EYFS
The first curriculum your child will encounter when starting at Maxwell School is the
Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum (EYFS). In Early years the children learn through free flow activities which are planned by the class teacher.
The EYFS works within four key principles:
New building Primary Annex | Calle Alfonso Rodriguez Santamaria, 3 | 28002 Madrid
The curriculum is divided into seven areas, three prime and four specific areas.
| Three Prime Areas | Four Specific Areas |
|---|---|
| Personal, Social and Emotional Development | Literacy |
| Communication and Language | Mathematics |
| Physical Development | Understanding the world and Expressive Arts |
| Expressive Arts |
Kate
We follow child led topics, listening to the children interests and ideas. Alongside this we also learn through theme and topic work which are set out below. We love to go on visits and also welcome visitors into school to enhance the curriculum.
KS1 AND KS2
Literacy
At Maxwell School we follow the 2014 National Curriculum for Literacy. The Literacy curriculum consists of 4 main learning areas:
- Reading
- Writing
- Speaking and listening
- Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation (SPAG)
Curriculum Overview
The children have 1 hour of Literacy a day, as well as 20 minutes of Spelling, grammar and punctuation (SPAG) and 20 minutes of guided reading several times a week.
Our phonics teaching follows the Read, Write, Inc. scheme.
Children are exposed to and taught to write a variety of different genres of writing such as:
- Narrative texts
- Poetry
- Persuasive texts
- Story writing
- Instructions
- Traditional Tales
- Non-chronological reports
Numeracy
At Maxwell School we follow the 2014 National Curriculum for Numeracy. The Numeracy curriculum consists of 6 main learning areas:
- Number and Place value
- Addition and Subtraction
- Multiplication and Division
- Fractions
- Measure and Shape
- Position and Direction
Children are taught Numeracy for an hour a day, they are taught within their classes and work is differentiated accordingly.
At Maxwell School we like to adopt a hands on approach to Numeracy where the children are given opportunities to experience their mathematical learning through practical activities and investigations.
CLIFF SEABROOK - Director
Maxwell School has a variety of independent and guided reading books. The books are grouped and the children work through the bands as they become more proficient. Children are encouraged to change their book daily.
Foundation Subjects
The foundation subject curriculum involves the teaching of Science, Geography, Art, and Design and Technology. We cover these subjects through topic based work where each year group has a topic for the term, each of these foundation subjects are taught through the theme of the topic.
How we teach Reading and Phonics
Read Write Inc
From Nursery we teach a Read Write session for half an hour a day. The children in Nursery and Reception are grouped according to their ability within the class. Children from Year 1 onwards are put into small groups (from 4-10 children) by their “stage not age”. The sessions consist of explicit teaching of synthetic phonics and blending of sounds to read words. The children also have a book to read and discuss over several days. When the children reach the expected standard for Year 2 in reading they have completed the program and begin to do spelling, punctuation, grammar and reading lessons.
Phonics Screening Check
From 2012 a National Phonics Screening Check has been introduced. Year 1 children’s ability to read and blend sounds is assessed and submitted in the summer term. Children who do not pass the phonics screening check then receive extra support in year 2 and are re-tested in the summer term.
HOMEWORK
A good, well-managed homework programme helps pupils to develop the independent learning skills they need for successful lifelong learning. We are grateful for parental support in organising homework.
Typically, we expect that pupils will spend no more than half an hour to 45 minutes given the year group:
Reading at home for fifteen minutes each evening and discuss books with adults or older siblings
Learning multiplication tables and spellings each week
Practising skills including handwriting, writing, numeracy or reading comprehension
Be asked to complete their class work at home if they have not been able to finish it during class time
Doing investigations
Doing additional, more extensive homework tasks in Year 6 to help them prepare for secondary school
ASSESSMENT
From September 2015, the UK Government has made significant changes in the way that children in schools are to be assessed. This is to tie in with the New National Curriculum that was introduced in 2016.
We have implemented a called ‘Target Tracker’ system, which is used in 1 in 5 primary sector schools in England. ‘Target Tracker’ has been developed to ensure that the useful elements of the outgoing levels system are retained, ensuring data from school to pupil level is presented and recorded with clarity and consistency.
Tracking Attainment and Progress with Steps
To track pupil attainment we have utilised a system of steps. This performs the function of communicating progression and attainment in a simple format that may be aggregated to produce reports of overall and average progress. This is based on a carefully considered logical approach to assessment and follows on from the assessment system we have in Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).
The terminology has been selected for consistency and clarity but also to avoid any suggested judgement when describing the attainment of pupils working below the expected band for their year group.
Each year band has been broken down into six steps:
- Beginning (B)
- Beginning + (B+)
- Working Within (W)
- Working Within + (W+)
- Secure (S)
- Secure + (S+)
We would love to hear from you
We’d be happy to answer your questions about Maxwell. Provide your contact info and we’ll be in touch.
