Curriculum
Our Curriculum
At BPS the curriculum is designed to recognise children’s prior learning, provide first hand learning experiences, allow the children to develop interpersonal skills, build resilience and become creative, critical thinkers.
Every child is recognised as a unique individual. We celebrate and welcome differences within our diverse school community and promote that children will need to become responsible and pro-active citizens.
Our focus is to raise aspirations and engender a sense of pride in achievement, provide a purpose and relevance for learning and to ultimately allow every child to discover their strengths and interests.
Our curriculum is underpinned by a clear vision for every child to learn to embrace diversity and to demonstrate our five core values: Consideration, Courtesy, Co-operation, Commitment and Care. These values represent both the ethos of the school and the qualities that we feel children will need to be successful learners and prepare them for life beyond infant school.
At BPS the curriculum is designed to recognise children’s prior learning, provide first hand learning experiences, allow the children to develop interpersonal skills, build resilience and become creative, critical thinkers.
Every child is recognised as a unique individual. We celebrate and welcome differences within our diverse school community and promote that children will need to become responsible and pro-active citizens.
Our focus is to raise aspirations and engender a sense of pride in achievement, provide a purpose and relevance for learning and to ultimately allow every child to discover their strengths and interests.
Our curriculum is underpinned by a clear vision for every child to learn to embrace diversity and to demonstrate our five core values: Consideration, Courtesy, Co-operation, Commitment and Care. These values represent both the ethos of the school and the qualities that we feel children will need to be successful learners and prepare them for life beyond infant school.
We recognise the importance of vocabulary and aim to ensure that children are provided with opportunities throughout the curriculum to broaden the range of language at their disposal. We also understand that the issues children experience in our local community must be acknowledged in order to make the curriculum relevant and memorable.
Children will have the opportunity to listen to many stories and hopefully learn to love books. Once the children have progressed through the BPS pre-reading program involving audio and visual discrimination work, as well as fine and gross motor skills training, and once the child is ready to read, we will use the Oxford Reading Tree scheme.
The Oxford Reading Tree programme is for:
- Pupils in Nursery, Reception and Year 1 who are learning to read and write.
Pupils will learn to:
- Decode letter-sound correspondences quickly and effortlessly, using their phonic
knowledge and skills - Read common exception words on sight
- Understand what they read
- Read aloud with fluency and expression
- Write confidently, with a strong focus on vocabulary and grammar
- Spell quickly and easily by segmenting the sounds in words
- Acquire good handwriting skills.
We recognise the importance of vocabulary and aim to ensure that children are provided with opportunities throughout the curriculum to broaden the range of language at their disposal. We also understand that the issues children experience in our local community must be acknowledged in order to make the curriculum relevant and memorable.
Children will have the opportunity to listen to many stories and hopefully learn to love books. Once the children have progressed through the BPS pre-reading program involving audio and visual discrimination work, as well as fine and gross motor skills training, and once the child is ready to read, we will use the Oxford Reading Tree scheme.
The Oxford Reading Tree programme is for:
- Pupils in Nursery, Reception and Year 1 who are learning to read and write.
Pupils will learn to:
- Decode letter-sound correspondences quickly and effortlessly, using their phonic
knowledge and skills - Read common exception words on sight
- Understand what they read
- Read aloud with fluency and expression
- Write confidently, with a strong focus on vocabulary and grammar
- Spell quickly and easily by segmenting the sounds in words
- Acquire good handwriting skills.
The Early Years Foundation Stage is a period of education from 0 – 5 years. At BPS the children follow the EYFS in their Foundation Years which include our Pre School, Nursery and Reception Classes. Through interactive learning, the children follow the curriculum areas to build up key basic skills in the seven areas of learning. Teachers carefully observe children to understand what they can do, and how the children are learning and use this information to plan the next steps. Whenever possible the children’s interests are used to inspire and engage deep learning. Learning takes place indoors and outdoors, and teaching can be direct, in small or large groups, guided by the teacher, teaching assistant, or independent in response to a specific task or learning opportunity. These lessons and learning opportunities are planned to ensure children can apply their basic skills confidently and prepare them for the later stages of schooling in Year 1.
In our Foundation Classes the children learn the skills needed to become strong, confident individuals who are capable of learning and achieving through positive relationships, enabling environments and an understanding that every child is unique.
The children are introduced to new ideas and further thinking through the Early Years Seven Areas of Learning and Development:
The first three are known as the ‘Prime Areas’ (Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Communication and Language and Physical Development) and develop quickly in response to relationships and experiences. This supports and scaffolds the four ‘Specific Areas’ (Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World and Expressive Arts and Design) which include essential skills and knowledge to ensure that children have the best possible start to enable their future learning.
These skills, experiences and learning opportunities are presented to the children through meaningful play contexts and adult led activities which ensure that each child can play and explore in an active and engaging environment that allows them to be creative, think critically and take risks to achieve more.
Learning experiences and interests children have outside school are very important, especially those they share with parents and carers. These experiences promote deep learning and hold great value for children as they experience new learning with those they are closest to. To help your child to learn the best they can in the Foundation Stage we really encourage partnership work. Please tell us how your child is learning at home, what they enjoy doing, and any new learning moments they have so we can build this in school. Likewise, we aim to share with you the developments your child makes as they progress well through the Foundation stage at BPS.
Our EYFS educational programmes involve activities and experiences for children, as follows:
Communication & language
Development involves giving children opportunities to experience a rich language environment; to develop their confidence and skills in expressing themselves; and to speak and listen in a range of situations.
Physical development
Development involves providing opportunities for young children to be active and interactive; and to develop their coordination, control, and movement. Children must also be helped to understand the importance of physical activity and to make healthy choices in relation to food.
Personal, social & emotional development
Involves helping children to develop a positive sense of themselves, and others; to form positive relationships and develop respect for others; to develop social skills and learn how to manage their feelings; to understand appropriate behaviour in groups; and to have confidence in their own abilities.
Literacy development
Involves encouraging children to link sounds and letters and to begin to read and write. Children must be given access to a wide range of reading materials (books, poems, and other written materials) to ignite their interest.
Mathematics
Involves providing children with opportunities to develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems; and describing shapes, spaces, and measures.
Understanding the world
Involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community through opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology and the environment.
Expressive arts & design
Involves enabling children to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials, as well as providing opportunities and encouragement for sharing their thoughts, ideas and feelings through a variety of activities in art, music, movement, dance, role-play, and design and technology.
The Early Years Foundation Stage is a period of education from 0 – 5 years. At BPS the children follow the EYFS in their Foundation Years which include our Pre School, Nursery and Reception Classes. Through interactive learning, the children follow the curriculum areas to build up key basic skills in the seven areas of learning. Teachers carefully observe children to understand what they can do, and how the children are learning and use this information to plan the next steps. Whenever possible the children’s interests are used to inspire and engage deep learning. Learning takes place indoors and outdoors, and teaching can be direct, in small or large groups, guided by the teacher, teaching assistant, or independent in response to a specific task or learning opportunity. These lessons and learning opportunities are planned to ensure children can apply their basic skills confidently and prepare them for the later stages of schooling in Year 1.
In our Foundation Classes the children learn the skills needed to become strong, confident individuals who are capable of learning and achieving through positive relationships, enabling environments and an understanding that every child is unique.
The children are introduced to new ideas and further thinking through the Early Years Seven Areas of Learning and Development:
The first three are known as the ‘Prime Areas’ (Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Communication and Language and Physical Development) and develop quickly in response to relationships and experiences. This supports and scaffolds the four ‘Specific Areas’ (Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World and Expressive Arts and Design) which include essential skills and knowledge to ensure that children have the best possible start to enable their future learning.
These skills, experiences and learning opportunities are presented to the children through meaningful play contexts and adult led activities which ensure that each child can play and explore in an active and engaging environment that allows them to be creative, think critically and take risks to achieve more.
Learning experiences and interests children have outside school are very important, especially those they share with parents and carers. These experiences promote deep learning and hold great value for children as they experience new learning with those they are closest to. To help your child to learn the best they can in the Foundation Stage we really encourage partnership work. Please tell us how your child is learning at home, what they enjoy doing, and any new learning moments they have so we can build this in school. Likewise, we aim to share with you the developments your child makes as they progress well through the Foundation stage at BPS.
Our EYFS educational programmes involve activities and experiences for children, as follows:
Communication & language
Development involves giving children opportunities to experience a rich language environment; to develop their confidence and skills in expressing themselves; and to speak and listen in a range of situations.
Physical development
Development involves providing opportunities for young children to be active and interactive; and to develop their coordination, control, and movement. Children must also be helped to understand the importance of physical activity and to make healthy choices in relation to food.
Personal, social & emotional development
Involves helping children to develop a positive sense of themselves, and others; to form positive relationships and develop respect for others; to develop social skills and learn how to manage their feelings; to understand appropriate behaviour in groups; and to have confidence in their own abilities.
Literacy development
Involves encouraging children to link sounds and letters and to begin to read and write. Children must be given access to a wide range of reading materials (books, poems, and other written materials) to ignite their interest.
Mathematics
Involves providing children with opportunities to develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems; and describing shapes, spaces, and measures.
Understanding the world
Involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community through opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology and the environment.
Expressive arts & design
Involves enabling children to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials, as well as providing opportunities and encouragement for sharing their thoughts, ideas and feelings through a variety of activities in art, music, movement, dance, role-play, and design and technology.
We recognise the importance of vocabulary and aim to ensure that children are provided with opportunities throughout the curriculum to broaden the range of language at their disposal. We also understand that the issues children experience in our local community must be acknowledged in order to make the curriculum relevant and memorable.
Children will have the opportunity to listen to many stories and hopefully learn to love books. Once the children have progressed through the BPS pre-reading program involving audio and visual discrimination work, as well as fine and gross motor skills training, and once the child is ready to read, we will use the Oxford Reading Tree scheme.
The Oxford Reading Tree programme is for:
- Pupils in Nursery, Reception and Year 1 who are learning to read and write.
Pupils will learn to:
- Decode letter-sound correspondences quickly and effortlessly, using their phonic
knowledge and skills - Read common exception words on sight
- Understand what they read
- Read aloud with fluency and expression
- Write confidently, with a strong focus on vocabulary and grammar
- Spell quickly and easily by segmenting the sounds in words
- Acquire good handwriting skills.