Find information about our curriculum on the 'Children - Class Pages' (e.g. Termly Topic Summaries).

There is also lots of useful information and advice in web links on the 'School Community - Parents' area.

Learning at Greentrees

Greentrees is a ‘Learning to Learn’ School

At Greentrees Primary School, we have a ‘Charter for Learning’. This describes the Golden Standards that we strive to achieve in all that we do.

· Relationships are positive – all are valued and shown respect.

· The curriculum is innovative, stimulating, motivating and challenging.

· There is a shared understanding of learning.

· There is good teamwork and communication.

· Everyone knows that they can achieve success.

We hope that by achieving these Golden Standards, children will become self motivated life-long learners, who understand how to learn, and have a range of strategies to support their learning. We believe that every member of the community is a learner, and that adults can model learning behaviours for children.

Building Learning Power

In particular, we try to develop four aspects of children’s learning:

· Resilience – being able to lock on to learning (perseverance, managing distractions, noticing, absorption).

· Resourcefulness – being able to learn in different ways (questioning, making links, reasoning, imagining).

· Reflectiveness – being able to become more strategic about learning (planning, distilling, revising).

· Reciprocity – being able to learn alone and with others (imitation, interdependence, empathy and listening, collaboration).

These dispositions help children to increase their learning capacity.

The Curriculum

The National Curriculum consists of core and other foundation subjects, which must be taught to all pupils of compulsory school age. Greentrees School implements a curriculum that fully meets the requirements of the National Curriculum.

This curriculum is broad and balanced and there is an entitlement for all pupils to have access.

The school curriculum provides opportunities for all pupils to learn and to achieve. It promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and aims to prepare all pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life.

Core Subjects:

English

Mathematics

Science

I.C.T.

Foundation Subjects:

History

Geography

Design Technology

Music

Art and Design

Modern Foreign Language

P.E.

Personal, Social, Health, Education and Citizenship (PSHEC) -This underpins the school curriculum but is also taught as a subject in its own right.

In addition R.E. is taught.

Wherever possible cross-curricular links are made; class groups take a theme or topic as the basis for their studies and are involved in tasks related to the National Curriculum within the bounds of this heading. However this is not always possible and specific subjects will be taught separately when required.

The Core Curriculum

English

Throughout years 1 - 6 we implement the National Literacy Strategy which teaches the skills of speaking and listening, reading and writing. In the Reception class children also follow the literacy strategy within a less formal structure.

We believe in introducing children to the ‘grammar’ of writing as well as encouraging creativity in the use of language. We recognise the important roles of both the teacher and the parent in supporting the development of reading.

Mathematics

We want to encourage children to use numbers confidently in their everyday lives and to use maths in problem solving activities, logical reasoning and to help them to think in abstract ways.

It is topic based within the following Attainment Target Headings:-

* Number

* Shape

* Algebra

* Data Handling

The mathematics curriculum is delivered through the Numeracy Strategy using a variety of mathematical resources including games and computer software.

Science

Science stimulates and excites pupils’ curiosity about phenomena and events in the world around them. It also satisfies this curiosity with knowledge. We aim to teach children to undertake scientific enquiry and to learn about life processes and living things, materials and their properties and physical processes.

We recognise that I.C.T is a tool for the future and the school is very well equipped with a networked computer system. We have a suite of 15 computers in a shared resource area. Each class has at least one computer within the classroom, linked to the network. We make full use of data projectors and interactive white boards.

I.C.T is a very important cross-curricular resource and tool.

Foundation Subjects

Whether these subjects are taught separately, or integrated with each other, they encourage children to become ‘learners’. They teach the children to investigate and explore. It is important that, in addition to learning specific subject knowledge, children become ‘life long learners’. We aim to enable children to access information about their world and to develop a range of skills, through a variety of different ways and media

Primary Strategy

The government promotes ‘Excellence and Enjoyment’ through this new strategy. Schools are being given the freedom to develop a unique curriculum. Greentrees was involved with the Wiltshire LEA ‘Vibrant Schools Project’ (2003 -2005). We have developed a project called ‘Thinking Great Ideas on Fridays’ (TGIF). This aims to develop thinking skills, problem solving and creativity using a collaborative approach and through an integrated curriculum. The children often work in vertical age groups on whole school integrated projects. This project has been very successful and enjoyable; we plan for it to continue.

R.E

Teaching and worship are broadly Christian based, in accordance with the Wiltshire Agreed Syllabus. This reflects the fact that the religious traditions in Great Britain are in the main Christian, whilst taking account of the teaching and practices of the other principal religions represented in Great Britain.

Collective Worship

There is a daily active worship which is led either by the Headteacher, Deputy, class teacher, invited speaker or groups of children. Assemblies are mainly Christian in character.

Parents have the right to withdraw their child from assembly or R.E lessons (ref. DES Circular 3/89, obtainable at school or from the DfES).

Sex and Relationships Education

Sex and Relationships Education is implemented as a natural development of pupils’ needs and interests according to their age and circumstances. It is delivered by the children’s teacher possibly with support from the school nurse, or other agencies, and will evolve throughout the school.

The policy for sex education and relationships is reviewed annually by the Governors working in partnership with the parents and teachers. Parents will be invited to a meeting where the scheme of work is explained. This policy is available on request.

Parents have the right to have their child wholly or partly excused from receiving sex education, except in so far as such education is comprised in the National Curriculum for Science.

Special Educational Needs

Greentrees encourages the participation and inclusion of all children and, in accordance with our Equal Opportunities Policy, this includes those with special educational needs. We aim to provide support for the physically disadvantaged, less able and gifted pupils at all stages.

We fully implement the Code of Practice for Special Educational Needs and our policy is reviewed annually.

Teachers provide appropriate activities and programmes to assist the development of all children in the class. The school can draw upon the help of our Special Needs Co-ordinator, the support and expertise of the Special Needs Support Team, other agencies and other schools within the local area.

The school works in partnership with parents recognising that parents play a key role in the education of their children. We keep parents informed and involved.

Governors report to parents on the implications of the school’s policy for pupils with special educational needs in the Annual Report to Parents.

The school environment is designed to be accessible to all.

Swimming

Children in year 3 have school swimming lessons at the Salisbury ‘5 Rivers Pool’ throughout the year. There is a subsidised voluntary charge for this activity. Lessons are on a Tuesday afternoons from 2.30 p.m. – 3.00 p.m.