Information Evening for Parents and Carers Monday 2nd July 2018 Miss Helen Maddocks

Aims of this Session To provide an overview of the structure for next year in Upper Key Stage 2 (UKS2) To introduce members of the UKS2 team To share a brief overview of our curriculum and how this will be delivered To explain how we will meet the needs of Year 6 pupils and their transition to high school

Introductions As Deputy Head, one of my areas of responsibility is the organisation of the curriculum across the whole school I have 6 years experience teaching mixed-age classes (including mixed Years 5 and 6) Mr Bonner, Miss Neill and I are excited to be working together, supporting one another, sharing our expertise and learning from one another in a way that hasn’t been possible before – this will benefit all children across all three classes We have a number of teachers in school who also have experience of teaching mixed-age classes

Class Structure Children will be grouped according to their date of birth Year 5 – youngest pupils – Miss Maddocks Year 5/6 – oldest Year 5 pupils and youngest Year 6 pupils – Mr Bonner Year 6 – oldest pupils – Miss Neill Class sizes in September will be much smaller than they are now, with a predicted 24 children in each class The three UKS2 classes will share 2 Teaching Assistants (Miss Thomas and Miss Sims) in addition to adults working 1 to 1 with specific children and providing support where required

Location UKS2 will move into the top floor of the new extension This will ensure teachers can work closely together and to ensure a smooth transition between classes Children have been incredibly positive about their new learning environment

Meeting the needs of all learners Regardless of whether we are teaching single or mixed-age classes, teachers ‘differentiate’ their teaching to ensure the needs of all learners are met, and particularly when there is a wide range of needs and abilities within the cohort Differentiation involves using a range of strategies, resources and teaching styles (such as small groups, different independent tasks, a variety of resources, adapting shared resources, adult support and providing a range of opportunities) so that all children make progress Teachers will continue to use differentiation to meet the needs of learners in mixed-age groupings

Curriculum We will deliver a two-year rolling programme across all three classes where the same objectives will be covered This ensures that all pupils across UKS2 access the same objectives and opportunities during their time in this phase We will ensure that all children receive the right level of challenge regardless of their age Children will not miss out on learning opportunities or objectives when taught in a mixed-age class – we won’t be ‘skipping’ a year Teachers will have planning time together to ensure consistency

Curriculum cont. We follow the National Curriculum and will create a 2-year rolling programme that ensures progression and that no one repeats the same topics As Year 5 have already experienced the Year 5 curriculum, we will begin our rolling programme in September by teaching our Year 6 curriculum which will be new learning for all children across all three classes Topics specific to Year 5, such as the study of North America, will be covered in the second year of our rolling programme This will ensure full coverage of the required objectives by the time all children have left UKS2 As is normal practice at Tarporley, learning will be differentiated to meet the needs of all learners and ensure they are appropriately challenged, regardless of their age and stage of development

Curriculum cont. Where the National Curriculum directs us to teach specific topics and content to specific year groups, such as in Science, because mixed-age classes are common practice across England, schools have the flexibility to teach topics ‘out of order’ as long as they are covered by the end of the key stage Year 5 Maths objective Pupils should be taught to: read, write, order and compare numbers to at least 1 000 000 and determine the value of each digit Parallel Year 6 Maths objective Pupils should be taught to: read, write, order and compare numbers up to 10 000 000 and determine the value of each digit With appropriate differentiation, both objectives are easily covered within one lesson In subjects such as History and Geography, the requirement is to teach objectives within a key stage and no mention is given of specific year groups Explain about Religious Education We study North America in Year 5 because we have decided to as a school – in Geography, the NC simply gives a list of objectives and content to be covered during KS2 so when we cover them is up to us – this is the same for many foundation (non-core) subjects This allows us to teach our ‘Year 6’ topics to Year 5 children and vice versa Provide detail about English – same objectives for Year 5 and 6 anyway – we will tweak what is already in place and think carefully about the suitability of texts given we are teaching two year groups

Streaming In maths, children will be streamed across Years 5 and 6 Children will be grouped according to their ability and understanding of mathematical concepts We will stream pupils because teachers can pinpoint areas of need, pitch lessons with greater accuracy and deliver lessons at a pace that is appropriate for learners. This results in teaching and learning that is tailor-made for those pupils

Streaming cont. Maths groupings will be flexible – if children’s needs change during the year, they will be moved to the maths group that best meets their needs We have no plans currently to stream in other curriculum areas I will explain verbally why we are not streaming for English rather than writing it in the slide as there was no way of doing it that wasn’t wordy and confusing Recap – same objectives for English anyway across 5 and 6, ‘glass-ceiling’, in Maths children can either access the learning or they can’t, children learn from one another, etc. Glass ceiling Maths – you either understand or you don’t, can access the learning or you can’t Children learn from one another, etc.

Trips and Residentials Next year, Year 5 and Year 6 will enjoy separate residentials Year 6 will visit York and will take part in their transition residential to the Conway Centre (if they are planning to attend Tarporley High School) Year 5 will stay at the Conway Centre for an art-themed residential For trips, there will be a combination of UKS2 trips and separate year group trips, for instance Pilgrim Day at Chester Cathedral is specific to Year 5 and the Leavers’ Service at Chester Cathedral is specific to Year 6

Year 6 Transition, Leavers’ Celebrations, End of Year Performance All Year 6 pupils will enjoy the same privileges and experiences regardless of which class they are in, e.g. Buddies, Parliament Leads, additional monitor roles, etc. All Year 6 pupils will access the same transition opportunities while Year 5 will remain at school and continue with lessons as normal All Year 6 will attend Chester Cathedral Leavers’ Service and will present their own Leavers’ Service at St. Helen’s as normal All Year 6 pupils who want one will be given speaking parts in their End of Year Performance as normal while Year 5 will perform as a choir Sex and Relationships Education (SRE) will continue to be taught to Year 6 only in an age-appropriate way Also mention Fire Safety trip and visit for different year groups

Year 6 End of Key Stage Assessments (SATs) Preparation for SATs begins around 3 weeks before the tests All Year 6 children will be given equal opportunities to prepare for their tests All Year 6 children will be invited to SATs club in the Spring term

Thank you for your continued support