Subject Areas
Reading at Rickley Park
Early reading:
At Rickley Park, we use Read Write Inc. to teach phonics. Please see our “phonics” section.
Reading lessons:
Once children are starting to read fluently, we use reading VIPERS to plan lessons that
teach children the skills that they need to understand what they are reading. Children will
receive a reading lesson every day.
Writing at Rickley Park At Rickley Park we follow the Read to Write Scheme of Learning from Foundation through to Year 6. Read to Write empowers children's writing through high-quality texts and a wealth of writing opportunities.
At Rickley Park Primary school, we use the highly successful Read Write Inc. programme to teach your child to read, write and spell. This is a government backed phonics scheme designed by Ruth Miskin, which through systematic teaching and consistent routines, will enable your child to achieve high levels of reading success. We believe that reading is key to all learning and we are fully committed to making sure that every child is a reader by the end of key stage one.
Videos
Please see below for videos that Mrs Cole has created, to help explain how our Read Write Inc. lessons are taught and what to expect at each stage of your child’s reading journey.
Resources
Here are some useful resources we have created for you to use with your child at home. If you have any questions or would like guidance on how to use these materials, please contact your child’s class teacher.
At Rickley Park we follow the White Rose Schemes of Learning from Foundation through to Year 6.
What does a typical maths lesson look like at Rickley Park?
Starter- this task relates to prior learning and ensures the children have retained previously taught concepts
Focus- the small step is introduced and modelled to the children
Guided- we practice the learning of the day altogether
Independent- the children demonstrate their understand through carefully planned tasks
At Rickley Park Primary School, we aim to develop a sense of awe, wonder and curiosity towards science and the role it plays in helping us understand the wider world around us. Our learning pathway is designed so that knowledge is revisited, consolidated and built upon to ensure scientific understanding is secure in children’s long-term memories. Key vocabulary and scientific enquiry skills are embedded within each science strand, with children encouraged to question what they learn and understand. As a school, we have a clear vision that science should be independent from topics to ensure that children develop a secure understanding on each concept and strand of knowledge. The process of ‘working scientifically’ underpins our entire science curriculum and we use learning questions as the objective to each lesson. Our aim at Rickley Park Primary School is for our children to develop a passion for science and a secure foundation to continue their scientific journey.
At Rickley Park Primary School, we ensure that our teaching of history is accessible to all. This will maximise the outcomes for every child so that they know more, remember more and understand more. Our history curriculum is taught through our broad and inspiring Imaginative Learning Topics by teaching a range of creative and engaging activities. History will be taught to ensure children are immersed into a global approach to the subject. They will understand how global history has shaped the world to become how it is today. This knowledge of the wider world will inspire them to apply their inquiry skills into finding out why events, people and changes impact the world in which they now live and what implications it may have for the future. E.g. What did the Romans history lessons will allow children to explore and understand how their local community has been developed as a result of past events and influences. Pupils will be given opportunity to question how they play a part in their community and what they can do contribute in a positive way. E.g. How did the success of Bletchley Park impact the community in and around it? Pupils will be given the opportunity to explore and understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change and the diversity of societies. Our history curriculum will allow children to identify the learner they are and want to be. It will celebrate and highlight significant historical individual’s failures and successes and these events were important into shaping the present day. Children will be encouraged to make comparisons to their own personal development and use historical events as influential and inspirational references. Pupils will be encouraged to understand their own identity and the challenges of their time.
At Rickley Park Primary School, we believe that Geography helps to provoke and provide answers to questions about the natural and human aspects of the world. Children are encouraged to develop a greater understanding and knowledge of the world, as well as their place in it. Our curriculum follows the National Curriculum with a focus on knowledge about diverse places, people, resources, and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes. Geography is, by nature, an investigative subject, which develops an understanding of concepts, knowledge, and skills. We seek to inspire in children a curiosity about the world and to promote the children’s interest as well as offer children a range of practical educational experiences. We aim for children to build on prior knowledge and promote a love of learning that will stay with them for the future.
Design and Technology is a subject which offers children the opportunity to get hands on with their learning, work their imagination and creativity, individually and as part of a team. At Rickley Park, we offer the children the chance to design and create something as part of a project where they refine their work and focus on evaluating their it. This gives the children a great sense of achievement. The children become more skilled in how to make something effective which prepares them for the future in a world where technology is constantly improving.
At Rickley Park Primary School, we believe Art and Design should be fully inclusive to every child. We value Art and Design as an important part of the children’s entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum, allowing curiosity, creativity and self-expression to develop alongside resilience, confidence, collaboration and critical thinking skills. Our aims are to fulfil the requirements of the National Curriculum, ensuring the progressive development of knowledge and skills whilst developing the children’s competence in various Art and Design techniques. The skills and knowledge that children will develop throughout each topic are mapped out across each year group and throughout the school to ensure progression. The emphasis on knowledge ensures that children understand the context of the artwork, as well as the artists they are learning about and being inspired by. This enables links to other curriculum areas. A similar focus on skills means that children are given opportunities to express their creative imagination, as well as practise and develop mastery in the key processes of art; drawing, painting, printing, textiles and sculpture. The school’s Art and Design curriculum is supported through the availability of a wide range of quality resources, which are used to support the children’s confidence in the use of different media. In Art and Design, children are encouraged to be reflective and evaluate their work, thinking about how they can make changes to keep improving. Through the implementation of this curriculum, the children are equipped with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design.
At Rickley Park we have created a positive culture which aims to inspire an active and healthy generation, with children who enjoy and understand the many benefits of Physical Education.
We do this by ensuring a safe and nurturing environment, where all children can flourish and push personal boundaries, promoting excellence through sport. A well-balanced, wholly inclusive curriculum allows children to develop and improve their physical skillset, understand the importance of leading active and healthy lifestyles and the positive effect it can have on the mind and well-being.
Every child will aspire to be the best version of themselves, broaden their horizons through sport, fostering a sense of community and belonging, increasing engagement in sport and championing healthy competition and living.
At Rickley Park we teach the whole child.
At Rickley Park, we believe that learning a foreign language adds rich social and cultural experience for our pupils. They develop communication and listening skills that lay the foundation for future language learning. Their knowledge and understanding of how language works develops through exploring differences and similarities between French and English. Learning a language gives an insight into their culture and those of others. The intention of our MFL curriculum is to promote an interest and grow confidence in learning other languages. The essential skills of listening, reading, speaking and writing are developed through a variety of interactive activities. The building of our children’s cultural capital is supported through exploring similarities and differences between cultures. Laying secure foundations in the skills required for future language learning opens up a world of adventure and global possibility.
At Rickley Park Primary School we recognise that music is a way to express and unleash creativity and individuality. It is through a high quality music curriculum that children have the opportunity to be inspired and uplifted. We believe that this curriculum should be available to every child and should engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians whilst, increasing their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement. The music curriculum will be taught through the Kapow scheme of work, alongside each year group's individual topic. Rickley Park Primary School will ensure that all pupils perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians. They will learn to sing and to use their voices, to create and compose on their own and with others. They will have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, use technology appropriately and have the opportunity to progress to the next level of musical excellence. Our children will learn to understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the interrelated dimensions; pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations.
At Rickley Park RSHE goes beyond the timetabled lesson, it is embedded within our whole school culture. As a values-focused school, we demonstrate our understanding of being a good citizen by being:
- Respectful and kind
- Supportive
- Persevering
- Trustworthy
- Honest and courageous
The whole community of Rickley Park accepts these values as being apart of Rickley Park. Due to the importance of our values, RSHE lessons will focus on the school values for the first half term of a new academic year. Each lesson will explore one or two school values, and these are bespoke lessons designed by Rickley Park teachers. The RSHE curriculum delivers the key areas of the National Curriculum: Relationships Education, Physical Health and Mental Wellbeing and Sex Education. At Rickley Park we deepen our understanding of these through specific sub-strands linked to the overall areas. Rickley Park is supported by the resource of Jigsaw Education. RSHE is a fluid subject that is adaptable and changeable depending on the needs of our children. For example, the topic of “Identity” is usually taught in year 6, however if children below year 6 are in need of support in enabling them to fully be themselves, we will move the “Identity” topic to meet their needs. Our RSHE curriculum meets the needs of our pupils. The Rickley Park RSHE curriculum links widely to fundamental British values and the SMSC curriculum. At Rickley Park, RSHE is explored through whole-class discussion and collaborative activities mostly. As part of a whole-school approach and culture, RSHE is seen in the behaviour and personal attitudes of our children around school and through assemblies and other avenues. The RSHE curriculum links personally, locally and globally. Personal links are the key driving force for the RSHE curriculum; how children are developing as themselves. We have local links to the local police officer, who visits in school and discusses areas of our online safety and citizenship curriculum. Our global links are discovering our place in the world, with our diversity and heritage valued and celebrated. We are enabling children to develop into respectful, accepting adults, who make positive contributions to society. In the main we want our children to be happy in themselves and help others to be happy. Happy children are happy learners and happy learners succeed.
At Rickley Park, we deliver the computing curriculum using Purple Mash as our main teaching platform, supplemented by further relevant resources where appropriate. Our computing curriculum is delivered under three golden threads - Computer Science (understanding computers and how they work; understanding algorithms and how to use them for coding and programming, including debugging,) Information Technology (using search engines effectively, using programs to save, share and manipulate data) and Digital Literacy (E-Safety.) We also celebrate Safer Internet Day annually in February and take part in themed activities in all year groups. Purple Mash is an award-winning cross-curricular website for primary school children; it enables them to explore and enhance their knowledge in a fun and creative way and allows for them to continue their learning outside of the school environment. All children have an individual log in for themselves, with parental access too. We have two class sets of 30 chromebooks and a number of laptops that children can use on a 1:1 basis. We are also well resourced with a number of mini-iPads also and are currently researching the possibility of providing devices on a 1:1 basis for all pupils. Keep an eye open for our #wakeupwednesday posts with weekly information and tips for parents and children to stay safe online.
At Rickley Park School we celebrate our diverse community and feel it is important that our teaching and learning of RE provokes challenging questions about the meaning and purpose of life. We will explore beliefs about God, issues of right and wrong, and what it means to be human through the themes of believing, behaving, and belonging. We aim to develop our children’s knowledge and understanding of principal religions and traditions. RE also contributes to our childrens’ personal development and wellbeing and we aim to promote mutual respect and tolerance in society.
Parents can withdraw their child from some or all of religious education (RE) lessons in primary schools. This right is protected under the education act 1996 and applies to all maintained schools, academies, and free schools in England. Before making a decision, parents should consider the purpose of RE, which is to explore different religious and non religious world views , and to help children develop understanding, respect, and critical thinking skills. Parents should contact the school, submit a formal request, and agree on arrangements on how their child's time will be managed during RE lessons. Schools have a duty to supervise students who are withdrawn from RE, but they are not required to provide additional teaching.