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Curriculum
Information
The
School Curriculum consists of all those planned learning
experiences that promote the intellectual, personal, aesthetic,
creative, social and physical developments of the child.
In Nursery and Reception children work towards the Desirable
Outcomes in the Areas of Experience of Language; Mathematics:
Knowledge and Understanding of the World; Creative; Physical
and Social and Moral understanding.
In Year I and Year 2 the school aims to deliver a broad
and balanced curriculum including all the National Curriculum
subjects which are:
Mathematics
Language and Literacy Science
Design & Technology Information Technology
History
Geography
Music
Art
Physical Education
In addition, Religious Education is taught and gender, personal
and social development, health education and multicultural
issues are incorporated across the curriculum. All school
policy documents are available for parents to read in the
main foyer.
The time spent on teaching during a normal school day (including
RE but excluding daily worship, registration, lunch and
other breaks) is 21 hours and 40 minutes.
How
this works at Central Street School
A
thematic approach is used by the class teacher, augmented
by specific subject based teaching where appropriate, particularly
in Mathematics and Literacy. Each theme or topic would include
a variety of curriculum areas.
Care is taken in planning to ensure the continuity of the
curriculum and to this end teachers endeavour to build on
and to extend children's existing knowledge and experience.
Particular emphasis is placed on literacy and numeracy and
scientific exploration and also children's ability to form
ideas and opinions and to express themselves clearly
Performance and visual arts are a valued part of school
life, with theatre, dance and music groups being regular
visitors.
Teaching Approaches
Teachers
utilise a range of teaching and learning strategies to match
the abilities and experience of the children. These include:
-Individual, group and class teaching.
-Direct and indirect experiences.
-Activities planned by the teacher and those initiated by
the child.
-Direct instruction, investigation and creative expression.
Religious Education
The scheme of work for Religious Education aims, primarily,
to help children to understand the nature of religion and
to lay the foundation upon which the children will ultimately
be able to make up their own minds about religious issues
from a well informed viewpoint.
Daily assemblies follow a thematic structure of a broadly
Christian nature in keeping with legal requirements. Parents
are invited to join our assemblies each fortnight.
All parents have the right to withdraw their child from
RE and/or daily assemblies.
Health Education and Sex Education
Health education is taught throughout the school and incorporates
sex education as part of the whole programme. An emphasis
is placed on personal growth and the need to foster appropriate
relations mainly through topic work and life cycles and
is treated as an integral part of Personal, Social and Moral
Education. The full policy document is available for parents
in the school foyer.
Pupil Attainment and Progress
All
children are continually assessed by their class teacher.
Attainment in all areas of the National Curriculum is monitored
by teacher assessment and reported to parents in a written
report at the end of each school year from Reception Year
onwards. At the end of Year 2 these are augmented by the
Standard Assessment Tests, the results of which are contained
in the final report.
Parents' evenings are held on 3 occasions in the school
year to provide parents with more information and to allow
opportunity to discuss children's progress. Parents are
always welcome in school, there is usually an opportunity
to speak to the class teacher before or after school and
a longer meeting can be arranged when necessary.
Provision for Able and Talented Pupils
Exceptionally able and talented pupils, identified through
baseline assessment or teacher assessment in line with National
Curriculum levels, are tracked through the school with differentiated
work. Parents are kept fully informed throughout.
Information
about School Performance
The Government expects the average attainment of children
in Year 2 will be Level 2 in the National Curriculum based
on the continuous teacher assessments and Standard Assessment
Tasks. Included in the Appendix are the results for i998
for the 45 Year 2 children. Last year there were a particularly
high percentage of children with special educational need
(27%) whose results are included in the schools totals.
Homework
Children take a reading book home every day to read with
a parent for l0 mins each evening in Reception and 20 minutes
in Years I and 2. A leaflet giving the school's approach
to reading is given to all parents. Children are encouraged
to use a specially designed reading bag to keep the book
dry and safe. Other tasks given by the class teacher are
likely to include discussing set topics, finding out particular
information or learning spellings.
Sporting
aims and Provision for Sport
The
school aims to offer all children equal opportunities to
develop physical control, mobility, awareness of space and
manipulation which include establishing positive attitudes
towards a healthy life. Central Street School has two level
playgrounds where children learn simple competitive and
non-competitive games in pairs and in small groups. Informal
ball games are encouraged and supervised at playtimes in
one of the playgrounds. The playground is attractively marked
to encourage active play. Children have the opportunity
to join out of school sporting activities organised by Calderdale
School of Physical Education. The Parents and Friends of
Central Street arrange supervised swimming sessions in the
trainer pool at the adjacent Adult Education Centre. An
extra curricular Keep Fit session is available after school
for Year I and Year 2 pupils in the school hall.
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