Wimborne First School Prospectus

‘‘ Children in the early years reach a good level of development because they are given the chance to learn by following their own interest s ’’ Spelling At Wimborne First School & Nursery, we use the ‘No Nonsense’ spelling scheme. This scheme provides pathways for the teaching of spelling, which is designed to meet the needs of the National Curriculum. We believe that poor spelling can hinder a child’s imagination, so a careful balance must be struck between creativity and correct spelling. The children are given opportunities to investigate different spelling strategies and rules and apply these in their learning in a fun and creative way. The children are also encouraged to use word banks, thesauruses and dictionaries to support their spelling and vocabulary. In Reception, the children are introduced to the programme ‘Read, Write, Inc.’ and this continues in Year 1. This programme provides a structured and systematic approach to teaching English. The programme meets the higher expectations of the National Curriculum and uses effective assessment to accelerate every child’s progress and prepare them for the National Curriculum Tests (Year 1 Phonics screening and the Year 2 SATs). The children learn to spell using the known sounds taught in class. In Years 1 and 2 the children are set a weekly ‘Spellathon’ linked to the sounds they have learnt in the list of common words they are expected to learn at this age. At the end of Year 1, the children are introduced to the ‘No Nonsense’ spelling scheme and this continues through to Year 4. In Years 3 and 4 spellings are sent home for the children to practise based on the year group spelling lists and are linked to the spelling patterns/rules they have been learning in school that week. Writing We believe that we equip our children with the stamina required to write at length, with accurate spelling and punctuation and the use of correct grammar. At Wimborne First School & Nursery, we use the ‘Talk for Writing’ approach. This is an approach to teaching high quality writing that emphasises three teaching methods: ‘imitation’ (where pupils learn texts by heart, so they can discuss and dissect them), ‘innovation’ (where pupils adapt stories to create their own versions), and ‘invention’ (where teachers help pupils to create original stories). These tasks improve writing ability by giving pupils an understanding of the structure and elements of written language. With the introduction of the Primary National Curriculum 2014 spelling, punctuation and grammar (SPAG) is now more of a focus for English teaching and learning. The children are able to include what they learn from the SPAG sessions into their own independent writing. We provide pupils with opportunities to write in a range of genres including narratives, explanations, descriptions, summaries and evaluations: such writing supports them in rehearsing, understanding and consolidating what they have heard or read. Children at Wimborne First School & Nursery are taught to write basic letter shapes during their time in Reception in a creative and imaginative way. From Year 1 to Year 4 the children are gradually introduced to the mechanics of joining letters using the ‘Nelson’ handwriting scheme. Mathematics We strongly believe in the importance of maths as being a key life skill, which should be accessible to a child from an early age. By providing imaginative and practical experiences we encourage our children to challenge and explore the number system. Daily maths lessons reflect this positive first step to being numerate. Maths No Problem Maths - No Problem, is an approach to teaching maths developed in Singapore. Singapore established a new way of teaching maths following their poor performance in international league tables in the early 1980’s. Problem solving is at the heart of mathematics. The focus is not on rote procedures, rote memorisation or tedious calculations but on relational understanding. Pupils are encouraged to solve problems working with their core competencies, such as visualisation, generalisation and making decisions. Impact on our children: • Children have a greater conceptual understanding of number and calculation. They are able to visualise and generalise more readily due to a more in-depth understanding. • Struggling learners are fully supported through accessing concrete equipment and use of visual models to support understanding. • Confident learners are challenged through exposure to unfamiliar problems, development of reasoning skills and exploring multiple ways to manipulate numbers and solve problems. • All learners access teaching of content which matches the expectations of the curriculum in England and are supported further if needed in order to access this. The resources match the expectations for formal written methods set by the government, alongside greater understanding. says ... The curriculum continued 8