When children enter the Foundation Stage at Wisewood Primary School, we aim to ensure that they feel happy, safe and secure. Parents are also encouraged to be involved in the important settling in process.

e to make the learning environment relaxed and welcoming for children and parents. Parents are encouraged to stay at school for a short time before morning registration to do activities with their children, or chat to the classroom teacher about any concerns they may have.

Our curriculum is based upon six areas of learning, which include Personal and Social development, Mathematical and Literacy development, Knowledge and Understanding of the World, Physical development and Creative development. We provide a range of both play-based and structured activities using indoor and outdoor provision, which encourage children to become independent learners.

In the Foundation Stage, we encourage an interest in language through stories, singing and imaginative role play. Early writing skills are developed by mark making, painting and drawing opportunities. We encourage an awareness of numbers, shapes and patterns in the environment through practical activities. Also, through exploratory activities, children are able to observe similarities and differences, and to classify materials and living things using all their senses.

At Wisewood Primary School, collective worship is practised daily through both whole school and key stage assemblies. Children are taught a rich and balanced curriculum including Christianity, Islam and Judaism. During RE lessons, children are given opportunities to look at artefacts and photographs, and to demonstrate their understanding through interesting activities, such as art work. Children are encouraged to understand that people have different views, cultures and beliefs which need to be treated with sensitivity and respect.

At Wisewood Primary School, we are supported by the SEAL project (Social And Emotional Aspects of Learning). This project supports the development of children’s social, emotional and behavioural skills throughout the school. It aims to engage the whole school community through memorable stories and activities. Curriculum topics include ‘New Beginnings’, Getting On’, ‘Saying No To Bullying’, ‘Going For Goals’, ‘Good To Be Me’, ‘Relationships’ and ‘Changes’.

What do we mean by ICT? (Information and communication technologies) and IT (information technology) The learning of both skills may be with computers, programmable robots, calculators, video cameras, the internet and or tape recorders.

ICT prepares pupils to participate in a rapidly changing world in which work and other activities are increasingly transformed by accessing a variation of developing technologies. Pupils use ICT skills to explore, analyse, exchange and represent data/information. IT capability is characterised by ability to effectively use ICT problem solving skills to do this.

At Wisewood Community Primary School we see the use of ICT as one way in which children’s communications skills can be developed through letter writing, group work creating class New’s letters, group problem solving, communicating with children in distant places through E-mail, retrieving information via the internet, researching and reporting searches of CD-ROM’S.

It is our aim at Wisewood Community Primary to provide our children with a safe happy and stimulating environment in which to explore the world around them through the use of ICT.

At Wisewood, Literacy isn’t just about being able to read, write and spell. We do recognise that Literacy is fundamental to accessing the rest of the school curriculum, but we also view it as a valuable subject in its own right to be enjoyed and cherished.

We use the National Literacy Strategy as a guide, but then we bring lessons alive by using inspiring texts, putting children’s writing into context and giving meaning to their work. We aim to spark within our children a love books, writing and drama. Opportunities are provided to allow children to excel in one or many aspects of Literacy and support is provided for those who find it difficult at times. The school is equipped with a fantastic range of books and materials for the children to use both in and out the classroom; these are regularly updated. We have parent friendly systems for reading books and spelling homework!

We hold an annual Book Week, the aim of the week is to have fun, raise the profile of books both in and out of school - and most importantly to spread the joy of books! It is always popular with children and everybody has so much fun! Lots of activities take place, including Book Character Fancy Dress, Hogwarts Feast, Afternoon Tea at Waterstones Book Store, Book Fair and many more. Throughout the year we may also have visiting poets, writers and several productions. Yearly school productions allow children the chance to perform to not just peers but to the outside world too.

We want children to leave Wisewood not just literate but with a passion for Literacy.

Wisewood has put mathematics high on the agenda this year, to generate enthusiasm and enjoyment in the subject for both pupils and staff. We have been part of a mathematics project in Sheffield along with 19 other schools. It has allowed all staff and teaching assistants to receive extra training, developing knowledge, skills and expertise to really move maths forward in our school.

As a result we have focused on developing stronger transition links from F2 to Y1, Y2 to Y3 , Y4 to Y5 and Y5 to Y6 . Teachers have developed projects together, where they have shared classes, planned together and analysed children’s work to assess next steps forward in teaching.

Our focus was to develop children’s interest and put the fun back into teaching and learning. We developed themed problem solving maths linked to the new DFES materials and topics the children loved, such as Dr WHO, Harry Potter. Narnia , as well as putting more emphasis on the cross curricular links and showing the connections between their mathematical learning and other subjects.

Through our partnership with the Yorkshire Triangle Network we have developed two high impact projects throughout school.

Sands of Tme was aimed at improving mental mathematics and quick recall of facts. It takes part everyday for five minutes, the differentiated workbooks contain a range of questions from bonds to 10, table and division facts to finding equivalent fractions and percentages. They are split into levels and once a child has successfully completed a level, by getting all answers correct for five days , they take their booklet to Mr Denton , the Head Teacher, for a slice of gold. ( A golden Head teacher award sticker ). The joy of it is the children can self mark, so it is not time consuming and heavy on workload for staff. The children have loved this activity. Mental maths has really taken off this year and through self assessment , childrens’ motivation, drive for success and ability to meet challenges in their work has improved immensely.

Countdown was introduced in January. It is an activity that the children start the day with. Staff write 10 problems on the board linked to age related objectives and some based on daily assessment of mathematics lessons. The problems cover all four stands of numeracy, to ensure that topics are constantly being revised. This drip, drip effect has enabled children to remember concepts and strategies taught in the Numeracy hour with greater success. Our results in Numeracy this year have all improved and through discussion with the children they love maths.

We are developing targeted focus weeks to show progression and continuity in the subject and staff have a termly assessment focus , so over the year all aspects of numeracy have been studied to give the child an overall level .

Our whole school Numeracy targets have been linked to the implementation of these projects.

As more interactive whiteboard are installed in school , there is an even greater potential to develop creativity and enjoyment in mathematics at Wisewood. Staff and pupils are much more confident in the subject and the impact on attainment and progress has been measurable.

At Wisewood Primary School, we believe that Science should be an enjoyable and fun experience, which encourages children to be independent thinkers, problem solvers and develop creative thought. Children in Key Stages 1 and 2 are taught the Science National Curriculum through QCA based units, in which children develop their scientific investigation skills exploring life processes, living things, materials and properties and physical processes. Science is taught through practical “hands on” experiences incorporating the use of ICT skills, data handling and cross curricular links to other subjects.

At Foundation Stage children are taught Science through Knowledge and Understanding of the world. They explore and investigate materials and living things using all their senses. Children are encouraged to observe similarities and differences and state likes and dislikes. At Wisewood we have ‘free flow’ outdoor provision in which children can explore the outdoors in all seasons.

Children are encouraged to observe, record, explain and develop scientific ideas and concepts, develop skills and use their own ideas and to make critical comparisons. Children are given the opportunity to explore scientific concepts by making class visits to “The Deep”, Eureka, and Magna museums and also on residential trips to Whirlow Farm and Thorn Bridge.

At Wisewood, children are encouraged to research information using books, the Internet and CDROMs. We use virtual experiments software to interpret graphs and tables and make prediction what might happen. We also use data logging equipment to record light, sound and temperatures in our experiments.

We have Environmental Theme weeks in which children are taught how to recycle waste, care for mini-beasts, birds, bats, plants, vegetables, woodland and go pond dipping trips. All children are responsible for our school garden and run annual class competitions to create the best flowerbed! We hold competitions in Science week to encourage children to complete science investigations at home.