Intent - Why we teach it:

At St. Saviour’s C. of E. Primary School we believe in the importance of nurturing a love of books and reading through developing pupils’ de-coding and comprehension skills. We recognise that these two elements are intertwined and that children need both in order to become life-long readers and we have developed a coherent whole-school strategy for promoting reading for pleasure.

We recognise that being able to read well is a key life skill for children and believe that every child can learn to read with the right teaching and support.  We believe that children should be read to during the school day, and that every member of staff should be an advocate for reading.  We have worked hard to develop the school environment to support children’s enjoyment of reading, placing reading and books at the centre of the curriculum.  Across the whole school, the teaching of reading and writing is based upon and taught through high quality texts.

Implementation - What we teach, how we teach it and what it looks like:

Phonics:

In Early Years and KS1, children learn to read by using phonics.  We follow GES Simply Letters and Sounds. Phonics lessons are discrete and fast-paced and children are taught the phonemes, how to segment and blend these in words and also to apply this learning to their reading and writing.  The children thoroughly enjoy these lessons, and get great satisfaction from using this method to read.  The books that children take home support the phonics learning in school. 

In Nursery, children learn to explore sound. In Reception, we teach Phases One to Four. Phase Five will be started for children who are ready. 

In Year One, children learn Phase Five and Phase Six, including the spelling curriculum, and in Year Two Phase Six is incorporated into the spelling curriculum. 

Here is our plan for teaching phonics this year: Phonics Progression

Videos modelling the phonemes are available on the year group pages. 

In Reception and Year One, children are continually assessed in phonics and teaching content and approaches are adapted to ensure that the needs of all learners are met. These assessments are regularly shared with parents and appropriate support and challenge are given.  Children are also benchmarked every half term which assess reading and comprehension.  Children then take one book home that meets their phonic and benchmark stage, and they also choose another book for pleasure.

Reading:

We use books from GES Simply Letters and Sounds to teach reading in Early Years and KS1, alongside the texts which the children are studying in their English lessons.

In KS2, children have focused reading lessons based on the book they are reading during their English lessons, using texts from the Literary Curriculum.

We develop children’s comprehension and higher order reading skills in a number of ways:

· explicit teaching of these skills in English lessons throughout the school

· questioning of children about the books they are reading

· reading comprehension exercises and reading assessments, completed individually, in pairs, groups or as a whole class, plus opportunities to review and discuss answers

· reading and analysing texts in other subject areas across our curriculum

· asking questions and discussing our class books

· taking the opportunity to discuss vocabulary throughout the school day

· our support for the development of children’s speaking skills and listening comprehension, through work on vocabulary extension and language comprehension.

Click on the links below to see more detail about what the children learn in reading lessons in each Year Group:

Reception Reading Curriculum

Year 1 Reading Curriculum

Year 2 Reading Curriculum

Year 3 Reading Curriculum

Year 4 Reading Curriculum

Year 5 Reading Curriculum

Year 6 Reading Curriculum

Supporting the development of reading throughout the curriculum and school day:

Reading is an integral part of other lessons across the curriculum, including through reading and interpreting texts of some length in RE, History, Geography, Science etc. and reading questions and instructions in all curriculum areas.  Reading fluency is also developed through reading words to songs and hymns in assemblies and music lessons. Vocabulary development also takes place throughout the school. Each class has a ‘word of the day/week’ vocabulary extension activity and new words and definitions are also discussed and collected as a whole school in assemblies.

Additional support for reading:

• Children who need extra support are identified early and interventions are put in place.  Appropriate support is given by the teacher or teaching assistant.
• Across the school, we provide extra practice and support for children who are reluctant or less confident readers e.g. reading volunteers, daily 1:1 reading, reading groups, targeted reading interventions.
• Children who do not pass the Phonics Screening Check in Year One go to these lessons as ‘helpers’ when they are in Year Two.
• Children who have not passed the Phonics Screening Check by the end of Year Two, go on to receive Precision Teaching 1:1 with a trained TA. Volunteer readers read with children in KS2 on a 1:1 basis.

Supporting reading for pleasure:

• Children across the school are encouraged to take books home that they have chosen.
• At least once every half term, each class visits the local library.  They have a story read to them and are then allowed to choose a book to take back to school. Staff from the library come into school to share books with children in the EYFS.
• Book Week falls over World Book Day and is always full of exciting activities.  Parents are invited to come in and share books with children.  It is always a great success and lots of fun.
• Whole class reading time.  All classes dedicate time to reading every day. We have compiled a list of books which will be read in each year group in addition to the texts they study in English lessons. These books include poetry, non-fiction and classic books, and we review and update the lists each year.

How parents can help

We involve parents to ensure the culture of reading that the school has developed extends into the home and are grateful to have parents who support this. 

We regularly communicate with parents about reading.  The main way is through Reading Records that create a useful two-way communication between home and school about reading progress and support.  Parents write and make comments on the books their child/ren read and school makes comments when and where necessary.  We hold a parent meeting and workshop in Year One to support parents with helping children to read.  Reception parents are also invited. Book Week also encourages parents to get involved with reading at school by, for example, coming in for ‘Book Swap Breakfast’. Parents are very keen to help and engage with supporting children’s reading skills.

Intent - Why we teach it

At St Saviour’s we aim for all children to become proficient writers with sound grammatical knowledge and a rich imagination. We believe the children should have the opportunity to practise and develop their writing skills from a starting point they enjoy. Teachers often use topics and themes which are tailored to their children’s interests.

Implementation - What we teach and how we teach it

The teaching of writing starts in the Early Years setting with mark making. The children are taught the correct pencil grip and explore making marks in a range of media such as paint, sand and shaving foam. There is continuous provision for mark making in the Early Years setting. 
There is a high focus on the correct letter formation in Reception and this is key for their cursive writing later in their school life. Our handwriting policy can be found here.

As children develop through the school, they are given opportunities to practise and improve their writing in many different contexts. Throughout their time at St Saviour’s children receive ample opportunity to write in a range of genres such as stories, information reports, instructions, myths and legends and newspaper reports. The formal teaching of writing begins at word and sentence level and builds to structuring an extended piece of writing.

We use the Literary Curriculum to inspire and support our children as writers. They experience a range of high-quality and thought-provoking texts which are arranged into termly themes. The texts studied in each year group are here. The texts for Reception are here.

We recognise that writing is a complicated process and, therefore, in order for children to succeed, our planning provides a range of scaffolds to support their success. These scaffolds include; talk for writing, drama and role play, embedded ICT, writing for a range of purposes and audiences, explicit grammar teaching in context, exposure to high quality texts, visual and language scaffolds as well as the systematic teaching of spelling and handwriting.

Intent - Why we teach it

Mathematics teaches children how to make sense of the world around them, through developing their ability to calculate, reason and solve problems.

Mathematics is essential to everyday life, critical to science, technology and engineering, and necessary for financial literacy and most forms of employment. A high-quality mathematics education therefore provides a foundation for understanding the world, the ability to reason mathematically, an appreciation of the beauty and power of mathematics, and a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject.

We aim to support children to achieve economic well-being and equip them with a range of computational skills and the ability to solve problems in a variety of contexts, thinking logically, systematically and accurately.

At St. Saviour’s we believe that all children should have a fluency and a deep understanding of maths, (and number) and that children should have a positive, resilient attitude that is demonstrated through confidence and independence in a variety of everyday situations.

Implementation - What we teach and how we teach it

In school we follow the National Curriculum and primarily use the Abacus scheme of work as a guide to support teachers with their planning, teaching and assessment, and this enables the children to learn mathematical concepts, skills and knowledge through a broad spiral curriculum. Themes of maths are learned on a regular basis throughout the years, each time building on previous knowledge to ensure that progression occurs. We also use aspects of White Rose and NCETM schemes of work to help supplement Abacus and support our mastery approach. Click here to see an overview of the maths curriculum.

Maths is taught daily and during lessons children will get the opportunity to recall previous knowledge, discuss and reason with their peers, (and the teacher), to use mathematical language, to learn and practise new concepts and to apply their learning in different situations. There is a focus on children being fluent in maths and being able to problem solve and reason so that they are able to apply the maths they have learnt to a variety of real-life scenarios.

Children are taught a variety of efficient methods of calculation: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Our Calculation Policy is used within school to ensure a consistent approach to teaching the four operations over time.  Children are also taught the other areas of mathematics: number, ratio/proportion, algebra, fractions, geometry, measurement and statistics, in a structured and systematic way. Please find our calculation policy using the links below:

• Part One
• Part Two
• Part Three

We recognise the importance of times table knowledge in the development of mental strategies within children’s learning. To encourage these skills, we practise times tables, (and division knowledge in Key Stage 2) on a regular basis.

Each year we have a whole school Maths Week, where each class is given the opportunity to set up and run a business, with a prize for the most profitable enterprise. Pupils (and parents) also take part in a range of activities including a KS2 quiz, class swap and a problem-solving afternoon. We also participate in a variety of national, (and local) initiatives, such as The Primary Maths Challenge, World Cup Maths and North Kensington Maths Quiz.

How Parents can help with Maths

In order to practise skills learnt in the classroom, it is essential that children revisit their learning at home. There are many ways to help children at home with Maths. Try to make maths as much fun as possible – games, puzzles and jigsaws are a great way to start.

Talk about Maths at home and place into real-life contexts:

• take children shopping and talk about the quantities and cost of anything bought.
• point out the different shapes and containers found around the home.
• look together for numbers on street signs and car registration plates, notice patterns.
• tell the time, look at timetables/calendars and discuss duration of different events. 

All children from Year 1 up to Year 6 are provided with a login and password for Mathletics – an online learning tool. Children receive weekly maths homework, on Mathletics, which is linked to their current unit of learning in the classroom. The link to sign in is here.

All children benefit from positive, enthusiastic attitudes towards their learning and Maths is a great subject to better prepare our children for the future.

Intent - Why we teach it

Religious Education at St. Saviour’s enables all children to explore religious beliefs and practises, some of which are located in the local community. Pupils will be encouraged to explore the fundamental questions of life raised by human experiences. Pupils will extend their thinking and analytical skills and their creative, imaginative and emotional development.

Religious Education will foster mutual understanding between students of differing religious and cultural backgrounds. Pupils will be encouraged to develop a reflective approach to life in an atmosphere of openness, exploration and enquiry. Pupils will be encouraged to respect the differences and help in the promotion of a harmonious society.

Supporting these Aims is our Vision ‘Together we live and grow in the love of Jesus Christ.’ This Vision is at the heart of everything we do at St. Saviour’s and enables the children to be successful learners and caring individuals. To support our Vision, we use Galatians 5: 22-23 ‘The Fruit of the Spirit’ to allow the children to understand how they can live and grow in the love of Jesus Christ.

Implementation - What we teach and how we teach it

In accordance with the Statement of Entitlement Document written by the Church of England (2016) we ensure the following:

• Children will study a two-third Christianity and one-third World Faiths curriculum in KS1 and KS2. The World Faiths include; Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, Sikhism, Hinduism and Local Faiths in our Community. In EYFS, the children will study a Christianity based curriculum. 
• Children will have the opportunities to learn about religion from a variety of resources.
• Children will have opportunities to explore their own response to profound human experiences and universal symbols.
• Children will be encouraged to respond freely to experiences and questions which have a profound or puzzling quality and to use a range of different forms of expression to convey their responses.
•  R.E. encompasses at least 1 hour 30 minutes per week across the school. This includes weekly R.E. lessons, weekly Mass, assemblies, themed days and the work of our RE Ambassador team.
• Father Bradley is closely involved in the planning of all aspects of worship.

Please click here for the Curriculum Overview

Approaches

St Saviour’s CE Primary School follows the revised London Diocese Board for Schools (LDBS) scheme. This is taught throughout the school from Nursery to Year Six. In all year groups (EYFS, KS1 and KS2) we also use Godly Play.

R.E is approached through stories, cross curricular themes, R.E topics, festivals and whole school topics, discussion on specific ideas and spontaneous enquiries.

To enable the vision statement to be a focal point in our daily lives, it is displayed under the hall figure of Jesus Christ, it is displayed in every classroom on the RE table, incorporated into the hall entrance display and is printed on the front cover of every exercise book. It is also recited every day, after grace has been said.

We use the Fruit of the Spirit ‘values’ as a focus every half term within weekly class worship and whole school collective worship. In addition, we celebrate and discuss each value during an afternoon of focussed activities for that particular value. We share our understanding of the Fruit of the Spirit with a display in our school entrance, with evidence of work completed by all year groups.

All staff will be given opportunities to attend training and CPD as well as exploring and developing their own Faith. The school subscribes to the training offered by the LDBS and other religious bodies.

Teachers can be given the opportunities to observe R.E lessons in other Faith schools.

Methods

Teaching methods are stimulating and engaging, providing all students with access to religious education. Consideration is paid to different learning styles and the differing abilities of children so that all pupils make progress in their learning. A range of teaching and learning strategies which are effective for inclusive teaching of Religious Education include:

• Weekly Mass Service
• Daily assemblies
• Class Worship (usually on Wednesdays)
• Weekly R.E lessons
• Weekly circle time
• Nursery use Key Worker groups for religious discussions and reflection time
• Visits to places of worship, museums or art galleries
• R.E. Ambassadors from Y1-6 who discuss R.E. topics and events
• The use of representatives from religious traditions as visitors to the class e.g. on World Faiths Day 
• The use of artefacts, big books, posters, videos, artwork
• The use of picture or word cards for matching, classifying, prioritising, sequencing, etc
• The use of art and craft to enable students to express their ideas
• The use of drama, role play, gesture or dance through Godly Play
• The use of music to create an atmosphere or for expression of ideas and emotions
• The use of information and communication technology, such as digital cameras, interactive whiteboards, websites, etc.

Inclusion

All pupils will be given equal opportunities to access this area of the curriculum, R.E is a statutory subject and therefore all children must attend R.E lessons.

Lessons are planned and implemented with the intent to teach pupils to learn about (AT1) and learn from religion (AT2). The school ensures teachers are not discriminative towards children of other faiths and instead sees this as a learning opportunity.

If any parent is concerned over a particular topic, they are encouraged to discuss the matter with the Head teacher and or Subject Leader. These discussions are always handled sensitively.

As with all subjects, teachers must ensure they cater for the needs of individual pupils. Teachers are responsible for the progress and attainment of all groups (e.g. SEN, EAL, FSM, Disabled pupils and all ethnic groups) in addition to this teachers must be aware of the variety of different religions within the class, to ensure all peer to peer learning opportunities are exploited and pupils views are handled in a sensitive manner. Our SENCo attends regularly LDBS and Local Authority Network meetings where provision across subjects such as RE for children with additional needs is discussed. This information is shared with all staff following these meetings through meetings or INSET training.

Religious Core Concepts

As recommended by the LDBS through their CPD and Curriculum, we encourage the children to think about their learning (within the Christian faith) through big questions and core concepts, which are:

The children discuss within their lessons which core concept(s) may be a focus of the lesson when learning through the lessons’ key question.