Key Stage 1
We have ensured that all skills from the National Curriculum are interwoven throughout the core subjects, Maths, English and Science, as well as the foundation subjects throughout the year.
Maths
In Years 1-6 we use ‘Maths No Problem’ which allows for depth of understanding in the key concepts of Maths. Maths teaching is enhanced across the school through the use of regular maths meetings, interventions and boosters which allow for rehearsal and consolidation of maths facts.
English
Reading
Children are taught to decode text and read for meaning through a number of opportunities during their day to day life at school. From Reception to Year 1 all children learn to decode text through phonics. From Year 2, children are able to hone their comprehension and inference skills through daily skills lessons.
Children on the phonics programme are allocated (and take home) colour banded books of different reading skills levels as they work through the school. We encourage parents to read with children at home from Reception, starting with ten minutes a day increasing to around twenty or thirty minutes a day depending on the child’s age and ability. When children finish the phonics programme, they can choose from a wide range of age appropriate books to take home and read. Children on the phonics programme also have the opportunity to choose from a range of texts that they can take home for an adult to read to/with them.
Children are also encouraged to read for pleasure and can access a wider range of books from their reading areas.
Phonics
Phonics is taught to all children in daily sessions that are tailored to each child’s ability starting in Reception and continuing throughout Year 1 and Year 2. We follow Ruth Miskin’s ‘Read Write Inc.’ scheme of phonics. Children are taught in ability groups to enable focused development of their phonics knowledge and application.
For more information go to: http://www.ruthmiskin.com/en/
Writing
Writing is taught through an adaptive approach where children are immersed in a shared text and then innovate and develop their writing stemming from this.
Handwriting
We teach letter formation in Reception and Year 1, and introduce cursive handwriting from Year 2. Handwriting is taught discretely and applied during phonics and all other curriculum subjects.
For more information about the handwriting scheme we follow go to:
www.letter-join.co.uk and www.ruthmiskin.com
PE & Music
It takes 10,000 hours for a child to become and expert at a skill - as such, P.E, Dance and Music are taught by specialist teachers to allow for the children’s skills to be developed.
Religious Education
At Harris Primary Academy Purley Way, we follow the Croydon Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education:
https://www.croydon.gov.uk/sites/default/files/articles/downloads/croydon_re_sylabus.pdf
