"Leaders plan the curriculum to provide pupils with a broad range of experiences that support their learning and personal development. Pupils have many opportunities to take part in a wide range of sporting and creative activities. The school's values are deeply embedded in the curriculum and ethos. As a result, pupils behave well and respect each other." (Ofsted 2018)

Curriculum Intent

At The Grange Community Infant School, the children are at the centre of everything we do. Our ambitious curriculum is broad and balanced ensuring both knowledge and skills are being taught systematically with a clear understanding of the curriculum provision in and beyond the classroom. We place a large emphasis on the teaching of Reading and vocabulary development as these are fundamental to our children succeeding and being ready for the next stage of their education. We aim to develop an inclusive curriculum that prepares children for the world of tomorrow. As an Infant school we are committed to a Values-based Education (including British Values) so that pupils can develop as successful life-long learners.

Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)

In Reception the teaching and learning is based around the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum which is followed in most pre-school settings. This is specifically designed to meet the needs of our youngest learners. We provide an environment that is rich and stimulating with well planned, purposeful activities designed to engage the children.

Children  have a natural curiosity for learning and we encourage them to broaden their experiences through a range of practical activities. We structure and model the language for learning when the children are enjoying exploring new concepts and ideas.

All children have a Learning Journal. We hope to collaborate with you on recording evidence of your child’s learning at home. At The Grange we place great importance on supporting the Reception children as they begin their learning journey through school. In addition to our well-resourced classrooms called Ladybirds, Owls and Hedgehogs, the children's learning opportunities and experiences are extended through the outside classroom area. We offer a range of structured and well-planned activities both inside and outside balanced between adult-led and  child-initiated.

We continuously measure the progress and success that children make towards the Early Learning Goals.  We share targets with parents every term so that children's learning can be consolidated. Achievements are reported to parents in July.The stage reached in all areas of learning for all 17 Early Learning Goals is reported. This is described as emerging or expected. (See Early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework)

Key Stage 1- Year One and Year Two

Across the school we use a variety and range of teaching styles. Learning and teaching take place in the inside and outside environment sometimes as a whole class, small group or individually.

Our Year 1 and 2 children enjoy learning through a cross curricular topic based approach.  During the year the children cover the National Curriculum through a range of exciting learning experiences.

All children make good progress because teachers carefully monitor children’s learning and ensure that next steps are appropriate for each child.

English

Phonics and Early Reading

We are passionate about the teaching of Reading and we aim to ensure that all children can read at an age-appropriate level by the time they move onto Junior School. 

Teaching of Phonics

We follow the Little Wandle Letters & Sounds Revised phonics programme to teach phonics and early reading.  This scheme has been validated by the Department for Education.  Children in Reception and Year 1 take part in a daily phonics lesson, learning new phonemes throughout the week and then they have a review lesson at the end of the week to embed this new learning.  Any children in Year 2 who require support with phonics are taught daily using the same programme.  There are a number of resources available to support parents and carers with Phonics at home.  These can be found here:

For parents - Letters and Sounds (littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk) – full details of the programme used and some support videos.

Glossary of terms used in Phonics

Phase 2 – Sounds taught in Reception Autumn 1

Phase 2 – Sounds taught in Reception Autumn 2

Phase 3 – Sounds taught in Reception Spring 1

For a breakdown of the Phonics progression across the school and to see what is covered when, please click below:

Progression Overview

Teaching of Reading

Children on the Little Wandle Programme take part in group reading sessions three times a week.  The same book is used for the three sessions but each session has a different focus.  Session 1 – Decoding, Session 2 – Prosody and Session 3 – Fluency.  At the end of the week, the children take this same book home to show their grown ups at home how well they are doing.  Children are assessed half termly to ensure the books they read are closely matched to their phonic knowledge.  Children in Year 2 who have completed the Little Wandle Programme also take part in group reading sessions on a weekly basis. 

We also ensure that children are exposed to a range of high quality children’s literature during class story times and as part of their English lessons.  Children have the chance to both listen to and read these books themselves.  Listening to challenging texts slightly higher than their ability enables children to learn new vocabulary and build their comprehension skills.  This new vocabulary will also feed into children’s writing. 

Reading at Home

Although your child will be taught to read at school, you can have a huge impact on their reading journey by continuing their practice at home. There are two types of reading book that your child will bring home:

• A reading practice book. This will be at the correct phonic stage for your child. They should be able to read this fluently and independently. This book has been carefully matched to your child’s current reading level. If your child is reading it with little help, please don’t worry that it’s too easy – your child needs to develop fluency and confidence in reading. Listen to them read the book. Remember to give them lots of praise – celebrate their success! If they can’t read a word, read it to them. After they have finished, talk about the book together.

• A sharing book. Your child will not be able to read this on their own. In order to encourage your child to become a lifelong reader, it is important that they learn to read for pleasure. The sharing book is a book they have chosen for you to enjoy together. Please remember that you shouldn’t expect your child to read this alone. Read it to or with them. Discuss the pictures, enjoy the story, predict what might happen next, use different voices for the characters, explore the facts in a non-fiction book. The main thing is that you have fun!

We are passionate about reading for pleasure and we encourage children to read a range of texts and genres.  The best way to do this is to visit the library. Children are familiar with New Haw library as we take each class there during the school year. 

For ideas of high quality texts to read with your child please see the links below:

Reception - https://www.booksfortopics.com/booklists/recommended-reads/reception/

Year 1 - https://www.booksfortopics.com/booklists/recommended-reads/year-1/

Year 2 - https://www.booksfortopics.com/booklists/recommended-reads/year-2/

Diversity

The Grange Community Infant School is a diverse and inclusive school.  We ensure the texts we have available in school represent the diversity of our school community.  The books we share with the children celebrate difference and teach the children the importance of respecting one another as individuals.  We also use books to promote British Values in assemblies, story times and as part of the curriculum.

Here is a selection of texts which represent our school and wider community: 

As well as everything mentioned above, we try to celebrate reading and promote Reading for Pleasure in many other ways.  These include:

• Weekly Reading Award in Celebration Assembly on a Friday – Awarded to a child for showing determination, enthusiasm or for making excellent progress in their Reading
• Summer Reading Challenge – We invite the local library to come in to lead an assembly promoting the Summer Reading Challenge.  The children are all encouraged to sign up and complete this.  We then hold an assembly after the Summer Holiday to congratulate and celebrate all those children who managed to complete it.
• Dad’s and Grandad’s Reading Afternoon – Each term we invite Dad’s and Grandad’s into school to join in a story telling session with their child.  This enables children to see male role models enjoying books and reading.  At our Spring 2024 session we hosted 67 Dad’s and Grandad’s!
• Book Week – We join in with World Book Day and build a whole week of book related learning around it.  We hold competitions, invite visitors such as authors or theatre groups and encourage the children to complete some ‘Book Week Bingo’ home learning.

Writing 

In Reception, children take part in a range of activities to develop their fine motor skills. During the year they are taught how to correctly form their letters and how to apply their phonic knowledge to write simple words and sentences.  This work is continued in Year 1 with the expectation that by the end of the year children can write simple sentences correctly using a capital letter and a full stop.  This work is then built on in Year 2 with writing becoming more detailed.  When the children are able to correctly form their letters in a neat and legible style they will be taught how to join their handwriting. Children learn to write for a range of purposes and audiences.  They learn through writing stories, poems, lists, recounts to name just a few.

Spoken Language and Vocabulary

We aim for children to become clear, fluent and confident speakers and our children take part in many presentations and school performances.  Good listening is developed in many ways such as listening to stories being read or discussion in learning circles.

Maths

Mathematics teaches children how to make sense of the world around them through developing their ability to calculate, reason and solve problems.

Mathematics is essential to everyday life, critical to science, technology and engineering, and necessary for financial literacy and most forms of employment. A high-quality mathematics education therefore provides a foundation for understanding the world, the ability to reason mathematically, an appreciation of the beauty and power of mathematics, and sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject. At the Grange we teach Maths mastery. Children work in mixed ability classes without the need for setting. All children are taught one concept until most of the class get it. Small steps are used within each unit of learning and intervention and support is given at the point of need. The thinking is to 'go slow to go fast' to eliminate the need to research later on. This approach believes that every child can master an understanding and love of maths with the right kind of teaching and support. Its philosophy follows the CPA approach (Concrete, Pictorial, Abstract) which is a highly effect method of teaching that develops a deep and sustainable understanding of maths.  

Religious Education

RE is a compulsory component of the curriculum in all schools and at The Grange is taught in accordance with the Surrey Syllabus. At each Key Stage, teachers may draw from other religions and viewpoints, as appropriate to recognise and celebrate the diversity of the school community, especially those views represented in their own class. Whilst R.E encourages the understanding  of difference and diversity within and across religions it is important that mainstream views and practices predominate through the units studied. 

In Reception children are taught RE through the topics of 'Specialness', 'Celebration' and 'Belonging' based upon children's own lives and experiences. Christianity and other religions and beliefs represented in their own class are introduced.

Key Stage One follow the Surrey Syllabus Units and are introduced to aspects of Judaism and Islam and  consider non-religious views. 

All children are engaged in comparative topics where they discuss big questions such as 'Who looks after our world?' and 'What can we learn from stories?'

All pupils, unless parents have requested that they should be excluded, take part in a daily act of collective worship - this usually takes the form of an assembly. Parents are invited to some special assemblies such as Christmas or class assemblies.

Science

At The Grange, we encourage children to be inquisitive throughout their time at the school and beyond. The Science curriculum fosters a healthy curiosity in children. We believe science encompasses the acquisition of knowledge, concepts, skills and positive attitudes. Throughout the programs of study, the children will acquire and develop the key knowledge that has been identified within each unit and across each year group. The key knowledge identified by each year group is informed by the national curriculum and builds towards identified phase ‘end points’ in accordance with NC expectations.

Key skills are also mapped for each year group and are progressive throughout the school. These too ensure systematic progression to identified skills end points which are in accordance with the Working Scientifically skills expectations of the national curriculum. The curriculum is designed to ensure that children are able to acquire key scientific knowledge through practical experiences; making observations, conducting experiments, building arguments and explaining concepts confidently.

Children are encouraged to ask questions and be curious about their surroundings and a love of science is nurtured through a whole school ethos and a varied science curriculum.

We aim to:

• build on the children’s natural curiosity.

• teach the children scientific knowledge.

• teach the children scientific skills.

• stimulate them to investigate, question and develop attitudes of science.

• teach them to communicate ideas using appropriate scientific language.

• teach them how to evaluate their findings and suggest explanations.

Computing

At The Grange, we encourage children to be inquisitive and investigative learners. The computing curriculum gives children opportunities to learn by doing. Using the Purple Mash resource- the aims of the computing curriculum are clearly planned so that children are able to practise the skills they will need for the jobs of the future from the moment they begin in EYFS. The 3 areas of the computing curriculum; information technology, digital literacy and computer science are thoroughly taught enabling children to be not only fluent but safe. The opportunities to foster independence and interaction are built throughout the school and children will learn to be computer literate through exposure to different types of software and hardware. The opportunity to practise the skills that they learn in their own time is also built in using Purple Mash logins that are sent home.
 

Relationships and Health Education (RHE/PSHE)

At The Grange Community Infant School, the RHE curriculum is at the heart of what we do and aim for. It supports children to become confident, healthy, independent and responsible members of society as well as developing the ‘whole child’ intellectually, morally, socially and spiritually. We provide children with opportunities for them to learn about rights and responsibilities and appreciate what it means to be a member of a diverse society. Through a whole school approach to the RHE curriculum and being taught on a weekly basis and more if needs or issues arise, children develop their sense of self-worth and play a positive role in contributing to school life and the community. By ensuring an effective RHE curriculum is in place it equips the children with relevant and meaningful contexts, which is supported through a strong emphasis on emotional literacy, building resilience and nurturing physical and mental health. 

We aim to support children with their learning through the topics of 

Art and Design

At The Grange Community Infant School, we value Art & Design as an important part of the children’s entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum. We want our children to gain enjoyment from art, craft and design and have no limits to their creative ambitions! Our Art & Design curriculum is designed to engage, inspire and challenge pupils, whilst equipping them with the knowledge and skills to be able to experiment, invent and create their own works of art. Children have the opportunity to explore their ideas and record their experiences, as well as exploring the work of others and evaluate different creative ideas. As pupils progress, they should be able to begin to think critically and start to develop a deeper understanding of Art & Design. They should also begin to understand how Art & Design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the culture and creativity of our country.

Design and Technology

At The Grange, we aim to engage, inspire and challenge pupils from all backgrounds, whilst equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment and design products within a variety of contexts.  We intend that the curriculum is creative, technical and practical, and that it gives children the opportunity to problem solve and take risks. 

History

The Grange Community Infant School aims to provide a high-quality history education, which will enable children to develop a coherent knowledge and understanding of the history of Britain and the wider world. The children’s’ historical journey throughout Early Years and Key Stage 1 will be stimulating and enjoyable, ensuring that they develop a genuine love for the subject and gain the skills needed to become young Historians. Through an engaging curriculum, we aim to inspire children’s curiosities about the past, enabling them to ask their own questions and follow their own lines of enquiry, think critically and utilise a variety of sources to find out more. Our curriculum prioritises in depth History teaching on a particular area of a Historical period, rather than trying to cover a wide breadth of History, allowing children the time and opportunity to master key subject skills that will enable them to become confident and curious Historians.  

Geography

At the Grange we seek to inspire a curiosity in their local area and the wider world around them. We will share our own experiences of different countries, climates and cultures, while exploring and learning about new and exciting places in our world. We want our children to be proud of their local community and the Grange Community infant School. We hope to foster an eco-friendly mindset and children who want to make their local area and the wider world around them a safer and better place, leaving us as mini adventurers who are ready and keen to explore this fascinating planet.

Music

Children to be able to sing songs and chants with accuracy and expression, observing dynamics, tempo changes and articulation. To play both tuned and untuned instruments musically with control, accuracy and expression.