At the Bawburgh School, we aim to deliver a high quality English curriculum that gives children the best possible opportunities to become confident, literate, successful members of society with a deep love and understanding of English language and literature. We believe the development of Literacy skills is central to improving a child's life chances. Teachers have high expectations for all children to achieve and enjoy English and to be able to use the skills they have acquired in a range of contexts. We strive to ensure all children can communicate clearly in spoken and written form and become masters of language. Rich texts are at the heart of our teaching and a love for reading is promoted throughout the school.
Talk for Writing
At The Bawburgh School we use the Talk for Writing approach to teaching English. Talk for Writing enables children to imitate the key language they need for a particular topic orally before they try reading and analysing it. Through fun activities that help them rehearse the tune of the language they need, followed by shared writing to show them how to craft their writing, children are helped to write in the same style.
Talk for Writing is powerful because it enables children to imitate the language they need for a particular topic orally before reading and analysing it and then writing their own version. It builds on three stages of teaching:
1) Imitation - the children learn a text and the language they need
2) Innovation - the children adapt the model text with ideas of their own
3) Invention - the children create their own text using the language and skills that the model taught them.
SPaG
Spelling
Spelling in Years 1 - 6 will be taught discretely at least once a week and followed up with daily activities to reinforce and extend the spelling patterns. In the early stages, the emphasis will be on phonics, Pupils will be taught the words from the Year 1 / 2, 3 / 4 and Year 5 / 6 National Curriculum word lists and assessed to ensure they are progressing. Pupils will take home weekly spellings to learn with a focus on a specific sound / word pattern. Weekly testing will ensure that areas of weakness are identified and appropriate follow up sessions can be planned.
Punctuation
Punctuation will be taught discretely and as part of English lessons in all classes. This will cover correct and incorrect usage as well as offering pupils the opportunity to use this learning at text level during longer writing sessions. Pupils will also link this knowledge to reading aloud and will adapt their pace or intonation accordingly when they encounter punctuation devices in a text.
Grammar
As a school we embed the teaching of grammar in our daily English lessons and also teach discrete sessions. We use many fun games and learning activities to support our teaching of grammar, in accordance with the new National Curriculum. Daily teaching based on the weekly theme will ensure the children have adequate opportunities to understand and use the new concepts and terminology.
Reading
At The Bawburgh School, we strongly believe that reading is a vital life skill and we strive for all children to enjoy and value it. It is our aim to develop and create passionate readers for life. Whole Class Reading is taught at least three times a week and is built around the teacher reading high-quality and challenging texts, which are dissected by the class through high-level questioning and discussion. Each session includes a range of activities that enable pupils to develop their vocabulary and comprehension skills. Each lesson is explicitly linked to the reading domains and the teacher models the reading skill that they want the children to develop.
Phonics
We aim to deliver high quality phonics teaching which secures the crucial skills of word recognition that, once mastered, enables children to read fluently and automatically. Phonics is taught daily and planned carefully to meet the needs of all pupils in a class. Within the phonics program, children are given word work strategies that will enable them to become fluent readers and confident writers. Teachers follow our Bugs Club/and or Monster Phonics Scheme, with additional structure from Letters and Sounds, high frequency and tricky word phases. As children progress through the school, the emphasis will be duly given to the National Curriculum spelling and grammar expectations.
E-Safety:
We live in a world where electronic communications, (social media, apps, email, text etc. etc.) are ever present and essential for day-to-day life. We also live in a world where such forms of communication can present significant dangers to children and young adults - cyberbullying, sexting, grooming and exposure to images and messages which can cause significant harm. It is therefore clearly essential that children are educated in how to operate in this world safely. As part of our teaching, we constantly remind children, (in an age appropriate way) how to stay safe online and we happily extend this support to parents as well.
ICT education
At The Bawburgh School we are only too aware that a child equipped with the skills to code and effectively navigate computer technology can lead to a fantastic future. We teach children from an early age how to code and identify bugs in the system and how to correct them. We also use ICT in our literacy, mathematical, science and topic work; constructing Powerpoints, Word and other documents. We also utilise these technologies for our school performances.
Our Vision for Mathematics:
Our Intention
Mathematics is about everyday life! Mathematics teaches us how to make sense of the world around us through developing a child’s ability to calculate, to reason and to solve problems. It enables children to understand and appreciate relationships and pattern in both number and space in their everyday lives. Through their growing knowledge and understanding, children learn to appreciate the contribution made by many cultures to the development and application of mathematics.
At Bawburgh Primary we aim to implement key concepts by:
Developing maths through a mastery approach of deepening understanding so that we;
- promote enjoyment and enthusiasm for learning through practical activity, exploration and discussion;
- promote confidence and competence with numbers and the number system;
- develop the ability to solve problems through decision-making and reasoning in a range of contexts;
- develop a practical understanding of the ways in which information is gathered and presented;
- explore features of shape and space, and develop measuring skills in a range of contexts;
- understand the importance of mathematics in everyday life.
The impact of teaching and learning Mathematics at Bawburgh Primary:
Through the mastery approach we use a variety of teaching and learning styles to develop children’s knowledge, skills and understanding in mathematics. We do this through lessons that have a high proportion of co-operative whole-class, group and partner teaching. During these lessons we encourage children to ask as well as answer mathematical questions and give explanations. They have the opportunity to use a wide range of concrete resources such as number lines, number squares, part whole models, ten frames, place value grids and small apparatus to support their work. Children use cross curricular knowledge alongside their mathematics lessons where it will enhance their learning, as in modelling ideas and methods through science. Wherever possible, we encourage the children to use and apply their learning in everyday situations.
Our Vision for Music:
The intention of Music at Bawburgh Primary School is that Music is embedded in all aspects of school life wherever possible and our aspiration is that every child adopts a lifelong love of music.
Music is implemented through our Charanga Music lessons and in our twice yearly musical performances, one held at Christmas and one in the summer term. Typical music lessons are lively and interactive so that they aim to foster a passion for music in children of all abilities. We aim to recognise and encourage talent in all pupils so that they are encouraged to build upon emergent skills. Lessons aim to help all the children flourish in other areas of learning.
It is our vision that music lessons give the opportunity and enthusiasm for children to become real musicians by learning to play instruments within school. The children participate in singing, tuned and untuned percussion work, composition, and listening to live and recorded music. Opportunities in lessons provide children to learn the correct musical terminology e.g. rhythm, melody, pitch, dynamics. It is our vision that all children leave Bawburgh School with a growing appreciation for a number of different styles of music.
Singing is highly important within the music curriculum and as part of our school day. Children are taught how to warm up their voices, sing in rounds and harmony, and build up a repertoire of songs. Each key stage has the opportunity of performing in a whole school event twice yearly.
The impact of teaching music is to build on the musical horizons of each child and we strongly believe that children should be given the opportunity to share their musical skills at different events both in and outside school. It is our aim that each child becomes a confident performer, however we take each child at their own speed and we support children who are less confident and encourage them to flourish within the musical curriculum.
The Bawburgh School’s PE Vision
Subject Lead: J Bailey
PE lessons are an important part of the children’s week at Bawburgh School. Lessons are delivered twice a week and encourage children to not only develop different sporting skills but also cognitive, creative, physical, social and personal skills. Goods sportsmanship is encouraged at all opportunities and lessons are pitched at a level where all children can engage and have fun, no matter their sporting ability.
September 2020 - With current restrictions on distancing, PE lessons are all taking place outside once a week with increased physical activity on non-PE days eg the daily mile and go noodle activities. Lessons continue to develop physical and social skills.
This year teachers will be using RealPE to support PE teaching. RealPE incorporates stories, computer demonstrations and different activities within a lesson and is accessible to all ages.
Our sporting aim is to have as many children as possible interacting with sport through the school; whether that is through a club or representing the school at a sporting competition. We want to make sure that children have the opportunities to attend clubs that they enjoy and that they want to be a part of.
Our vision for PE at Bawburgh is to ensure all children enjoy and develop positive attitudes to Physical Education and sport.
Through Physical Education and sport we aim to…
- Improve fitness.
- Promote active participation and lifelong learning.
- Allow children to achieve their full potential.
At Bawburgh School we want our children to use their natural inquisitiveness to excel in science - after all Science is the exploration and understanding of the world around us. We achieve this through providing the full coverage of the National Curriculum in a hands on, and (within our experiments) a child centred approach. This allows for children’s questions and curiosity to drive their learning. This approach allows for new discovery and, for the teachers, some surprising and interesting lines of inquiry.