The Curriculum

Programmes of Study

At the beginning of each half term we provide Parents/Carers, with key information about the planned provision for pupils in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.

Language across the Curriculum

Critical to the learning process at all stages of a pupil’s time at school is the acquisition of the key skills of Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening.

Reading

Being able to read accurately and with understanding ensures a child’s full access to the school’s broadly based curriculum. The school has fully embraced the Revised Framework for Literacy and Numeracy and aims to provide a rich and diverse range of opportunities.

There are ten strands in the literacy strategy and these are:

1. speaking
2. listening and responding
3. group discussion and interaction
4. drama
5. word recognition: decoding (reading) and encoding (spelling)
6. word structure and spelling
7. understanding and interpreting texts
8. engaging and responding to texts
9. creating and shaping texts
10. text structure and organisation

Cage Green uses scheme and non-scheme based books within the breadth of reading materials it provides for school and home use. The designated daily Literacy lesson teaches pupils strategies to help them become confident and independent readers and to be able to read with fluency, accuracy, understanding and enjoyment. The approach takes fully into account the age and ability of the pupils. The school’s planning ensures that pupils develop their reading skills beyond the timetabled Literacy lessons in all subjects of the National Curriculum and Religious Education and that their reading experiences are rich and diverse. Pupils in the Centre for Autism also follow the National Curriculum and this is differentiated according to their individual needs.

We aim to ensure that pupils are taught the knowledge, skills and understanding through a wide range of literature and non-fiction and non-literary texts.
Eg: stories and poems from a range of cultures, playscripts, myths, legends and traditional stories, classic poetry, stories and poems with familiar settings and those based on imaginary or fantasy worlds, retellings of traditional language etc.

By the end of Key Stage 2 pupils will have experience of working with dictionaries, encyclopaedias and other reference books, print and ICT based information texts, newspapers, brochures, advertisements, thesauruses, CD-ROMs, internet, biographies, letters etc .

Writing

In writing, pupils at Key Stage 1 are helped to value and enjoy what they write and the emphasis is on helping pupils to communicate meaning in both narrative and non-fiction texts.

Planning and drafting of writing is an important feature of the work that pupils are required to do and due weighting is placed upon the teaching of punctuation, spelling (both strategies for spelling and the checking of spelling), the development of legible handwriting and clear and neat presentation, some grammatical features of written standard English and the importance of language structure when composing texts.

Pupils’ writing from across the curriculum will embrace many forms including narratives, instructions, records, lists, notes, poems, captions etc..

As pupils move through to Year 6 at the end of Key Stage 2, they will refine their skills as writers particularly in the planning, drafting and editing process. As at Key Stage 1, pupils use ICT for fiction and non-fiction writing in the school’s ICT suite and in the classrooms to help improve their writing. Understanding the importance of writing for a purpose and an audience in a range of forms including opinions, reviews, reports, explanations etc is a crucial part of the breadth of study within Key Stage 2. However as well as building upon the development of handwriting and presentation skills, punctuation and spelling and exploring how the English Language can be used to express meaning in different ways, the pupils are helped to develop an understanding that writing is both essential to thinking and learning, as well as being enjoyable in its own right.

Speaking and Listening at Key Stage 1 and 2

Speaking and Listening is an important part of the whole school day . We organise planned discussions with groups of pupils, and as a whole class, in a wide range of different curriculum contexts. These opportunities aim to ensure that pupils learn to speak confidently and to listen to what others have to say. We also use talk to enhance and improve childrens’ ideas before sitting down to complete a given written task.

Drama provides pupils with opportunities to express their ideas and feelings in role as well as to remember the main points of what was said. All our pupils are involved in a number of high profile public performances throughout their time at school as well as being involved in a wide range of drama activities undertaken in the classroom as part of a programme of study in one or more subjects of the National Curriculum.

Mathematics

At Cage Green School we aim to provide children with the mathematical knowledge, skills and understanding that will help them make sense of the world around them as they grow and develop. Learning opportunities are planned using the Revised Primary Framework for Mathematics which consists of seven strands (or areas of mathematics) as follows:

1. Using and applying mathematics
2. Counting and understanding number
3. Knowing and using number facts
4. Calculating
5. Understanding shape
6. Measuring
7. Handling data

Information regarding the Primary Framework can be found at:

http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/primary/primaryframework/mathematicsframework

Mathematics is taught daily, broadly in line with the format of the ‘Numeracy Lesson’ and for a minimum of 45 minutes per day in Key Stage One and 60 minutes per day in Key Stage Two. Teachers use age appropriate objectives from the Framework and differentiate accordingly to ensure that all children are given the opportunity to learn at a level that is appropriate to their own needs. Learning is often investigative and problem solving is used routinely to enable children to develop their mathematical thinking and apply their learning.

Science

At Cage Green we have adopted the Kent Science Scheme, which aims to raise standards in Science through meeting the needs of children in different contexts.

Themes covered include Forces, Ourselves, Light, Sound, Electricity, Materials, Keeping Healthy, Green Plants, Habitats and Living Things.

Lessons are set within the context of Knowledge and Understanding, many of the lesson objectives and their associated levelled outcomes are investigation based. Most lessons are based on scientific enquiry. Children are actively involved in the planning stage, deciding what evidence to collect, carrying out investigations, recording results and answering scientific questions.
Assessment is a key element throughout the scheme, levelled outcomes for each task enable teachers to make assessments and to develop pupils’ skills and knowledge for the next lesson.

The scheme provides interesting and challenging activities and the scientific vocabulary children need at both Key Stages. The scheme builds upon previous knowledge and ensures there is continuity and progression as the children move through Year groups and Key Stages.

Special Educational Provision – Special Needs

A child has Special Educational Needs if they have a learning difficulty, which calls for special educational provision to be made for them.

A child has a learning difficulty if he/she:

a) Has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of the pupils of the same age:
b) Has a disability, or which prevents or hinders him/her from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for pupils of the same age in schools within the area of the LA:
c) Is under compulsory school age and falls within the definition at (a) or (b) above or would so do if special educational provision was not made for him/her.
d) A child must not be regarded as having a learning difficulty solely because the language or medium of communication of the home is different from the language in which he or she is or will be taught.

Our policy aims to ensure that all pupils in our care are able to achieve their full potential and have full access to the school’s curriculum. Children may have Special Educational Needs either throughout, or at any time during their school career and it is therefore of critical importance that both the identification and assessment of their needs and regular monitoring of their performance is deemed as being a high priority.

We follow the Government code of practice as instructed by the 1981, 1993 and 2001 Education Acts, whereby children are placed on the Special Needs register when concern is shown by home or school (concern about learning, behaviour or health which may affect their access to the full curriculum).

The SEN Register reflects three levels of need and all parents of pupils who are receiving Special Educational Provision are informed by the school as required by Section 317A of the Education Act. We also believe that it is critical to secure the best possible partnership between the school and the home in order to successfully meet the special needs of each child and we will therefore share with parents those issues that would most benefit from home-support as well as provide practical help where appropriate.

The 3 levels are called:

• School Action
• School Action Plus
• Statutory Assessment*

*For a very small number of pupils the school may apply to the LA for a Statutory Assessment of Special Educational Needs if the child’s needs have not been met by interventions at School Action or School Action Plus. The LA seeks comprehensive advice before determining whether a formal ‘Statement’ is needed. Decisions are based upon a wide range of evidence, from the school, outside agencies, the parents and, where possible, the pupils themselves. All pupils in the Centre are in receipt of a statement of special educational needs.

Margaret Foster, SENCO, manages issues relating to pupils with Special Needs. She works closely with children, parents, class teachers and outside agencies such as the LA’s School Psychological Service and Education Welfare Service etc.

In many situations, children’s special needs have already been identified prior to their start at Cage Green and wherever possible we will ensure continuity of support and make all the necessary preparations, working with the external agencies where necessary prior to a child’s start in September or at any other time of the year. However, some children’s special needs are not so readily identified and acted upon prior to their admission to Cage Green. The school therefore places appropriate emphasis on early identification, assessment and intervention in order to ensure that teaching is appropriately matched to a child’s individual needs at the point at which he/she arrives at the school.

In our planning for the National Curriculum and Religious Education we aim to ensure that children of differing abilities and ages are taught at the appropriate level within the class group. In a class of thirty children abilities differ widely and it is important that we identify, as quickly as we possibly can, the strengths and weaknesses of the children, both academically and socially. Through continuous assessment we will help each child to make the best possible progress and achieve their full potential. Individual Education Plans and Provision Maps for Special Needs pupils, identifying areas for development and particular targets for improvement are an essential tool in helping such pupils to make the best possible progress throughout their time at school.

Gifted and Talented Provision

The school has a policy relating to Gifted and Talented pupils and plans to provide specialist teaching in Mathematics for designated pupils who are currently in Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 who have been identified as being particularly able. This provision will aim to extend and enrich pupils’ Mathematical experiences and much of the focus of what they do is crucial to problem solving and mathematical thinking. Currently some year 5 and 6 students attend Tonbridge Girls Grammar School to participate in the Juniors’ Maths Challenge.

The school also provides Gifted and Talented provision for our Able Writers and last year a group of year 6 students attended an Able Writers course. We look forward to being able to implement other initiatives in the future.

Design and Technology

The school is guided in its planning for the Design and Technology Programmes of Study by the Qualifications and Assessment Authority (QCA) documents used by all class teachers.

Design and Technology across Key Stage 1 and 2 involves pupils in designing and making assignments using a range of materials, including food, electrical and mechanical components, mouldable materials, stiff and flexible sheet materials, and textiles. The QCA Programmes of Study ensure that pupils develop knowledge, concepts, skills and attitudes which will enable them to engage in a broad range of creative activities in response to identified needs and problems.

Information and Communication Technology

At Cage Green we use the Kent ICT Scheme which is based around five themes that help embed ICT as an aid to learning across the curriculum. To ensure pupils receive a broad and balanced ICT experience all five themes are addressed in each year group. This will involve some discrete ICT teaching but wherever possible it is embedded within cross curricular teaching/learning.

The five themes are:

1. Reach and E-awareness,
2. Handling data
3. Modelling and simulation
4. Control and Sensing
5. Communication

The scheme builds upon previous knowledge and ensures there is continuity and progression as the children move through Year groups and Key Stages.

Each of the school’s classrooms is equipped with an interactive whiteboard and three computers and there is also a dedicated ICT suite within the school, timetabled for all classes. All computers are networked and have internet access. The school provides a wide range of opportunities for developing children’s knowledge, skills and understanding in ICT.

We have a wide range of specialist ICT equipment; cameras, microscope, microphones, roamers, video camera and access to data loggers/laptops/video cameras through a share scheme with other local primary schools.
The school has an e-safety policy which ensures all staff and pupils are aware of data protection and internet issues.

Geography

Throughout Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 pupils are involved in investigating a variety of people, places and environments both locally and further afield in the United Kingdom and also abroad. Geographical enquiry is undertaken inside and outside the classrooms and pupils are taught key skills such as; observing and recording, asking geographical questions, analysing evidence and drawing conclusions etc. To support the development of those key skills, pupils learn about vocabulary specific to the subject, the use of globes, maps and plans at a range of scales, fieldwork techniques and instruments, and the use of secondary sources of information including aerial photographs etc.

Our Programmes of Study include a focus on the importance of what pupils should know and understand about the places they are studying and particularly on environmental issues which relate to how people affect the environment and how they are affected by it. Environmental change and sustainable development are areas of Geographical study which are especially important for the future of all our pupils.

History

Like Geography, History is taught within specific themes with clearly identified learning objectives. Pupils learn about peoples’ lives and lifestyles including those of significant men, women and children as well as events from the recent and more distant past in our own area, further afield in Britain as well as across the wider world.

Chronological understanding is central to an understanding of History and our expectation is that as pupils move into KS2 they will be expected to be able to place events, people and changes into correct periods of time as well as using dates and vocabulary appropriately and with accuracy. Acquiring appropriate knowledge and understanding about the periods and the people of the time, including their characteristic features, their social, cultural, religious and ethnic diversity is of crucial importance. Being able to give reasons for, and the results of, the main historical events and changes, enables pupils to learn not only how the past is different from the present but how and why historical developments have shaped the world and their lives.

Art and Design

Cage Green is guided by the Unit Plans from the QCA enabling pupils to build upon their knowledge, skills and understanding as they move through the school from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2. Pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding is taught through a range of practical activities involving pupils working both on their own and also in collaboration with their peers. Experience with a wide range of materials and tools within painting, collage, print making, textiles, sculpture and digital media on different scales enables pupils to understand the characteristics and potential for creativity. Pupils are taught how to best represent their ideas and feelings and to communicate what they see, feel and think and are helped in this through their study of the work of sculptors, painters, photographers, textile designers from different times and cultures.
During their time at Cage Green, pupils also work with artists as well as participating in educational visits. Learning to evaluate their own work and that of others is an essential part of the Art and Design programme.

Music

All pupils at Cage Green enjoy a variety of music which is embedded in the curriculum and enriches their learning at all levels. Children are taught to listen with concentration and with an attention to detail in order to help them understand, appreciate and enjoy music as well as how to respond to it.

Regular class lessons and singing assemblies develop singing, rhythmic and instrumental skills and are used to support and enhance the learning in the International Primary Curriculum. All year groups put on a musical show once a year and there is a School Musical Evening which takes place every Summer to showcase the children’s talents. Children are also encouraged to perform in music assemblies held three times a year. We are currently developing our links with local secondary schools to have pupils in to play or sing which is very inspiring for the children.

In response to the government initiative promoting whole class instrumental teaching, all pupils receive instruction in at least one instrument while at Cage Green. Year 2 are introduced to the ocarina, and Year 3 pupils learn the recorder for one year. Other opportunities are given in Key Stage 2 for the children to learn to play the djembe drum and the ukulele as a class. Extra-curricular musical activities are provided by our resident music specialist Mrs Jones and the class teachers. Instrumental lessons are given by visiting peripatetic teachers from Kent Music and Music For Schools Foundation.

The Cage Green choir and top recorder group perform on several occasions throughout the year, in school, at local churches, festivals, and at our school fayre. They also participate annually in combined schools’ events which are enjoyed by all concerned.

Musical events will be appearing at regular intervals on the website so please check to see if your child is involved. Our big event this year was taking the year 6 children to the Young Voices concert which was a huge success.

Physical Education

The school promotes the acquisition of skills in a range of physical activities, including athletics, swimming and outdoor pursuits at Key Stage 2, dance, games and gymnastics and encourages children to enjoy all physical activities and to help them see the benefits of exercise and a healthy lifestyle.

Physical Education is a practical subject and teachers aim in their planning to ensure that the knowledge, skills and understanding essential to pupils’ progress and performance is embodied within all the activities that they are engaged in. Fitness, health and personal safety are important elements of the school’s programme and warm-ups prior to every lesson help pupils prepare appropriately for the different activities.

The school is involved in a variety of competitive sports with other schools, both locally and regionally. Although competition beyond the school is important and aids collaborative teamwork as well enabling pupils to recognise their own strengths and shortcomings and evaluate their performance, the school’s overriding aim is to help all its pupils to enjoy being active and to encourage them to use their creativity and imagination in construction and purposeful physical activity. Fair play and good sporting behaviour are considered by the school to be very important and are essential elements of the Physical Education Programme of Study for all pupils in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. Cage Green currently runs extra-curricular sporting activities , dependent upon the time of year, in netball, football, rugby, cross-country, cricket and athletics.

The school has received the ‘Activemark 2008’ from the DfES acknowledging the work of the school in Physical Education.

Personal, Social and Health Education and Citizenship (PSHE & C)

The school’s PSHE & C programme aims to help all our pupils acquire the necessary skills, knowledge and understanding that they need to lead confident, healthy, independent lives and to become informed, active, responsible citizens.

Cage Green’s strong ethos actively promotes, supports and secures high standards of personal behaviour and our pupils are helped to learn about their own and other people’s feelings and develop an awareness of the views, needs and rights of their peers and older people. The school celebrates in particular the achievements of pupils who demonstrate kindness and friendship and places due emphasis on the importance of developing good relationships and respecting the differences between people, both of which are an essential part of life and learning.

Our policies for Behaviour and Discipline and Racial Equality reflect the importance we place upon these aspects of our curricular provision and in our day to day dealings with both pupils and adults, equal opportunities and inclusive practice are always at the forefront of everything that we try to do. Regular class ‘Circle Time’ opportunities provide an opportunity for all our pupils to reflect upon their experiences leading to an understanding about how they are developing personally and socially. The PSHE & C curriculum across Key Stage 1 and 2 tackles many of the key spiritual, moral, social and cultural issues that are central to the process of growing up between the ages of 5 and 11 years as well as preparation for Key Stage 3 and the world of work.

The school actively supports a range of charities and fundraising activities organised by the pupils and these take place on a regular basis each term. Our School Council for pupils in Key Stage 2, the ‘Buddy System’ for Key Stage 1 playtimes and the school responsibilities undertaken by pupils in their final year, all contribute fully to the life of the school and its place in the community. Recent links were to Demelza House and Great Ormond Street Hospital and our current Charity of the Year is ‘Make A Wish’.

Behaviour and Discipline

The school’s policy for Behaviour and Discipline including our position on Anti-Bullying is available to Parents/Carers on request.

Racial Equality

The school’s policy for Racial Equality is also available to Parents/Carers.

R E and Collective Worship

School assemblies take place each day either in the school hall or in classrooms. These enable teachers and pupils to celebrate and reflect upon, through readings, music, speaking, prayer and song etc., matters of a spiritual nature. Acts of Collective Worship also provide an appropriate vehicle through which aspects relating to our moral well-being and service to society can also be shared, supporting the schools’ Personal, Social Education and Citizenship curriculum. Our assemblies include direct acts of Christian worship. Monday is a special day of the week when we celebrate pupil achievement in all of its diverse
forms, but particularly so in relation to “ Working Hard “ , “ Making Friends “ and “ Being Kind”. On Fridays there is always a class assembly where pupils can show the rest of the school their work.

Religious Education is compulsory in all State Schools and regular lessons are given, with work often incorporated in other subjects across the schools’ broadly based curriculum. The school follows the Kent agreed syllabus for R E, which incorporates study of the Christian faith as well as an introduction to other main faiths.

The Education Act allows parents with other faiths the right to withdraw their children from R E lessons and from the assemblies. Parents are asked to contact the Headteacher in this regard and appropriate arrangements will be made to support the circumstances of each request.

The International Primary Curriculum (IPC)

Cage Green is continually seeking to develop and improve the learning provision it offers all the pupils at the School. In this regard, following a period of assessment and analysis, the School has adopted the International Primary Curriculum (IPC) providing a more flexible, challenging and rigorous framework for pupils’ learning. Children at different stages in the school will experience the IPC through a wide variety of thematic units of work eg.

Theme: Finding out about the past, entitled ‘Time detectives’
Theme: Significant people, entitled ‘They made a difference’.
Theme: Clothing and music, entitled ‘Fashion’

There are approximately seventy units of work in the IPC. Most of the units help children learn about a number of subjects and provide them with opportunities to find out (research) as well as to re-work what they have found out through their own thinking, referred to as ‘recording’

Following on from the successful Summer Term whole school theme entitled ‘The World Cup’, we are excited about the potential of the new IPC curriculum for the children’s learning at Cage Green will look to developing further opportunities for our children as we move through this current academic year.

The School will continue to focus on high quality teaching of National curriculum English and Mathematics as individual subjects, but will also be looking to support the pupil’s basic skills, whenever relevant, within the unit themes of the IPC.