Curriculum

Our Philosophy of Education

At East Wittering Community School, our teaching and learning centres around a Learning Journey based curriculum, with a focus on mastery of fundamental skills in the core subjects of English and Mathematics, within a broad and balanced curriculum. Wherever possible we group our subjects around a topic, theme or high quality text.  Our Learning Journeys are enriched with a range of trips and visits that bring the curriculum alive, providing children with real life experiences. This approach develops their understanding of the community around them, their local area and their place in the wider world.

By immersing children in Learning Journeys like: ‘Raiders or Traders’, ‘Who let the God’s Out?’, ‘Does the Punishment Fit the Crime?’, we enable our children to see themselves as Geographers, Historians, Artists and much more. Although we follow the National Curriculum, we tailor the learning to the needs of our children,  giving them autonomy, resilience and the self-belief that they can achieve across the curriculum.   

Here is an overview of our topics:

Learning Journey Overview EYFS Learning Journey Overview Year 1 - Year 6

 

English                                                                                             

At East Wittering Community School, we believe that English should foster our children’s love of reading, writing, speaking and listening. Our English curriculum teaches Reading into Writing: reading, writing, punctuation and grammar as entwined subjects, leading our children through a literary journey in which they become the authors, inspired by what they read. It is our intention to immerse pupils in the wonders of high-quality texts to instil a love for reading, a passion for discovery and a confidence to explore their imagination through our book led curriculum. We believe that children must develop a secure knowledgebase in English, which follows a clear pathway of progression as they advance through the Primary National Curriculum. As a school, we understand that a secure basis in English skills is crucial to a high-quality education and will give our children the tools they need to successfully participate in wider society. We endeavour to deliver a first-class English education in line with the ethos of our school.

Our pupils:    

• Develop phonological awareness to encode and decode  
• Can write for a variety of purposes and audiences
• Can structure and self-select their writing forms
• Structure engaging, coherent and accurate imaginative and transactional writing
• Are able to infer, evaluate and contextualise texts
• Develop the confidence to express thoughts and ideas through spoken language

This English Progression document, will inform you of the Reading and Writing journey our children at  East Wittering School experience. You can also view our literary journey, which exposes children to a variety of high-quality texts as they progress through school:

English Progression EYFS-Year 6 Key Texts Overview EYFS to Y6

Phonics and Reading KS1                                                                

At East Wittering, we use the Read Write Inc. (RWI) programme to get children off to a flying start with their literacy. Read Write Inc. Phonics is a method of teaching reading and writing, which is centred around learning the sounds of the letters (phonics) and then blending them together to read words. The children also learn to break down words into individual sounds in order to write them. The children will follow a reading scheme in line with the letters and sounds they are taught, moving through at a pace which is individually tailored to their needs.

When using RWI to read the children will:

• Learn to read effortlessly, so that they can put all their energy into understanding what they read.
• Learn to read and write 44 sounds and the corresponding letter/letter groups using simple picture prompts.
• Learn to read words by segmenting and blending the sounds together.
• Read lively stories featuring words they have learnt to sound out.
• Show that they understand the stories by answering 'Find It' and 'Prove it' discussion questions.
• Spell effortlessly so that they can put their energy into working out what they want to write.
• Learn to read and write simple and then increasingly complex sentences.
• Compose a range of texts using discussion prompts.

The children are taught new letters and sounds in a specific order. If you would like to support your child at home please see the order of the sets in this document. 

Read Write Inc Sound Sets

Spelling and Reading KS2

Alongside whole-class texts, every child has their own personal reading book. Reading in KS2 is based on Accelerated Reader. Accelerated Reader is a computer-based program used to monitor reading practice and progress. It helps teachers: guide children to select books based on their individual reading level; generate reading targets; track progression. Children take a reading quiz called Star Reader once a half-term. Based on STAR reader tests, Accelerated Reader generates a reading range using a point system. These point numbers correspond to the books in the library. Children are aware of their point range and can independently select and change their own book. Year Six, are trained to help children sign books in and out. This enables children to select from a wider range of books and change their book on a regular basis. After a child completes a book, they complete a book quiz, which helps develop their comprehension skills. Children are able to take reading quizzes at home. Often, you will find your child's books at home are on the AR system. If you will like your child to take quizzes at home. Please follow this link: Accelerated Reader Login Page. 

After children have completed the Read Write Inc. phonics programme, they move onto learning Spelling Rules. Rather than specific spellings,  through route learning, children learn around thirty two spelling rules. In this way, children at East Wittering are able to make plausible attempts, when spelling new words and make spelling generalisations. These rules are internalised as our children move through KS2. The children are taught a range of spelling strategies not just discreetly but entwined in our Reading into Writing sessions.

For more information about AR, please read this parent handout. 

Accelerated Reader Parent Guide

 

Mathematics 

At East Wittering, we place value in going beyond teaching the National Curriculum, by taking children on a journey, where they can become Geographers or Scientists, through Learning Journeys. Our educational philosophy is underpinned by the idea that a child’s education is like dropping a pebble into water, enthusing that child through a ‘Stunning Start’ and then watching their interests grow like ripples in the water, fully immersing them into a cross curricular learning experience. We hold ‘Fab Finishes’, where parents are invited to celebrate their child’s final pieces of work derived from a Learning Journey, motivating our children to produce a high-quality final pieces, to a tangible audience, being proud of their achievements.  By following this approach to education, we feel children have the ability to apply their key skills from core subjects, across the entirety of the curriculum, developing into a well-rounded member of the community, inspired by what they learn.

Below you will find our Key skills document, which outlines what our children learn in each Foundation subject as they move through school. You will also find a document, which outlines the Learning Journeys our children participate in, as we bring the Key Skills to life across our school in a fully immersive way.

Foundation Key Skills

 

Physical Education

At East Wittering, we endeavour to inspire our pupils to lead a healthy, active lifestyle and promote life-long participation in sport as we see our school as an ‘active school’.  We provide our children with opportunities to engage in a variety of sports and activities such as: the use of our own school pool, our daily mile track, active brain breaks and our sports teams and clubs. All our children develop physically, emotionally, cognitively and socially. By participating, coaching and officiating in a diverse curriculum, our children grow in confidence, communicate effectively with their peers and become more resilient learners whilst embedding values such as fairness and respect.

 

RSHE

At East Wittering Community School, we value the importance of Relationship, Sex and Health Education.

In Key Stage 1 children learn about themselves as developing individuals and as members of their communities, building on their own experiences and on the early learning goals for personal, social and emotional development. They learn the basic rules and skills for keeping themselves healthy, safe and for behaving well. They have opportunities to show they can take some responsibility for themselves and their environment. They begin to learn about their own and other people's feelings and become aware of the views, needs and rights of other children and older people. As members of a class and school community, they learn social skills such as how to share, take turns, play, help others, resolve simple arguments and resist bullying. They begin to take an active part in the life of their school and its neighbourhood.

In Key Stage 2, children learn about themselves as growing and changing individuals with their own experiences and ideas, and as members of their communities. They become more mature, independent and self-confident. They learn about the wider world and the interdependence of communities within it. They develop their sense of social justice and moral responsibility and begin to understand that their own choices and behaviour can affect local, national or global issues and political and social institutions. They learn how to take part more fully in school and community activities. As they begin to develop into young adults, they face the changes of puberty and transfer to secondary school with support and encouragement from their school. They learn how to make more confident and informed choices about their health and environment; to take more responsibility, individually and as a group, for their own learning; and to resist bullying.

We see effective sex and relationship education is essential if young people are to make responsible and well informed decisions about their lives. The objective for sex and relationship education is to help and support young people through their physical, emotional and moral development.  It is our aim to help our pupils to learn to respect themselves and others and move with confidence from childhood through adolescence into adulthood. East Wittering Community Primary School offers a sex and relationship education programme that is tailored to the age and the physical and emotional maturity of the children. 

The programme will not be delivered in isolation, but will be encompassed within Key Stages 1 and 2 of the National Science Curriculum and RSHE framework. In EYFS, children will look at positive relationships between friends and families. In Years 5 and 6 pupils will follow a detailed programme written in consultation with the local authority and the school nurse. This programme will support the children's on-going emotional and physical development and will cover:

• changes in the body relating to puberty, such as periods and voice breaking
• when these changes are likely to happen
• issues that may cause young people anxiety and how they can deal with them
• gestation periods
• how a baby is conceived and born

Year 5 and 6 parents will be informed of the programme and be given access to view the materials that will be used. 

rhse parent letter september 2024.pdf

 

 

 

We are continuing to develop our provision of learning outside the classroom.  Every class takes part in beach visits, as well as visits to our local library.  In the Summer Term, we plan for a phase to take part in Forest Time, where children build dens, toast marshmallows and use a variety of tools.  This is a wonderful opportunity in which we use the facilities at Sidlesham Primary School.  Our Reception children have weekly Forest Time in their outside area and have built a house for the Three Little Pigs, and a den for the Gruffalo.  It's a great opportunity for the children to be outdoors and learn skills that there aren't the opportunity for in the classroom.