Key Stage 2 Curriculum

The main strands in the maths curriculum are:

• Shape and space – investigating properties of 2D and 3D shapes, tessellation, transformations and symmetry
• Measurement, – volume, capacity, mass, distance, using and converting between metric units, time and estimation
• Number – including a range of methods for solving equations using the four main operations, fractions, decimals and percentages, ratio, probability, place value to millions and rounding to the nearest relevant value
• Data handling – drawing and interpreting graphs and tables
• Problem solving – two and three step problems, using and applying all the skills children have learnt through the other strands of the maths curriculum

Concepts are taught through investigation and practical hands-on activities, using concrete materials. Real-life problems give students the opportunity to use what they have learnt to solve problems. Children are supported in progressing at their own rate with one-to-one assistance given to those who need further reinforcement. Additional challenges are used to extend students mathematical thinking once they are secure with the concepts being taught.

Each year level is taught in three separate groups for Myanmar language:

1. Students who already have skills in reading and writing Myanmar script follow a programme similar to Myanmar schools to maintain these skills.
2. Students who are native-speakers of Myanmar, but are not confident in using Myanmar script, continue to develop their skills in reading and writing the language, focusing on creativity and their ability to use the language well.
3. Students who are not yet fluent in the language learn basic communication skills, including useful phrases and basic vocabulary such as numbers. They are also introduced to the Myanmar script.

In Myanmar culture, students learn about the geography, history and cultural aspects of Myanmar. They learn songs and traditional dance. The annual Water Festival is celebrated with an exhibition of Myanmar dance and water play time.

The science curriculum taught provides the foundations for understanding the world through the specific disciplines of biology and physics. Science has changed our lives and is vital to the world’s future prosperity, and all pupils are taught essential aspects of the knowledge, methods, processes and uses of science.

The themes for science come from the English National Curriculum. They include: plants, living things, animals including humans, rocks, states of matter, light, sound, electricity, forces and magnets, living things and their habitats, earth and space and evolution and inheritance.

In history and geography, our pupils develop knowledge and understanding of the world, both past and present. Through well planned topics, children develop knowledge of local and international places and the world we live in.

The history curriculum is taught largely through historical enquiry, where children are taught to devise suitable questions about change, cause, similarity & difference, and significance from a historical perspective. Furthermore, having posed these questions, pupils construct informed responses that involve thoughtful selection and organisation of relevant historical information; utilizing research from a variety of sources such as books, internet and primary sources such as local people. Through a well developed history curriculum, children develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history. Pupils study topics including (but not limited to) the achievements of the earliest civilizations including areas such as Ancient Egypt and The Shang Dynasty of Ancient China.  In addition to this, World War II and the impact of the Japanese invasion of Burma, give children an insight into significant events which have shaped their locality.

In Key Stage 2, the geography curriculum focuses on extending children’s knowledge and understanding of their local area and the wider world, whilst developing geographical skills and applying these to fieldwork. Pupils study environmental and locational characteristics, looking at both human and physical geography. Physical geography includes: zones, biomes and vegetation belts, rivers, mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes, and the water cycle.  Within human geography, topics include: types of settlement and land use, economic activity including trade links, and the distribution of natural resources including energy, food, minerals and water.  Children are taught to use fieldwork to observe, measure, record and present the human and physical features. The fieldwork skills they develop include (but are not limited to) reading and creating maps, using grid references and keys, plans and graphs, and digital technologies.

Computing has become an important tool in Key Stage 2. Children are taught how to create algorithms in programs such as Scratch and Kodu; extending into sequencing, selection, and repetition to create usable scripts.  They are taught to understand computer networks including the internet and continue to use programs such as Microsoft PowerPoint and Microsoft Word to present their research to a targeted audience. Children are also taught e-safety and learn to use the internet efficiently and safely, making informed choices about the validity of the web pages they access and the legitimacy of the information they gather.

In Key Stage 2 students continue to develop an understanding of the basic tenets of the four main religions; Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and Hinduism. Our aim continues to be to foster tolerance and understanding of the beliefs of others.

A range of topics encourages students to understand how their bodies function, how to maintain a healthy lifestyle as well as how to be a co-operative, contributing member of society.

In music, the children perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of genres, styles and traditions. Students learn to sing and to use their voices, to create and compose music on their own and with others and have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument. They also explore how music is created, produced and communicated through the inter-related dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations.

The children develop their creativity and imagination through producing increasingly more complex art work. They develop their skills in manipulating many different media and materials to express themselves and create a range of different art and craft projects. There is a strong focus on sketching and drawing and developing depth using shading. We have a whole-school art exhibition of the children’s work toward the end of the year.

In Key Stage 2 design & technology, the focus is on the development of technical understanding, enabling children to design and make functional, appealing products that are fit for purpose, aimed at a certain target audience. Alongside this, children learn to evaluate the products they have created.

In Key Stage 2, the basic sports skills learnt in Key Stage 1 are further developed. This happens in a range of net and ball, striking and fielding and invasion games.  Children also develop their dance, athletic and swimming skills. Social skills such as taking turns, following rules, teamwork and understanding of a healthy lifestyle are an important part of Physical Education lessons. They are also encouraged to take part in regular physical exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle.