KEY STAGE 1
KEY STAGE 1
From its start as an Early Years setting, Banana Island School now offers exceptional Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 education.
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Key Stage 1: Ages 5 – 7
Key Stage 2: Ages 8 – 11
Children transition from the Reception class with a secure Early Years foundation into Year 1 and move up through the School until the end of Key Stage 2 (Age 11).
CURRICULUM & EDUCATION
In Year 1, the children are introduced to a more disciplined working environment but with an emphasis on keeping the learning both interesting and fun. The children are introduced to the National Curriculum Key Stage 1. Each core subject is covered with a carefully structured scheme of work, which is often linked through cross-curricular topic work.
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The children will work in class, group and individual situations and they will be encouraged to become more independent in both academic and non-academic areas. Their development will be closely monitored and assessed on individual achievements. Problems are therefore detected early and each child is given the best
possible start in order to reach his/her full personal and academic potential.
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The Curriculum includes: English, Mathematics, Science, Computing,Religious Studies (RS), History, Geography, French, Art Design & Technology, Physical Education (PE), P.S.H.E. (Life Matters), Music and Drama. From the 2019/2020 academic session, the School will also offer Mandarin and Cantonese as options. All primary children have the opportunity to stand for election and serve on our Pupil Voice council.
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Specialist teachers deliver Computing, French, Chinese language, Music and P.E/Gymnastics.
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Phonics is a particular strength of the School and all Year 1 children (and any children in Year 2 who are working towards attaining the required Phonics standard) sit the UK government statutory Phonics Skills test in June each year. The phonics screening check is a short, light-touch assessment to confirm whether individual children have learnt phonic decoding to an appropriate standard. For the June 2019 cohort, Banana Island School Year 1 children scored a 100% pass rate with 70% of Reception children also passing the test at Year 1 level.
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Year 2 children are also prepared for the UK SAT test; as well as end-of-module assessments, to ensure that children have a secure grasp of each topic in the core subjects.
LITERACY
By the end of the year our aim is that the children should be secure in the following skills:
Writing
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Write simple sentences using their word books where necessary
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Write simple stories with ideas that follow on from each other
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Complete simple comprehension tasks
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Have an understanding of simple grammar, especially full stops and capital letters
Hand Writing
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Can hold their pencils correctly
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Can form their letters correctly
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Are able to join up their handwriting when asked to
Spelling
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Spell common words
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Spell words using the sound /blend of the week
Reading
We aim to hear the children read from scheme books a few times a week and will change the reading books when the child is ready.
NUMERACY
By the end of the year our aim is that the children should be secure in the following skills:
By the end of the year our aim is that the children should be able to:
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Work with numbers to 100
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Add/subtract confidently with apparatus
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Add/subtract mentally 1,2,5,10
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Count in 2’s, 5’s and 10’s
Have an understanding of:
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Tens and units
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2, 5, and 10 times table
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Fractions halves, thirds, quarters of shapes and numbers
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Time o’clock, half past, quarter past, quarter to
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Money coin recognition, making values, working out change
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Multiplication (lots of) and division (sharing)
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Making and interpreting graphs
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Weighing, volume, capacity, area
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Measuring how to use a ruler
Each of these areas will be revisited during the year:
Science, Geography, History, Art and D.T are taught through topics lasting half a term. Through Year 1 the children will be focusing on:
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Food from around the world
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Light and Dark
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Flight and air
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Animals and their habitats
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Materials
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The seaside and water
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During the week children will also take Dance, Swimming, French, Music and Movement, P.E., Games and ICT.
OTHER SUBJECT AREAS
By the end of the year our aim is that the children should be secure in the following skills:
Arts & Crafts
Priority is given to the creative arts, with at least one activity incorporating Creative Development each day throughout the Nursery. As the children develop, emphasis will also be placed on a technological approach to problem solving, particularly in the area where Art and Design merge with practical Science. Children are encouraged to be inventive and resourceful.
Sports
Our objective is for all children to participate in and enjoy Sports. Physical development is integral part of each child’s Early Learning Goals and children are provided with opportunities for outside play and Sports every day.
Music
Music is an important part of the Curriculum throughout the Nursery and the school aims to encourage each child to enjoy and make music. The younger children will use percussion instruments as well as coming together for songs and movement (Circle Time).
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They learn about beat, rhythm and start to recognise the repetition of alliterative sounds through popular nursery rhymes.
Homework
It is important that children develop good homework habits. The school’s homework policy provides for homework tasks of varied nature across the curriculum and frequency increases as children develop and mature.
Reporting
The school is developing its assessment and recording programme of each child’s progress. Parents are informed of their child’s progress through a combination of written reports, formal interviews and informal consultations.
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On entry into the Nursery, each child undergoes an informal entry assessment which, together with the parents’ observations and notes, provides the setting with a good platform to plan adequately in order to meet the child’s needs.
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The Nursery also compiles a profile incorporating the child’s learning journey which includes observations and copies of child’s work. This document is designed to provide the Reception class teacher with sound knowledge of the child and good transition from the Early Years Foundation Stage to Key Stage 1 of the Primary Curriculum.
