KS2 Parents Forum Meeting Monday 6th February 2017 Mrs. Close Mrs. Roberts

The New National Curriculum 2014 The National Curriculum is a set of subjects directed by the government that schools in England must follow.  Core subjects English Mathematics Science  Foundation subjects Art and design Citizenship Computing Design and Technology Languages Geography History Music Physical education  All schools are also required to teach religious education at all key stages.

The Curriculum at Markland Hill. Whilst we teach the National Curriculum at Markland Hill, we have taken ownership of it and tailored it to meet the needs of our children. This is achieved by making clear links between learning with English and creativity driving our ‘Cornerstones’ themed units of learning. These themed units are organised on a two year rolling programme.

Assessment of Core Subjects In the summer of 2016, children in Year 2 and Year 6 were the first to take the new SATs. These tests in English and Maths reflected the new national curriculum, and were indeed, more rigorous. There was also a completely new marking scheme to replace the existing national curriculum levels.

Tests and Assessments - Key Stage 2, Year 6 At the end of Year 6, children will sit SATs in Reading Maths SPAG (spelling, punctuation and grammar) These tests will be both set and marked externally, and the results will be used to measure the schools performance (for example, through reporting to Ofsted and published league tables). Your child’s marks will be used in conjunction with teacher assessment to give a broader picture of their attainment. Writing continues to be teacher assessed.

Markland Hill’s SAT results 2016 The expected standard in Reading, Writing and Maths takes note of all the children’s attainment in all the 3 subjects and combines all their scores . Some children scored less than 100 (whilst others scored above 100) in all 3 subjects and this is why the combined % looks lower than the other totals.

Year 6 - KS2 % of children achieving the Higher Standard The higher standard is defined by a scaled score of 110 or higher. Out of 98 primary schools in Bolton, we came second, with the greatest number of children achieving this higher standard.

The Average Scaled Scores in Reading, maths and Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling

Average Pupil Progress in Reading, Writing and Maths

Years 3, 4 and 5 SPAG Maths In Reading Comprehension, the questions were based on the teaching and learning from year 3 – 6.

In Years 3,4 and 5, along with year 6, the children are assessed termly on: SPAG Reading Comprehension Maths Arithmetic Paper Maths Reasoning Paper Writing – Teacher assessed These assessments are all marked internally and contribute the teacher’s assessment of each child

Grammar and Punctuation SAT Paper 2016

Maths SAT Paper 1 – Arithmetic Paper

Maths SAT – Reasoning Paper 2

Maths SAT – Reasoning Paper 3

Reading – implications for school and Parents One of the starkest changes this year was the emphasis and focus on pupils understanding vocabulary in context. A huge percentage of the questions were focused on this new content domain. This can be achieved through exposing pupils to a wide range of texts, especially texts from our literary heritage. It is almost impossible to teach pupils every word that could appear on the test so, in this case, it is important to promote and encourage reading for pleasure. Strategies such as reading around the word to decipher the context and completing work on synonyms are also beneficial for these questions.

Although some of the questions were tricky to decipher, there is some merit in teaching test techniques to pupils. Pupils will also benefit from being explicitly taught skimming and scanning skills under timed conditions as most of the test was about finding answers at speed. For ‘Find and copy’ questions, remind pupils that they need to find one word and not a group of words unless explicitly stated in the question. Pupils lost marks for writing whole sentences or phrases.

We also choose 5/6 words a week that the children have to investigate. In UKS2, during ‘Guided Reading’, we ask the children to find 4/5 words that we have already identified in the text, and time the children’s speed in finding them. They love this. We also choose 5/6 words a week that the children have to investigate. First, they practice writing them out neatly, then they look up the word in a dictionary and write out its definition and finally we ask them to write a synonym or phrase that means the same thing. When they come across a new word, they write it at the bottom of a page in their ‘Reading Diary’, look it up in a dictionary and write its meaning.

Why Reading Matters Extracts taken from: Reading - the next Steps - Supporting higher standards in schools. Department For Education - March 2015 Nothing is more important in education than ensuring that every child can read well. Pupils who can read are overwhelmingly more likely to succeed at school, achieve good qualifications, and subsequently enjoy a fulfilling and rewarding career. Those who cannot will find themselves at constant disadvantage. Reading for pleasure is not only important because it improves performance in reading tests; it has a much wider significance for children’s education. Research shows that it brings benefits that help pupils achieve more across the whole curriculum. These include a broad vocabulary, text comprehension, grammar and general knowledge. Reading for pleasure has also been found to be linked to greater progress in spelling and mathematics skills.

A wide vocabulary is an important tool for understanding new subject matter, and as pupils’ understanding of a subject grows, so does their ability to work out new words they may come across. Reading, and discussing what you have read, are cornerstones of education, and the national curriculum aims to encourage all pupils into the habit of reading widely and often. Promoting a love of reading is not something that the government can, or should, act on alone. Parents, schools, libraries and others all have a vital role to play in fostering a love of reading amongst children.

Copy of a child’s Reading Diary here Sue

We believe that those children who read widely and often and talk about their reading to an adult, have a much better understanding of the story / text, they can express / explain their thoughts on the plot, a character, an issue that’s just arisen and very importantly, they are more confident to form opinions. If they don’t have opportunities to put forward their thoughts and explain them or be challenged to explain further - giving reasons or to be faced with a different point of view (from the parent / carer), our children will find it difficult to express why they think in a particular way.

SAT Reading paper 2016, page 5

SAT Reading paper 2016, Answer Booklet

There will be a free ‘Breakfast Club’ that all Year 6 are invited to. This year, SATs will begin Monday 8th May and finish on Thursday 11th May. We do everything we can prepare the children and more importantly, help them to feel safe, calm and confident. There will be a free ‘Breakfast Club’ that all Year 6 are invited to. Selection of cereals –with Semi Skimmed milk Toast with jam Sausage on a ‘Barm cake’’ - treat on Thursday! Sauces Apple or Orange juice.