Academic
Curriculum Maps
Our school’s Curriculum Policy reflects the requirements of the Primary National Curriculum, which provides all our children with the opportunity to develop their knowledge, experience and understanding to the best of their ability.
To teach Religious Education, we follow the RED Directory, 'To Know You More Clearly' for all age groups, from Pre-School to Year 6.
Through 'To Know You More Clearly', the children learn Religious Education through Understand - In this way of knowing, the children understand deeply the meaning of scared texts, religious beliefs, sacred rites and the lives of individuals and communities who are shaped by these texts, beliefs and rites. Discern - The children learn how to judge wisely in response to different interpretations of the meaning, significance and implications of texts, beliefs, rites and ways of life so that they can arrive at justified conclusions about what is true, what is good and what is beautiful. Respond - Children reflect personally and with integrity on what they have learned and consider the implications for action these might have for their own lives and the world in which they live. The children learn through Revelation, Sacred Scripture, Creation and Fall, Covenant, Prophecy and the Good News of redemption.
The programme is delivered through six branches of learning: Creation & Covenant, Prophecy and Promise, Galilee to Jerusalem, Desert to Garden, To the Ends of the Earth and Dialogue & Encounter.
As part of our whole school religious education curriculum, each class is allocated a Saint to follow throughout the year. The children become familiar with their Saint and recognise their Saint’s Holy Day.
Class Saints
Reception Class: Saint Joseph
Year 1: Saint Catherine of Siena
Year 2: Saint Bernadette
Year 3: Saint Therese of Lisieux
Year 4: Saint Patrick
Year 5: Saint Francis of Assisi
Year 6: Saint Poi
Worship
We have a form of community worship each day within the school community. We pray together as a class and celebrate during Key Stage and whole school assemblies. We follow the liturgical year as we celebrate Mass together with our Parish Priest. As a school we support Parish celebrations and are continuing to develop strong home, school, parish links.
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Reading is highly valued at St Joseph's - it is the key to accessing much of the curriculum and a valuable life long skill. The teaching and development of reading skills has traditionally been a strength of our school, as shown in Year 1 National Phonic Screening, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 reading SATS scores.
Our core reading books are from phonetically decodable books (identified in the Essential Letters and Sounds programme) so that children can apply the specific phonic skills being taught. Daily synthetic phonics work underpins all early reading skills development at St Joseph's. This systematic teaching of sounds (phonemes) enables children to access and build early reading through accurately blending sounds.
Children at St Joseph's are taught phonics through the Essential Letters and Sounds (ELS) programme. All children in our EYFS and Key Stage One classes take part in daily phonics lessons - this provision is also made for pupils in Year Three who continue to need support in further building their reading skills. We work closely with the New Vision English Hub to ensure that our phonics provision is of a very high quality.
Our children also read and experience daily stories, rhymes, factual or IT texts. Books are taken home for reading practice and consolidation, with nightly reading being the expectation for maximum progress.
The Home/School diary is a vital part of our Home/School partnership. It is used by teachers, parents and children in commenting on books read and skills being developed. Valuable guidance on reading with your child can also be accessed here.
Parents and carers are also offered support with effective reading at home through EYFS and Key Stage One workshops, where modelling of key phonic strategies is shared.
As a school, we strive to engage our pupils in reading for pleasure and in developing a knowledge of wider text genres.
Ten Ten
Central to our work within the school is learning about our faith, including understanding ourselves, our position in our community and how we develop as human beings – our spiritual, social, emotional and physical development. This is how Ten Ten fits in to the school’s curriculum. The scheme permeates through all levels of learning throughout the school. It focuses on friendship, family, community, relationships and spirituality; a guide to the children’s development as young Catholics.
Not all issues related to personal development are covered by the end of Year 6. The content is age appropriate and is taught sensitivity, taking into account the children’s level of maturity in regard to the delivery of the lessons.
As with all aspects of learning, children are naturally curious and many will have questions related to their lessons. Opportunities to discuss questions form part of the lessons and, again, these are treated with care and understanding.
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