Curriculum Introduction
At Kings Oak Primary Learning Centre we strongly believe that education has the potential to transform lives. We create learning experiences that inspire, motivate and engage all pupils to be the very best that they can be in order to prepare them for life in the 21st century.
Our pupils enjoy a “full-spectrum” of academic, physical, spiritual, moral, social, and cultural experiences that enrich their lives and give them the confidence and skills for a happy and fulfilled life.
We believe that all children should experience the feeling of accomplishment in a wide range of areas. Our curriculum, therefore, provides a good balance between academic and personal development. Physical wellbeing and mental wellbeing are both valued, understood, and prioritised through careful consideration of curriculum design.
Creativity lies at its heart, enabling children to express themselves and create original ideas and think independently. If children feel safe and happy then they will learn, therefore children’s enjoyment is paramount. We believe that children learn differently and we address a range of learning styles and abilities so that all children are stimulated and challenged in order to achieve their full potential.
Our curriculum ensures that learning is progressive and builds on what children already know. Key knowledge is identified, taught and regularly reviewed to enable all children make progress and develop a secure knowledge base. We aim to tailor learning to the children's interests and provide them with as many first hand experiences as possible. Children are encouraged to take ownership of their learning as we have found that by doing this they engage at a much higher level.
We believe that the process of education should be a partnership between all members of the school community. We aim to foster close links between home, school, and the wider community. We encourage parents and carers to work in partnership with the school providing the best education possible for your child.
If children require home learning for any reason, we will email bespoke learning to the parent.
If you would like to find out more about our curriculum please do not hesitate to contact a member of the Senior Leadership Team. We have also published our curriculum plans for each year and welcome you to take a look at the wonderful things the children are discovering and learning over the next year.
Reading
We believe that reading is an essential life skill and we are committed to enabling our children to become lifelong readers. We believe that all pupils should have the opportunity to be fluent, confident readers who are able to successfully understand a wide range of texts and have knowledge of a variety of authors. As a whole school, we have high expectations of all children and encourage pupils to persevere, pursue and achieve success. Rich texts are at the heart of our teaching and a love for reading is promoted throughout the school. We recognise the importance of taking a consistent whole-school approach to the teaching of reading in order to close any gaps and to target the highest possible number of children attaining the expected standard or higher.
Children from an early age are encouraged to understand that print carries meaning. From birth to three children use pictures, signs, and symbols to support their language acquisition. Parents are encouraged to share books, read to their children and promote a love of reading.
EYFS and Key Stage One
Reading is taught through a range of methods that meet the expectations of the National Curriculum. Within the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1, children are taught synthetic phonics using Read, Write, Inc, therefore providing our children with the building blocks they need to decode words. This approach also supports the reading of sight vocabulary and high-frequency words (those used most commonly in the English language). The children are encouraged to read a wide range of books, both fiction and non-fiction. They are introduced to reading books initially without words and then gradually build in difficulty, increasing the quantity and range of the vocabulary within them. Children are encouraged to think carefully about what they are reading and are asked questions to ensure they understand the text. They are given opportunities to read frequently with adults in groups either independently or have books read to them. Workshops are held for parents and carers to support good reading habits at home to help their children become independent, confident, and fluent readers.
Reading books are introduced in Foundation Stage 2 and children are encouraged to read at home on a regular basis.
Children’s reading is recorded through home–school reading records and is assessed termly. Children at Yr. 1 take part in the phonics screening tests in June, any children not passing the screening then retake the test in the Autumn term of Year 2.
At the end of Yr. 2 children take part in a National Statutory Assessment Reading Paper to assess their reading skills.
Key Stage Two
As children progress into Key Stage 2, more advanced reading skills are introduced, taught. Class reading is practiced daily and children have a range of texts to develop higher-order reading skills of inference, deduction, and comprehension as well as fluency. Children are exposed to a range of genres and media to promote and support their reading skill acquisition. Read, Write, Inc, is still the preferred scheme to develop children’s reading skills and is used as the main intervention to support “Catch up.”
Yearly assessments take place to measure pupil progress in reading and individual reading ages are monitored throughout the year. Yr. 6 pupils are assessed through the statutory assessment paper in reading in May.
Reading for Pleasure
Although children are given the opportunity to read to an adult within the school, we recommend that they are also heard as often as possible at home to further develop reading skills and read a variety of books for pleasure.
Reading should be and is encouraged at all times and often school will study an author and a range of texts to widen children’s experiences. The school works closely with the library service and encourages the 100 book challenge over the year and hosts a weekly reading morning, which is well attended.
The approach to reading at Kings Oak is embedded and for the last five years, Kings Oak has been proud of the reading standards and progress made by their children.
Writing
We strive to help our children develop into articulate and imaginative communicators, who are well-equipped with the skills needed to become life-long learners. Teaching children to write for a range of purposes and audiences can be very exciting, especially here at Kings Oak, where we provide children with a variety of engaging hooks to capture their imagination! We aim to provide the children with a purpose for writing and believe that this not only produces higher quality writing but allows our learners to apply their skills to a range of different contexts. Careful links are made across the wider curriculum to ensure that children’s writing is relevant and meaningful. Our aim is for ALL learners to achieve their full potential in writing and we are committed to providing the scaffolds and challenges needed in order for our children to achieve this.