Network Primaryschool

Key Stage 1

Year 1 and Year 2 comprise Keystage 1 of the British Curriculum. Children gradually develop skills, confidence and independence in many different areas: physical, social and emotional as well as academic.

Subjects

English/Literacy: English language (Literacy) continues to be the main focus of education in Keystage 1. Daily Literacy lessons cover reading, writing, speaking and listening, however language development is essential in all other subject areas as well. In Literacy classes, teachers encourage creativity, enjoyment of language and developing confidence in each student’s ability to communicate, with attention given to grammar, spelling and handwriting as support tools for language development. Our programme allows children to progress at their own rate. Support and attention is given within the class to students whose first language is not English. Continuing from Reception, the Oxford Reading Tree remains the core of the reading programme, but reading materials from other sources are also included.

Mathematics: Mathematics covers the strands of Shape and Space, Number, Problem Solving and Data Handling. The emphasis is on discovery and understanding of mathematical processes as well as the language of number and problem-solving. Children are introduced to the more formal processes, such as addition and subtraction, through the use of concrete materials. Play activities (such as buying and selling from a ‘shop’) are important in giving children practical use of their skills and showing how mathematics is used in the real world.

History and Geography: The core curriculum areas of History, Geography and Design and Technology are taught through class themes. This time comprises a large part of the schedule and may also be integrated with English, Mathematics and Science, depending on the topic. Topics include: My Family, My School and Myself in the Community (including people who help us and people from other places).

Science: Children learn and use scientific investigation methods to explore life processes, physical processes and materials. Topics include: Health and Growth, Materials (what things are made of and how they change), Light, Electricity, Plants and Animals.

Religious Education: At Network we follow the British National Curriculum to introduce the students to 4 main religions – Islam, Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism. In Keystage 1 we focus mostly on stories, festivals and places of worship.

Information & Communication Technology: We have well-resourced computer rooms in which every child has time to develop computer skills. In Keystage 1, lessons are designed specifically to teach skills in using programs such as Word and Paint. Children also use the internet to access websites for activities in Mathematics and other areas.

Health: Weekly lessons encourage the children to take some responsibility for their own health and understand their role in society. Topics in Health include hygiene, friendships, responsibility and tolerance.

Physical Education: The curriculum areas include games, athletics, gymnastics and swimming. We focus on the development of personal fitness through the teaching of related skills. Social skills such as taking turns, following rules, team-work and understanding of a healthy lifestyle are an important part of Physical Education lessons.

Music: Music is taught for performance and enjoyment. The children listen to and respond to music. They sing songs and play instruments to include a wide range of music. Children develop skills in music theory and singing. They participate in regular school assembly performances and in our annual whole-school Christmas Concert.

Art: The children explore using many different media and materials to create a range of different art and craft projects. The focus is on enjoyment and creativity through manipulation of a wide variety of materials and media. Their work is displayed in the whole-school Art Exhibition towards the end of the year.
Myanmar Studies: All classes participate in Myanmar Studies twice a week. In one lesson the focus is on listening and speaking the Myanmar language. Children learn traditional games, children’s songs, rhymes etc. The children who are native-speakers of Myanmar are introduced to the script and they begin to read and write with it. Children who do not yet speak the language learn basic vocabulary such as colours, numbers, greetings and useful phrases.

In the other lesson, they learn about Myanmar culture, including the many tribal groups and their different cultures. They hear stories from history. Each class learns a traditional dance which they perform at the whole-school Dance and Water Festival.