Curriculum

General Overview

The National Curriculum is a set of subjects and standards used by all primary schools in England so that all children learn the same things. It covers what subjects are taught and the standards children should reach in each subject. From September 2014 a new National Curriculum has been delivered in all Primary Schools. Follow this link to the Department of Education website to see the full description of what children are expected to learn during their time in school. 

What does the curriculum look like at Lythe School?

Our school curriculum is the environment in which we operate - it encompasses the National Curriculum plus all the other things that are taught and experienced at Lythe School.  It serves our children and the communities from which they come and helps us live out our Vision Statement and Mission Statement. Our model of planning started with extensive discussions about our purposes and values and you can see our intent for each subject of the curriculum by clicking here - this lays out why these subjects are important for the children at our school and how we envisage the subjects helping children flourish in every way.

We use the Cornerstones Curriculum planning for Years 1 to 6 to provide a clear progression of skills and knowledge in each subject and ensure high expectations while allowing children to develop their individual interests and strengths.   We encourage and support teachers to be as free as possible to use their own experiences and professional skills - high quality teaching, and teacher professional development, is essential to this and part of the school development plan.

As part of our recovery from the lockdown years, we have planned to do fewer things in greater depth so that we have the greatest impact on learning: children will know and understand things and be able to apply them.

We depart from the Cornerstones Curriculum for some subjects:

RE is an important part of helping every child to flourish and to live life in all its fullness. (John 10:10). It helps educate for dignity and respect, encouraging all to live well together.  It is taught at Lythe using the North Yorkshire Agreed Syllabus.  

PHSE We use the PHSE Scheme of work published by the PHSE Association, taking a thematic approach to suit our mixed-age classes. Teaching and assessment take place as discrete lessons as well as through subjects such as science (topics such as puberty are covered in both PHSE and as part of the science curriculum).  RSE has been compulsory from September 2021 and our policy can be seen by clicking here.

Maths is taught using the White Rose Maths scheme of work and resources - this is a Mastery approach, which means that children have time to think deeply about maths concepts to develop a true understanding, rather than learning rote procedures.

Children in Nursery and Reception follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Statutory Framework. 

We keep you up to date with what is happening in classes via our weekly school newsletter, and further information about what is being taught in each year group each term can be obtained by contacting your child's teacher.

Phonics and Reading at Lythe School

The new National Curriculum ensures that all children are taught phonics systematically and Lythe School uses the Read Write Inc. programme of study to introduce sounds and letter formation. This starts by teaching children just one way of reading and spelling the English sounds that make up words; they then move on to reading books that are carefully matched to the spelling sounds that they have just been taught. When children are confident with this, they then learn more ways to spell the different sounds. Children learn a good handwriting style and are encouraged to use their skills to have a go at spelling longer words.  There are some great videos for parents on the Read Write Inc. website which describe ways of helping your child at home.

All children undertake the national phonics screening check in Year 1. The purpose of this is to check whether pupils have learned phonic skills as above to an appropriate standard, and to identify any children who need extra help to improve their phonics skills. Read Write Inc. materials are used in Year 2 to help children make accelerated progress where needed.

Once children have completed the Read Write Inc programme they move into Guided Reading in their class - this may be a whole-class or small group approach.  Teaching focuses on developing really sound phonic decoding and fluency as an essential basis for good comprehension and teachers ensure that the children have good "reading mileage"  - this means that they spend as long as possible each day actively reading words, both in Reading lessons and across the curriculum. Knowledge of vocabulary and grammar are used to support both reading and writing.

Children select reading books from banded scheme books to help them find books with suitable vocabulary and content that they can use their developing phonics skills to enjoy independently or practise reading with adult support.  They are also encouraged to take any book from the library shelves to enjoy  - we do not restrict choices as being "too hard" or "too easy," but encourage children to use their developing skills to tackle these, and families to share and enjoy these books with their children.

Reporting your child's progress

 Years 1 -6: Parents' consultation evenings are held three times a year and you will be informed of your child's progress towards their targets.  At the end of Year 2 and Year 6 children will take part in national SATs tests in reading, writing and maths (writing is assessed internally by the teacher and may be moderated externally), which show their achievement compared to national expectations, along with the progress they have made during their time in school.

Early Years: Children in EYFS (Acorn Class) are continuously assessed, and progress in all aspects of your child's development is reported regularly and frequently using the Tapestry online platform, which encourages parents and teachers to work in harmony to share information and celebrate achievement.  We use In The Moment Planning, which allows staff to put a strong focus on a selected number of children each week. Parents are invited to share additional information before their child's focus week, and to attend a consultation meeting at the end of the week to discuss.

Your support for your child’s education is crucial to their progress.  Please tell us if there are any adjustments we need to make to help you support your child, for example: letters in large font; letters in different languages; wheelchair access; explaining things over the phone; a discussion with a school colleague of the same gender.