More details can be found on each Class page

Curriculum Intent ( What we will teach)

Religious Education

At St Teresa's we follow 'Come and See', a programme supported by the Liverpool Archdiocese.

The curriculum plans for this year are below, with key dates and suggestions for parental involvement.

English

At St Teresa’s we develop children’s abilities to listen, speak, read and write for a wide range of purposes. Children learn to use language to communicate ideas, views and feelings. This enables children to express themselves creatively and imaginatively both verbally and through the written word. We aim to share with children the joy  of reading and to help them to become enthusiastic and critical readers of stories, poetry and drama, as well as non-fiction and media texts.

Reading and Phonics

Children are given daily opportunities to develop their reading skills. Children learn to read using Read Write Inc synthetic phonics. This is carried out daily in the Foundation Stage and KS1. Where necessary phonics will continue into KS2. Once children master accurate decoding, a greater emphasis is placed on comprehension. Through reading independently, guided, shared and paired reading children learn to read with confidence, fluency and understanding. Reading takes place with a variety of adults and peers. Home/school reading partnerships support every child to become an independent reader. At St Teresa’s we encourage a love of Reading through a well resourced library, special events, themed days, author visits and a very strong partnership with local  libraries ( Eccleston and Peter Street)

Writing

As children enter the Foundation Stage there are writing opportunities in all areas of learning. In KS1 and 2 transcription (spelling and handwriting) and composition (articulating ideas and structuring them in speech and writing) form the basis for what is taught. Children apply the skills they have been taught in all areas of the curriculum. Children are taught how to plan, revise and evaluate their writing. Writing takes place in many forms - through word and sentence level activities, independently, modelled, shared, paired and requires an awareness of audience, purpose and context.

Spelling

Through synthetic phonics,  children are taught the different ways of spelling sounds and then apply their growing knowledge to write words, captions and sentences. Alongside decodable words, the reading and spelling of common exception/tricky words (those which can't be sounded out) are taught. As children enter KS2 we encourage children to explore words and think about the origins and connections between them. Wordlists for Years 3&4 and Years 5&6 are taught and contain a mixture of frequently used words as well as those that children often misspell. We aim to embed spelling opportunities in all areas of the curriculum.

Handwriting

In the Foundation Stage children develop many pre-writing skills. Correct letter formation is taught in a variety of enjoyable ways. As they become able, children begin to write letters using a variety of materials. Children are taught how to hold their pencil correctly. Children learn to regulate the size of letters which leads to neatly presented work. When children are ready , they are taught to join letters which leads to fluent, legible and speedy writing.

Vocabulary, grammar and punctuation

Through talk and reading, children's vocabulary is developed. Children are taught grammatical concepts and then encouraged to apply and identify these in the written and spoken word. Specific punctuation and grammatical terminology is taught in each year group.

Speaking and Listening

Speaking and listening are not taught as discrete subjects, but are embedded in all aspects of school life, across all areas of the curriculum and are part of everything we do. Pupils are provided with many and varied contexts for talk enabling them to communicate confidently and effectively. 

Maths

Intent

The 2014 National Curriculum for Maths aims to ensure that all children:

• Become fluent in the fundamentals of Mathematics
• Are able to reason mathematically
• Can solve problems by applying their Mathematics

At St Teresa’s these skills are embedded within Maths lessons and developed consistently over time. We are committed to ensuring that children are able to recognise the importance of Maths in the wider world and that they are also able to use their mathematical skills and knowledge confidently in their lives in a range of different contexts. We want all children to enjoy Mathematics and to experience success in the subject, with the ability to reason mathematically. We are committed to developing children’s curiosity about the subject, as well as an appreciation of the beauty and power of Mathematics.

Implementation
To ensure whole consistency and progression, the school uses the White Rose Maths scheme. New concepts are shared within the context of an initial related problem; which children are able to discuss in partners. This initial problem-solving activity prompts discussion and reasoning, as well as promoting an awareness of maths in relatable real-life contexts that link to other areas of learning. In KS1, these problems are almost always presented with objects (concrete manipulatives) for children to use. Children may also use manipulatives in KS2. Teachers use careful questions to draw out children’s discussions and their reasoning. The class teacher then leads children through strategies for solving the problem, including those already discussed. Independent work provides the means for all children to develop their fluency further, before progressing to more complex related problems. Mathematical topics are taught in blocks, to enable the achievement of ‘mastery’ over time. Each lesson phase provides the means to achieve greater depth, with more able children being offered rich and sophisticated problems, as well as exploratory, investigative tasks, within the lesson as appropriate.

What can a Maths lesson looks like at St Teresa’s School?

Hook -Every lesson starts with a Hook task to get children to solve a problem that aims to generate curiosity. During the Hook, children may use manipulatives to help them understand the maths and explain their method.

Share -The next stage encourages children to Share the methods they have tried to solve the problem in the Hook.

Think Together -We only learn when we are thinking! The children apply the knowledge they have just learned in a series of problems that continue to encourage thinking throughout.

Practice -Children are then ready for some independent Practice

Reflect -The final Reflect question helps the children evaluate whether they have understood the key concept and small step that they have been trying to master in the lesson.

Impact

 The school has a supportive ethos and our approaches support the children in developing their collaborative and independent skills, as well as empathy and the need to recognise the achievement of others. Children can underperform in Mathematics because they think they can’t do it or are not naturally good at it. The White Rose Maths scheme addresses these preconceptions by ensuring that all children experience challenge and success in Mathematics by developing a growth mindset. Regular and ongoing assessment informs teaching, as well as intervention, to support and enable the success of each child.