Curriculum

The New National Curriculum 2014 applies to pupils of compulsory school age in maintained schools. At St Theresa’s we cover the following stages:

Early Years and Foundation stage: Ages 3-5 (Nursery and Reception)
Key Stage 1: Ages 5-7 (Years 1-2)
Key Stage 2: Ages 7-11 (Years 3-6)

For each subject and for each key stage, programmes of study set out what pupils should be taught, and attainment targets set out the expected standards of pupils’ performance.

At St. Theresa’s, as a general rule, literacy and numeracy lessons are taught in the morning and take place on a daily basis. Furthermore children read or take part in lessons in which reading skills are taught every day. Examples of this include guided reading, group reading, reading 1:1 with an adult, peer reading, and most importantly phonics. The afternoon sessions are allocated to the variety of other subjects set out in the national curriculum.

What is the Cornerstones Curriculum?

The Cornerstones Curriculum is a creative and thematic approach to learning that is mapped to the 2014 Primary National Curriculum to ensure comprehensive coverage of national expectations. Our new curriculum will be delivered through Imaginative Learning Projects (ILPs) which will provide a rich menu of exciting and motivating learning activities that make creative links between all aspects of our children’s learning.

We believe children learn better when they are encouraged to use their imagination and apply their learning to engaging contexts. Our new curriculum will provide lots of learning challenges throughout the academic year that will require children to solve problems, apply themselves creatively and express their knowledge and understanding effectively across the curriculum.

Cornerstones also provide a rigorous essential skills framework that outlines the end of year expectations in all subjects. These essential skills are tied to activities and are age related so that staff can track children’s progress and identify their individual learning needs.

How it Works

Children will progress through four stages of learning in each ILP – Engage, Develop, Innovate and Express. To find out more about these stages please click on the link through to Cornerstones website: Why Cornerstones?

Computing
Art
P.S.H.E
English
R.E
Music
Design

Science
History
Modern Foreign Languages
P.E
Geography
Maths

In Key Stage 1, we use ‘Little Wandle’ to teach phonics. Reading books are carefully graded by reading levels using national guidance known as book bands. Books are selected from a variety of different reading schemes with confidence, knowing that they are the right level for your child. Some of the schemes we use at St. Theresa’s are: Oxford Reading Tree, Big Cat, Bug Club and Project Code X.

Our faith is integral to everything we do and Catholicism is incorporated into all aspects of our school life. Nevertheless, we also teach two and a half hours of religious education each week which includes looking at other faiths.