Subjects

At St Anne’s we strive to create an environment in which children can confidently learn and achieve by working independently and with their peers. The maths curriculum aims to provide children with the opportunity to develop a curiosity for maths, develop enjoyment and passion for the subject, allow them to understand the world around them and reason mathematically.

Using effective planning, teaching and learning strategies, assessment and knowledge of our children, we aim to develop and extend pupils’ knowledge and understanding of mathematical concepts by providing them with a range of learning activities and real life everyday situations.

Pupils’ progress is closely monitored and work is targeted towards the individual’s needs and ability.

The national curriculum for mathematics aims to ensure that all pupils:

• become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time, so that pupils develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately
• reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language
• can 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 solution

We teach English through many different subjects, such as History, Geography, RE and Science. We also teach it as a subject by itself. English incorporates Reading and Writing.

We primarily focus on:

• Poetry,
  Non-fiction,
• Fiction, and
• Helping the children to become confident readers

Reading and Phonics

At St Anne’s, we teach the children how to read and decode words the moment they come through the school gate. In Nursery, using the Jolly Phonics scheme, the children are taught how to listen for sounds around us in our local environment (Phase 1). This is done in a practical way, so that it’s memorable and enjoyable for the children. When appropriate for the children, they are also introduced to Phase 2 of Jolly Phonics – learning initial letter sounds. The children in Nursery have access to a wide range of texts. They are read to daily in class and can choose books to take home to enjoy with their family each week.

When moving into our reception classes, the children progress through Phase 2 of the Jolly Phonics programme. They learn initial letter sounds in the autumn term and then move on to learning the alternatives. This is taught as a whole class session and the children then have time to consolidate their learning through teacher-led and child-led activities in and out of the classroom. The children have their own reading diary and a book that they can read; this is a simple book with the initial sounds in that they have learnt so that they can blend and read independently. The children will also take a trickier book home – this is for the whole family to read and enjoy together.  In Reception, the children are taught how to sound out simple words by pointing at the letters and saying the sounds all together. The children also get books read to them at the end of the day.

In Years 1 and 2 the children will carry on working through the Jolly Phonics programme and workbook. They are taught how to blend sounds together; read split digraphs and become more familiar with high frequency words; they will now be able to decode phonetically plausible words. The children will develop their reading skills by reading specifically levelled books that will challenge their reading skills and help to concrete the phonics skills that they have learnt. During KS1 the children will also work through the Jolly Grammar programme. This helps them to learn the correct terminology for specific grammatical features and practice when and where to use them.

In KS2 (from Year 3 onwards) the children continue to bring home a suitable levelled reading book and more challenging books for family enjoyment. The children are still encouraged to decode new words where possible, using their phonics knowledge and known spelling patterns. They will also get extra phonic support where needed to help fill in any gaps in their learning.

Guided Reading

Children from Years 1-6 take part in guided reading sessions on a daily basis which are formed of core activities which children rotate around through the week to ensure that children develop a range of skills centred on key reading skills.  Reading within these sessions is often supported by the use of ‘Reciprocal Reading’ which develops skills such as ‘clarifying’ and ‘summarising’ the text as well as other skills such as asking questions on the text and predicting future events.  These skills are key to develop children’s understanding of the texts they are reading.

Writing – Best Write

Children from Years 1-6 have the opportunity to produce pieces of work in their ‘Best Write Books’.  These books are taken with children through their time at St Anne’s, providing them with a book reflecting the progression of their writing skills they have developed on their journey through school as a writer.
Before producing a piece of writing in their best write books, children will have developed skills suitable for a specific style of writing.  These skills will then be put into action when children produce their ‘first draft’.  This is then edited by the child with help from feedback from teachers until they are happy to commit it to their best write book.
Through English lessons, children will have an opportunity to write in a range of styles for a range of purposes- many writing opportunities will link into a book being studied in class. 

Writing – Handwriting

The children develop their handwriting following the style highlighted below. 

Handwriting is taught explicitly throughout the school, up to Years 5 and 6 where handwriting continues to take place but as part of a guided reading activity focused around weekly spellings. 

Writing – Spellings

Spellings are taught on a weekly basis with children receiving weekly spellings as part of their homework.  These are then tested to ensure children are developing a sound understanding of word/sound patterns.  In addition to weekly tests, children are assessed on spellings as part of termly assessments in school.  Year group spelling lists are sent home at the start of the year. Please speak to your child’s class teacher if you would like a copy of this.

Writing – Grammar and Punctuation
Grammar and punctuation is taught explicitly from Years 1 up to Year 6 through the Jolly Grammar Scheme of work.  These explicit lessons are then followed up within other lessons as the children’s work is marked using the school’s marking codes to identify any grammatical or punctuation mistakes. Similarly to spelling, grammar and punctuation is assessed termly as part of our school’s assessment week.

 

Here at St Anne’s Catholic Primary School we are proud to provide a broad and balanced Science curriculum which both challenges and engages the children. In the Early Years, the children explore Science through structured, well-resourced play activities, designed to introduce them to the world around them. Higher up the school, more formal teaching is focused on key skills, investigations and memorable, practical activities.

Beyond the classroom, we engage and enthuse the children with a range of Science activities, including workshops, Science clubs, educational visits, and live animal experiences.

 

Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) and Citizenship enables children to become healthy, independent and responsible members of society. We encourage our pupils to play a positive role in contributing to the life of the school and wider community. PSHE and Citizenship lessons follow the non-statutory guidance in the National Curriculum, and are mainly delivered through the SEAL Programme (Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning). PSHE also comprises Sex and Relationship Education and Drug Education, which are delivered at an age-appropriate level and with sensitivity to the Catholic character of the school. PSHE is concerned with the emotional health and well-being of our pupils; through teaching PSHE, we aim to help our children become independent learners and responsible citizens.

• RSE Letter for Parents
• PHSE Provision Map

Children in Key Stage 2 all learn to play the recorder and those showing a talent for music will have the opportunity to learn flute or keyboards in years 5 and 6. Early Years and Key Stage 1 children learn a variety of songs from memory and learn to play percussion instruments with increasing control.

Religious faith and practice is given a high profile both in the school as a community and through the curriculum. Because St Anne’s is a Catholic school there is a particular focus on the Christian faith, but we also recognise the value and richness of a multi-faith community and endeavour to draw upon this community in order to promote a positive school environment.

Religious Education is at the heart of our curriculum. We follow a RE curriculum scheme recommended by the Diocese of Southwark. During each term the children study the same themes throughout the school but at different levels, based on age. The themes studied give each child an opportunity to relate what they find out about the Catholic faith to their own feelings and encourages an atmosphere of respect and reflection. Our programme mainly focuses on Christianity, however we also study other world faith’s to promote tolerance and mutual respect.

The school holds collective worship regularly throughout the week; through school assemblies as well as in class. There is a class assembly weekly with a religious theme and our Parish priest, Father John, and Father Mark celebrates year group Masses and prayer services with the children weekly. This liturgy happens both in school and in St Anne’s church. The children are involved in preparing these celebrations themselves and parents/carers are warmly invited to attend and share the children’s work and worship with them. The children also attend St Anne’s church to participate in special liturgies throughout the school year and again parents/carers are invited to attend these services.

Weekly Liturgy Challenge

Every week, children are given a copy of the Gospel reading which is read in church the following Sunday.
Children are asked to read it at home with their family, answer the questions on the bottom of the sheet and return it to school.
 
Parents or carers then sign the reading record to show they have done this. (It counts as one of the five times they are asked to read with their child every week.)

During the 2016 Section 48 RE inspection it was recognised that “St Anne’s is a warm and welcoming school with an exceptional Catholic ethos. Pupils flourish in its supportive and inclusive atmosphere. They make good progress and achieve well both academically and spiritually. All members of the school community are committed to the school’s mission as summed up in their motto, ‘Let the light of Christ shine in our school.’”

 

At St Anne’s, we strive to ensure that pupils have two hours of quality PE lessons delivered per week (one hour of which is delivered by specialist external coaches) through which we develop a range of areas of activity as set out in the National Curriculum:

• Dance/fitness;
• Gymnastics;6
• Athletics;
• Invasion games (football, netball, basketball);
• Striking and fielding (cricket, rounders, tennis);
• Swimming

See the yearly planner below, outlining the provision for Years 1-6. The EYFS (Nursery and Reception) vary their delivery to suit the needs of their Early Learning Goals.

	AUTUMN I	AUTUMN II	SPRING I	SPRING II	SUMMER I	SUMMER II
YEAR 1	Invasion Games	Invasion Games	Gymnastics / Fitness	Invasion Games	Striking and Fielding	Athletics
YEAR 2	Invasion Games	Invasion Games	Gymnastics / Fitness	Invasion Games	Striking and Fielding	Athletics
YEAR 3	Invasion Games	Invasion Games	Gymnastics / Fitness	Invasion Games	Striking and Fielding	Athletics
YEAR 4	Invasion Games	Invasion Games	Gymnastics / Fitness	Invasion Games	Striking and Fielding	Athletics
YEAR 5	Invasion Games	Invasion Games	Gymnastics / Fitness	Invasion Games	Striking and Fielding	Athletics
YEAR 6	Invasion Games	Invasion Games	Gymnastics / Fitness	Invasion Games	Striking and Fielding	Athletics

Children in Year 4 take part in swimming lessons, aiming to develop their water confidence and general swimming ability. These lessons take place on Friday mornings.

PE Kit

The school PE kit is as follows:

• Plain black or white trainers
• Plain white T-shirt
• Plain navy blue shorts
• Plain navy blue jogging bottoms

PE kits should be brought into school on Monday morning, kept in school throughout the week, and taken home on Friday to be washed. This ensures that children are equipped throughout the week to partake in PE lessons.

Extra-curricular opportunities

At St Anne’s we are proud to offer a wide range of extra-curricular sporting opportunities, with school representative sides competing on almost a weekly basis year round in a wide range of sports. At lunch times the children receive weekly coaching sessions on the pitch as well as have the opportunity to take part in child led ‘Sports Stop’ sessions during their lunch time.

In 2014 the National Curriculum introduced ‘Computing’ to replace ICT. This represents continuity and change, challenge and opportunity. The idea was to give schools the chance to review and enhance current approaches in order to provide an even more exciting and rigorous curriculum that addresses the challenges and opportunities offered by the technologically rich world in which we live.

Our school has a wide range of computer equipment and resources to help deliver the Computing curriculum. We have an extensive collection of laptops and iPads for the children to use, and teachers use interactive whiteboards to support teaching and learning. The children develop their awareness of Computing across all subjects within topics and other subject. A key focus of Computing is learning about e-safety (e.g. safe use of the internet) and this is covered within every unit of work.

Key Stage 1

Key Stage 2

Pupils should be taught to: understand what algorithms are; how they are implemented as programs on digital devices; and that programs execute by following precise and unambiguous instructions § create and debug simple programs use logical reasoning to predict the behaviour of simple programs use technology purposefully to create, organise, store, manipulate and retrieve digital content recognise common uses of information technology beyond school use technology safely and respectfully, keeping personal information private; identify where to go for help and support when they have concerns about content or contact on the internet or other online technologies.

Pupils should be taught to: design, write and debug programs that accomplish specific goals, including controlling or simulating physical systems; solve problems by decomposing them into smaller parts use sequence, selection, and repetition in programs; work with variables and various forms of input and output use logical reasoning to explain how some simple algorithms work and to detect and correct errors in algorithms and programs understand computer networks including the internet; how they can provide multiple services, such as the world wide web; and the opportunities they offer for communication and collaboration use search technologies effectively, appreciate how results are selected and ranked, and be discerning in evaluating digital content select, use and combine a variety of software (including internet services) on a range of digital devices to design and create a range of programs, systems and content that accomplish given goals, including collecting, analysing, evaluating and presenting data and information use technology safely, respectfully and responsibly; recognise acceptable/unacceptable behaviour; identify a range of ways to report concerns about content and contact.

Nursery and Reception classes (EYFS) follow the objectives within the Technology strand of the Understanding the World area of learning in the EYFS Framework.

EYFS
30-50months	40-60months	Early Learning Goal
knows how to operate simple equipment e.g. turns on CD player and uses remote control shows an interest in technological toys with knobs and pulleys, or real objects such as cameras or mobile phones shows skill in making toys work by pressing parts or lifting flaps to achieve effects such as sound, movements or new images knows that information can be retrieved from computers	completes a simple program on a computer uses ICT hardware to interact with age-appropriate computer software	children recognise that a range of technology is used in places such as home and schools they select and use technology for particular purposes

 

Online safety Newsletter – Feb 22

Early Years is very much concerned with the all-round development of the children. We present them with a variety of experiences to stimulate physical, social, emotional, spiritual and intellectual growth.

The curriculum offered follows the EYFS framework, with prime and specific areas of learning.

The prime areas are:

• Personal, Social and Emotional Development
• Physical Development
• Communication and Language

The specific areas are:

• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the World
• Expressive Art and Design

Activities are planned for and presented in a secure environment in which it is hoped the children will flourish, gaining confidence and independence. We also support the children in developing characteristics of effective learning: Playing and Exploring, Active Learning and Creating and Critical Thinking.

The children have free-flow access between the indoor classroom and the outdoor classroom, which enables them to experience the different areas of the curriculum in differing environments with different resources. During their child-led play, our skilled practitioners work with the children, supporting and developing their learning, working on each child’s specific targets.

In order for the children to settle in more quickly, our Nursery and Reception staff visit you and your child in your home to get to know your child in a familiar setting. It also gives your child the opportunity to become familiar with their new teacher and key worker.

We also offer staggered entry at the start of the year to aid a smooth transition into our classes.

We value our relationships with both the children and the parents and carers, knowing that you have such an impact on their learning and development as their primary educators. We invite you into the classrooms ten minutes before the school day starts to share concerns, achievements and news.

It is also a time for you to settle your child and share a book together.

We collect observations of your child in order for us to see their learning and development. These are stored electronically and shared with you, the parents and carers, at the end of each half term.

We welcome and actively encourage your input into this and will ask you to complete ‘home observations’ which are stored in your child’s very special Learning Storybook.

“We are not makers of history. We are made by history.” Martin Luther King, Jr

History allows our learners to become outstanding critical thinkers in all areas of their development. Our investigations into historical events teach our children to be effective historians by researching and studying a range of sources, comparing and contrasting, and presenting findings in a critical way. This allows the learners to understand key historical concepts such as viewpoint, chronology, cause and effect, and the significance of certain events. We are fortunate to be situated in a historically rich area, giving us a range of fascinating local history studies, such as London during the Blitz, how the Romans changed Britain and changes in the local area.

We aim to develop and encourage creativity in all children. We teach specific skills in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques. Through our creative curriculum, children are taught about great artists, craft makers and designers; they explore historical and cultural development of their art forms.

Each year we hold an Art day which gives the children the opportunity to study a specific artist and/or genre. We bring the artwork from each year group together in order to showcase a whole school piece of art.

At St Anne’s we use Design and Technology to help encourage the children to identify, examine and solve practical problems and to find new ways of improving and adapting existing situations. All children are encouraged to be inventive and creative and to use a range of materials and tools, to help develop, modify and evaluate their ideas through a series of projects linked to our Creative Curriculum. The children follow a design, make and evaluate process. They will work in a range of relevant contexts, for example; home, school, leisure, culture, enterprise and the wider environment.

“An understanding of the natural world and what’s in it is a source of not only a great curiosity but great fulfilment.” David Attenborough

Geography inspires children to become curious and fascinated about their world. Children’s knowledge of our diverse world (places, people, resources and natural and human environments) develops through comparisons of their local community with the wider world. Geography deepens a child’s understanding and develops their skills to investigate human and physical processes as well as features of the Earth and how it is shaped, interconnected and changes over time.

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” Nelson Mandela

We have a highly multilingual school, with 81% of pupils with English as an Additional Language (EAL) and 23 different languages spoken. We believe that language-learning provides our children with many benefits, both academically and socially.

The children in Key Stage 2 (Y3-Y6) study Spanish once a week. We chose Spanish to reflect our large and growing Spanish-speaking community.

Over 400million people around the world speak Spanish. It’s the official language of 21 countries. It’s the second most popular language spoken worldwide!

We follow guidance set out in the National Curriculum and aim to ensure that, by the end of the programme of study in KS2, all pupils:

• Understand and respond to spoken and written language;
• Speak with increasing confidence, fluency and spontaneity;
• Can write at varying length, for different purposes and audiences, using a variety of grammatical structures;
• Discover and develop an appreciation of a range of writing.

At the start of the children’s language journey there is a strong focus on developing their speaking and listening learning through the use of interactive media, songs and ICT. Carefully differentiated lessons further develop grammar, reading and writing skills as the children progress through our tailored programme of study. We also develop the children’s appreciation of different languages and cultures through deepening their understanding of life in Spanish-speaking countries.

We are working on introducing the children to Spanish earlier, in order to more fully prepare them for KS2. This will be done in a variety of ways across the EYFS and KS1 (Rec-Y2), such as by taking the register in Spanish, learning ‘Words of the Week’, labelling classroom resources in Spanish, and using our Expert Learners in KS2 to support new learners.