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St Luke's School

St Luke's School

Subject Policies

English Policy 

Article 29: Education must develop every child’s personality and abilities to the full. It must encourage the child’s respect for human rights, as well as respect for their parents, their own and other cultures, and the environment

Opening Statement

English is a vital way of communicating in school, in public life and internationally.

At St Luke we are encouraging pupils to develop skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing. We provide opportunities for all children to express themselves creatively and imaginatively and to communicate with others effectively. Pupils learn to become enthusiastic and critical readers of stories, poetry, drama as well as non-fiction texts.

The study of English helps pupils understand how language works by looking at its patterns, structures and origins. Using this knowledge, pupils can choose and adapt what they say and write to different situations.

All teachers and support staff have a responsibility to develop effective learning and will foster a love of Literacy.  Positive relationships will support learners in their endeavours and encourage them to take risks to further develop their understanding. Throughout the whole school and beyond there will be a culture of sharing good practice and celebrating achievement.

The 2014 Jersey Curriculum for Literacy consists of the following 3 broad strands: 

  1. Spoken Language
  2. Reading
  3. Writing

These policies need to be read alongside the 'Consistencies in Reading and Writing' document.

Reading Policy  

Opening Statement:

At St Luke’s School we believe that reading is an important life skill that opens a world of opportunity to our pupils.

Aims

We aim for our pupils to have:

  • The skills to access print in all forms.
  • An enduring love of books and reading.
  • The motivation to keep practising and challenging themselves.
  • Confidence and independence in reading.
  • An awareness of the social importance of reading.

Teaching Approaches and  Procedures

Reading is encouraged throughout the school through the use of:

  • Daily reading activities.
  • Class book corners.
  • School library.
  • Book week / world book day celebrations.
  • Fiction and non-fiction texts.
  • Using books for research.

Foundation Stage/KS1

  • JEL– synthetic phonics (two sessions daily).
  • Shared reading of poems and big books.
  • Adults reading to children (whole class and groups).
  • Individual reading.
  • Shared reading.
  • Guided reading.
  • Reciprocal reading (Yr2).
  • Activities to support language development.
  • Phonic games.
  • Reading games and activities.
  • Comprehension activities.

Parental help is supported by sending home:

  • Reading diary for two way communication.
  • List of high frequency words to be learned.
  • Familiar books.
  • Books selected at an appropriate level.
  • Free choice library books.

KS2

  • JEL continues in Year 3.
  • Whole class reading together.
  • Focussed group guided reading sessions using banded books covering a range of genres.
  • Guided reading activities.
  • Silent reading.
  • Reciprocal reading.
  • Reading journals.
  • ERIC
  • Comprehension activities.
  • Topic related reading.
  • Teacher reading longer books to class.
  • Reading games.

Home reading

  • Children progress from taking home three levelled readers and a library book each week to selecting appropriate, longer books from the library or class.
  • Children are encouraged to read anything that captures their interest such as newspapers, comic, web pages etc.

 

Special Educational Needs

Children who are identified as having specific learning difficulties related to reading are supported in class and by withdrawal for additional tuition either individually or in small groups. Several programmes are available including:

  • Precision teaching.
  • Daily reading for those children at 2 sub levels below their year group expectations.
  • Book buddies.

 

Assessment and Recording

Group reading books are levelled using both the Reading Recovery levels and Book Bands (age related books) Teachers carry out ongoing assessment of children’s reading ability when listening to individuals, group and guided reading sessions. PM Benchmarking materials and running records can be used to support this. From Year 3 upwards, reading journals are used to collect evidence of reading. At the end of each term, teachers report each child’s level of achievement to the headteacher.

 

Resources

Sets of levelled reading books are kept in the Reading Room situated off the top landing of the main building. Teachers are asked to take the whole set of books and ensure that they are returned as a full set with an elastic band keeping them together.

Big Books for Foundation Stage, KS1 and KS2 are kept in individual classes.

SEN support materials are kept in the Reading loft.

Boxes of books for home reading are more loosely levelled and are kept on the shelves at the foot of the stairs by the library and at the top of the Rectory building

All children have a library card which they should use with the computerised card reader to record the books they have borrowed.

Teachers may borrow books from the library to support their class book corners.

Monitoring and Review

The success of our policy will be monitored through termly assessments and annual test results and it will be reviewed accordingly to include current good practice.

CJS Sept 2008

Writing Policy  

Opening Statement:

We believe that writing makes a significant contribution to the development of children as

thinkers and learners. The purpose of this policy is to promote a consistency of approach and to ensure that continuity and progression are embedded in our practice.

Writing is composed of three dimensions:

  • Transcription (spelling and handwriting).
  • Composition (articulating ideas and structuring them in speech and writing).
  • Vocabulary, grammar and punctuation.

Aims

At St Luke’s School we aim to

  • Enable the children to communicate in writing clearly, confidently and appropriately, demonstrating an awareness of a variety of purposes and audiences. 
  • Provide real life situations, affording the children the opportunity to develop a range of strategies and skills, which will enable them to function in society as literate adults. 
  • Create a genuine love of writing and an appreciation of its value, so that children    choose to write and are able to organise and structure a variety of texts, whilst developing their imagination and critical awareness. This will help to assist the children in becoming independent writers.
  • Create opportunities for writing across all areas of the curriculum to make it relevant and meaningful and allow opportunities for application of skills.
  • Ensure that teaching and learning of writing is consistent across school, to aid children’s progress.
  • Encourage children to present their writing to a high standard, at each of the stages of the writing process: planning, drafting, editing and re-drafting.

Teaching Approaches and  Procedures

The teaching of writing is the responsibility of all teachers in all key stages. Their role is;

  • To ensure that a child’s development in writing is carefully planned for through daily lessons.
  • To ensure that a child’s writing is regularly assessed and recorded.
  • To ensure that each child has a writing target which is regularly reviewed.
  • To ensure that classroom activities are differentiated to suit the needs of the children in the class.
  • To provide a print rich environment (see the writing Classroom below).
  • To model the writing process and provide examples of a range of genre in writing.
  • To provide opportunities for the children to discuss their work with a range of different people, i.e. class teacher, peers, other adults etc.

The Writing Classroom

A successful writing classroom should include;

A stimulating writing environment with

  • Displayed/celebrated examples of children’s own writing.
  • Access to a range of writing materials and resources.
  • A literacy learning wall.
  • Opportunities to use writing in play situations (F and KS1).
  • Displays of  relevant words and phrases which provide scaffolds and check lists for independent writing – VCOP/Alan Peat sentence types.
  • Clear expectations, target setting and reviews.
  • Adults as role models using writing in the classroom for a variety of purposes.
  • Access to a wide range of reading fiction, non fiction, poetry, plays etc.
  • Rich, oral experience as a preparation for writing.

We encourage the children to write independently from an early stage.  The teaching of phonics and spelling in JEL and letter formation will complement this process and will be used systematically to support writing and encourage accuracy and speed. The emphasis in the EYFS is on Speaking and Listening, storytelling, role play and drama, which are some of the activities during which children will have the opportunity to experiment with writing.

Children from Year 1 to Year 6 are given daily opportunities to write for sustained periods of time. They will participate in whole class shared writing and grouped guided writing with the teacher modelling the appropriate style of writing and particular writing needs for the group.

We will provide children with the opportunity to participate in role-play and speaking and listening activities, to enhance their creative flair and writing skills.

We will provide the opportunity for children to apply their written skills within our creative curriculum, and expect children to write at a sustained high level, matched to their potential and current writing level, in any context in which they write. All forms of writing will be delivered in meaningful contexts and children will value the importance of applying ICT skills, drafting, developing autonomous strategies for spelling and correcting their own mistakes, editing, re-drafting and producing a final, neat copy. 

Unaided Writing is completed twice a term and placed in the child’s unaided writing book. This unaided writing book travels through the school with the child as a record of their writing from Foundation to Year 6.

Spelling in KS1:

  • Pupils will be able to write each letter of the alphabet and use their knowledge of sound-symbol relationships and phonological patterns (for example, consonant clusters and vowel phonemes).
  • They will be able to recognise and use simple spelling patterns and write common letter strings. Pupils will be able to spell common words and move onto spelling words with common prefixes and inflectional endings.
  • Pupils will use a variety of resources to identify spelling errors such as word banks, dictionaries and word books.
  • They will be spelling more sophisticated vocabulary using their phonetic knowledge, making plausible attempts.
  • Spellings in Key Stage 1 are part of the JEL scheme. Dictation is introduced from Year 1.

Spelling in KS2:   

  • Pupils will be able to sound out phonemes and analyse words into syllables and other known words.
  • They will be able to apply knowledge of spelling conventions, therefore being able to use knowledge of common letter strings, visual patterns and analogies.
  • Pupils will be confident to check their spelling using word banks, dictionaries and spellcheckers.
  • They will revise and build on their knowledge of words and spelling patterns. Pupils also need to learn statutory spelling lists specific to their Year Group.
  • Spelling in Key stage 2 is part of the RWInc scheme however this needs to be adapted to suit the needs of the children.

Special Educational Needs

Children who are identified as having special educational needs will be carefully planned for with individual programmes to suit the need of the child. These programmes will be drawn up by a combination of the class teacher, the ENCO and support staff. We aim to ensure that children who have a particular writing aptitude are challenged and given the opportunity to excel.  This may be through additional targeted support, focus group additional lessons, differentiation within class and extended homework tasks.

Word blaze is used to support KS2 pupils as well as JEL and RWInc

Assessment and Recording

At the end of each term, teachers report each child’s level of achievement to the head teacher. All staff enter these levels on CMIS. Results are analysed and used to track progress and inform teachers’ planning.

Staff have the opportunity to regularly assess different pieces of writing with a colleague and with the Subject Leader

The children all have individual targets for writing, which are discussed with them, reviewed and updated regularly.

Resources

Teachers draw upon a variety of resources to support engaging writing activities and there is a range of resources to support the teaching of writing across the school. All classrooms have dictionaries and a range of age-appropriate small apparatus. A cross curricular approach is encouraged however, various resources are available including Literacy Evolve and Big Write Adventures from Reception to Year 6.

Monitoring and Review

A key aspect of the subject leader’s role is to monitor, evaluate and review the teaching and learning of writing throughout the school.  This is achieved in a variety of ways including reviewing planning, scrutinising work, discussions with staff and pupils, observing in lessons, providing appropriate and high quality resources.

KM April 2012

Revised 2015 SJ

Amended 2016 SJ

Spoken Language  

Opening Statement:

At St Luke’s School we believe Spoken language underpins the development of reading and writing. It is vital for pupils to orally develop vocabulary and grammar in order to be competent in Literacy.

 

Aims

We aim for our pupils to have:

  • Regular opportunities for spoken language.
  • To become efficient language users.
  • To be provided with experiences that develop their skills and their thinking.

 

Teaching approaches and Procedures

KS1:                                                                                          

  • Pupils learn to speak clearly, thinking about the needs of their listeners.
  • Pupils work in small groups and as a class, joining in discussions and making relevant points.
  • Pupils learn how to listen carefully to what other people are saying, so that they can remember the main points.
  • Pupils learn to use language in imaginative ways and express their ideas and feelings when working in role and in drama activities.
  • Pupils learn to speak confidently and listen to what others have to say.
  • All pupils have an opportunity to speak/perform to an audience.

KS2:

  • Pupils learn how to speak in a range of contexts, adapting what they say and how they say it to the purpose and the audience.
  • Pupils should take varied roles in groups gives them opportunities to contribute to situations with different demands.
  • Pupils learn to respond appropriately to others, thinking about what has been said and the language used.
  • Pupils learn to change the way they speak and write to suit different situations, purposes and audiences.
  • Pupils have opportunities to be able to recite poems and perform to an audience. Opportunities for readers’ theatre are encouraged.

Special Educational Needs

Children who are identified as having specific learning difficulties related to spoken language are supported in class either individually or in small groups. Children may be referred to the speech and language department

Assessment and Recording

Teachers carry out ongoing observations of pupils in class.

 

 

Maths Policy  

Opening Statement

At St Luke’s School we believe that all teachers and support staff will foster a positive climate for good Mathematics learning. 

Aims

At St Luke’s School we aim to:

  • Ensure high quality teaching, at the appropriate level, in all classes.
  • Ensure that children reach their potential and every child’s ability is catered for.
  • Develop positive relationships to support learners in their endeavors and encourage them to take risks to further develop understanding.
  • Create a culture of sharing good practice and celebrating achievement.
  • Develop proactive and autonomous learners, through valuing and promoting the dispositions detailed in our Learning and Teaching Policy.

Teaching Approaches and Procedures

Planning:

  • Long and medium term planning will be structured to ensure full coverage of the Jersey Curriculum Programmes of Study at the appropriate Key Stage. 
  • In KS 1 and 2 teachers are using Abacus Activelearn to form the basis of planning.
  • Quality Mathematics teaching in the Early Years lays solid foundations for continued learning.  Child initiated learning should include regular mathematical opportunities.
  • Short term planning is on a weekly basis and will outline the learning intentions, what the teacher will do; learner activities and strategies for differentiation for each lesson. Links are also made to the current level descriptors. These will be adapted as necessary to meet the need of individual learners in the class.

Teaching:

  • Daily lessons take place in KS1 and KS2 in line with the requirements of the NC
  • There will be a good balance between whole-class work, group teaching and individual practice. There will be an appropriate balance of the main areas of Mathematics, with using and applying overarching and as an integral part of most lessons.
  • Teachers will use their professional judgment to determine the activities, timing and organisation of each part of the lesson to suit its objectives.  There will therefore be considerable variety and creativity on different days.
  • Learners will be taught, and provided with opportunities, to use the correct mathematical language and notation to discuss their mathematics and explain their thinking. For learners where English is their second language strategies will be put in place to ensure they can access the curriculum.
  • Opportunities will be used to draw mathematical experiences out of a range of activities in other subjects to provide opportunities to apply and use mathematics in real life contexts. Mathematics will also contribute to other subjects in practical ways and learners should be encouraged to identify these links and use mathematics to support their learning.
  • Learners will be encouraged to discuss their ideas and thinking and to use the most appropriate method to solve a problem, be it mental, written or calculator.
  • The classroom environment will be conducive to Mathematical learning. Displays will support the concepts being taught and will assist the children in their learning and support their knowledge.
  • Appropriate Mathematical vocabulary will displayed and be referred to during lessons.

Written Work:

Written recordings will be used to:

  • Informally support a mental calculation.
  • Develop the skill of explaining the method used.
  • Help someone else follow the method or assess the work.
  • Practise writing and using the correct symbols and notation.
  • Help remember or practise the recall of number facts.
  • Carry out the working of a standard written method of calculation.

Mental Mathematics:

Mental methods will be emphasised from an early age.  Learners will be directly taught and provided with regular opportunities to develop the different skills involved.  These skills include:

  • Remembering number facts.
  • Using known facts to work out new facts.
  • Developing a repertoire of mental strategies.
  • Solving problems.

Special Educational Needs:

The aim is to ensure that all learners make progress and gain positively from each mathematics lesson. Teachers are aware of the differing needs of individuals and support and challenge learners where appropriate. Children who are identified with as having special educational needs will be carefully planned for, with individual programmes drawn up by the class teacher in conjunction with the SENCO.

Assessment and Recording:

At the end of each term, teachers report each child’s level of achievement to the headteacher. All staff enter these levels on CMIS. Results are analysed and used to track progress and inform teachers’ planning.

Staff have the opportunity to regularly assess and moderate their judgments with a colleague and the subject leader.

Resources:

Mathematical resources are stored within individual classrooms. Any additional ‘Bulky’ resources are located in the attic kitchen.

Monitoring and Review

Plans are monitored by the Maths subject leader on a weekly basis to ensure coverage. They are also cross-referenced to children’s work, during work scrutiny opportunities.

Art Policy 

We believe that Art should enable pupils to explore their creativity, stimulate their imagination and develop a special way of understanding, enjoying and responding to the world.

Art stimulates creativity and imagination. It provides visual, tactile and sensory experiences. It enables children to communicate what they see, feel and think through the use of colour, texture, form, pattern and different materials and processes. They learn to make informed judgments and aesthetic and practical decisions. They explore ideas and meanings through the work of artists and designers. Through learning about the roles and functions of art, they can explore the impact it has had on contemporary life and that of different times and cultures. The appreciation and enjoyment of the visual arts enriches all our lives.

Aims

 At St Luke’s school we aim to provide an education in Art that:

  • Fosters an enjoyment and appreciation of the visual arts and a knowledge of artists, craftspeople and designers.
  • Develops increasing confidence in the use of visual and tactile elements and materials.
  • Improves the children’s ability to control and understand materials, tools and techniques.
  • Enables children to record from first-hand experience and from imagination, and to select their own ideas to use in their work.
  • Increases their critical awareness of the roles and purposes of art and design in different times and cultures.
  • Delivers a rich supportive environment where children feel confident to experiment with different media.
  • Encourages children to evaluate their own ideas and methods, and the work of others, and say what they think and feel about them.

 

Teaching Approaches

Art is a foundation subject in the National Curriculum. At St Luke’s School we use the national scheme of work as the basis for our curriculum planning Art. We have adapted the national scheme to our local circumstances along with use of the STARTing points document created by local teachers to share best practice.

Whenever possible, we use the local environment as the starting point for aspects of our work.

We carry out the curriculum planning in Art in three phases: long-term, medium-term and short-term. Our long-term plan maps out the themes covered in each term during the key stage over the academic year.

Activities are planned so that they build upon the prior learning of the children. Children of all abilities are given the opportunity to develop their skills, knowledge and understanding, with planned progression which ensure an increasing challenge.

The school uses a variety of teaching and learning styles in art and design lessons. We do this best through a mixture of whole-class teaching and individual/group activities. We give children the opportunity within lessons to work on their own and collaborate with others, on projects in two and three dimensions and on different scales. Children also have the opportunity to use a wide range of materials and resources, including ICT.

We celebrate children’s work through classroom displays, art frames, sharing work in assemblies and entry into the Eisteddfod.

 

Health and Safety

The general teaching requirement for health and safety applies in this subject.

Teachers will carry out a risk assessment before each activity, considering their tools,

materials and equipment being used.

Before undertaking practical tasks, children should be taught to use tools correctly in order to ensure safety.

 Home School Links

Parents are an invaluable source of skills and information, and may be invited to demonstrate and teach their skills, or may indirectly share their skills through assisting with Art lessons. Opportunities should be available for children at home to investigate and practice skills, research information and use computing where possible.

Assessment and Recording

We assess the children’s work in Art whilst observing them working during lessons but do not keep formal records or make assessments of National Curriculum levels.

 

Resources

We have a wide range of resources to support the teaching of art and design across the school. All our classrooms have a range of basic resources and additional supplies are kept in the art and design store which is accessible to children only under adult supervision. More specialised equipment is ordered as required.

 

Monitoring and Review

The monitoring of the standards of children’s work and of the quality of teaching in art and design is the responsibility of the subject leader. The work of the subject leader also involves supporting colleagues in the teaching of art and design, being informed about current developments in the subject, and providing a strategic lead and direction for the subject in the school.

PE Policy  

Opening Statement:

 

Physical Education (PE) develops pupils' physical competence and confidence, and their ability to use these to perform in a range of activities. It promotes physical skilfulness, physical development and knowledge of the body in action. Physical education provides opportunities for pupils to be creative, competitive and to face up to different challenges as individuals and in groups and teams. It promotes positive attitudes towards active and healthy lifestyles. Pupils learn how to think in different ways to suit a wide variety of creative, competitive and challenging activities. They learn how to plan, perform and evaluate actions, ideas and performances to improve their quality and effectiveness. Through this process, pupils discover their aptitudes, abilities and preferences, and how to make choices about getting involved in lifelong physical activity.

 

Aims for Teachers

  • To inspire a life long desire to be active.
  • To teach pupils to be able to plan their own work given specific criteria to work from.
  • To build pupils’ movement vocabulary in order that they can use language to evaluate each other’s work.
  • To help pupils to be able to work co-operatively within a range of different spaces and group situations.
  • To teach pupils to know, understand and apply particular safety requirements for different activities.

Aims for Pupils

  • To become more skilful when co-ordinating their movements.
  • To acquire and develop skills then perform them with increasing physical competence and confidence.
  • To develop their ideas in creative ways.
  • To develop positive attitudes to participation in physical activity.
  • To develop personal qualities in physical activities and competitive situations such as commitment, fairness, playing to the rules and team spirit.
  • To respond to a variety of challenges in a range of physical contexts and environments.
  • To enjoy being active, taking part and learning new skills through a varied curriculum and through the extra-curricular activities on offer.
  • To use movement imaginatively to communicate ideas and feelings.
  • To know the effect exercise has on their bodies and begin to understand why activity is important to their general health.

Teaching Approaches and  Procedures

A variety of teaching and learning styles are used in PE lessons. The principal aim is to develop the pupil’s knowledge, skills and understanding and this will be achieved through a mixture of whole-class teaching and individual/group activities. Teachers draw attention to good examples of individual performance as models for the other pupils and pupils are encouraged to evaluate their own work as well as the work of other pupils. Within lessons pupils are given the opportunity both to collaborate and to compete with each other, and they have the opportunity to use a wide range of resources.

 

Four Areas of PE

  • Acquiring and developing skills.
  • Selecting and applying skills, tactics and compositional ideas.
  • Evaluating and improving performance.
  • Knowledge and understanding of fitness and health.

 

Foundation Stage

Physical development of pupils in the Reception class is an integral part of their curriculum. In addition to this, fine motor skills are constantly being developed through the range of activities provided in the classroom. The pupils also benefit from outdoor play and PE equipment to help develop their gross motor skills, co-ordination and control. The time spent in this area should be used to build upon and reinforce the skills practised in the curriculum lessons. The Physical Education curriculum within the foundation unit follows objectives set out in the Early Learning Goals. The pupils gain the basic skills of spatial awareness, control and co-ordination in the way they move; and control of balls, beanbags, hoops and ropes. Pupils should be given opportunities to explore and manipulate a range of PE equipment in their own ways to build the confidence to participate.

KS1 and KS2

All pupils are entitled to a progressive and comprehensive physical education programme which covers National Curriculum requirements and which takes account of individual interests and needs. Pupils should experience all the programmes of study for KS1 and 2.

Participation

PE is a statutory subject therefore pupils should not miss lessons.. Occasionally a pupil may not be fit to take part physically and then they should be asked to observe giving feed back. This will enable them to learn and understand the work alongside their active peers and they will be better prepared when they do join in actively. There should be maximum participation in all PE lessons unless a parent has made communication with the school, following school policy. Every lesson should commence with a ‘warm up’, involving a five-minute session of vigorous activity, relating to the lesson and an opportunity to ‘warm down’. Pupils should be taught about health related fitness. Non-participants can be involved in e.g. officiating, contributing to strategy or composition, helping organise equipment etc.

 

Planning

PE is a foundation subject in the Jersey Curriculum. Schools use the National Curriculum as the basis for its curriculum planning in PE. Swimming activities and water safety are also part of the National Curriculum and all Year 6 pupils should leave Primary School being able to swim at least 25m.

The curriculum planning in PE is carried out in three phases long-term (LTP), medium-term (MTP) and short-term (STP)]. The LTP maps out the PE activities covered in each term during the Key Stage. The LTP can be cross-curricular and ‘Themed’ at primary and may be linked with other areas of the curriculum to give relevance and meaning to activities.

Medium term planning, which is taken from the National Curriculum, is supported by a range of planning resources, e.g. Top Dance, Top Swimming, KS1 Top Play, Primary School Games KS2, Primary School Dance KS2. Schools must ensure an appropriate balance and distribution of work across each term.

Class teachers complete a STP for each PE lesson. These list the specific learning objectives for each lesson and give details of how the lessons are to be taught. PE activities build upon the prior learning of pupils and provide opportunities for all abilities to develop their skills, knowledge and understanding in each activity area. There is planned progression built into the scheme of work, so that the pupils are increasingly challenged as they move up through school.

Generic risk assessments are written for PE areas (hall etc) and activities. Each teacher needs to include a risk assessment for their PE lesson on the their STP.

 

PE Kit

  • Pupils need a T Shirt and shorts for indoor PE.
  • Pupils wear no footwear in the hall for gymnastics and dance.
  • KS2 pupils need a tracksuit for outside PE. These are essential when the weather is chilly.
  • Pupils must wear plimsolls or trainers for games outside.
  • Pupils participating in out of hours clubs must change out of their whole school uniform and wear their Physical Education kits. All regular PE rules apply through the clubs.

 

Jewellery and Hair

  • No jewellery, including watches, should be worn for any physical activity.
  • Parents should be informed of the class PE timetable so that they can remove earrings for that day. Any items of jewellery removed by the pupils themselves should be put safely in a draw or tray in the classroom.
  • There are some occasions when jewellery cannot be removed. Studs in newly pierced ears are a hazard during physical activity, but infection may result if they are removed.
  •  In these cases the stud should be taped over and this will protect the ear (maximum of 6 weeks only).
  • Long hair must be tied back.

Assessment and Recording

The teacher will assess pupils’ work in PE by making assessments as they observe them working during lessons. They should observe the progress made by pupils against the learning objectives for their lessons. These assessments should inform future planning for each pupil. These records also enable the teacher to make an annual assessment of progress for each pupil which will form their report to parents.

 

Resources

There is a variety of games equipment needed to enable pupils to work with balls, bats and rackets, which are best suited for their age and stage of development. Pupils are trained to select, collect and replace all equipment tidily, but it is the responsibility of the staff to ensure that this is done properly. The hall contains a range of large apparatus and pupils are expected to help set up and put away the equipment as part of their work. By so doing, the pupils learn to handle equipment safely. Pupils use local facilities for games and athletics activities and risk assessments must take place regularly.

Monitoring and Review

The Subject Leader is responsible for overall curriculum planning, the management of the subject, the provision of equipment and its accessibility and staff training and development. The Head teacher is responsible for the overall implementation of the physical education policy and health and safety.

Equal Opportunities

All pupils shall have the same access to the subject, regardless of their gender, disability, race or cultural background. Pupils shall have opportunities to study physical activities from multi-cultural sources, for example through dance. All pupils should be provided with learning experiences that are aimed to enable them to experience success and pleasure, gain confidence and acquire competence.

In all classes there are pupils of differing physical ability. Whilst recognising this fact, suitable learning opportunities for all pupils will be achieved by matching the challenge of the task to the ability of the pupil.

History Policy 
 

Opening Statement

We believe that by teaching history through the creative curriculum we develop an awareness of the past and the ways in which it differs from the present. We also consider how actions in the past might effect our present and future.

Aims

At St Luke school we aim to:

  • Stimulate an interest in the past and appreciate human achievement.
  • Develop a knowledge of chronology and the passage of time.
  • Learn about major issues and events in Jersey and British history and of the wider world and how those events influence each other.
  • Distinguish between historical facts and interpretation of those facts.
  • Encourage an understanding of the processes of change and continuity in human affairs and to recognize that change and progress are not necessarily the same.

Teaching Approaches and  Procedures

History teaching focuses on enabling children to think as historians. We place an emphasis on examining historical artefacts and primary sources. In each key stage we give children the opportunity to visit sites of historical significance. We encourage visitors to come into the school and talk about their experiences of events in the past. We recognize and value the importance of stories in history teaching and we regard this as an important way of stimulating interest in the past. We focus on helping children understand that historical events can be interpreted in different ways and that they should always ask searching questions, such as ‘how do we know?’, about information they are given.

We recognise the fact that in all classes there are children of widely different abilities in history and we seek to provide suitable learning opportunities for all children by matching the challenge of the task to the ability of the child.

History is taught through our creative curriculum detailed on the teacher shared area, curriculum. It is expected by UKS2 that children will be able to do an independent research study to further enhance their skills

We carry out curriculum planning in history in three phases (long-term, medium-term and short-term). The agreed long-term creative curriculum plan maps the history topics studied in each term during each key stage. We teach the knowledge, skills and understanding set out in the Jersey Curriculum and teachers use their professional judgement when planning activities that are relevant and stimulating. Short term plans should include learning intentions at an appropriate level.

Assessment and Recording

We assess the children’s work in history by making informal judgements as we observe the children during lessons. We also look at planning and cross check with work in the topic books. In KS1 individual pieces of work are marked and in KS2 teachers will make a general comment about the topic book as a whole once completed

Resources

Topic boxes for each topic will be stored either in the rectory attic or in the resource cupboard. Any items requests must be forwarded to the subject teacher so that it can be included within the budget requests. Extra books can be found in the school library to support children’s research. Additional resources can also be requested from the Children’s Library service and teachers are encouraged to plan visits to local sites and museums and use the expertise of staff there.

Monitoring and Review

The history subject leader is responsible for monitoring the standard of the children’s work and the quality of teaching in history. The subject leader is also responsible for supporting colleagues in the teaching of history, for being informed about current developments in the subject, and for providing a strategic lead and direction for the subject in the school. Topic books are reviewed each term

Geography Policy  

Opening statement

Geography teaches an understanding of places and environments. Through their work in geography, children learn about their local area, and they compare their life in this area with that in other regions in the Channel Islands, United Kingdom and in the rest of the world.

Aims

At St Luke’s School we aim to provide an education in geography that:

  • Enables children to gain knowledge and understanding of places in the world.
  • Helps children learn about some physical and human aspects of geography through the study of local and global localities.
  • Increases the children’s knowledge of other cultures.
  • Develops children’s respect for other cultures.
  • Helps children appreciate that there are similarities and differences between cultures within the world and their own environment.
  • Allow children to learn how to use and interpret atlases, globes and maps.
  • Encourages children to think about environmental problems and enhances their sense of responsibility for the care of the earth.
  • Introduces children to geographical enquiry to enable them to carry out independent research.
  • Develops the use of geographical skills through: questioning, comparing and contrasting, recording, observing and concluding.

Teaching Approaches and  Procedures

Teachers use a variety of teaching and learning styles in our geography lessons. We use whole-class teaching methods and combine these with enquiry-based research activities. We encourage children to ask as well as answer geographical questions. We offer them the opportunity to use a variety of resources and enable them to use ICT in geography lessons where this serves to enhance their learning.

Geography will be taught as part of a creative curriculum (Teacher shared area, curriculum)

The implementation of Geography will depend on the topic each term for different year groups. Geography objectives have been organised into various themes to make children’s learning relevant and interesting. This will also enable children to be given the opportunity to apply their Geographical skills and knowledge in other areas of the curriculum. Timings of geography teaching are flexible depending on the current topic being taught, as long as all objectives are covered throughout the year. Objectives that are ongoing such as naming and locating countries and cities within the world will be revisited frequently throughout the school year.

We use the Jersey Curriculum for Geography as the basis for our curriculum planning. Each class teacher uses this to create weekly plans that list specific learning objectives. The class teacher keeps these individual plans, and can discuss them with the geography subject leader on an informal basis.

We encourage fieldwork in our local area:

At Key Stage 1 we provide the children with opportunities to observe and record information around the school site and local area including the park, beach and shops. At Key Stage 2 the children do a study of the physical and human features in Jersey. We also offer them the opportunity to take part in a residential visit to Crabbe and St Aubin’s Fort.

Assessment and Recording

We assess the children’s work in geography by making informal judgements as we observe the children during lessons. We also look at planning and cross check with work in the topic books. In KS1 individual pieces of work are marked and in KS2 teachers will make a general comment about the topic book as a whole once completed.

Resources

There are atlases available for LKS2 and UKS2 which should be shared between the 2 classes. There are maps of the local area and the island available on the teacher shared area of the school network.

Topic boxes for each topic will be stored either in the rectory attic or in the resource cupboard. Any items requests must be forwarded to the subject teacher so that it can be included within the budget requests.

 

Monitoring and Review

The geography subject leader is responsible for monitoring the standard of the children’s work and the quality of teaching in geography. The geography subject leader is also responsible for supporting colleagues in the teaching of geography, for being informed about current developments in the subject, and for providing a strategic lead and direction for the subject in the school. Topic books are reviewed each term.

Design and Technology  

We believe that Design and Technology is essential to prepare pupils to participate in rapidly changing technologies. Children will have opportunities to develop their investigating, designing, making and evaluating skills, by thinking creatively.

Design and Technology is an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject. Through this subject, children are given the opportunity to use their creativity and imagination. Pupils design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values.

Aims

At St Luke’s school, we aim to provide an education in Design and Technology that:

  • Enables pupils to learn how to take risks, becoming resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable members of the community.
  • Fosters an enjoyment and appreciation of the visual arts and a knowledge of craftsmen and designers
  • Takes a cross-curricular approach and draws upon disciplines such as Mathematics, Science, Engineering, Computing and Art.
  • Improves the children’s ability to control and understand materials, tools and techniques
  • Increases their awareness of the roles and purposes of Design and Technology in different times and cultures.
  • Develops the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday

tasks confidently, and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world.

  • Builds on a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design

and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users and uses.

  • Enables pupils to critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and the work of others.
  • Allows pupils to understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook. 

 

 

Teaching Approaches and Procedures

 

Design and Technology is a foundation subject in the National Curriculum. At St Luke’s School, we use the national scheme of work as the basis for our curriculum planning on Design and Technology. We have adapted the national scheme to our local circumstances along with use of the ‘STARTing points’ document, created by local teachers to share best practice.

Whenever possible, we use the local environment as the starting point for aspects of our work.

We carry out the curriculum planning in Design and Technology in three phases: long-term, medium-term and short-term. Our long-term plan maps out the themes covered in each term, during the key stage, over the academic year.

Activities are planned so that pupils build upon their prior learning. Children of all abilities are provided with the opportunity to develop their skills, knowledge and understanding to the best of their abilities, with planned progression that ensures an increasing challenge.

The school uses a variety of teaching and learning styles to deliver Design and Technology lessons. We do this best through a mixture of whole-class teaching and individual/group activities. We offer children the opportunity within lessons to work on their own and/or collaborate with others. Children also have the opportunity to use a wide range of materials and resources, including ICT.

We celebrate children’s work through classroom displays, sharing work in assemblies and entries into the Jersey Eisteddfod.

All children in KS2 will have the opportunity to prepare and cook a savory meal.

Health and Safety

Teachers will carry out a risk assessment before each activity, considering the tools, materials and equipment to be used.

Before undertaking practical tasks, children will be taught to use tools correctly in order to ensure safety.

Home School Links

Parents are an invaluable source of skills and information. They may be invited to demonstrate and teach their skills, or indirectly share their skills through assisting with Design and Technology lessons. Opportunities should be available for children at home to investigate and practice skills, research information and use computing where possible.

Assessment and Recording

We assess the children’s work in Design and Technology by observing them working during lessons. We do not keep formal records or make assessments at National Curriculum levels.

Resources

We have a wide range of resources to support the teaching of Design and Technology across the School. All our classrooms should have a range of basic resources and additional supplies are stored in the art and design cupboard, which is accessible to children only under adult supervision. More specialised equipment is ordered as required.

Monitoring and Review

The monitoring of the standards of children’s work and of the quality of teaching in Design and Technology is the responsibility of the subject leader. The work of the subject leader also involves supporting colleagues in the teaching of Design and Technology, keeping informed about current developments in the subject, and providing a strategic lead and direction for the subject in the School.