Every teacher is responsible for his/her classes' work and the teachers will plan in Year groups. Care is taken to ensure that the children are guided through work in Maths, English, Science, Design and Technology, History, Geography, P.E., Information and Communication Technology, Music, Art and P.S.H.E. in accordance with the requirements of the National Curriculum and the L.E.A's Curriculum Policy Statement.
A variety of teaching approaches are used varying from whole class instruction to small groups and individual work as appropriate.
The school follows the National Literacy Strategy. This requires a daily, structured hour of English teaching involving whole class, group and individual work.
The teaching of reading takes place in ability groupings as it is felt that this gives the children greater opportunities to discuss their responses to written material. Children are also able to borrow graded reading books to take home.
A wide variety of literature is studied and the children are encouraged to develop their creativity through a range of writing styles. Punctuation and grammar teaching form an integral part of the Literacy Hour, as does the development of a clear handwriting style.
The school also follows the guidelines as set out in the National Numeracy Strategy. The approach to teaching is based on 4 key principles.
- A dedicated maths lesson every day. This will be between 45 - 60 minutes.
- Direct teaching and interactive work with the whole class and groups
- An emphasis on mental calculation
- Controlled differentiation, with all pupils engaged in mathematics relating to a common theme. From Yr 2 - Yr 6 pupils at Lincewood are arranged in "sets" for their lessons.
RECEPTION YEAR
Children in our Reception Year follow the areas of learning outlined in the National Guidelines for Foundation Stage Pupils. This curriculum is designed for children aged 3 - 5 years regardless of the establishment in which they are being taught.
These areas are known as early learning goals. The first of these is Personal, Social and Emotional development. We consider success in this area is critical to pupil development and progress in all other areas of learning.
The second area is Communication, Language and Literacy. This area is at the heart of young children's learning and is given a very high priority in our Reception classes.
Reading is carefully and systematically taught using a multi-sensory approach to cater for the diverse learning styles of young children. Jolly Phonics is used to teach children about sounds in our language and from the outset children's independent writing is valued and developed.
Mathematical development is the next area of learning. Confidence and competence are encouraged in Mathematics lessons. Much of this work is of a practical nature. Children are taught to count, sort, match, make patterns and connections. They work with numbers, shapes, space and measures.
Knowledge and understanding of the world is an important area of learning. This lays the foundation for later work in Science, Design & Technology, History, Geography and ICT. At Foundation Stage this is based on very largely on first-hand experience and opportunities to question and explore.
An extremely important area of learning is Physical Development. This is concerned with improving skills of co-ordination, control, manipulation and movement. The children are encouraged to be confident and be aware of the positive benefits of being healthy and active. To this end we have a vast range of equipment, a large hall for P.E. and a swimming pool used by Reception children from the Summer Term.
The final area of learning for Foundation Stage children is Creative Development. Creativity is fundamental to successful learning and to stimulate this we have lessons on Art, Music and Dance. We also give the children many opportunities for role and imaginative play.
Towards the end of their Reception Year we prepare the children for Year One and the introduction to the National Curriculum by using slightly more formal approaches to learning.
There is an expectation that pupils will enter the Reception class fully toilet trained. Exceptions to this are pupils with a Statement of Special Educational Needs which makes specific reference to a medical condition which precludes this. These pupils will have all reasonable needs dealt with by an SEN Welfare Assistant. A medical condition alone, not backed up with a statement, will not be treated as an exception. Learning Support Assistants will deal with an occasional toilet incident. On all other occasions parents/carers will be contacted. If your child is not ill and does not require to go home, facilities to change them will be made available to you.
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