Curriculum Overview

Our priority is to promote an ethos and environment that excites, inspires and values reading; creating a community of passionate readers.

The Reading Ambassadors are one of the school's Pupil Leadership Groups who take ownership of: the organisation of the Library, liaising with their peers to establish their reading interests and order books around these, expose readers to different authors and types of text that they may not normally choose and organise events which celebrate the importance of reading and encourage reluctant readers. E.g. Book Fairs and World Book Day.

Every classroom, from Reception to Year Six, has a Reading Area which inspires and encourages reading. The children contribute to the design and layout of their Reading Area and take ownership of promoting different texts through the use of: ‘Book of the Week’ and ‘Reading Recommendations’ which are updated by the pupils on a regular basis. Each classroom’s Reading Area has a wide range of high-quality texts which are freely available for the children to access, including: fiction and non-fiction stories, information texts, poetry and magazines, which are updated regularly. 

Each classroom dedicates at least thirty minutes each week solely to reading for pleasure. Children have the freedom to read whichever texts they choose, in an area of their choice. The children contribute to the structure of their class’s timetable for reading for pleasure; some classes may choose to have it in daily blocks for a shorter period of time and others may choose to have it less frequently throughout the week but for longer periods of time. 

All children in Key Stage One have an opportunity to access the Library once each week with their teacher to browse and discuss the texts that are available and borrow a book from the Library to read and share with adults at home. These books supplement their other weekly reading books (which match their Phonics and word reading ability) which are also sent home on a weekly basis.

All classes in Key Stage Two select their own, appropriately-levelled (as a result of the Accelerated Reader assessment), reading books from the Library. All Key Stage Two classes also have a Class Novel which is chosen by the children and read to them by their teacher at appropriate times during each school day.

Teachers at St Gregory’s plan regular and consistent opportunities to share poetry and talk about books and stories. They strive to be knowledgeable about children’s literature so that they can engage in meaningful and engaging discussions with pupils about a range of different texts.

Reading at St. Gregory's

At St. Gregory's, we begin teaching reading with a focus on Phonics and we use the Letters and Sounds programme. The foundations are laid in Reception where the focus is, first of all, on developing careful and accurate listening and having fun with phonemes (sounds), words and sentences. The children learn good reading behaviour by imitating our teachers' high-quality modelling. Pupils in Reception are encouraged to read words and captions around their text-rich learning environment, as well as composing their own. Our young children soon learn to share St. Gregory's love for reading.

The Phonics programme continues throughout Reception and into Key Stage One and parents are encouraged to join their children for Phonics lessons during each academic year so that they are supported to help their children at home. Parents Information Workshops are also held by the English Subject Lead each academic year for parents of pupils in Year One and Year Two who are sitting the Phonics Screening Check. Phonics Support Packs have been created to support these pupils develop their Phonic skills and they contain a range of resources which have been specifically sourced, designed and put together so that they are bespoke to the needs of all children. They are used both in school, by teachers and teaching assistants during Phonics interventions, as well as by parents and carers at home. More information about the Phonics Support Packs can be found on the school's website under the 'Parents' section.

During the Early Years and Key Stage One, pupils are given reading books weekly to continue their reading development at home with their family. Most of these are Oxford Reading Tree books but the school does also use books from other reading schemes so that pupils are exposed to and given the opportunity to explore a range of different genres, such as: traditional tales, non-fiction books, poems and play-scripts, to name but a few. 

The children are assessed half-termly to ensure that they are on the correct reading band.

In Key Stage Two, teachers use a computer program called Accelerated Reader to manage and monitor pupils' independent reading. Each child picks a book of their choice from their assessed level from our well-stocked Library and reads it at their own pace. When finished, the pupil then takes a short quiz on the iPad which assesses their comprehension of the book. The quiz gives both the child and their teachers feedback based on their quiz results; which is used to help set targets and direct ongoing reading practise. 

Teachers determine each child's reading level using results from the STAR Reading Tests, which are completed in the first week of every half term. STAR Reading Tests are computerised reading assessments that use computer-adaptive technology to assess pupils' fluency and comprehension skills. Questions continually adjust to the child's responses so if the child's response to a question is correct, the difficulty of the next question is increased. Furthermore, if a child misses a question, the difficulty of the next question is reduced. 

Below, you will find a link which will direct you to further information about Accelerated Reader.

Home Reading - Reception and Year One Accelerated Reader Information for Parents

As a school, we are provided with a PE and Sport premium find which is designed to help us improve the quality of PE and sport activities that we offer the children at St. Gregory’s. We are free to choose how we use this money and are required to publish details in the way this funding is used. The objectives of spending in 2019-2020 are to increase our participation in inter-school and cluster competitions, broaden after-school club opportunities, update sports equipment for lessons and playtime, embed a high standard of PE provision with Level 3 Sports Coaching qualified staff and introduce new, inclusive games to pupils. 

Classes

At St. Gregory’s, we provide every child with a minimum of two hours of physical activity per week. All pupils take part in Games, Gymnastics, Dance and Swimming lessons which are delivered by out Physical Education Specialists and class teachers. It is very important that the children at St. Gregory’s have the correct PE kit for safety and hygiene reasons. We recommend that each part of your child’s P.E kit is labelled to stop it from being misplaced. A child’s P.E kit should consist of:

• A PE bag
• A pair of Navy shorts (Summer) and trousers (Winter)
• A blue round neck t-shirt with the St Gregory’s badge
• EYFS & KS1: Well-fitted plimsolls for indoors and trainers for outside
• KS2: Well-fitted trainers for indoors and outside

Please find the days each year group has their Physical Education and Swimming lesson each week.

Curriculum Overview

At St. Gregory’s Catholic Primary School, every pupil participates in, at least, the minimum 2 hours of physical activity per week. Pupils across Key Stage One and Two take part in Games, Gymnastics, Dance and Swimming Lessons, planned and delivered by Physical Education Specialists. Lessons are fun and challenging yet offer structure to provide progression for all pupils regardless of ability. Lessons provide a balance between healthy competition and skill acquisition, allowing for development of social and emotional skills such as team-building and problem solving, as well as widening their physical abilities.

Gymnastics and Dance

In Key Stage One, pupils investigate a range of movements including rolls and jumps using different speed and levels. Pupils have learned to use space safely working both on the floor, mats and on apparatus. In Key Stage Two, pupils exercise balance and control through performing rolls and jumps using different speed and levels. Pupils create sequences of controlled movement working both on the floor, mats and on apparatus. 

Games

Key Stage One pupils explore boxes of equipment and learn to work and share. They develope their own game ideas and discover different equipment. Key Stage Two experience a variety of different activities including football, basketball, netball, handball, tag rugby, athletics, dodge-ball, hockey, tri-golf, tennis, cricket and outdoor adventurous activity. Pupils participate in lessons which follow a 4-part structure including warm-up, skill acquisition, modified game and cool down, reminding them of why we take part in PE and its importance for our health. Year 6 leaders are also encouraged to lead part of the warm up to increase their knowledge of the importance of warming up. Lessons continually assess pupil progress and allow for flexibility throughout, ensuring all pupils are stretched and challenged.

Swimming

With our own swimming pool on site, pupils at the school have access to regular, high quality swimming lessons. This gives our pupils every chance to swim the required 25 metres by the time they complete Year 6.