016-2018
Use the links below to download the class curriculum letters for this term:
Robin Class Curriculum Letter Autumn
Swallow Class Curriculum Letter Autumn
Owl Class Curriculum Letter Autumn
English
The aim for English in the national curriculum is to promote high standards of language and literacy by equipping pupils with a strong command of the spoken and written language, and to develop their love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment. The national curriculum for English aims to ensure that all pupils:
- read easily, fluently and with good understanding
- develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information
- acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language
- appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage
- write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences
- use discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas
- are competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate
At Horton, we ensure this is achieved by:
- Development of early reading skills through a clear progression in phonics teaching and developing children’s comprehension skills using Jolly Phonics and Letters and Sounds
- Using a reading scheme incorporating a range of different books including Oxford Reading Tree, phonics books by Julia Donaldson, Project X and a range of non-fiction texts
- Developing children’s love of reading and promotion of a wide reading diet through access to our school library, the promotion of reading through certificates and awards, book weeks and sending books home regularly for children to share with their parents/carers
- Daily English lessons focusing on the development of the understanding of grammar, spelling, reading and writing
- Focusing on children’s ability to communicate in a wide variety of styles using well-chosen vocabulary
- Regular guided reading lessons and individual reading where appropriate
- Giving children opportunities to participate in discussion, drama, role-play, performance, presentation and by organising regular theatre visits
- Providing timely interventions for those children who need extra support
- Where appropriate, incorporating English teaching into our Creative Curriculum to give real purpose to the development of English skills
Mathematics
Our Calculation Policy:
ADDITION GUIDELINES
DIVISION GUIDELINES
Gifted and Talented Addition Beyond Primary
MULTIPLICATION GUIDELINES
SUBTRACTION GUIDELINES
The national curriculum for mathematics aims to ensure that all pupils:
- become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including through varied and frequent practise with increasingly complex problems over time, so that pupils develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately
- reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language
- can solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of routine and non-routine problems with increasing sophistication, including breaking down problems into a series of simpler steps and persevering in seeking solutions
Mathematics is an interconnected subject in which pupils need to be able to move fluently between representations of mathematical ideas. The programmes of study are, by necessity, organised into apparently distinct domains, but pupils should make rich connections across mathematical ideas to develop fluency, mathematical reasoning and competence in solving increasingly sophisticated problems. They should also apply their mathematical knowledge to science and other subjects.
The expectation is that the majority of pupils will move through the programmes of study at broadly the same pace. However, decisions about when to progress should always be based on the security of pupils’ understanding and their readiness to progress to the next stage. Pupils who grasp concepts rapidly should be challenged through being offered rich and sophisticated problems before any acceleration through new content. Those who are not sufficiently fluent with earlier material should consolidate their understanding, including through additional practise, before moving on.
At Horton we ensure that this is achieved through:
- Daily mathematics lessons which include whole class teaching, guided group teaching, opportunities to practise skills and apply these in the context of a variety of problems
- A clear progression in calculation methods to allow children to develop a secure and consistent understanding of methods to use when calculating with all four operations
- Giving children the opportunity to explain their methods and mathematical reasoning
- Ensuring that children regularly practise their times tables so that they can recall them quickly and accurately
- Ensuring that children are able to use appropriate mathematical vocabulary accurately
- Putting in place timely, closely monitored interventions for those children who need extra support
- Daily mental mathematics through the use of Big Maths. See http://www.andrelleducation.com/big-maths for more information.
Religious Education
We follow the Gloucester scheme of work and use Understanding Christianity.
Computing
The national curriculum for computing aims to ensure that all pupils:
- can understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of computer science, including abstraction, logic, algorithms and data representation
- can analyse problems in computational terms, and have repeated practical experience of writing computer programs in order to solve such problems
- can evaluate and apply information technology, including new or unfamiliar technologies, analytically to solve problems
- are responsible, competent, confident and creative users of information and communication technology
At Horton, we ensure that this is achieved by:
- Following the South Gloucestershire Scheme of Work for computing
- Teaching the full range of computing skills regularly, using a range of different devices
- Ensuring that children have access to computers day to day (classes all have access to iPads and laptops)
- Ensuring that the use of computers is integrated into our curriculum so that children are able to use their computing skills for a range of purposes and in a range of different contexts
- Develop a secure understanding of the safe use of technology through our curriculum
