The Courtwood Curriculum

We provide a broad and balanced curriculum, which is enhanced with the option to participate in many extra-curricular clubs and activities. Maths and Literacy are taught every day for at least an hour and links made to applying knowledge in real-life contexts. Foundation subjects such as science, history and art are taught via Learning Journeys which immerse the children in a topic.

Literacy

We teach literacy using a scheme of work called The Power of Reading. Reading and writing skills are embedded and taught by studying a whole text from beginning to end, lasting anything between a week and six weeks. As well as reading and writing there are opportunities for speaking and listening, drama, art and music.

Numeracy

Numeracy is taught using a scheme of work called Abacus. All areas of maths are covered within this scheme including calculation, data handling, shape and space, geometry, measurement and mental maths. Children are regularly taught problem-solving skills and given the opportunities to apply these to a real-life context.

Learning Journeys

Learning Journeys bring together many of the remaining school subjects such as art and geography. Class trips are often organised to enhance a topic and support the learning taking place at school. Junior children receive French lessons for a term and Year 3 receive a years’ worth of SoundStart music tuition. Some subjects such as RE, PE, PSHCE, Music and French are taught discretely, whilst others such as history, geography, DT and art are usually taught through Learning Journey’s in a cross curricular way. Please see the Curriculum map in this booklet for a wider overview.

Homework

Homework is set half-termly and matches the class Learning Journey for the half term. There are non-negotiable tasks that must be completed weekly such as spellings and times-tables practise. In addition there are a further nine tasks (either literacy, numeracy or topic based) that the children can choose to complete (a minimum of three must be completed.)

Extra-Curricular

We provide a wide-range of extra-curricular clubs and activities throughout the year at Courtwood. Clubs include: Multi-Sports, Gymnastics, Cheerleading, Street Dance, Ball Skills, Craft, Gardening, Cookery, German, Science, Computing and Lego. Years 5 and 6 may have the opportunity to represent the school in teams such as Netball and Football.

What Will You Be Learning About in Year 2?

During the year you will go on many Learning Journeys with your class. You can find 

information about some of these below.

Would a Dinosaur Make a Good Pet?

During this learning journey we will be learning to identify the differences between things which are living, dead and have never been lived. We will be matching animals to their different habitats and learning about how the different habitats provide for the animals that live there. We will be investigating how animals obtain their food from plants and other animals, using the idea of a simple food chain, and will be able to identify and name different sources of food. During this learning journey there will be opportunities for lots of dinosaur based art and maybe even a trip the National History Museum!

Why did London Burn?

This learning journey is all about identifying and comparing the suitability of a variety of everyday materials, including wood, metal, plastic, glass, rock, brick, paper and cardboard for particular uses. We will be carrying out lots of fun investigations to find out how the shapes of solid objects made from some materials can be changed by squashing, bending, twisting and stretching. We will also be looking at the Great Fire of London. We will be looking at how it started and why it spread so quickly.

How can I Grow my Own Salad? 

This learning journey will involve lots of growing as we observe how seeds and bulbs grow into mature plants. We will be looking at how plants need water, light and suitable temperature to grow and stay healthy. 

How can I be the next Wilfred Zaha?

Throughout this learning journey we will be investigating and describing the basic needs of animals, including humans for survival (water, food and air). We will be learning how important it is for humans to exercise and to eat the right amount of different types of food.

Would Forestdale be a Good Place for a Farm?

During this learning journey we will be using simple fieldwork and observational skills to study the geography of our school and its grounds. We will be looking at the key human and physical features of our surrounding environment and deciding whether or not it would be a good place for a farm.

What Makes a Good King or Queen?

During this learning journey we will be learning about the monarchy and the British Empire as well as finding out why the Queens job is so important. We will be learning about significant British monarchs in history and making comparisons between various periods in history.

Holiday Time: Brighton or a Nigerian Village?

During this learning journey we will be exploring the geographical similarities and differences between a Nigerian Village and the UK. We will be learning to identify seasonal and daily weather patterns in the United Kingdom and the location of hot and cold areas around the world.

Wise Owl Woods (WOW)

The woods were gifted to the school in 2013 and officially ‘opened’ by the Deputy Mayor of Croydon in September 2013. They are a superb resource and we use them as often as possible, to enhance learning across the curriculum. Trained teachers and Teaching Assistants lead Forest School sessions and Year 5 and Year 1 children attend scheduled Forest School sessions on Friday afternoons during the course of the school year. Class teachers will use the woods at any other time to support outdoor learning. 

The Tree House Enhanced Learning Provision

The Tree House is a purpose built SEN unit for children on the Autistic Spectrum, built and opened in 2014. The Tree House can cater for up to 14 children, two per class from Reception to Year 6. There is an infant classroom (Holly class), a junior classroom (Chestnut class), a therapy room, sensory room, meeting room and toilets. There is also an outdoor area. Where appropriate, children from the Tree House will join their mainstream classes for lessons.

Reading – Year 2

• Secure with year group phonic expectations.
• Recognise simple recurring literary language.
• Read ahead to help with fluency and expression.
• Comment on plot, setting & characters in familiar & unfamiliar stories.
• Recount main themes and events.
• Comment on structure of the text.
• Use commas, question marks and exclamation marks to vary expression.
• Read aloud with expression and intonation.
• Recognise: commas in lists; apostrophe of omission and possession (singular noun)
• Identify past/present tense and why the writer has used a tense.
• Use content and index to locate information.

Writing

• Write different kinds of sentence: statement, question, exclamation, command.
• Use expanded noun phrases to add description and specification.
• Write using subordination (when, if, that, because) and co-ordination (or, and, but).
• Correct and consistent use of present tense & past tense.
• Correct use of verb tenses.
• Write with correct and consistent use of:
  • capital letters
  • full stops
  • question marks
  • exclamation marks
• Use commas in a list.
• Use apostrophe to mark omission and singular possession in nouns.
• Use apostrophe to mark omission and singular possession in nouns..
• Write lower case letters correct size relative to one another.

Mathematics

• Compare and order numbers up to 100 and use <> =.
•  Read and write all numbers to 100 in digits & words.
•  Say 10 more/less than any number to 100.
•  Count in steps of 2, 3 & 5 from zero and in 10s from any number (forwards and backwards).
•  Recall and use multiplication & division facts for 2, 5 & 10 tables.
•  Recall and use +/- facts to 20.
•  Recall and use +/- facts to 20.
•  Recognise place value of any 2-digit number.
•  Add & subtract:2-digit nos& ones; 2-digit nos& tens; Two 2-digit nos; Three 1-digit nos.
• Recognise and use inverse (+/-).
•  Write and recognise equivalence of simple fractions.
•  Tell time to five minutes, including quarter past, half past and quarter to.

Rights and Responsibilities

We use our Courtwood Rights and Responsibilities as a way for all the children in the school to understand the school rules. The principle is that children understand that they have a right to certain things, but with that right comes a responsibility to behave in certain ways. We have a right to: 

RIPPLE

The RIPPLE effect is a set of six learning behaviours that we believe will enable the children to do the best they can in their learning, whilst at Courtwood. These were developed in partnership with our children, governors and staff. They are: 

Our children understand the language of learning and are able to articulate how these skills are used in their daily lives at Courtwood. Achievement is celebrated weekly. 

PSHE Curriculum

At Courtwood, we see PSHE as central to everything we do.  We teach PSHE as a discreet subject at least once a week, but it is also integrated in all aspects of daily school life. We place great importance on helping children to learn the knowledge, understanding and skills required to live healthy, safe, responsible and rewarding lives. We recognise that in order for children to achieve their full academic potential they must also develop socially, emotionally and morally.