All children at Parklands Junior School follow the National Curriculum and Religious Education.
The National Curriculum includes the core areas of english, mathematics and science. The children are tested in these areas through the Mid Year SATS in May every year. We also use the NFER Reading and Maths tests. At the end of the Key Stage in Year 6 they will take public examinations, marked externally. The results of theses are published.
GROUPS
Every child will spend a proportion of their English and Maths lessons in ability groups. Within each year group there is an extra teacher and welfare support so that the work can be more finely matched to the individual child's needs. The lower ability groups are much smaller so that they receive more individual help. The makeup of the groups is reviewed regularly. Ongoing teacher assessment and the child's performance are used to determine the appropriate group. OFSTED praised this initiative. The language groups cover some aspects of reading and writing skills including grammar and spelling.
Reading is a top priority and it is vital that your child has as much opportunity to read to an adult as possible. Talk about what they have read to ensure that they have understood 'beyond the literal'. Ask about the characters, setting, what they think will happen next and why. Encourage them to read a variety of texts, visit the library and let them find out what is on the television, read the newspaper or read the cereal packet.
It considered that we have an exemplary approach to the teaching of spelling and grammar.
We use a structured spelling scheme, which involves children learning spelling families. The actual word may appear simple but children are expected to learn the pattern of the letters so that they can apply the rule to all written work. In addition groups will be asked to learn a number of words from the terms vocabulary list. All children need to understand and be able to read these words. Great effort should be made to ensure that children can spell them correctly in any context. Groups may also be given extra words in common usage as appropriate.
We hope you will support us by encouraging your child to learn their spellings and to use the correct spelling when using words in other contexts. Please encourage your child to practice the words several times out of order and within a sentence. Back to top
A useful approach:
Look at the word
Say the word
Cover the word
Write the word
Check the word
The maths groups cover the number aspect of the National Curriculum.
All children are expected to learn their number bonds and tables. Confidence in manipulating numbers is vital if children are to succeed and enjoy maths.
We test tables across the school once a term. Children can achieve certificates at different levels. All expect them to know their tables out of order both multiplication and divide. The school record stands at 100 factors correct in 60 seconds by Matthew Wallace - Yr5, 2003/04. The challenge is - beat that!
FOUNDATION SUBJECTS
The children follow the foundation subjects of Geography, History, Design Technology, Music, PE and Art. We publish a list of the topics to be covered and the planned school visits so that you are able to help and support your child. |