We are currently in the process of reviewing, evaluating and reconsidering our curriculum offer. We aspire to have a knowledge-rich curriculum that is sequenced throughout, making links between subjects whilst honouring the discipline of each individual area of learning. This is part of our three year plan and we hope to begin to implement our reformed curriculum in September 2022. We are currently in phase 1 of our curriculum design journey.
Here is an outline of our intended curriculum journey:
For this academic year, at Brickhill Primary School, we have continued to embrace a range of topics which drive our curriculum. These topics link to our learning in literacy and see inter-disciplinary links made across the core and foundation subjects in weekly topic lessons.
Here is an overview of our topics across:
At Brickhill Primary School, we use the Sounds-Write phonics programme to teach our children to read, spell and write. Sounds-Write is effective in teaching pupils to read, spell and write because it starts from what all children know from a very early age – the sounds of their own language. From there, it takes them in carefully sequenced, incremental steps and teaches them how each of the 44 or so sounds in the English language can be spelt.
The words used in the teaching process and the conceptual knowledge of how the alphabet code works are introduced from simple to complex, in accordance with the fundamental principles of psychological learning theory. For example, at the start, simple, mutually implied (one sound, one spelling) CVC words (consonant, vowel, consonant) only are introduced. Pupils quickly learn to read and spell words such as ‘mum’, ‘dog’, ‘jam’ and ‘sit’. When all the single-letter sound-spelling correspondences have been introduced and established, Sounds-Write initiates the concept that the sounds ”, ”, ” and ” can be spelt with the two letter-spellings ”, ”, ” and ”, respectively.
As the programme progresses, the complexity of one-syllable words is carefully increased through a variety of VCC, CVCC, CCVC, CCVCC and CCCVC words, such as, for example, ‘elf’, ‘hand’, ‘swim’, ‘trust’ and ‘scrub’.
After this, pupils’ understanding of the concept ‘two letters – one sound’ is further developed through the introduction of the most common consonant two-letter spellings: ”, ” and ”, in words like ‘shop’, ‘chimp’ and ‘thin’, for example.
Finally, two, three and four letter spellings of the vowels are introduced and pupils are taught how to read and spell polysyllabic words, starting with simpler words (such as ‘bedbug’) and gradually moving to the more complex (such as ‘mathematical’).
All of this is taught within a well-structured, incremental and coherent framework based on the knowledge – both conceptual and factual (see below) – on which the alphabet principle and thus the writing system is based and the three key skills needed to enable learners to use the principle effectively.
Our approach teaches the conceptual understanding needed to become an effective reader:
Within this conceptual framework, we teach the factual knowledge required to become an effective reader and speller: the approximately 176 spellings that represent the 44 or so sounds in English, starting with the most simple one-to-one correspondences.
Reading and spelling also requires expertise in the skills necessary to make use of the alphabet code and pupils need to be able to:
Sounds-Write provides opportunities for practising these skills on an everyday basis until pupils achieve the automaticity required for fluent reading and spelling.
We ensure each unit of writing is inspired by a high quality text. Our long term plan for literacy takes the coverage of genre into consideration as well as looking at whether the purpose of writing is to inform or to entertain.
At Brickhill Primary School, we develop maths in EYFS through the use of Power Maths and focusing on a Key Instant Recall Fact (KIRF) per half term. Mastering Number resources are also being used from January 2022
In Key Stage 1, we develop maths through the use of Power Maths and focusing on a Key Instant Recall Fact (KIRF) per half term. Mastering Number resources are also being used from January 2022. Key Stage one pupils also access Numbots/Times Table Rockstars to support their fluency development.
In Key Stage 1, we develop maths through the use of Power Maths, focusing on a Key Instant Recall Fact (KIRF) per half term and using Times Table Rockstars to support fluency development.
