The reception year is the last year of the Foundation Stage and the most important year of a child’s school life! It is the aim of the reception staff to make this year a happy, exciting and challenging experience for the reception children.

Our curriculum is broken down into 6 areas of learning:

• Personal, social and emotional development
• Communication, language and literacy
• Problem solving, reasoning and numeracy
• Knowledge and understanding of the world
• Physical development
• Creative development

Because children learn best through play, we try to provide opportunities and space for children to be active learners both indoors and out. We aim to organise an environment that maximises opportunities for self motivated, creative learning because we want the children to be independent learners.

At the end of the reception year the children are well prepared for the challenges of Year 1.

Art

Creativity is intrinsic to all our learning and Art has an important role to play in helping children to develop greater awareness and understanding when observing and interpreting their environment. We explore a variety of media, working on both two and three dimensional projects, developing skills as the children progress through the school. Opportunities to become familiar with the Art of different cultures, artists and historical periods lead to lively discussions along with a growing willingness to evaluate and develop their own work.

Music

All children at St Martin’s experience a range of opportunities that encourage active participation, develop their confidence and foster an enjoyment and appreciation of all cultures. Children learn musical skills in which are then linked to a range of cross curricular topics.

All children are welcome to join the choir, and there are many performances throughout the year where they have the chance to perform for audiences both in school and in the wider community.

Drama

Drama gives children the opportunity to explore the world around them through imagination and interaction with each other. Learners of all ages have the opportunity to take part in a range of drama activities, from devising and writing their own plays, using drama as a tool for exploring a range of curriculum areas and watching professional visiting theatre companies. Our year group and class productions give children the chance to practise their skills in front of an audience and evaluate their performances. Drama also promotes positive well-being and a deeper understanding of emotions and those of others.

Dance

Dance allows children to physically express their thoughts and emotions, use their imaginations, experiment and develop their creativity. Children will get the opportunity to explore and develop their dance skills through PE lessons and a range of cross-curricular activities and topics. They will be able to explore different cultures and values and develop their own voice and style through evaluation of their own and others’ performances. Children will become more self-aware, confident and can allow the opportunity for children to really excel.

English

English, communication and language is vitally important. Reading, writing, speaking and listening are essential skills in enabling children to achieve across the whole curriculum. They lay the foundations for active involvement in society, work and lifelong learning. English helps children to develop their imagination, see the world through the eyes of others and read and write for pleasure. Children learn to communicate effectively in range of media and become increasingly fluent and accurate in expressing their thoughts and emotions. They also become more skilled in generating ideas, solving problems and thinking critically and creatively. Language and communication opens up many possibilities enabling children to engage with different cultures and societies.

Modern Foreign Languages

We believe in the importance of children being able to experience and explore a range of languages. Using foreign languages enables learners to engage and identify with different cultures and helps children’s understanding of how language works. Currently, year 5 and 6 learn French as part of the timetabled curriculum, in addition, there are other extra curricular opportunities for children to learn Mandarin, Spanish and French. As the school introduces ‘The Bailiwick of Guernsey Curriculum’, we will develop opportunities for all children to learn about different foreign languages and local Patois.

Historical, Geographical and Social understanding

St. Martin’s aims to fire learners’ curiosity and imagination about who we are, where we have come from, where we live and where we might be going next.

History and Geography: History allows learners to connect the past with the present and the future. Within Geography, learners make sense of their place in the world through investigating the world around them, from Bailiwick to global issues. They learn about the impact of their actions on the planet and the importance of developing a sustainable future. Learners at St. Martin’s have opportunities to choose key areas of their learning within historical periods and geographical contexts (enquiry-based learning), to visit historical/geographical sites, to listen to experts and to take part in celebration days where their learning is shared with the wider community.

Citizenship: Citizenship education develops knowledge, skills and understanding that learners need to play a full part in society as active and responsible citizens. Political and social issues are explored, debated and learners make reasoned arguments. At St. Martin’s this may be delivered through topic, PSHE and Philosophy for Children lessons.

Maths

St Martins believes that mathematics introduces children to concepts, skills and thinking strategies that are essential in everyday life and for the future. It helps learners makes sense of the numbers, patterns, shapes and measures they see in the world around them and offers ways of handling data in a digital world. Children at St Martins use mathematics to solve problems and enjoy the wonder of unexpected discoveries and new connections. We aim to grow confidence so children feel empowered to look for patterns, use reasoning, suggest solutions and try out different approaches to problems.

Mathematics offers children a powerful way of communicating and through our cooperative learning approaches they learn to explain their ideas.

Financial Literacy

St Martins recognises that it essential for children to make informed judgments regarding the use and management of money. Through good understanding of basic financial concepts the children will develop the ability to make carefully thought out choices regarding spending, budgeting, saving, investing and borrowing.

Physical Health and Well-being

Our PE curriculum includes gymnastics, dance, games, swimming, athletics and outdoor adventurous activities. A balance of these activities promotes strength, balance, speed coordination, agility, muscular endurance, cardiovascular endurance, power and flexibility. We offer a range of extracurricular activities such as, yoga club, cycling proficiency awards and infant, lower junior and upper junior sports afternoons.

As well as acquiring a wider range of physical skills and abilities, children at St Martin’s school learn the social and emotional skills which can help them to embrace change and challenge both individually and in groups. Developing young people’s awareness of healthy diet, activity, positive relationships and risks to health lays important foundations for their future lives. Children can develop an understanding of how their actions can have a positive effect on other people and the environment.

PSHE

We believe that all our children should acquire the knowledge and skills they need to lead happy, healthy, confident and independent lives. We aim to help our children to experience economic well-being and to become active responsible citizens who are able to form positive relationships throughout their lives.

Learners will build secure knowledge of the following; health and emotional well-being, relationships, and living in the wider word.

Our children are given many opportunities through assemblies, school and class councils, school residential trips and focussed lessons to acquire and develop these skills. We have an excellent buddy system operating in the school that helps our younger children whilst teaching responsibility and relationship skills to our older pupils. Kagan cooperative learning is embedded throughout all teaching and learning throughout the school.

We live in an age of fast-moving science, computing and technology which is becoming fundamental to exploring, understanding and influencing the natural and man-made worlds in which we live. Our curriculum offers children a wealth of experiences and ideas that will encourage their natural curiosity and creativity, inspiring awe and wonder. Children will learn to value ideas and to see talking, thinking and hypothesising as essential elements in developing an understanding of new processes. Children will tackle problems, form questions, generate and test ideas and designs and decide how to seek solutions. They will gather and make sense of evidence, test out hypothesis and evaluate processes and outcomes. They will learn the possibilities of science, computing and technology, inspiring them to become the scientists, engineers, designers and innovators of the future.

Science

Science at St Martins involves children developing their interest in, and understanding of, the living, material and physical world. Through first hand observations, practical activities, open ended challenges and investigations, and discussion and debate, children learn to develop and apply their scientific knowledge and skills. Children learn about science in relevant, real life contexts and acquire the confidence to use scientific terms and ideas. They come to appreciate that science is a dynamic and creative process and that the rapid rate of development in science will impact the future of our society.

Design and Technology

Children learn how to design, create and evaluate a product. They can experience a sense of achievement when their products and solutions work well, and they can develop their capacity to deal with change, risk and uncertainty. Lessons promote creative thinking and encourage children to make connections across different kinds of learning which allows them to become innovative, critical designers.

Computing

Children will learn to become skilled users of a wide range of technologies. Computing will be taught discreetly as well as being woven throughout all other areas of the curriculum. Computing will allow the children to gain practical skills and to think creatively about how to solve practical problems with scope to learn how to work effectively in teams. This way of learning will prepare children for their future lives and careers, making them skilled, thoughtful, adaptable and resourceful citizens.

We use the Guernsey Agreed syllabus for Religious Education alongside the Bailiwick of Guernsey Curriculum to deliver this core subject. These are designed to promote children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development in preparation for the opportunities, responsibilities and the experiences of life.

Through a variety of cross curricular topics, we encourage the children to discuss, argue and debate, with an openness to new thinking and ideas. This is taught through individual lessons and topic based learning and assemblies. This in turn will help develop skills of reflection, critical thinking and how to act when making moral decisions.

Religious, philosophical and ethical education enables children to explore the traditions and beliefs of Christianity and other world religions. It supports our children in developing empathy towards others, their values and their capacity for moral and ethical judgement. It enables our children to become successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors.

World of Work

We teach our children about the work place to help them understand the world of education, employment and training.  Developing a child’s view of work place is essential preparation for a changeable future.

“Good career guidance helps inspire pupils towards further study and enables them to make informed decisions whenever choices are open to them. It helps them to understand enough about the world of work to know what skills they need to succeed. It is important for social mobility because it helps open pupils’ eyes to careers they may not have considered.”(My Future, My Choice, My Island and Beyond 2015,  CEIAG SoG Strategy 2015)

Collective Worship

Assemblies are held at the end of the school day 3 days a week. The children come together, either in departments or as a whole school to enjoy a story, celebrate achievements and birthdays and to learn the St Martin’s Mindset values.

Assemblies are led by the Headteacher and different members of staff as well as visiting speakers such as the PACE group.

Each KS2 class leads an assembly once a year and the children produce special services throughout the year such as Leavers’ evening, Christmas and Easter.

As a school, it is one of our aims to encourage the children to become critical thinkers and at the end of each assembly they have the opportunity to sit quietly and reflect on the message or theme.