1. An introduction for parents Thursday 4 th December 2014

2.  The government wants to raise standards in schools, as Britain is “falling behind” in international performance tables.  The government wants schools to learn form the best practice in other counties and in the best schools in the UK.  We need to be able to compete in the international jobs market, both now and in the future.

3.  The new curriculum is being taught in Year 1, Year 3, Year 4 and Year 5 from September 2014.  The new curriculum will be introduced in Year 2 and Year 6 in 2016.  All state funded schools need to implement the new curriculum (Academies and private schools do not)  New tests will be introduced in 2016  Schools need to introduce new assessments systems to measure children’s progress.

4. Core subjects  English (not Literacy)  Maths  Science Foundation Subjects  Art and design  Computing (not ICT)  Design technology  Geography  History  Languages (Key Stage 2 upwards)  Music  Physical Education (and RE but this has never been part of the national curriculum)

5.  “All children should have a strong command of the spoken and written word and develop their love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment”  A greater emphasis on teaching of grammar and the children knowing and using the correct grammatical terms e.g. subordinate clause, passive  A much greater emphasis on spelling and learning spelling rules. There are lists of spellings for each phase as well as rules to learn.

6.  An emphasis on using standard English and children being able to express their ideas clearly in a debate  More work on poetry, including learning some poems off by heart.  Extending children’s vocabulary and encouraging them to make effective work choices. e.g. find other words to replace “said” “went”

7.  All children should be fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics; reason mathematically and solve problems.  Higher expectations at a younger age – eg. Children are expected to work with larger numbers at a younger age e.g. counting to over 100 by the end of Year 1  Fewer areas covered  Conceptual understanding is key

8.  There is still a great emphasis on children learning mental strategies to develop calculation skills.  Children are expected to know all their tables to 12x12 by the end of Year 4.  Column addition and subtraction will be introduced for most children in Year 3.  Mastery and depth rather than accelerate to the next year.

9.  Some of the content of the foundation subjects is new.  For example there is a much greater emphasis on Stone Age and Iron Age history and an entirely new unit on Evolution in science.  Other areas have simply been moved to different year groups.

10. Class/ Year Autumn Term 1 st half 2 nd half Spring Term 1 st half 2 nd half Summer Term 1 st half 2 nd half 1 Plants Identify and name common garden and wild plants. Animals Identify, name and label. Everyday materials Seasonal changes 2 Uses of everyday materials Animals and habitats Plants How do plants grow? Animals and humans. Basic needs 3 Plants Life cycles, water transportation and parts. Animals Skeletons RocksLight and shadow Forces and magnets 4 Living things Habitat Animals Digestive system, teeth States of matter Solids, liquids and gases SoundElectricity 5 Living things Life process and reproduction Animals Old age and reproduction Properties of materials Reversible and irreversible changes Earth and Space Forces Gravity, resistance and friction 6 Living things Classifying Animals Circulatory system Evolution Adaptation LightElectricity Changing circuits

11. TopicStatus KS1 - Changes in students’ livesRetained, but with re-newed emphasis that this should where possible reveal change on a national level. KS2 - Changes in Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age New, statutory. KS2 - Roman BritainMuch greater emphasis.

14.  Emphasis on real life application and experiencing a range of hardware/software.  Understanding of the internet  Programming  E-safety is now threaded through the curriculum.  Includes a cooking and nutrition element.  Now compulsory for all KS2 children.  Choice of any modern/ancient language.  Encouraged to pick one language and develop competency with that (French).  Hold a conversation and express opinions  Understand grammatical features of the new language.

15.  No more levels! (2B, 4C, Level 6)  There will be end of year group expectations (currently out for consultation for Year 2 and Year 6) and children will be assessed as  Below national standard  Working towards national standard  Working at national standard  Mastery Level  Schools need to show that children are meeting national standards and making good progress.

16.  Schools are to develop their own systems for tracking pupil progress. There will be no nationally agreed system.  Most children will start the year working below the national standard for their new year group, but should progress to achieve the national standard at the end of the year, unless they have additional learning needs.  We have begun to assess children against the new curriculum standards, but this will take time, as we have not taught all aspects of the curriculum yet.

17.  We are using a system that identifies six steps within each year group band. This will allow us to show progress during the year.  We will moderate our judgements within school and with other schools locally. Beginning Beginning + Working Working + Secure Secure + (mastery)

18.  National tests at the end of Year 2 and Year 6  Children will take tests in reading, Spelling Punctuation and Grammar (SPAG) and maths.  Children will get a “scaled score” between 80- 120, where 100 shows that they are working at the expected level for their age.  A new baseline assessment will be introduced for children entering Reception in 2016. Schools can trial this in 2015.  Progress will be measured from Reception to Year 6.

19.  The government has “raised the bar” with the introduction of the new curriculum.  Children who were working at the expected level for their age in the old curriculum may no longer reach that level in the new curriculum, at least initially.  There is an emphasis on “mastery and depth of learning” rather than children progressing to the content of the next year group.

20. Mastery and depth is about going out on the branches before going up the trunk. This involves application and evidencing learning in a range of contexts. Acceleration is about going up the trunk to the next level.