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Curriculum and Teaching Methods During their time with us your child will experience a wide variety of teaching methods and strategies that are designed to give full access to the whole curriculum. We also endeavour to ensure that every child has a full and equal opportunity to develop his/her full potential. We hope this prospectus gives you all the information you need. If there are any questions you have about any aspect of school life please do not hesitate to contact the school. For ease of use, ndividual sections of this page can be accessed directly through the menu below
Children are expected to follow the general curriculum throughout their time at Norden Community Primary School. The core subjects (Science, Literacy, Numeracy, RE and ICT) and foundation subjects (History, Geography, Technology, Music, Art and PE) are studied through both subject and modular approaches. RE, as a compulsory subject, investigates the customs and beliefs of the major world religious. Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education (PSCHE) are now also part of the compulsory curriculum. French and Spanish are taught throughout the school. Other aspects of the curriculum such as drama, cultural experiences and health education are also covered during a child’s time with us. From 2002 we have been part of the Healthy Schools Project. The school has a structured but flexible programme of activities carefully chosen to develop all basic skills and to encourage exploration, investigation, observation, communication and problem solving. Documents concerned with the school curriculum are available at the school. The school has an ICT suite and a bank of laptops and each year group is allocated sessions on the timetable. Parents must sign a consent form for Internet access.
From time to time, visitors come into school to teach and work with different year groups. These may include Artists, Poets, Authors, Musicians and people from different religious groups.
Children are taught in a range of ways. This may be as a whole class, in mixed ability or ability groupings or individually. Pupils are constantly assessed and each class teacher provides work for a wide range of needs and abilities within the class, in order that each child may reach their full potential. All children follow the National Curriculum which aims to equip every pupil with the knowledge, skills and understanding and aptitudes for adult life and we try to ensure that each child shows continuous learning and progress in all aspects of their work and development. At Norden we believe that basic skills in English and Mathematics are the key to future learning and so most time is spent on these areas. Programmes of study specify essential teaching with Science, ICT, RE, History, Geography, Art, Design Technology, PE and Music and ensure a broad and balanced curriculum for each child. Targets are set with children in reading, writing and maths so that pupils and parents are aware of what children need to focus on to reach the next stage of their learning. Children have target cards/books to refer to and marking is linked to these. Children are encouraged to improve their own performance rather than compete with others and are praised and rewarded for their efforts. Achievements are often celebrated in unit and whole school assemblies. Children are tested formally on entry to school using baseline assessment, again at the end of Reception, KS1 (Year 2) and in Year 6. These results are reported to parents. We also have regular school tests in reading, writing, spelling and mathematics from Year 1 upwards. Optional SATs are carried out in Years 3, 4 and 5.
Through our structured teaching programme we aim to give the children the ‘tools’ to assist them in communicating and understanding both spoken and written language. Each week children are given the opportunity to use language in many varied forms:-
These skills are taught more formally during the Literacy hour as well as through other subject areas. Our reading schemes are organised into the colour banding system recommended by the LEA. We have Oxford Reading Tree, Ginn and New Way amongst other reading scheme books. Parents are encouraged to read with their children daily at home and staff are always willing to give parents advice. The reading record book is sent home each night and parents should record in the in the book each time they hear their child read. We encourage children to find pleasure and develop an interest in literature as well as reading for information. Children are shown how to use the school library which houses both fiction and reference materials. We hope they will also access their local library to help with topic work. The development of writing skills across school is structured so that pupils are confident to write for a range of different purposes in a variety of styles using spelling, grammar and punctuation with increasing accuracy. Children begin learning key words in Foundation Stage which they bring home for you to help them with. Phonics, blends and diagraphs are taught from Nursery and through KS1. Children are also expected to learn spellings weekly from Year 2. Spelling test are given in context through a short dictation to ensure proper understanding.
We aim to provide firm foundations with practical experience, so that children feel positive and confident to understand and decode numbers, signs and symbols and apply this knowledge as they progress throughout school. We base our maths teaching on the Numeracy Strategy, using the Heinnemann scheme supplemented by a range of other resources to give the children a thorough understanding of all aspects of Mathematics. Children are taught to do quick mental calculations (tables, number bonds, estimations) before teaching the use of calculators for problem solving. We welcome support from home in helping children learn number bonds and tables.
We aim to provide the opportunity for children to gain scientific knowledge through enjoyment and understanding, experiences in investigation, observation and classification. The use of equipment and ICT further develops scientific skills. Topics follow the programmes of study in the National Curriculum.
We encourage the children to take care of their own health, the health of others and to enjoy a care for the environment. Sex education is taught in Year 5 and Year 6 with an emphasis on responsibility and respect for each other. Some aspects of sex education are carried our in single sex groups where children feel comfortable to join in discussions about physical or emotional changes under the sensitive direction of the year group teachers and the School Nurse. Norden Primary has been a Healthy School since 2002 and works closely with the School Council to continue to improve our school for the health and well being of everyone at school We teach the SEAL (social and emotional aspects to learning) programme in all classes.
Our RE syllabus focuses mainly on Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Buddhism. This is taught during both lesson times and through assemblies at key festival times. Parents have the right to withdraw their child from either RE or the Act of Collective Worship under Section 21 of the 1944 Education Act. If you wish to exercise this right please write to the School Governors and the Head Teacher.
These subjects are sometimes approached through cross-curricular topic. Children are taught the necessary skills to extract information from a variety of sources, including reference materials and museum visits. The History curriculum aims to help children develop the concept of time and chronology. Children learn about famous people, study significant periods of history and such as the Victorians, the Vikings, Tudors, Britain since the 1930’s, as well as ancient civilisations such as Ancient Greeks and Egyptians. The Geography curriculum covers the local area, areas of the UK and contrasting areas in other countries. Children are taught to use maps and plans and go out on trips to look at geographical features. Trips and residentials are arranged at various times so that children can use their knowledge and skills in real settings.
Games, gymnastics, athletics, dance and outdoor and adventurous activities are all part of our PE curriculum. Pupils have the opportunity to develop physically in all areas initially exploring space and body movements but then moving on to develop skills and techniques related to particular sports. Children are guided and encouraged to reach their full potential in a relaxed supportive atmosphere. After school activities cover a range of sports from football and netball to swimming and cross country running as well as trampolining and gymnastics which are amongst the many classes on offer as part of our Community School provision. Our specialist PE Teacher, Mr Wilson, is able to enhance the PE provision we are able to offer at KS2. Our swimming team, cross country team and athletics team have all enjoyed success in the regional tournaments and often go on to represent Rochdale in larger tournaments.
Pupils are given the opportunity to use a range of ICT equipment and software to communicate and handle information and to support their work in problem solving, recording and expression. We regard ICT as a tool to support children’s learning which is planned for and delivered across the curriculum often alongside other subject areas such as maths, English, science, history, geography and RE. Children are given the experience of using a range of ICT equipment in the ICT suite, through the bank of wireless laptops and in the classrooms with additional PCs and interactive whiteboards. Software supports the development of skills across the entire curriculum including music and art. Adventure games help with prediction, speculation and problem-solving. The school is networked and has filtered access to the internet.
This is a practical based subject that gives children the opportunity to investigate, disassemble, evaluate, design, plan and make artefacts, pictures and models through focussed practical tasks.
Music forms an integral part of the curriculum and can be incorporated into the topics as well as being taught in its own right. Children are given the opportunity to use percussion instruments and recognise the musical elements of pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture and structure. The children will be introduced to music in a variety of styles from different cultures and times and by well-known composers and performers past and present. KS2 children are given the opportunity to learn to play an instrument.
Art is a means of communication that can help children to explore, understand, share and represent the physical and human environment. It can also help children express their feelings and ideas. Art can be studied as a topic on its own but it is often planned alongside other curriculum areas. Children will develop an understanding of the work of artists past and present from different times and places; investigate, make and evaluate through practical experience of range of techniques and media; explore the properties of different tools and apparatus safely; communicate their ideas through 2D and 3D work to recognise visual elements such as pattern, texture, colour, line, tone, shape, form and space in images and artefacts.
Provision for SEN is set out within the schools policy document. This fully explains the graduated response to the identification, assessment, evaluation and review of special educational needs as defined by within the Code of Practice (DfES Nov 2001). Our SEN policy is available at the school. Children who have been identified as having special educational needs are set individual education action plans (IEPs). Parents are fully involved in all stages of this process. At certain times it may be necessary to involve various out-side agencies to support and advise on the drawing up of IEPs. These include the Psychology service, Speech Therapy, Physiotherapy, Visual Impairment, Hearing Impairment and various medical services.
Children come together for an act of collective worship each day. An authority scheme for religious education is followed and assemblies are planned around moral themes as well as key events in the timetables of main religions across the world. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays – Mondays and Thursdays – Should a parent elect for their child to be withdrawn from Religious Education or Collective Worship, they must put this in writing to the School. Children not taking part in these sessions will read or carry out an alternative task.
The contents and organisation of the sex education policy are covered in the Personal, Social and Health Education Policy documents of the school. This is a carefully planned document. Liaison with parents is an important feature of effective sex education programmes and we aim to supplement the role of parents, not replace it. Parents will always be informed the term that this subject is to be covered in upper juniors (KS2). Children will be encouraged to understand and value the central role of the family as an institution and the important part it plays in the development of attachment, love and concern.
The school has a duty of care and the right to take reasonable action to ensure the welfare and safety of its pupils. If a member of staff has cause to be concerned that a pupil may be subject to ill treatment, neglect or any other form of abuse the school will follow the child protection procedures. These procedures are laid out by Rochdale Child Protection Procedures and are a statutory duty. A copy of the Child Protection Policy is available in school.
Baseline assessment of each child’s capability takes place as children begin their formal education on entry to the Nursery. Foundation Stage Profiles are completed at the end of reception class at the age of five. Children are formally tested according to standard assessment tests and tasks at the end of Key Stage 1 (at the age of seven) and Key Stage 2 (eleven years). In addition children’s progress is regularly monitored, tested and assessed by the class teacher, so that appropriate learning programmes can be implemented that are matched to your child’s level of ability. The school provides a written annual report to parents and holds formal parent consultation evenings during the year in the Autumn, Spring and Summer terms. In the Summer term we invite children to bring their parents to an open afternoon at the school where they can share their successes. If your child is experiencing any problem that is affecting his/her progress we will:-
We will write an Individual Education Plan (IEP) which seeks to clearly identify the smaller steps required for your child to experience success. A copy will be made available for you to take home. What can you do to help your child Reading Sharing a book should be an enjoyable experience so make sure that you:
When children are sharing a book with parents they are picking up the process of reading, learning and understanding. Paired reading – that it both of you reading a familiar story – will encourage your child to join in with the story. Let your child tell the story from the pictures. If you show how much enjoyment can be gained from reading, it will be good training for your child.
Maths Being confident and comfortable with numbers does not come naturally to all children. You can foster a positive relationship between numbers and your child by:
Newsletters Curriculum Newsletters are sent home every term to share with you the learning programmes that will take place. This will enable you to support your child’s learning when at home and in the holidays. We also might ask for your help with resources or to assist in school e.g. sewing. Your help and support is always appreciated. It is important that we work together to ensure your child reaches his/her potential.
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