CORE SUBJECTS
In Bishop Fitzgerald School all subjects are taught in mixed ability classes throughout.
ENGLISH
English is one of the Core subjects in the school curriculum and all subjects are taught in English with the exception of Spanish. The school strives towards providing a well-resourced environment, which is ultimately meant to enable pupils to enhance and develop their ability to read, write and express themselves in Standard English.
A New Approach to Targeting English through Changes in the National Curriculum
Our language programme is driven by the statutory requirements set out in the Framework for the teaching of English as suggested by the Department of Education in accordance with UK standards set in law, encompassing the following:
• Provision for the Teaching of English at KS2 (Key Stage 2).
• Provision to meet the language support and educational needs of every individual pupil in the school.
• The continued evaluation and updating of resources, modules of assessment and in-set training, which will serve to enhance and develop all the new and existing requirements.
• Promoting Reading and Writing.
Our school has invested generously in new books and schemes of work, which adequately complement these targets. We have, for a number of years now, adopted a policy to promote a love of reading. Our reading sessions enable pupils to read on a wide range of literature as a group or class and also on an individual basis. As a school we appreciate our classics as well as promoting modern authors and where possible, local authors and their work.
Reading and Writing, a whole school approach
The development of reading and writing skills takes prominence in our curriculum. Pupils are taught a variety of genres and formats of writing together with syntax and correct use of vocabulary. We provide a balance of extracts that encompass fiction, non-fiction and poetry. We expose them to various texts and allow them to recreate them in their writing. This thematic approach works well in heightening pupils’ understanding.
Pupils are encouraged to present their own opinions and analysis of text as part of an oral assessment, which is shared by the class in general. They are encouraged to plan, draft and proof- read and edit their own and their peers’ work before a final writing piece is created. Please encourage your child to use a dictionary and thesaurus when working at home. If a hard copy is not available please encourage them to use a search engine, an online dictionary or thesaurus.
Group Reading sessions
Every pupil will be given a reader to take home to practise. They will all have a reading record that you must sign for them to show that they have read with you. As pupils move throughout the school we strive for them to become more independent when reading, therefore there will be less requirement for this to be done on a weekly basis.
‘Reading for Pleasure’ hour each week
Each year group has three fiction books chosen for them to read which vary in genres. These will be read and analysed within their ability set. His or her teacher will read to every pupil for one hour a week. This session will allow the teacher to discuss comprehension of text, interesting vocabulary and phrases, highlight punctuation and grammar and discuss characters, plot and setting.
We would please ask that if you have not read these to your child, you do not do so now, so as not to take away the pleasure of reading it with their peers. A suggested reading list will be provided in September to guide you towards adequately suited books for your child. Here are the readers we aim to cover and provide for your child during the year. We thank you for helping us make our lessons more exciting by not purchasing or reading to your child the following:
Year 3 - The Royal Rabbits of London by S Montefiore & SS Montefiore, The Hodgeheg by Dick King Smith , The World’s Worst Teachers by David Walliams & Jake Cake by Michael Broad.
Year 4 - Charlotte’s Web by EB White, The Witches by Roald Dahl, The Worry Website by Jacqueline Wilson & The Worlds Worst Children by David Walliams.
Year 5 - Gangsta Granny by David Walliams, Toro! Toro! by Michael Morpugo & A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snickett.
Year 6 - Cirque du Freak Darren Shan, Alice in Wonderland CS Lewis & Pig Heart Boy Malorie Blackman or The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis.
Book Reviews: Promoting Independent Reading at home
We will teach pupils how to summarize creating Book Reviews on the three books read within their year. We also encourage pupils to read as much as possible independently. We are going to start a new initiative where pupils create Book Reviews for every book read at home. Pupils will be given merit marks for their extra initiative. The layout for this review will be given by the pupil’s ability set teacher and will be in line with the expected outcome of their ability set.
Spelling strategies, skills and study book
In accordance with the new curriculum pupils will be taught spelling strategies to enable them to learn spellings using different methods. Their English teacher will highlight these. They will be taught weekly skills on how to spell using specific words or patterns. They all have a spelling booklet, which is to be taken home and studied. We ask you please to sign the bottom of each page when you have studied with them at home.
Homework, Studies and Research
The homework policy for English is set in accordance with your child’s ability. In all cases provision is made for pupils to have homework given in such a way that enables them time to complete and hand in for marking. Completion of homework is essential in the development of language skills but also in allowing pupils to prioritise when planning and scheduling activities that require the necessary time, effort and dedication, which will enable progress to improve standards. Study work for spellings and reading will be ongoing. Research at home will be encouraged for certain writing topics and for their orals or debates.
Promoting expressiveness
Orals: We request that each pupil prepares two orals within the year. These will occur in the first two terms. Please note that the pupils, especially the Year 3’s, will be guided carefully in class. The topics are chosen using a thematic approach as much as possible. It encourages pupils to research independently, use IT skills they have learnt so far and speak in front of an audience using Standard English. These are clearly explained within each year group giving plenty of time for research and preparation to occur at home. We take great pride in pioneering debating skills in Year 6, which help them learn skills needed when they go to court to perform a Mock Trial.
Drama: The Young Shakespeare Company have provided us with drama workshops. Your child will be participating in these workshops throughout their school years. One play has been allocated to each Year group to perform in the third term.
Handwriting and presentation skills
Handwriting skills will be taught in an effort to ensure your child can join and become fluent in their writing technique. Encourage them to produce their best presented work at all times, this will help them achieve more merit marks within our DFL policy. Remind them to underline the date and title of every piece of work.
Loss of resources or materials linked with English
Every pupil will be given textbooks for each strand within English, reading books, a reading record and a spelling log book. They must take care of these books and ensure they do not lose them. If they do, the cost of the textbook or reading book will be required to cover the loss. A nominal fee will be requested for losing either the Reading record or Spelling booklet.
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MATHEMATICS
The Mathematics taught in our school meets the demands of the New National Curriculum. Our priority is to help pupils develop their conceptual understanding, numerical fluency, problem-solving skills and mathematical confidence.
Your child will be taught in hourly maths sessions. All children will be taught in mixed ability groups as an initiative introduced in all upper primary schools in September 2019. Our pupils follow Pearson’s Abacus scheme which is taught in termly blocks and broken down into the following skill areas:
Number & Place Value
Addition & Subtraction - both mental and written
Multiplication & Division - both mental and written
Fractions, Decimals, Ratio & Percentages
Measures
Geometry
Statistics
Algebra - Year 6 only
In addition to the textbooks and workbooks, your child will have access to an online Pupil World with lively and exciting maths games and rewards. Your child’s maths teacher will determine their homework needs, which will usually entail completing unfinished classwork. Some of this homework could include online games in their Pupil World.
A short assessment is given twice a term which will support the maths teacher’s ongoing judgement about how your child is faring against the new curriculum. Multiplication tables are studied and tested weekly, together with rapid recall facts, as we believe that these are an essential part of the mathematics curriculum.
We trust that we can count on your support in ensuring that your child succeeds in mathematics.
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SCIENCE
Science is one of the three core subjects as identified in the National Curriculum. It therefore enjoys a place of prominence within the curriculum at any stage of a child’s education. All year groups have three hours a week dedicated to the subject with access to the science room for at least one of these hours. The science syllabus includes a comprehensive range of scientific activities in the form of modules, enabling all children to reach their own level of attainment.
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The main skills that your child will be developing are:
a) Asking scientific questions;
b) Planning investigations;
c) Recording data;
d) Analysing data;
e) Evaluating data.
These will be emphasised in different ways depending upon the content being taught.
The topics covered are:
Year 3: Movement and Feeding, Light and Shadows, What Plants Need, Rocks and Soil, Parts of Plants, Magnets and Forces.
Year 4: Grouping Living Things, Dangers to Living Things, Human Nutrition, Changes of State, Electricity, Sound.
Year 5: Materials, Lifecycles, Separating Mixtures, Forces, Earth and Space, Types of Change.
Year 6: Evolution and Inheritance, Our Bodies, Classifying Living Things, Light and Sight, Changing Circuits.
Topics tend to be project based and for that reason we encourage parents to discuss the topics that their children are covering in school and identify additional sources of information e.g. on the internet, that could be made available to them so that their understanding of the topic is much greater. With your assistance, your child’s curiosity about the world around him/her can be developed in an enjoyable way, both at home and at school. This will also help when your child is tasked with a group or individual presentation for which they will have to do research.
In Science, iPads are made available to pupils during class time for: research, iMovie presentations, as tools for recording sound, light, temperature etc.. Your child will be encouraged to make use of the available apps and endeavour to learn, with guidance, to use them effectively to complete tasks set.
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