Primary School

Welcome to the Primary Information Page

Literacy is embedded in all areas of the curriculum. It encompasses speaking and listening, reading and writing which are all closely intertwined.

Speaking and Listening

Speaking and listening skills are fundamental to progress in other areas of the curriculum and to the general emotional and intellectual development of the child. Relationships are established inside and outside the school through the ability to communicate thoughts, ideas and feelings. All teachers are responsible for the development of speaking and listening skills across the curriculum, in collaboration with Speech and Language Therapists. Pupils with specific speech, language and auditory problems have their needs identified and supported through their EHCP’s. Individual Education Plans (IEPs) are written to meet individual needs as our students progress through the school. Specialist help is sought and Information Communication Technology (ICT) will be used: iPads, computers and communication devices – to enrich their communication skills and soft Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) systems such as Pragmatic Organisation Dynamic Display (PODD).  In addition Makaton, Colourful Semantics and visual symbols are used within the classroom and school to support understanding and expression. 

Reading

The school uses a variety of approaches when teaching reading. One of our first goals is to encourage the “love” of books through sharing stories both individually and as a class. Children are encouraged to take  books home to read or share with an adult.

Throughout the school we use a synthetic phonic approach to develop reading. All children are set into phonic groups so that learning can be more systematic and target the children’s needs.

However, it is recognised that synthetic phonics is only one strategy in teaching reading therefore a range of other strategies are taught alongside this.

We have a  wide range of reading schemes which are levelled according to difficulty (book banding) from the Reading Zone. These books are used to give the pupils the opportunity to continue developing their reading skills with text which have appropriate vocabulary and sentence structure including both fiction and non-fiction.

Writing

Writing occurs in all areas of the curriculum.

We provide a creative curriculum enabling all students to engage in writing. The child’s writing is highly valued and celebrated. Children are supported to understand the need to develop skills in mark making, spelling, punctuation and grammar whilst finding writing tasks relevant and stimulating. They have opportunities to produce writing for a range of purposes. Students are encouraged to develop a wide vocabulary in order to express their feelings and ideas.

INTRODUCTION

This guidance outlines the purpose, nature and management of the mathematics taught and learnt in our school.

Gosden House uses a variety of approaches in supporting the teaching and learning of mathematics, including Numicon. This is a multi-sensory approach to children’s mathematical learning that focuses on three essential elements; doing mathematics, communicating mathematically and exploring relationships to enable generalisation. We aim to facilitate learners’ understanding and enjoyment of mathematics through using visual imagery to support comprehension of abstract number ideas.

Numicon, was introduced as an approach to teaching at Gosden House School, in September 2017, following extensive training for all teachers and support staff. Regular training updates are provided on an on-going basis for new / existing staff and each class has appropriate resources.

RATIONALE

Mathematics is essential in everything we construct, everything we calculate and almost every problem that we have to solve in our everyday lives.  The early concepts of Mathematics grow out of concrete and practical experience.  As a school, we are aiming for learners to develop the flexibility and fluency required for confidence in mathematical literacy, so that learning is functional and contributes to their daily success. This aim demands learners are enabled to make connections between learning experiences, supporting later problem solving and independence.

AIMS

Through the Mathematics curriculum, adapted from the National Curriculum, we aim to ensure:

• Learners are taught the key content, in a creative, cross-curricular way with significant practical activity, allowing children to work at a level appropriate to their ability rather than their age, to improve outcomes and raise standards of achievement.
• Learners develop the flexibility and fluency required for confidence in mathematical literacy, so that learning is functional and contributes to their daily success. Children’s future chances of adult independence rely on their ability to use mathematics for modern life.              
• Learners are encouraged to develop the use of mathematical language and use talk to support thinking mathematically, recognizing the importance of dialogue, between both pupils and teachers and between peers, in making meaning.
• Learners are provided with opportunities to generalise learning across the curriculum.
• Learners have the opportunity to use concrete images and structured apparatus to help discover patterns and make generalisations, of often-abstract concepts, supporting development of conceptual understanding alongside procedural competence.
• Learners have the confidence and opportunity to discuss and reflect on what they have learned.
• Learners enjoy their learning and celebrate their progress.

PRINCIPLES

The principles guiding teaching and learning of Mathematics at Gosden House are:

• Mathematics is accessible for all pupils regardless of gender, race, cultural and social background           
• All pupils have the opportunity to succeed through a personalised approach, whatever their individual needs, building the self-belief necessary to achieve in the face of challenge or difficulty. 
• Action, imagery and conversation are implicit in ‘learning to do mathematics’.
• Staff have high expectations and provide opportunities for all pupils to progress
• Informal and formal assessment of pupils allows individual targets to be set, ensuring emergent skills are developed

STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING

A variety of teaching styles and approaches are used which ensure:

• Mathematical targets are broken down into small achievable steps        
• Teaching and learning organised in one to one, pairs, small group or whole class lessons, responds to the needs of the learners.                                                                            
• Teaching and learning activities are differentiated and individualised through the provision of diverse resources, contexts and teaching approaches, as required.
• Use of visual resources and Makaton support comprehension of language in the mathematics classroom.
• Use of ICT supports independent learning activity, of particular importance within the Secondary school.

Development within the Primary school

Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage1

The focus on teaching and learning Mathematics within the Foundation Stage is on giving opportunities for learners to gain an understanding of key mathematical concepts in the first years of school, through play and structured teaching. Brain research suggests that direct action, physical and intellectual engagement with experiences, in addition to problem solving and repetition, ensures that synapses – our brain’s wiring – become stronger (Bruce 2004).

Children will investigate and build learning and understanding of early, crucial concepts, essential to the development of later mathematical competence including;

• Attributes – including size, shape and colour
• Categories – classifying (sorting or grouping) items based on a single or several attributes.
• Sequences and patterns
• Comparisons – understanding comparative concepts, including quantity, size, order and position.
• Learning number words- a list of words that must be kept in the correct order
• Learning numerals- learning to link spoken number words to written numerals

Key Stage 2

In developing early number and calculation skills, learners will encounter teaching and learning activities designed to establish a secure foundation in basic, essential procedures and concepts, including:

• Linking quantities to numbers- learning that number words and numerals represent quantities
• Learning all the stages in developing secure counting skills
• Learning “how many”- that we count to find out how many items we have and that when we count all of the items the last number word we say tells us how many
• Learning the cardinal principle – learning to give a smaller quantity from a bigger set
• Learning ordinality – that each number’s position in the counting sequence is fixed and that each next number is one more equal unit
• Recognising the relative sizes of and relationship between numbers – for example, that 9 is bigger than 5 and that 4 is twice as big as 2
• Learning quantity words and concepts and applying them to numbers – understanding the words used for the comparisons of sets – for example, same/different, more/less, bigger/smaller
• Understanding approaches to calculating and recording addition and subtraction

Specific teaching and learning of additional topics in mathematics will support pupils to develop skills and understanding in a variety of concepts, including:

• Daily routines and time
• Money exchange and the value of coins.
• Awareness of similarities and differences in shape, space and measures

Key Stage 3

Within KS3 learners continue to develop and embed early number and calculation skills. They will encounter teaching and learning activities designed to establish a secure understanding of the value of number, the four basic operations, in addition to measurement, geometry and statistics. KS3 looks at combining number skills and knowledge with life skills and the practical elements needed in day-to-day life. There is a heavy focus on both money and time. The curriculum includes:

• Linking quantities to numbers- learning that number words and numerals represent quantities
• Learning all the stages in developing secure counting skills: forwards, backwards and skip counting
• Using dienes and other resources to understand the value of place value in number
• Recognising the relative value of and relationship between numbers of varying value
• Learning quantity words and concepts and applying them to numbers – understanding the words used for the comparisons of sets – for example, same/different, more/less, bigger/smaller
• Understanding approaches to calculating and recording addition and subtraction
• Learning what the language in questions mean, in relation to which operation, e.g. altogether means the total so you will either add or multiply, less means subtract etc.
• Understanding time and timetables
• Understanding different shapes and how they relate
• Understanding basic statistics and read / create graphs and complete surveys

Specific teaching and learning of additional topics in mathematics will support pupils to develop skills and understanding of a variety of concepts, including:

• Daily and weekly routines, times, reading different timetables etc
• Money exchange and the value of coins, notes and calculating change
• Awareness of similarities and differences in shape, space and measures
• Understanding and purpose of graphs and tables

Key Stage 4

Key Stage 4 follows the Edexcel Functional Skills curriculum, predominantly at the Entry Level stages, however some pupils work up to Level 1. We focus teaching around skills that will benefit our Gosden Graduates, in all aspects of life. The curriculum focuses on functional application of skills and understanding, with all pupils given the opportunity to take exams in both Year 10 and Year 11. Students have the opportunity to leave us with both recognised maths qualifications at their appropriate level, in addition to the relevant life skills to use maths in their day-to-day life.

The curriculum includes:

• Practical applications of number including fractions, rounding, money, percentages and number facts.
• Handling data including surveys, tally charts, graphs, spreadsheets, organising by category and reading different information sources such as prices in a holiday brochure or on a menu.
• Measure and geometry including weight, money, time and space.

The Primary Curriculum Overviews 

All primary curriculum areas are organised within our Primary Toolkit.  We feel that this supports meaningful and relevant learning opportunities for our pupils.  The Toolkit includes:

Personal Development Journeys at Gosden House School

The curriculum at Gosden House including PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education) is built around key ‘life tools’ that we believe our pupils need in their ‘Toolboxes’ to prepare them to lead fulfilling and productive lives now and in the future. The PSHE curriculum is built around the following key ‘life tools’ that we feel are essential for our pupils’ personal development and are embedded into our PSHE curriculum.

 PSHE PRIMARY TOOL                                                                    

PSHE SECONDARY TOOLS

The school’s PSHE curriculum is also guided by the PSHE Association’s Programme of Study (PoS). This policy is to be read in conjunction with the school’s RSE, SMSC and Relational Support Policy, Careers & Qualifications Guidance and the Primary & Secondary Toolkit (which are available on the school website).

At Gosden House School PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education) is a planned programme of learning where our learners acquire the knowledge, understanding and skills they need to keep themselves healthy and safe. It provides our learners with essential building blocks in order for them to develop healthy, respectful relationships, focusing on family and friendships, in all contexts, including online.

As part of our whole school approach, our bespoke PSHE curriculum provides the building blocks to develop the qualities, skills and attributes that our learners need to manage opportunities, challenges and responsibilities as they grow up, enabling them to thrive as individuals, family members and members of society. We feel passionately that our PSHE curriculum needs to teach our pupils to stay safe and healthy and build self-esteem, resilience and empathy now and for in the future.

PSHE is delivered through a Spiral Curriculum approach which gradually introduces new and more challenging learning within our three core themes, whilst building on what has gone before, which reflect and meets the personal developmental needs of our learners.

The spiral approach to delivering our PSHE spiral curriculum has three key principles. The three principles are:

1. Cyclical: Pupils should return to the same topic a number of times throughout their learning journey whilst at Gosden House.
2. Increasing Depth: Each time a pupils returns to the topic it should be revisited, reinforced and extended in age and stage appropriate contexts.
3. Prior Knowledge: A pupil’s prior knowledge should be used when a topic is returned to so that they build from their foundations rather than starting anew.

We believe at Gosden House that PSHE is an essential core subject. Learning time in individual classrooms that is allocated specifically to PSHE is very flexible based around the needs of the learners but is never less than 60 minutes of discrete PSHE time per week.

Pupil progress in PSHE is monitored rigorously both through the recognised assessment tool ‘B squared’ and our EVISENSE system that records and celebrate students ongoing personal development journeys. The PSHE curriculum is planned and assessed by teachers through three overlapping and linked Core Themes: ‘Health, Lifestyle & Wellbeing, My World and the Wider World’ (which incorporates Citizenship and R.E); ‘Keeping Safe’; and ‘Me and My Relationships (including careers).

Pupil self-assessment opportunities in PSHE is being developed further this academic year (20-21) including the use of before and after mind maps, Happy & Healthy pupils’ journals, and pupil voice and self-reflection on EVISENSE.

Pupils are also involved in helping the school evaluate, mould and develop the PSHE education programme each year through the ‘Healthy School’ Questionnaire.

The planned PSHE curriculum is enriched daily through wider learning opportunities and filters learners’ developing skills throughout many aspects of school life. It is also enriched with targeted interventions to meet the specific social & emotional needs of individuals, including the setting of IEP targets linked to outcomes in EHCPS, the use of Zones of Regulation, Thrive interventions, and students working towards and tracking their personal progress by  collecting Key ‘Life Tools’ as part of rewarding and recognising personal achievements.

A Yearly Curriculum Overview is sent at the beginning of each academic year to inform parents about what pupils are learning about in PSHE and is also available on the website.

You can find some of the overviews relevant to your child’s class  in the link below:

View Primary Curriculum Overview

Our Primary Team and Class Groups