English

Spoken Language 
Pupils are taught to speak clearly and convey ideas confidently using Standard English. They  learn to justify ideas with reasons; ask questions to check understanding; develop vocabulary and build knowledge; negotiate; evaluate and build on the ideas of others; and select the appropriate register for effective communication. They are taught to give well-structured descriptions and explanations and develop their understanding through speculating, hypothesising and exploring ideas. This enables them to clarify their thinking as well as organise their ideas for writing.

Reading 
Pupils are taught to read fluently, understand extended prose (both fiction and non-fiction) and be encouraged to read for pleasure. We provide library facilities and set ambitious expectations for reading at home.
At Fixby, reading skills in KS2 are taught through discrete Guided Reading lessons which teach  comprehension skills. With the newly introduced Power of Reading, pupils have the opportunity to explore texts in detail, understanding the characters and the structure of powerful texts.

Writing
Pupils are encouraged to develop the stamina and skills to write at length, with accurate spelling and punctuation. They are taught the correct use of grammar, building on what they have been taught to expand the range of their writing and the variety of the grammar they use. Through the Power of Reading, pupils have the opportunity to explore and write narratives, explanations, descriptions, comparisons, summaries and evaluations: such writing supports them in rehearsing, understanding and consolidating what they have heard or read.

Vocabulary Development
Pupils’ acquisition and command of vocabulary are key to their learning and progress across the whole curriculum. At Fixby we develop vocabulary actively, building systematically on pupils’ current knowledge, making links between known and new vocabulary and discussing the shades of meaning in similar words. This way, pupils expand the vocabulary choices that are available to them when they write. In addition, it is vital for pupils’ comprehension that they understand the meanings of words they meet in their reading across all subjects. 

Maths   

Mathematics is a creative and highly inter-connected discipline that has been developed over centuries, providing the solution to some of history’s most intriguing problems. It is essential to everyday life, critical to science, technology and engineering, and necessary for financial literacy and most forms of employment. A high-quality mathematics education therefore provides a foundation for understanding the world, the ability to reason mathematically, an appreciation of the beauty and power of mathematics, and a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject.

Aims 
The national curriculum for mathematics aims to ensure that all pupils: 

• become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time, so that pupils develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately. 
• reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language  
• can solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of routine and nonroutine problems with increasing sophistication, including breaking down problems into a series of simpler steps and persevering in seeking solutions.

The principal focus of mathematics teaching in lower key stage 2 is to ensure that pupils become increasingly fluent with whole numbers and the four operations, including number facts and the concept of place value. This should ensure that pupils develop efficient written and mental methods and perform calculations accurately with increasingly large whole numbers. At this stage, pupils should develop their ability to solve a range of problems, including with simple fractions and decimal place value. Teaching should also ensure that pupils draw with increasing accuracy and develop mathematical reasoning so they can analyse shapes and their properties, and confidently describe the relationships between them. It should ensure that they can use measuring instruments with accuracy and make connections between measure and number. By the end of year 4, pupils should have memorised their multiplication tables up to and including the 12 multiplication table and show precision and fluency in their work. Pupils should read and spell mathematical vocabulary correctly and confidently, using their growing word reading knowledge and their knowledge of spelling.

Foundation subjects

At Fixby we follow a two-year cycle due to having mixed classes in the Phase.

History, Geography, Art and Design Technology are taught through Topic.

Each Topic has a Geography or History focus and an accompanying Art or Design Technology project.

Science, Music, French, Physical Education, Religious Education, Learning for Life and Computing are taught as discrete subjects.

Each cycle is planned sequentially to provide progression through the subjects.