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The Curriculum at Ley Hill

(Please use the "Class Pages" link above for detailed curriculum information year by year)

Our aim is for the curriculum on offer to the pupils to be as broad, creative, balanced, inclusive and stimulating as possible. This in tandem with a desire and drive for the children to become independent and imaginative thinkers informs our curriculum development. In addition, we strive for our pupils to deepen their studies through extension activities which are freely available in the classrooms.

Our policy on learning and teaching is seen as a constantly evolving one. Lessons are based on a development of thoughtful dialogue between the pupils and between the adults and the pupils. We find that this approach fosters a collegiate atmosphere in the classrooms benefiting all involved. Learning is also supported by high quality use of IT, careful planning, appropriate resourcing and challenge. We also use carefully targeted Learning Support intervention to support the attainment and progress of pupils who are finding certain subjects or concepts more difficult to grasp.

The curriculum itself is built on the following principles:
Core Areas of study are; English, Mathematics, Science, Computing/IT and PE. Each of these core areas are planned and taught discretely. Each morning all pupils will have a Maths and English lesson. The pupils have at least two computing sessions in the IT suite and three sessions of PE per week.

Other subjects taught include History, Geography, Design and Technology, Art, Music, Drama, PHSE and RE. To cover such a wide range of study we do two things; teach in a cross curricular way basing the work on a historical topic and by blocking the study so that the class would do a six week block of lessons on art followed by a six week block on design for example.

So if we take Egypt as an example of a cross curricular theme the pupils might cover; history in terms of the ancient civilisation in Egypt, its Pharaohs, inventions, pyramids and daily life; modern history would cover Howard Carter and present day tourism; Geography as they study the importance of the Nile both ancient and modern; Science where the pupils investigate irrigation, mummification and astronomy; Design and Technology in terms of making shadufs and Egyptian foods; RE elements can be explored as the pupils study the deities in Ancient Egypt; Art projects will be followed such as the pupils making replica Tutankhamun masks. Literacy and drama are covered as the pupils write informatively and creatively about life in Ancient Egypt. Some of this study will take place in the ICT suite and software packages will be used to complete the work thus skills learnt in ICT skills lessons will be applied in a real context. These cross curricular studies are further augmented by educational visits in this case to The British Museum and by visiting experts.

At the beginning of each term all parents receive a letter enabling families to be involved and informed about the topics and projects to be covered that term. We hold parents' evenings in autumn and spring terms, when time is allocated for you to discuss the children's progress and next steps in detail with the class teachers. The final parents' evening held in the summer term is an open evening where all classes show some of their best work and assembly performances.