Key Stage 2
During their time in Key Stage 2 the children continue to access the curriculum using a range of topics, each typically studied over the course of one half term. Science, Art, Computing, Design and Technology, History, Geography, Music, PE, RE and Personal Development are all included at an appropriate level in addition to Literacy and Maths.
As well as aiming to create confident learners, we also aspire to encourage children’s self-esteem, communication and social skills both through their everyday learning and in focused activities.
Our creative, personalised curriculum centres on a different theme each half term and learning is designed to be meaningful, purposeful and engaging. The topics studied across Key Stage 2 are:
- Ancient Greece
- The local area
- Castles
- Chocolate
- The Second World War
- The Vikings and Anglo Saxons
- Raw Materials and the World
- The Rainforest – South America
- The Mayans
- The Stone Age
- The Victorians
- The Romans
- Volcanoes, Earthquakes and Tsunamis
- Potions
Through this thematic cycle we deliver cross-curricular learning opportunities for each child to develop their skills whilst providing a wealth of opportunities to engage, practise, rehearse and make links between their learning.
Where possible, we aim to incorporate our English lessons into these topics, to fully immerse the children. In English, we cover a range of text types from non-fiction writing such as information leaflets to non-chronological reports. The children learn how to write fictional stories which include different settings, characters and plots. Throughout Key Stage 2 the children continue to develop their understanding of grammar and sentence structure, from using capital letters and full stops to including subordinate clauses to add detail.
We encourage our children to become independent and confident readers. They acquire skills that enable them to find details from what they have read, as well as inferring information and communicating their own opinions. We continue to use the Oxford Reading Tree programme.
Key Stage 2 Maths covers a wide range of areas. The children continue to develop their knowledge and understanding of number including multiplication, division and place value. We encourage children to learn mental methods of working as well as written ones. The children learn how to collect and represent data in different ways and both 2D and 3D shapes are studied in more detail using the correct Mathematical language.
In Science the children study a variety of subjects from light, space, forces, electricity, rocks and minerals to keeping healthy and animals. The children learn how to set up a fair experiment, gather results and question what they have learnt. The emphasis throughout all their learning is on having enjoyable hands-on experiences that allow them to broaden their knowledge, make progress and achieve.
The children begin to learn Spanish in Key Stage 2. Spanish culture is covered and the children learn vocabulary and simple phrases such as how to greet people and introduce themselves, together with the countries where Spanish is spoken.
In RE and PSHCE (Personal and Social Health and Citizenship Education) we aim to help children develop the skills to communicate their likes and dislikes, manage conflict and understand that people are different in a variety of ways and how to accept this. The children learn how to take turns, engage in conversations, respect other people’s beliefs and opinions and accept when things may not go how they would like. We encourage and support children to learn how to look after themselves and to take responsibility for their own environment, actions and health. In addition, we work to develop their emotional understanding and help them learn how to respectfully express their likes and dislikes.
For more information on any aspect of our curriculum, please contact us.