The National Curriculum

The National Curriculum provides an outline of core knowledge around which teachers can develop exciting and stimulating lessons to promote the development of pupils’ knowledge, understanding and skills as part of the wider school curriculum.
The National Curriculum is taught to all children from year one. It consists of five core subjects:

• Mathematics
• English
• Science
• Computing
• Religious Education

The foundation subjects are:

• History
• Geography
• Art & Design
• PE
• Music
• PSHE
• Design Technology

At Wootton St Peter’s the delivery of the curriculum is constantly reviewed so that it is broad, balanced, relevant and differentiated. Subjects are taught both individually and in a cross curricular way. Many teaching methods and approaches are used throughout the school, recognising that children learn in a variety of ways. Follow the link to find out more about our topics and long term planning.

What your child will be learning

The Early Years Foundation Stage

Mathematics

English

At Wootton St Peter’s we make learning English a creative and engaging experience. We have adopted a book-led approach and therefore high-quality texts are at the heart of our curriculum. Our English provision aims to encourage children to become critical thinkers and reflective life-long learners. We ensure children develop the key skills in spoken language, reading and writing that will empower them to become the rocks upon which a better world can be built.
Our curriculum is designed to give all children the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life. We aim to achieve this through the diverse range of texts that children are exposed to, linking learning in English with other subjects and planning opportunities for additional rich learning experiences. More information is available in our English document.

Reading

Reading is a skill essential for life and at Wootton we want our children to leave school with a love and appreciation of reading. Reading is a habit, and that habit needs to be grounded in what we do at school. Reading allows us to discover more about our world, which we are all citizens of, and pupils are encouraged to read widely across both fiction and non-fiction to develop knowledge of themselves and the world in which they live in, establish an appreciation and love of reading and to gain knowledge across the curriculum. Reading widely and often increases pupils’ vocabulary because they encounter words they would rarely hear or use in everyday speech. Reading also feeds pupils’ imagination and opens a treasure-house of wonder and joy for curious minds. Through reading in particular, pupils have a chance to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually. They can acquire all the skills of language that are essential to participating fully as a member of society. Literature, especially, plays a key role in such development. A team of reading counsellors supports us and there are plenty of books for you to share with your child at home. We aim for our children to become confident and independent readers, who see reading as a worthwhile and pleasurable experience.
At Wootton St Peter’s School we use the Read Write Inc. phonics system to teach our children to read. Links to the website and other useful websites can be found by clicking on the link below:

Reading spine

Writing

Writing is an essential part of our curriculum and of high importance at Wootton to prepare children for the next stage of their education.
Writing is taught daily across the school. In EYFS, children at the beginning of their writing journey are taught to write words and sentences linked to the current sound that they are learning in their RWI sessions. In EYFS, children also have ‘Drawing Club’ sessions daily. Each week a new book is explored and children discuss the character, setting and events in detail. New vocabulary linked to the text is taught. Children are then invited to draw a key character or setting from the story and when they are ready, begin to label and write sentences linked to what they have read.
Writing and mark making is also encouraged as part of children’s play within continuous provision. Teachers and teaching assistants explicitly model writing for a range of purposes and audiences and discuss this with the children.
In KS1 and KS2 each writing unit is anchored in a core text from our Reading Spine. The core text is chosen to inspire and engage children in their writing and is linked, where appropriate, to the current topic/theme that they are studying in other subjects. Core texts are often also explored at the same time in reading skills sessions, enabling children to move from ‘reading as a reader’, to ‘reading as a writer’ and exploring the writer’s craft before using the skills and techniques in their own writing.
Children are provided with the skills to write to write a range of fiction and non-fiction text types which are mapped out in long-term planning.

Science

• Life processes and living things
• Materials and their properties
• Physical processes

Computing

Religious Education

History and Geography

Art & Design

Design and Technology

Physical Education

Modern Foreign Languages – German

Music

Wootton St. Peter’s is awash with the happy singing voices of our children. Opportunities to enjoy and shine in performances are plentiful, and include Christmas and Easter productions and performances with other local schools. Older children have the chance to receive instrumental tuition from visiting music teachers for example clarinet, piano, cornet. The music curriculum involves: singing, playing and making music, listening to and appreciating music, composing. The children are exposed to a variety of styles and genres of music and have access to a variety of percussion instruments. All year three and four children learn to play the recorder in their weekly lessons. Some go on to play their preferred instrument with a specialist in the upper juniors.

PSHE

Homework