INTENT

Our vision for reading at Emmbrook Infant School

The importance of reading:

We value the importance of a high quality reading education, which helps pupils to read easily, fluently, and with good understanding. We want our pupils to develop good habits of reading widely for pleasure and for information, whilst developing their language, comprehension and quality of communication.  Reading matters as our children grow up in a world of print. Our pupils will enjoy and engage with planned daily story times, poems and rhymes nurturing a love of language and reading. Our reading curriculum has at its core a strong cultural capital enriching vocabularies through exposure to high quality texts, which are chosen to inspire young readers and are relevant to the needs and lives of our pupils.  This text choice rationale ensures children are exposed to high quality  reading materials across the three years of infant schooling, including traditional, non linear, archaic  and modern.  Children hear adults reading to them everyday. Books chosen reflect many of our school core values as themes or focus.

National Curriculum

The overarching aim for English in the national curriculum is to promote high standards of language and literacy by equipping pupils with a strong command of the spoken and written language, and to develop their love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment. The national curriculum for English aims to ensure that all pupils:

• read easily, fluently and with good understanding
• develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information
• acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language
• appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage

We follow the New Literacy framework guidelines 2021, the Early Years framework and the National Curriculum objectives for Year 1 and 2 when planning reading and language enrichment in the curriculum.

Reading in the Early Years

We teach to the EYFS Framework, which clearly lays out the aims for reading in the early years:

It is crucial for children to develop a life-long love of reading. Reading consists of two dimensions: language comprehension and word reading. Language comprehension (necessary for both reading and writing) starts from birth. It only develops when adults talk with children about the world around them and the books (stories and non-fiction) they read with them, and enjoy rhymes, poems and songs together. Skilled word reading, taught later, involves both the speedy working out of the pronunciation of unfamiliar printed words (decoding) and the speedy recognition of familiar printed words.

IMPLEMENTATION

Phonics:

Children need to be proficient in developing phonetic knowledge to read texts and use a widening knowledge to comprehend. From the first days in EYFS we use a consistent whole school Synthetic Spelling Program (Read, Write, Inc) to teach decoding, retrieving, interpreting and analysis of texts. The Early Years Framework and National Curriculum plans progressively build on reading skills and knowledge year on year.

• Reading is prioritised with daily timetabled group phonics instruction and this is supported by further weekly/daily opportunities to teach and apply reading skills using texts which are aligned to the SSP program of teaching.
• The school highlights the rationale behind the selection of quality texts that are read to the children and phonetically decodable books support the children rehearse blending of phonemes that are met in class. Books go home that match their levels of developing phoneme knowledge.
• Children are taught in ability groups based on their phonic progress. Lessons include opportunities to revise phonemes learnt, blend in new words and alien words and read phonetically matched texts, which support their growing decoding skills. Pupils have daily opportunities to encode to spell and write phonemes in application. Groupings are fluid and assessment enables children to move between groups depending on their progress.

Reading:

• The school will tilt the curriculum offer so that disadvantaged and vulnerable children taste success in their reading and language acquisition alongside their peers.
• Reading scheme books that are closely phonetically matched to the child’s phonic levels are sent home for parents to read with their child. Books are read three times before changing so that comprehension and fluency are encouraged and developed.
• In the classroom book corners and displays, hold a selection of quality texts organised by genre or author focus. These book selections are changed each term and within term, allowing re reading of old favourites as well as the excitement of finding new titles to share.
• Class books are chosen to make sure that the right books support all children to thrive, whatever their background and to enable them to explore perspectives both similar and different to their own.
• The teaching of oracy across the school further supports growing vocabularies. This in turn supports the children when drawing meaning from text and in comprehending texts that are more complex.
• Reading is promoted across all areas of the curriculum to ensure all children have access to and develop an understanding of a wide variety of subject specific vocabulary
• Rigorous ongoing assessment allows pupil progress to be monitored so that they make term on term progress and pupils at risk of reading failure are supported to keep up, with planned extra teaching and individual or group interventions.
• Daily timetabled teaching of reading and independent reading opportunities allow pupils to increase in their reading accuracy and fluency so that that they can read an increasing number of words at a glance. Assessments half termly assess decoding skills, fluency and comprehension in reading.
• Links are made each term between reading and spelling through the systematic spelling program. Carefully selected phonic resources and texts support this planned progression.
• Leadership and management ensure regular and rigorous training is provided to ensure consistency of approach and fidelity to the school SSP. This support builds teams of expert teachers in reading across the school. Staff and SLT monitor progress across the school half termly and act on information from assessment.

IMPACT

All pupils leave the infant school as fluent and avid readers, with an increased knowledge and understanding of the phonetic code. They will pass the phonic screening checks in Year One (unless they have significant needs or disability) and will meet age-related expectation by the end of Key Stage One. These skills allow them to decode more texts independently and with a stronger understanding of what they have read.  Children will leave with a wider, more ambitious vocabulary, which they will use in conversation and in their writing. A strong exposure to a wide range of stimulating, high quality texts by a wide range of authors chosen to support and enhance the children’s cultural capital, will inspire them to continue reading independently for pleasure, as well as use reading to further support their learning, as well as being able to access everyday print in their everyday lives.

• Text Choice Rationale
• Phonics and Reading Progression Map
• Emmbrook Infant Schoool Progression in Reading Document

INTENT

Our vision for young writers at Emmbrook Infant School

The importance of writing as communication:

We value the importance of a high quality education in the knowledge and skills needed for writing. Writing is a key form of communication as our children grow up in a world of print.

We know children write best when there is a purpose, a context, strong models across different writing genres and explicit teaching of the skills needed to be accomplished writers. We want our pupils to develop strong and ambitious vocabularies so they can have choices when expressing themselves, creatively to entertain or when giving information.  Good talking precludes good writing and Oracy is taught through the school, supported by a rich choice of reading texts and curriculum subject specific vocabulary lists to support this.

We want to inspire our pupils as writers by exposing them to high quality writing examples across many genres and from across diverse cultures. These are planned through our yearly text choice rationale. Teachers will model writing every day and within different curriculum subject contexts, informing pupils on vocabulary choices and grammar conventions so that their writing progress is increasingly coherent and effective when read aloud.

Children are taught to write with increasing fluency and stamina with a cursive handwriting style taught. As children enter FS2 they will develop the mechanics of writing beginning with a pre cursive script before quickly learning to join their writing so they can focus more on the content. 

Daily SSP phonics instruction supports pupils in segmenting words into  units of sound as well as  teaching the spelling of common exception words.

The National Curriculum for Years 1 and 2 aims:

to promote high standards of language and literacy for all pupils by equipping them with a strong command of the spoken and written language conventions,  positive attitudes towards and  a stamina for writing, and the acquisition of skills in spelling, punctuation, grammar, handwriting and composition across the curriculum.

• Good writing is fed by developing strong habits of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information.
• An appreciation of a culturally rich and diverse literary heritage

We follow the New Literacy framework guidelines 2021 and the National Curriculum objectives for Year 1 and 2 when planning for writing in the KS1 curriculum.

In FS2 planning is guide by the developmental milestones in Development matters with a view to all children meeting the Early Learning Goal at the end of FS2:

Fine Motor Skills ELG

Children at the expected level of development will: – Hold a pencil effectively in preparation for fluent writing – using the tripod grip in almost all cases; – Use a range of small tools, including scissors, paint brushes and cutlery; – Begin to show accuracy and care when drawing.

Writing ELG

Children at the expected level of development will: – Write recognisable letters, most of which are correctly formed; – Spell words by identifying sounds in them and representing the sounds with a letter or letters; – Write simple phrases and sentences that can be ready by others.

IMPLEMENTATION

Phonics and spelling:

Children need to be proficient in developing phonetic knowledge to read and write texts. From the first days in EYFS we use a consistent whole school Synthetic Spelling Program to teach decoding and encoding skills.

The Early Years Framework and National Curriculum plans progressively build on writing skills and knowledge year on year.

• Spelling is prioritised with daily timetabled group phonics instruction and this is supported by further weekly/daily opportunities to teach and apply spelling skills

Class Teaching:

• A fluent handwriting style is essential for all children to enable them to write at length. Handwriting is prioritised when children join school and daily practice takes place in FS2 and Year 1.
• In the classroom book corners and displays, hold a selection of quality texts organised by genre or author focus. These book selections are changed within each term allowing strong writing models to be read and shared.
• The school highlights the rationale behind the careful selection of quality texts that are used as models for the children’s own writing
• Writing is taught daily, in genre-based units, where a progression of skills are taught enabling the children to write an extended final piece of work at the end of the unit.
• Class Journey boards enable the children to understand the learning journey through a unit of work, and why they are learning about each component needed to write a specific genre.
• Stamina for writing is developed from year one where children are expected to write a sustained piece of work using all the elements of writing they have learnt in the unit.
• Writing skills are applied to the wider curriculum where the children are expected to transfer their knowledge of vocabulary and secretarial skills to other subjects e.g. historical biographies, science fact-files etc
• The teaching of oracy across the school further supports expanding vocabularies. This in turn supports the children when drawing on their reading to inform their writing choices.
• Pupils with SEND are well supported to enable them to access all areas of the writing curriculum. Keep-up sessions are delivered to ensure any identified gaps are closed.
• Within the early years, reading and writing stations are set up to invite and encourage the children to write for a purpose. Opportunities for mark-making are planned for during child-initiated learning.

Assessment:

• Termly moderation of writing is carried out with all staff to ensure consistency of expectation
• Half-termly summative writing assessments, assess writing progress and inform future interventions and next step learning.
• Leadership and management ensure regular and rigorous training is provided to ensure consistency of approach to modelling of writing and marking and feedback, including the whole TA team.

This support builds teams of expert teachers in writing across the school. Staff and SLT monitor progress across the school half-termly and act on information from assessment.

IMPACT

All pupils are expected to meet age-related expectation in writing by the end of key stage one. The will leave the infant school with an increased confidence in themselves as young writers. They have a strong knowledge and understanding of the phonetic spelling code and grammar conventions taught from the National Curriculum.  Children will leave with a wider, more ambitious vocabulary, which they use in their writing compositions across different curriculum subjects, within different genres and for different purposes.

We hope that a strong exposure to a wide range of stimulating, high quality texts by a wide range of authors chosen to support  and enhance the children’s cultural capital, will inspire them to continue writing for pleasure and to inform and support them as they move  on to access a Key stage 2 curriculum.

• Writing Progression
• Writing Termly Overview

INTENT

At Emmbrook Infant School, we believe mathematics is essential for everyday life and understanding the world. It enables the development of pupils’ natural ability to think logically and solve puzzles and real-life problems. We deliver our Mathematics curriculum to ensure it follows the key aims of the National Curriculum at KS1. In Foundation Stage, planning centres around the Early Years Framework and the non-statutory guidance Development Matters.

We aim to ensure that all pupils become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics and in number so that pupils develop solid conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately in their lives.

Children at Emmbrook Infant School are taught to reason mathematically by finding connections and establishing relationships whilst using increasingly complex mathematical language. Our mathematics curriculum carefully sequences knowledge, concepts and procedures to build on mathematical knowledge and skills systematically over time. Children are taught to use maths to solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of routine and non-routine problems with increasing sophistication, including breaking down problems into a series of simpler steps and persevering in seeking solutions.

All children are expected to achieve at least age-related expectation unless they have a special educational need that would prevent this. However, all children are expected to make at least good progress from their starting points.  Our Core Values will thread through our teaching of maths as key skills to develop and in particular; resilience, independence, patience, teamwork, confidence and curiosity.   

Children at Emmbrook Infant School develop the skills, knowledge and efficient methods of calculation necessary to support their economic future and problem solving in life. 

IMPLEMENTATION:

How is Maths enabled in the Early Years?

Maths is mostly taught through the Prime Area of Mathematics, and is also interwoven throughout the EYFS curriculum, including through exploratory play. The component of Number is enabled through: Encouraging children to count the things they see and talk about and use numbers beyond ten; providing a wide range of number resources and encouraging children to be creative in identifying and devising problems and solutions in all areas of learning.

Additionally the component of Numerical Patterns is enabled through: Encouraging children to record what they have done, e.g. by drawing or tallying; providing collections of interesting things for children to sort, order, count and label in their play; displaying numerals in purposeful contexts; creating opportunities for children to separate objects into unequal groups as well as equal groups; having areas where children can explore the properties of objects and where they can weigh and measure, such as in our cookery sessions and building areas; planning opportunities for children to describe and compare shapes, measures and distance.

Throughout the year children are assessed against the Development Matters outcomes and the Early Learning Goals.

IMPLEMENTATION in KS1:

Teachers create a positive attitude to maths learning within their classrooms and reinforce an expectation that all children are capable of achieving high standards in Maths. Children at Emmbrook Infant School are able to move through the curriculum at a pace that ensures they make at least expected progress from their starting points through clear differentiation. As a result of a strong focus on number and place value, the children can establish firm foundations on which to build their understanding. Because of our concrete-pictorial-abstract approach, children learn to see the connections in maths and understand that mathematics can be represented in different ways.

• The maths curriculum, provides sufficient opportunities for planned revisits of previously learned knowledge, concepts and procedures; this is to ensure that, once learned, mathematical knowledge becomes deeply embedded in pupils’ memories; freeing pupils’ attention to work with independence, apply their mathematical knowledge to more complex mathematics.
• Medium Term plans do not follow a set scheme but instead are planned according to the needs of the children in the cohort ensuring coverage of the national curriculum.
• Teachers plan units of work to cover the National Curriculum. Teachers plan lessons using their own professional judgement, daily formative assessment and feedback from pupils. Teachers use their professional judgement to determine how long to spend on a particular objective.
• Year 1 focus on number and place value in the autumn term to ensure children are confident in these key areas before applying them to the concepts of data, time, money and shape and space.
• Concepts that are covered one week, are linked into learning the following week to enable the knowledge and skills to be built on. Retrieval quizzes are used regularly alongside the retrieval starter at the beginning of each lesson.
• Feedback is provided to pupils verbally, through teacher marking, and in KS1 children move to self-reflection of their learning in the lesson. This informs teaching for the next lesson. Groupings are fluid to enable pupils to access the appropriate work and support where required.
• Those pupils behind age-related expectations are supported with pre-teaching, afternoon Keep-up interventions, targeted questioning and targeted support in lessons from adults. Work is scaffolded or differentiated to allow pupils to be successful.
• Children who grasp concepts rapidly are exposed to wider differentiation enabling strong progress and a deeper understanding with increasingly abstract thinking opportunities. They are challenged with greater depth problems within lessons. Lessons typically begin with reflect and review opportunities of previous learning, a core teaching focus followed by independent or collaborative work before consolidation of their understanding and application in books. Units start with practical, concrete hands- on learning and progress to pictorial and abstract tasks. In Year 2 the children are ability grouped in Maths sets which are fluid in nature.
• All children are exposed to deeper learning opportunities in their learning, to deepen their knowledge and understanding of the concepts taught and to better enable them to apply their mathematical knowledge and skills to problem solving.
• Maths is included in other subject areas where appropriate and relevant, exposing children to mathematical thinking and concepts across the curriculum. Maths is also often applied to real life contexts to make it relevant, practical and purposeful to the children.
• TAs receive high quality training in school relating to mathematical pedagogy, age -related expectation and feedback and marking, to enable them to support and challenge pupils of all abilities.
• As a school, we strive to encourage girls and boys to achieve in maths and enjoy the subject, and see themselves as capable mathematicians. For example, diverse significant mathematicians in history will be highlighted.

IMPACT:

How is mathematics assessed?

In the early years foundation stage, children are assessed everyday by their key adult and this will include identifying areas where children may be at risk of falling behind, so that staff can provide rapid, effective support. Weekly team meetings are used to discuss pupil progress against planned outcomes where groupings are reviewed and adapted as necessary. The early learning goals (ELGs) are what is assessed at the end of the reception year.

In key stage 1, each unit of work begins by ascertaining the children’s prior knowledge and any connected knowledge held in their long-term memory through cold tasks.  Any misconceptions that arise throughout the unit are identified and addressed appropriately. Children continue to recall their knowledge throughout a unit in order to ensure an alteration in long term memory. Hot tasks are also used to assess the learning at the end of a unit of work.

The curriculum provides sufficient opportunities for planned revisits of previously learned knowledge, concepts and procedures; this is to ensure that, once learned, knowledge becomes deeply embedded in pupils’ memories.

To further support ongoing formative assessment, teachers review pupils’ contributions in lessons, work in their books and attainment in end of unit assessments. These are supported by end of term formative assessments and end of year tests. Progress & attainment is recorded and reported termly to SLT through pupil progress meetings. All staff attend these meetings, including TAs, to ensure the expectations are clear and shared by the whole team.

Maths is monitored by the SLT through termly book looks and HT observations, The Maths Subject Leader also carries out an annual Maths Core Review. This includes lesson observations, book looks, pupil conferencing and data analysis. Feedback is given to all staff and objectives set for the next SIP if required. CPD is then planned accordingly. The Subject Leader meets with the Link maths governor three times a year to share and review the Maths Action Plan and to discuss the end of year Position Statement, which is also is shared with the SLT.

Children at Emmbrook Infant School develop a love of maths, enabling them to have a wide range of mathematical skills they can use in their chosen approaches to learning, linked to their everyday lives.

• Maths Termly Overview
• Maths Termly Key Skills and Knowledge Progression
• Number Rhymes
• Number Formation
• Maths at Home
• Calculation Helps
• Growth Mindset

INTENT

At Emmbrook Infant School the aim of our Science learning is to inspire curiosity and thinking in all our children. We feel it is important for the children to question why things happen, be able to explain the way things work and develop a strong foundation of scientific knowledge and skills.

The 2014 National Curriculum for Science aims to ensure that all children:

• Develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics.
• Develop understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science through different types of science enquiries that help them to answer scientific questions about the world around them.
• They are equipped with the scientific skills required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future. We understand that it is important for lessons to have a skills-based focus, and that the knowledge can be taught through this.

Science in the Early Years:

• Science is explored through the children’s Understanding of the World. Our outdoor learning environment in the Early Years at Emmbrook Infant School is key to enhancing child led learning.
• We provide opportunities for children to question, wonder, explore, discover, experiment and observe through direct experiences.
• The children are introduced to scientific vocabulary to help them further their understanding and are asked open-ended questions, so that they can make predictions and give them opportunities to question.
• Our Early Years provision ensures that children have access to a range of materials that work in different ways for various purposes. Children can use resources and the environment around them to notice similarities and differences as well as changes over time.
• Science is interwoven throughout their experience in the EYFS. They join in with Science week and take part in visitor workshops.

At Emmbrook Infant School we know that children are naturally curious and we encourage this inquisitive nature throughout their time with us and beyond through the Science curriculum as well as all other aspects of their learning and other areas of the curriculum.

Science fosters a healthy inquisitiveness in children about our world and promotes respect for the wildlife and world around us. We believe science encompasses scientific knowledge, concepts and skills. We ensure that the ‘Working Scientifically’ skills are built-on and developed throughout their time at Emmbrook Infant School, so that they can use basic scientific equipment, conduct small scale experiments, build understanding, predictions and conclusions. We also continue to encourage the children to ask questions and be curious about their surroundings.

IMPLEMENTATION

Teachers create a positive attitude to science learning within their classrooms and reinforce an expectation that all children are capable of achieving high standards in science. The curriculum is planned to cover the requirements of the National Curriculum. Each unit of work is driven by an enquiry focus led by a series of key concept questions. Through these units, teachers reinforce key scientific vocabulary and inspire scientific thinking. Our whole school approach to the teaching and learning of science involves the following;

• Science will be taught in planned and arranged in Science topic blocks by the class teacher, in order to cover the science curriculum for their year group. Knowledge and skills are built sequentially so concepts will be revisited and developed on each term or year to ensure a greater depth of knowledge and understanding.
• Some units are taught at specific times of the year to enhance the learning e.g the seasons which are revisited termly. This enables the learning to be relevant and in context, when careful scientific observations can be made. Units are planned on a cycle of repetition to offer opportunities for deeper learning and to ensure knowledge is retained. Units may also be revisited termly or annually to enable conceptual connections to be made.
• Through our planning, children are encouraged to ask their own questions and be given opportunities to use their scientific skills to discover the answers. This curiosity is celebrated within the classroom and displays are used to share and value scientific learning. Planning involves teachers creating engaging lessons with hands-on practical experiences. Teachers use precise questioning in class to test conceptual knowledge and skills and assess children regularly to identify those children with gaps in learning, so that all children keep up. Planning is differentiated to meet the needs of all learners.
• Hot and cold tasks are used to identify gaps in learning and assess what the children may already know so the teacher can build upon this. Plans for both the more able and talented and children with SEND are clear so that all children progress and achieve the highest possible outcomes.
• Scientific thinking is captured through our Yellow Speech bubbles to ensure that literacy skills are not a barrier when a child needs to express their thinking. This also enables us to0 capture the thinking of our more able pupils.
• We build upon the learning and skill development of the previous terms or years. As the children’s knowledge and understanding increases, they become more proficient in interpreting results, remembering facts and using scientific vocabulary. They become increasingly confident in their growing ability to come to conclusions based on what they know and what they have subsequently learned. This is also done where possible through hands on experiments.
• Working Scientifically, skills are embedded into lessons to ensure these skills are being developed throughout the children’s school journey and new vocabulary and challenging concepts are introduced through direct teaching. Word banks are provided to help them use this vocabulary in their writing, enabling their use of scientific technical vocabulary to be heightened. This is developed through each year group and in-keeping with the themes to be covered in the national curriculum.
• Teachers demonstrate how to use scientific equipment when appropriate, and the various Working Scientifically skills in order to embed scientific understanding. The school environment is used to experience hands on learning when the children will study and observe named plants and trees on the school grounds. Specialist visitors such as, the planetarium and visits from the senior school science department, deliver high quality workshops to facilitate and support science learning. This is done by building on the children’s prior knowledge.
• Children undertake the study of significant scientists throughout history, including those still alive today, that are reflective of the diverse society we live in.

IMPACT

The successful approach at Emmbrook Infant School results in a progressive, engaging, high-quality science education. This provides children with the foundations for understanding the world around them. Through lessons, experiments and workshops during science week the children have the understanding that science has changed our lives and that it is vital part of our world. Children learn the possibilities for careers in science through lessons, assemblies and class discussions where possible. We dedicate a week to science activities during science week where the children can be immersed in Science for a whole week of hands on learning. Children at Emmbrook Infant School enjoy science and this results in motivated and engaged learners.

Impact is measured in a variety of ways: through cold and hot tasks, speech bubbles which capture scientific thinking, work in pupil books and observations in class. In addition, the annual Science Core Review carried out by the Subject Leader enable the subject to be monitored more closely.

We revisit previous topics and concepts to assess if the children have remembered previous learning some time later.

All pupils will leave the Infant School with an increased knowledge and understanding of nature, processes and scientific concepts. They will understand  how the significant scientists they have studied have had a positive impact on the world today.

This curriculum provides a strong cultural capital that allows pupils to understand the science of the world they live in and how they contribute to its sustainability, that  we hope will positively influence the decisions that they make in their future lives. The study of significant scientist from all genders and races aims to inspire all our children who may want to persue a scientific career.

Our Exemplification File provides clear evidence of the impact of our science curriculum on pupil outcomes and the high expectations we have for all our children.

• Science Termly Overview
• Science Key Skills and Knowledge Progression

Computing at Emmbrook Infant school equips children to use technology in a safe and respectful manner. It encourages critical thinking, problem solving, imagination and creativity through allowing children to create programs and communicate effectively in the modern digital world.

INTENT

A balanced computing curriculum at Emmbrook Infant School enables the children to develop their understanding and use of technology through practical and exploratory opportunities using deliberate practice to develop their understanding.

As they move through the school, they will develop an understanding of how technology and digital systems work. Children develop their digital literacy, showing that they know how to use technology respectfully and safely. At the forefront of teaching and computing in our school is online safety.  Our aim is to teach children how to manage risks safely when using technology and know who they can talk to if they are concerned or upset when using it.

Children engage and develop an understanding of computer science, knowing how to develop and create programs for a range of purposes.

The computing curriculum aims to develop children as computational thinkers to enable them to solve problems across the whole curriculum and life in general.  “Computational thinking is an important life skill, which all pupils now need to develop. It is central to both living in and understanding our digitally enriched world.  It is a cognitive process involving logical reasoning by which problems are solved across the whole curriculum and through life in general. “

(Computing at school 2015).

Our overall aim is to develop responsible, competent, confident and creative users of information and communication technology.

IMPLEMENTATION

Foundation Stage

In the foundation stage, our young digital citizens develop a greater understanding of the world by recognising a range of technology that is used in their homes and in school. Through experimenting (tinkering) with a range of different equipment such as iPads, PCs, cameras, Bee-bots and mechanical toys, the children will begin to speculate on why things happen or how things work and interact with age-appropriate computer software.  To enter KS1 with a strong foundation of Computing knowledge and hands on experience to ensure that children develop problem-solving abilities, listening skills and thoughtful questioning which also feeds into the other areas of learning across the curriculum.

 Within class discussions the children will carefully consider how to use the technological equipment and software safely following our school rules and what they should do if they come across inappropriate content. The children will also explore how technology has changed through time by looking at old and new toys and comparing them to the technology we use today.

Children in reception have the opportunities to interact with a range of computer software and understand its purpose.  They understand how to explore simple programs to broaden their knowledge of technology in the home and in school. They know information can be added, used for different purposes and retrieved from computers.  By the end of the foundation stage children are able to safely use and explore a variety of programs and begin to learn how to keep themselves safe online. 

Key Stage 1

In line with the national curriculum our essential learning objectives for computing at Emmbrook Infant School are to enable children:

• To be able to communicate ideas, using applications and devices across the curriculum
• To be able to code for practical and inventive purposes
• To be able to connect with others safely and respectfully
• To be able to collect, organise and manipulate data effectively

Teachers create a positive attitude to the use of technology within their school and reinforce an expectation that all children are brilliant learners who are curious, creative, resilient and enjoy digital learning.  Teachers plan computing lessons using their own professional judgement, formative assessment and feedback from pupils.  They use their professional judgement to determine how long to spend on a particular objective depending on the children’s progress. 

Staying safe online is integrated into all areas of the curriculum. It is taught specifically in computing and within PSHE.

Children are given opportunities to explore and experiment with new programs and technology before they are given specific tasks. This is essential in building their creativity and confidence in the subject.

Computing lessons focus on collaboration and creativity by providing extended periods of time to work independently and with others to solve problems and develop the knowledge and skills to be computational thinkers.  Children develop fluency in using technology for a range of purposes. 

Computing technology is used across the curriculum as both an additional resource to stimulate learning (e.g. online maths programs) and as a creative learning tool (e.g. taking photos and videos and exploring art techniques).

IMPACT

Children should be able to confidently use information and communication technologies to support their future learning across all curriculum areas and within their wider lives.

A variety of methods are used to find out what the children know and understand both prior to and following each unit of work. Activities are differentiated to the different abilities and learning styles so that each child is given the opportunity to make progress considering their starting point.

We have developed individual assessment sheets with statements taken from the National Curriculum Programmes of Study. As each unit of work is covered, we consider the impact on future planning.  We recognise children who are working at or beyond the expected level for key stage one, as well as identifying the children who will need additional support.

Computing monitoring includes subject leader reviews, lesson observations and/or learning walks and pupil questionnaires to ascertain both the quality of teaching and learning and the children’s attitude and feedback. This information is then used to inform further curricular developments and future resource planning and budgeting.

• Computing Termly Overview
• Computing NC Skills and Knowledge Progression

INTENT

At Emmbrook Infant School the main aim of Religious Education is to explore what people believe and what difference this makes to how they live, so that pupils can gain the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to handle questions raised by religion and belief, reflecting on their own ideas and ways of living.

In addition to learning about religions and worldviews, Religious Education offers students the chance to develop spiritually, morally, socially and culturally and to reflect on their own beliefs, being able to be discerning about the many attitudes and opinions they will encounter.

The non-statutory 2013 National Curriculum Framework for RE states that pupils should:

• Know about and understand a range of religions and worldviews
• Express ideas and insights about the nature, significance and impact of religions and worldviews
• Gain and deploy the skills needed to engage seriously with religions and worldviews.

To achieve these aims, Religious Education provokes challenging questions about meaning, purpose, beliefs about God, issues of right and wrong and what it means to be human.

RE plays an important role in preparing pupils for life in the modern world, and should enable them to flourish as citizens in a global society.

Working from the Pan-Berkshire Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education 2018-2023, we believe that, using an enquiry-based model, children’s critical thinking skills can be developed, their motivation to learn increased, and their knowledge and understanding of, and empathy with people and their beliefs, religious or otherwise, will be enhanced.

This approach takes very seriously the philosophy that children are free to make their own choices and decisions concerning religion and belief. RE does not try to persuade but rather to inform and develop the skills with which evaluation can take place.

Religious Education in the Early Years:

RE sits very firmly within the areas of personal, social and emotional development and understanding of the world. From an early age, the children at Emmbrook Infant School learn to develop a positive sense of themselves, and others, and learn how to form positive and respectful relationships.

In the Early Years, the children ask questions and reflect on their own feelings and experiences. They use their imaginations and curiosity to develop their appreciation of, and wonder at, the world in which they live. Looking at people in the communities allows them to explore beliefs of others.

IMPLEMENTATION

Religious Education taught at Emmbrook Infant School (according to the Pan-Berkshire Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education 2018-2023) ensures pupils encounter core concepts in religions and beliefs in a coherent way, developing their understanding and their ability to handle questions of religions and belief. At Emmbrook Infant School, the teaching and learning approach has three core elements which are woven together to provide breadth and balance within teaching and learning about religion and beliefs:

Believing       Behaving      Belonging

The planning model used in Discovery works on a 6-part planning process focusing on a 4-step enquiry. Each enquiry demands the equivalent of 6 lessons, but teaching time can be blocked if this enhances learning. Each enquiry has a learning objective which shows the learning over the six lessons.

The 4-step enquiry.

The key question for the enquiry is an Attainment Target 2 (impersonal) question, needing an answer that weighs up “evidence” and reaches a conclusion based on this.

Step 1 (usually 1 lesson)

Engagement: The human experience underpinning the key question is explored here within the children’s own experience, whether that includes religion or not. If they can relate to the human experience they will better be able to understand the world of religion they are to enquire into. This is Attainment Target 2 (personal)

Step 2 (usually 3 lessons)

Investigation: The teacher guides the children through the enquiry, studying Attainment Target 1 (Learning ABOUT) subject knowledge (the factual base about the religion), carefully selected to assist their thinking about the key question.

Step 3 (usually 1 lesson)

Evaluation: This lesson draws together the children’s learning and their conclusions about the key question of that enquiry. This is an assessment task which the teacher can assess by using the Level descriptors at the end of each unit’s planning.

This is Attainment Target 2 (impersonal)

Step 4 (usually 1 lesson)

Expression: Children are taken back to Step 1, their own experience, to reflect on how this enquiry might have influenced their own starting point/beliefs etc. There is often further evidence for their books produced in this lesson.

SMSC opportunities are identified in each enquiry, and are mapped on the overview grid for each year group. Our belief is that, using an enquiry-based model well, children’s critical thinking skills can be developed, their motivation to learn increased, and their knowledge and understanding of, and empathy with people and their beliefs, religious or otherwise, will be enhanced. This approach takes very seriously the philosophy that children are free to make their own choices and decisions concerning religion and belief. RE does not try to persuade but rather to inform and develop the skills with which evaluation can take place.

IMPACT

At Emmbrook Infant School, we seek to ensure that all children in our school are educated to develop spiritually, academically, emotionally and morally to enable them to better understand themselves and others and to cope with the opportunities, challenges and responsibilities of living in a rapidly changing, multicultural world.

Regular assemblies, visitors from different religions, and celebrations of learning help to celebrate the diversity of the school community and promote positive images of people in the wider community, including their beliefs, traditions, culture, language and history.

At Emmbrook Infant School, we strongly value the cultures and faiths of all the children in our school and as such we prioritise studying all the world religions to ensure our pupils develop a strong sense of tolerance and understanding.

• RE Termly Overview

INTENT

At Emmbrook Infant School we value the importance of a high-quality, geography education which provides a means of exploring, appreciating and understanding the world in which we live – we are intrepid explorers from the comfort of our classrooms! We aim to inspire in our children a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people.

We build upon the children’s personal geography by developing geographical skills, understanding and knowledge through studying places and themes. Teaching should equip pupils with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes. 

Geography is an integral part of the curriculum as it provokes and answers questions about the natural and human worlds, using different scales of enquiry to view them from different perspectives.  Geography is a focus within the curriculum for understanding and resolving issues about the environment and sustainable development, with a view to raising awareness of the world around us.

The 2014 National Curriculum for Geography aims to ensure that all children:

• develop contextual knowledge of the location of globally significant places – both terrestrial and marine – including their defining physical and human characteristics and how these provide a geographical context for understanding the actions of processes
• understand the processes that give rise to key physical and human geographical features of the world, how these are interdependent and how they bring about spatial variation and change over time
• are competent in the geographical skills needed to:
• collect, analyse and communicate with a range of data gathered through experiences of fieldwork that deepen their understanding of geographical processes
• interpret a range of sources of geographical information, including maps, diagrams, globes, aerial photographs and Geographical Information Systems (GIS)
• communicate geographical information in a variety of ways, including through maps, numerical and quantitative skills and writing at length.

Geography in the In Early Years

Geography is taught through the Specific area of Understanding the World: The World and is enabled through for example:

• using the local area for exploring both the built and the natural environment;
• providing opportunities to observe things closely through a variety of means, including magnifiers and photographs;
• providing play maps and small world equipment for children to create their own environments;
• teaching skills and knowledge in the context of practical activities, e.g.
• giving opportunities to record findings by, e.g. drawing, writing, making a model or photographing;
• providing stories that help children to make sense of different environments;
• providing stimuli and resources for children to create simple maps and plans, paintings, drawings and models of observations of known and imaginary landscapes;
• giving opportunities to design practical, attractive environments, for example, taking care of the flowerbeds or organising equipment outdoors.

IMPLEMENTATION

Teachers create a positive attitude to geographical learning within their classrooms and reinforce an expectation that all children are capable of achieving high standards in Geography. The curriculum is planned to cover the requirements of the National Curriculum. Each unit of work is driven by an enquiry focus led by a series of key concept questions. Through these units, teachers reinforce key geographical vocabulary and inspire geographical curiosity. Our whole school approach to the teaching and learning of geography involves the following;

• We have developed a spiral scheme of work which supports the National Curriculum and builds on knowledge, skills and understanding year on year. Learning is facilitated through pupils pursuing a key question enquiry led approach, which encourages them to take increasing responsibility for their learning, think independently and achieve challenging subject outcomes.
• This approach is reflected in all of our planning. We ask insightful questions, which in turn support pupils to delve deeply into aspects of geographical topics both at a local, national and international level.
• Each unit of work contains a list of the geographical vocabulary we expect the children to be exposed to and to then in turn, use in their speech and their work. Vocabulary is built on through each unit, and year on year.
• Certain themes and concepts are revisited termly e.g. the Seasons to ensure knowledge is retained and learnt in context. Other concepts are revisited on an annual basis e.g plants
• Teachers demonstrate how to interpret geographical sources when appropriate, and model the various geographical skills required in order to embed geographical understanding.
• Teachers plan lessons for their class using our progression of knowledge and skills document. The progression document ensures the curriculum is covered and the skills/knowledge taught is progressive from year group to year group.
• Geography teaching focuses on enabling children to think as geographers. A variety of teaching approaches are used based on the teacher’s judgement.
• Countries that are studied are selected because they have a direct link to other areas studied in the curriculum e.g. Year 1 study Ghana as a contrasting locality because they study the Victorians and the Empire, Year 2
• Geography provides excellent opportunities to enhance the learning of more able pupils through the investigations, analysing sources and writing extending pieces. Children showing extensive aptitude in geography will be placed on our schools More Able and Talented register.  These children will be selected for appropriate enrichment opportunities throughout the year
• A variety of opportunities for geography learning takes place inside and outside the classroom. Educational visits are another opportunity for the teachers to plan for additional geography learning outside the classroom. The children have explored the local area including orienteering within the school grounds and visiting places of interest that enhance the geography curriculum.
• Outside walks in the school environment take place regularly so the children are able to identify and seasonally observe named trees, flowers and birds.
• Every year we have an ‘International Week’ where the curriculum is enriched with visitors and workshops that reflect the cultural diversity of our school and the world we live in. The International week culminates in an opportunity for parents to share their cultural heritage with the whole school community, with everyone experiencing food, artefacts and costumes from around the world.

IMPACT

Impact is measured in a variety of ways: through cold and hot tasks, speech bubbles which capture geographical thinking, work in pupil books and observations in class. As each unit of work is covered, we consider the related intended learning, recognise children who are working at or beyond the expected level for their age, as well as identifying the children who need and who will therefore receive support.

We revisit previous topics and concepts to assess if the children have remembered previous learning some time later.

All pupils will leave the Infant School with an increased knowledge and understanding of the world in which they live.  Pupils will be able to engage with and evaluate different geographical sources, encouraging them to reflect, debate and evaluate the past, think critically and develop a passion for history as young historians. In addition, learning from the past will help pupils to understand how the future can be different.

This curriculum provides a strong cultural capital that allows pupils to learn lessons from history that will positively influence the decisions that they make in their future lives.

• Geography Termly Overview
• Geography Skills and Knowledge Progression 

INTENT

At Emmbrook Infant School we value the importance of a high-quality, history education which helps pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past, including recent events in living memory, and that of the wider world. The curriculum will inspire pupils’ curiosity to know and enquire more about the past. Teaching will equip pupils to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, develop perspective and build their subject knowledge.

History helps pupils to understand the complexity of people’s lives and cultures, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups, as well as their own identity and the challenges of their time.

At Emmbrook Infant School we know that children are naturally curious and we encourage this inquisitive nature throughout their time with us and beyond, through the History curriculum as well as all other aspects of their learning and other areas of the curriculum. An understanding and appreciation of history will equip pupils with information that will support their future decision making.

The 2014 National Curriculum for History aims to ensure that all children:

• know and understand the history of these islands as a coherent, chronological narrative, from the earliest times to the present day: how people’s lives have shaped this nation and how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world
• know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations; the expansion and dissolution of empires; characteristic features of past non-European societies; achievements and follies of mankind
• gain and deploy a historically grounded understanding of abstract terms such as ‘empire’, ‘civilisation’, ‘parliament’ and ‘peasantry’
• understand historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance, and use them to make connections, draw contrasts, analyse trends, frame historically-valid questions and create their own structured accounts, including written narratives and analyses
• understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims, and discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed
• gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts, understanding the connections between local, regional, national and international history; between cultural, economic, military, political, religious and social history; and between short- and long-term timescales.

History in the Early Years:

• History is explored through the children’s Understanding of the World, past and present.
• An understanding of the past is developed through the study of their own lives and family members. This early knowledge feeds in to an understanding of how significant people and events have shaped the past both nationally and across the wider world.
• Historical enquiry in the EYFS supports the learning that will take place in KS1 and enables historical knowledge to be built on.
• Learning is through hands-on, practical experiences using historical artefacts and sources.
• We provide opportunities for children to question, wonder, explore, discover, experiment and observe through direct experiences.
• The children are introduced to the historical vocabulary of time to help them further their understanding of chronology starting within their own lifetime and progressing to events in history. 

IMPLEMENTATION

Teachers create a positive attitude to historical learning within their classrooms and reinforce an expectation that all children are capable of achieving high standards in History. The curriculum is planned to cover the requirements of the National Curriculum. Each unit of work is driven by an enquiry focus led by a series of key concept questions. Through these units, teachers reinforce key historical vocabulary and inspire historical curiosity. Our whole school approach to the teaching and learning of history involves the following;

• We have developed a spiral scheme of work which supports the National Curriculum and builds on knowledge, skills and understanding year on year. Learning is facilitated through pupils pursuing a key question enquiry led approach, which encourages them to take increasing responsibility for their learning, think independently and achieve challenging subject outcomes.
• We teach history so that children have as much understanding as possible to know what it must have been like to live in particular periods in history by having practical experiences within lessons. learning is delivered through practical historical workshops, the study of primary sources and artefacts, films, visits and visitors, and drama to excite and intrigue our children to develop curiosity.
• The range of historical figures chosen to study, reflects both national and world significant events and achievements, as well as the cultural heritage of our school and the diverse society we live in today.
• The scheme allows for a balance between links made with new content and the development of important subject skills and the ability of children to think critically about what they are learning and why. The History Curriculum has also been adapted to accommodate important local historical links and significant events in their lifetime.
• Bespoke classroom timelines enable our children to develop an understanding of chronology enabling them to build on their understanding of the past and make links between the people and events that they have studied.
• This approach is reflected in all of our planning. We ask insightful questions, which in turn support pupils to delve deeply into aspects of historical topics both at a local, national and international level.
• Each unit of work contains a list of the historical vocabulary we expect the children to be exposed to and to then in turn, use in their speech and their work. Vocabulary is built on through each unit, and year on year.
• Teachers demonstrate how to interpret historical sources when appropriate, and model the various historical skills required in order to embed historical understanding.
• The school’s local environment is used to experience hands on learning when the children will study and observe local buildings relevant to the time periods they study.

IMPACT

Impact is measured in a variety of ways: through cold and hot tasks, speech bubbles which capture geographical thinking, work in pupil books and observations in class.

We revisit previous topics and concepts to assess if the children have remembered previous learning some time later, including their understanding of chronology and if significant peoples and events could have occurred or lived at the same time.

All pupils will leave the Infant School with an increased knowledge and understanding of chronology and the legacy of key events and the actions of significant people studied.  Pupils will be able to engage with and evaluate different historical sources understanding that evidence informs us of what happened many, many years ago,  encouraging them to reflect, debate and evaluate the past, think critically and to develop a passion for history as young historians. In addition, learning from the past will help pupils to understand how the future can be different.

This curriculum provides a strong cultural capital that allows pupils to learn lessons from history that will positively influence the decisions that they make in their future lives.

• History NC Termly Overview
• History Key Skills and Knowledge Progression

INTENT

Design Technology is a vital part of our curriculum at Emmbrook Infant School. Design and Technology involves applying knowledge and skills when designing and making products. The learning activities undertaken enable our children to consider the needs of individuals and society. They look at contributions from designers past and present in creating practical products. They undertake lessons in design which solve problems in the community and use a range of materials and processes to create practical solutions. Design Technology requires both independent thought and team work exercises which will support them as they move on in a wider world.

Its practical nature stimulates creativity and develops imagination, giving children the opportunity to regularly rehearse techniques and skills that build over time, through careful observation of the work of other designers, and develops critical thinking of how Design and Technology reflect and shape the diverse world we live in. Our Design and Technology curriculum equips children with the knowledge and skills to invent and create their own products and solutions.

We encourage them to take risks and inspire them to continually evaluate and improve on their ideas. It gives them the belief that they are young designers and can play a part in contributing ideas to our world and its product design.

The Design Technology curriculum not only focusses on key skills to be taught, learnt and mastered over time, but lends itself well to cross-curricular learning: Children can deepen their understanding of a period in time, through the study of primary and secondary sources,  before creating a structure(for example furniture for a Victorian room or creating a winding mechanism for a toy similar to those studied in a timeline).

The 2014 National Curriculum for Design Technology aims to ensure that all children have access to:

An inspiring, rigorous and practical subject. Using creativity and imagination, pupils design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values. They acquire a broad range of subject knowledge and draw on disciplines such as mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art. Pupils learn how to take risks, becoming resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens. Through the evaluation of past and present design and technology, they develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world.

Design and Technology in the Early Years is taught through the Specific area of Expressive Art and Design, and is enabled through:

• Using children’s interests as a springboard for learning, taking opportunities to build on their understanding and skills and allow them to express themselves creatively
• Teaching specific skills through structured adult-led activities and giving opportunities to move learning and understanding on through exploratory play
• Creating an enabling environment which allows children to access a range of materials to explore and develop creations.
• Experimenting with different techniques and methods – for example mixing different colour paints, using different tools when joining models.
• Building in daily opportunities to develop gross and fine motor skills, in order to have an impact on the development of Art and Design-specific skills such as sketching.
• Introducing the work of key artists so children can explore the techniques used by them in their own creations.

IMPLEMENTATION

For children to become creative designers and have a greater depth of understanding, they must first master basic skills, which takes time. This is why we ensure skills-based teaching and learning underpins our curriculum in all units of work. Sessions are carefully planned to introduce new skills, but also allows children to practise previously learnt techniques, so they can build up proficiency over time and know how skills and knowledge can be transferred and used in subsequent pieces of work.

Teachers create a positive atmosphere to learning in Design and Technology, where all children have the opportunity to enjoy the creative design process, with staff having high expectations for progress and attainment. The curriculum is carefully planned to cover the requirements of the National Curriculum, with each unit of work driven by an initial enquiry focus and is underpinned by skills and knowledge -based learning. This inspires children to ask questions about how things work, and make links in their learning. Our whole school approach to the teaching and learning of Design Technology involves the following:

• A spiral scheme of work which covers the National Curriculum requirements and builds on knowledge, skills and understanding year-on-year. Learning is facilitated through the study of different units in textiles, food and healthy eating, structures and mechanisms within each year. Lessons are of a practical nature which allow children to practise and rehearse skills, develop creative thinking and have high aspirations for their design outcomes. Each unit of work is supported by a list of vocabulary specific to the Design Technology curriculum.

We expect the children to be;

• exposed to, and over time, to understand and use this vocabulary of specific terminology in their own work.
• This approach is reflected in our planning. We ask deep questions, which encourages pupils to think critically and objectively about valuing their ideas and opinions. Teachers model how to experiment with the techniques and skills.
• Children have the opportunity in each lesson to practise specific skills, which can be built on over time.
• Lessons are carefully planned to allow time for new skills to be taught, and previously learnt skills to be practised, allowing for mastery over time.
• Designers are chosen to be studied are selected because they represent the culturally diverse world we live in today.

We ensure a range of Design Technology is displayed from different key groups of children;

• Cultural Capital is developed through the study of both past and present, global and British Designers, and their work.

IMPACT

• We assess the impact of our Design and Technology curriculum over time. This is done in a variety of ways: through skill development in a book scrutiny (children have these books from EYFS) which allow for comparison in a child’s work over time), analysing work on display, pupil conferencing and capturing pupil voice during lessons. We are then able to identify pupils who are working beyond expectations, or those working below, and adjust our teaching and provision accordingly.
• Our Design and Technology curriculum and its delivery allows for children to recognise themselves as young designers of the future and experience success, whilst developing skills  and knowledge of products over time.

• DT NC Termly Overview
• DT NC Skills and Knowledge Progression

INTENT

The National Curriculum for music aims to ensure that all children:

• perform, listen to, review and evaluate music
• be taught to sing, create and compose music
• understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated

The ‘Being Imaginative and Expressive’ Early Learning Goal from EYFS aims for children to:

• Sing a range of well-known nursery rhymes and songs
• Perform songs, rhymes, poems and stories with others, and – when appropriate try to move in time with music.

At Emmbrook Infant School, we are committed to delivering an inspiring and engaging music curriculum. We give children many opportunities to listen, perform, experiment with and compose music and integrate these key skills into our music lessons. Children learn about the elements that make up music and learn key musical vocabulary. We enrich the music curriculum with opportunities to sing, learn instruments, listen to a wide range of music, become familiar with some of the works of the great composers, perform to their peers, experience instruments from around the world and be inspired by high-quality live performances. In Foundation Stage the children learn many songs all year round and are able to perform them to their peers. They experiment with musical instruments and play them with increasing accuracy.

IMPLEMENTATION

• Our music lessons, mostly taken from Music Express, are weekly and focus on some key elements of music: pitch, tempo, dynamics and duration. These are taught and explored through the skills outlined in the national curriculum of listening, performing and composing. Our spiral based curriculum ‘spirals’ around these elements, giving the children a clear focus to their music lessons. The focuses are repeated within and across the year groups, giving children the opportunity to revisit previous learning, make links and progress in their understanding.
• The key skills of listening, performing and composing are also encouraged in the children’s everyday life at school. The overarching topics taught by each year group has a bank of songs and poems to go with it to allow children to be singing in their classrooms throughout the day.
• The weekly singing assembly and offer of choir club also promotes a love for singing. Children have the opportunity to learn an instrument through iRock and the yearly talent show and class performances throughout the year gives all children a chance to perform and celebrate their musical skills.
• The opportunity to listen to the best in the musical canon is given at assembly and snack times, however specific teaching time is also given to critical listening. We provide children with the opportunity to listen to live music through concerts performed by the local senior school and musical workshops. This also gives the children a chance to listen to a wider range of instruments that they are not used to seeing in school.
• All our students are able to participate and enjoy music at their individual levels and abilities. Each skill requires something a little different and is able to appeal to different strengths of the learners.
• All our students are able to participate and enjoy music at their individual levels and abilities. Each skill requires something a little different and is able to appeal to different strengths of the learners.
• Musical genres and musicians?

IMPACT

The balance of specific teaching of the elements of music, the variety of skills practised and explored and the enrichment opportunities provided in our music curriculum enables our students to find the way in which they best enjoy and appreciate music.

Our music curriculum supports and reflects our core values policy through the way in which children are required to use teamwork, patience, confidence, independence, resilience and respect when working in groups, performing, learning a new skill and appraising their own and others’ work.

They will leave KS1 with a clear understanding of some of the elements that make up music and be able to demonstrate their understanding of them through singing, performing, composing and listening critically. They will have a solid foundation on which to learn more and to develop their skills.

• Music Termly Overview
• Music NC Skills and Knowledge Progression

INTENT

At Emmbrook Infant School we value the importance of a high-quality teaching throughout our Physical Education lessons.  We aim to engage and include all children in fun and highly active PE sessions to develop an enjoyment and love for sport, whilst also encouraging a healthy lifestyle that they will carry with them through their lives. We include regular opportunities for all children to be involved in competitive team and individual sport against their peers and participating in intra-school and inter-school competitions. We utilise the expertise of carefully selected and highly skilled sports coach to deliver one out of our two weekly PE lessons, ensuring the children receive a knowledge rich, sequenced curriculum. The second lesson is a gym or dance based session which teaches the children to extend their agility, balance and coordination, individually and with others.

KS1 PE National Curriculum Content

Pupils should develop fundamental movement skills, become increasingly competent and confident and access a broad range of opportunities to extend their agility, balance and coordination, individually and with others. They should be able to engage in competitive (both against self and against others) and co-operative physical activities, in a range of increasingly challenging situations.

Pupils should be taught to:

• master basic movements including running, jumping, throwing and catching, as well as developing balance, agility and co-ordination, and begin to apply these in a range of activities
• participate in team games, developing simple tactics for attacking and defending
• perform dances using simple movement patterns

PE in the In Early Years

In Early Years children are assessed against the Early Learning Goal for Physical Development. Planning is based on the developmental milestones contained in Development Matters: Physical Development. By creating games and providing opportunities for play both indoors and outdoors, adults support children to develop their core strength, stability, balance, spatial awareness, co-ordination and agility. Gross motor skills provide the foundation for developing healthy bodies and social and emotional well-being

Gross Motor Skills ELG

Children at the expected level of development will: –

• Negotiate space and obstacles safely, with consideration for themselves and others;
• Demonstrate strength, balance and coordination when playing;
• Move energetically, such as running, jumping, dancing, hopping, skipping and climbing.

IMPLEMENTATION

• Two lessons of high-quality physical education teaching a week. One which is gym and dance focussed and the other which is focussed on team games.
• Utilise a highly skilled PE specialist to provide a high quality, knowledge rich physical education which is carefully sequenced to ensure children are always building on their knowledge.
• A broad and knowledge-rich PE curriculum that develops the children’s knowledge, skills and understanding, so that they can perform with increasing competence and confidence in a range of physical activities.
• Our PE curriculum is designed to provide positive sporting experiences with activities designed to be enjoyable, purposeful, vigorous and regular.
• Every child engages in competitive sport, every school year through our sports day.
• Children develop a lifelong interest in physical activity, as well as developing positive attitudes towards a healthy lifestyle.
• A clear progression of skills and knowledge evident throughout the school.
• Develops social skills especially team work.
• Develops strength, mobility and physical endurance.
• All children experience success of personal challenges in sport.
• There are opportunities to take part in extra-curricular sports clubs.
• The Physical Education curriculum is designed to be challenging, appropriate to each pupil’s stage of development.

In Foundation Stage

• The children have 2 sessions of PE a week one that is dance or gym based and the other with a specialist PE coach who does ball and team games with the children.
• Providing time and space to enjoy energetic play daily
• Practising movement skills through games with beanbags, cones, balls and hoops
• Planning activities where children can practise moving in different ways and at different speeds, balancing, target throwing, rolling, kicking and catching
• Providing activities that give children the opportunity and motivation to practise manipulative skills, e.g. cooking, painting, clay and playing instruments
• Providing a range of left-handed tools especially left-handed scissors, as needed; support children with physical difficulties with, and triangular or thicker writing tools
• Providing a range of construction toys of different sizes, made of wood, rubber or plastic, that fix together in a variety of ways, e.g. by twisting, pushing, slotting or magnetism.

Disciplinary knowledge in PE comes through opportunities for the children to choose and apply their own actions, balances, movements and skills. Once they have mastered the specific skills, they have opportunities to apply these within sports and games and therefore have to choose different strategies and the best way to approach different challenges.

As they move through school, their skills and knowledge around tactics become more complex and they have to work collaboratively to make decisions. There are lots of opportunities for the children to evaluate their performances and reflect on how they will improve next time.

Inclusion

Inclusion in physical education means that all children have access to and are given confidence in all areas of the curriculum. We aim to create an environment in which all children learn to respect and value each other’s differences. This is achieved by employing the following strategies:

• Mixing groups in terms of gender and ability.
• Structuring activities so all are fully involved e.g. all team members needing to touch the ball before a goal is scored.
• Giving all the children an opportunity to share their work.
• Considering the needs of children with physical or learning difficulties and taking the necessary steps (by enlisting extra help, adapting equipment or differentiating tasks) to ensure they have equal access to the curriculum.
• Recognising the dangers of stereotyping. For example, expecting dynamic work from boys in gymnastics and neat and controlled work from girls.
• Recognising the need to extend more able pupils and, if necessary, referring them to the subject leader and gifted and talented co-ordinator. They may then be further extended.

IMPACT

Teachers observe PE lessons and make note of achievement against the national curriculum. Each unit of work begins by ascertaining the children’s prior knowledge and any connected knowledge and skills held or observed in their long-term memory. Any misconceptions that arise throughout the unit are identified and addressed appropriately. Children continue to recall their knowledge and develop their skills throughout a unit in order to ensure an alteration in long term memory. In Foundation stage the children are assessed against the Early Learning Goal for Physical Development.

All the children in the school also complete a PE survey once a year. As a result, we know that our PE curriculum ensure our pupils enjoy being active, keeping healthy and participating in physical education.

• PE Termly Overview
• PE NC Skills and Knowledge Progression

Relationship and Sex Education, previously called Sex and Relationships Education, is a form of sex education taught in UK schools. SRE focuses on exploring the emotional, social and physical aspects of growing up, having relationships, engaging in sex, and learning about human sexuality and sexual health (topics are age appropriate). It is a statutory subject and children cannot be withdrawn from lessons. Further information on the KS1 RSE curriculum is on our website.