Curriculum Overview

At Fosse Bank School, we follow the National Curriculum and enhance it with a full and exciting range of additional activities. We also place great emphasis the 'hidden curriculum', teaching our children to be courteous, well-mannered and respectful to all members of the school community.

What we teach
The curriculum is all the activities that we organise in order to promote learning, personal growth and development. It includes not only the formal requirements of the Foundation Stage and National Curriculum, but also the range of opportunities and extra-curricular activities that the school organises in order to enrich their childhood experiences. There is planned progression in all curriculum areas and whilst some subjects are taught discretely, a cross-curricular approach is used whenever possible to enhance knowledge and understanding.

Read more about the curriculum including specific information about:

• English
• Maths
• Science
• ICT
• Creativity
• French
• Physical Education
• Music
• Religious Education
• History and Geography
• PSHCE

The hidden curriculum
There is a great emphasis at Fosse Bank School on the 'hidden curriculum', or what the children learn from the way they are treated and expected to behave. We value the way in which all children are unique, and our curriculum promotes respect for the views of each individual child, as well as for people of all cultures. The children follow the 'Golden Rules' which encourage good manners, courtesy and high standards of personal behaviour. We also have an active School Council and Eco-Committee to help children think of wider issues and give them a voice within school.

Extra-curricular activities
In addition to the National Curriculum, we offer an extensive, stimulating range of Clubs and activities for children throughout the school.  Please see our Clubs link for a ful range of clubs and further details.

English

Confident Speakers

At Fosse Bank School we aim to instil in the children a lifelong love for literature and language. The National Curriculum is enriched with a wide range of inspiring and good quality resources which encompass fiction, non-fiction and poetry.

In addition to the daily Literacy lesson, the children from Reception to Year 6 have many opportunities to participate in a range of activities that develop their reading, writing, speaking and listening skills.
The annual Poetry Speaking festival encourages a love of traditional and contemporary works and the termly Class Assemblies and end of term productions give all our children the chance to find and display their talents.

Fosse Bank pupils are articulate and confident speakers who are motivated to read, write and learn both in and out of school.

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Maths

Assured mathematicians

Our aim is to encourage confidence, independence and joy in Mathematics.

We provide many varied opportunities to develop and refine mathematical skills, and apply them to genuine problems and investigations. This enables each child to work with assurance when learning in other areas of the curriculum or coping with the practical demands of everyday life.

We place considerable emphasis on the development of mental arithmetic skills and the learning of tables and number bonds to allow speed and accuracy in mental calculation.

We take part in the National Primary Maths Challenge and local school Maths competitions.

Fosse Bank children are assured mathematicians and achieve well above average in National Tests.

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Science

Inquisitive minds

Children show great curiosity about the world around them and we encourage that sense of awe and wonder through practical learning.

We encourage our children to ask key questions that lead to investigation, and promote independent learning. We develop their interest in all that is around them by making the lessons relevant to the real world, and the children enjoy using ICT to collect and analyse data or to search for information and present conclusions.

Exciting events such Field Trips and visits to Science Shows and Centres give the children an enthusiasm for Science that is based on real life and encourages them to be inquisitive.

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ICT

Independent learners

Fosse Bank has a new, state-of-the-art ICT Suite. There are 19 networked computers and an interactive whiteboard to allow each child in a whole class to access the learning of ICT as a discrete subject. In ICT lessons the children are taught the essential and comprehensive skills required to be independent and inventive, and they are actively encouraged to experiment with these skills.

We promote cross-curricular use of Information Communication Technology skills wherever possible and the children use their knowledge of ICT in all areas of the curriculum.

There are further opportunities for the children to develop their abilities and skills in the Lunchtime or After-school, touch typing skills, ‘SuperClubsPlus’ (a moderated social networking site) and 'Grid Club', which is open to all children in Years 3 to 6. In these clubs, our enquiring children can learn more about ICT and the curriculum through an exciting range of activities and experiences.

For information regarding Internet safety visit: www.thinkuknow.co.uk

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History and Geography

At Fosse Bank School we recognise the importance of learning about the world around us and it's long history. History and Geography are taught through a topic base and are linked across other subjects where appropriate.  Each year group covers particular topics and we endeavour to make educational visits linking with these topics each term and in each Year Group. These highly motivating topics are always hugely popular and the children thoroughly enjoy discovering and learning about the world around them, whilst developing the skills of historical and geographical enquiry and interpretation.

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Creativity

Creativity

Children at Fosse Bank are encouraged to be creative and confident. We provide a vast array of opportunities to enable them to express themselves, from creating exciting displays with art work made in class to putting on a major production at the end of the school year.

Art

The children have weekly Art lessons where they learn the essential skills required by artists using different media. They also learn to appreciate the skills and styles of celebrated artists from around the world and use their work as inspiration for their own creativity.

Musical Theatre

Each child participates in celebratory productions throughout the school year.  Recent events have included performances of Peter Pan, Robin Hood, Christmas with the Aliens and Mr Skellybones.  We celebrate the variety of children's individual musical talents.in our annual autumn concert.  
 
Many of our children participate in the 'Chance to Dance' shows which gives local children the opportunity to perform on a professional stage in front of an audience.

Design Technology

The children are introduced to the process of designing, making, testing and evaluating products for a particular purpose.They are given the opportunity to work with food, textiles and resistant materials. Design and Technology is important in preparing pupils for citizenship in a technological world.

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French

French is fun!

Our French teacher is a French national who encourages an interest in the language and culture through a variety of exciting activities in addition to the weekly lesson. The children have participated in a French picnic, French cinema evenings and have also run a French Cafe, using their vocabulary with true French accents to buy and sell croissants and brioche. Our Year 6 children have recently made a film in French following intensive work with an established French film producer.

Every other year our Year 5 and 6 children stay in France for a five-day adventure holiday. This gives them the opportunity to use their language skills through a range of exciting activities.

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Physical Education

Friendly competition

Fosse Bank children are healthy and we provide an excellent range of sporting experiences that encourage them to enjoy sport and develop positive habits. Our specialist teachers work with the children, providing excellent learning opportunities and teaching them the skills required to be able sportsmen and women.

Every child from Pre-school onwards has a Swimming lesson each week. From Reception to Year 6, the children also enjoy a weekly Gym lesson and a Games lesson. In addition to the curriculum, most children choose Lunchtime or After-school clubs such as Judo, Cross-country or Football, enabling them to participate in organised sport every day of the week.

We encourage friendly sporting competition against local schools and most weeks our teams play either Home or Away matches. In 2006 and 2007 the Fosse Bank Tag Rugby Team won the West Kent Tag Rugby Shield.

Our older children attend residential trips both at home and abroad to develop outward-bound skills alongside subject knowledge.

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Music

Pleasure and performance

Music at Fosse Bank is taught by a specialist teacher who instils a passion for creating and making music in all children. Weekly lessons give the children the chance to develop singing and performing skills whilst playing a range of percussion and pitched instruments. Composition is equally important and the freedom to express themselves musically is encouraged.

Music is also celebrated in Class Assemblies, Lunchtime and After-school clubs. The school Rock Band 'Phoenix' meet twice a week to rehearse their latest songs and enjoy the opportunity to be loud and proud about their music!

In addition, a concert is performed at the end of each term where individuals or groups perform to parents and other members of the school community.

We have a number of dedicated peripatetic music staff who can make arrangements with you to teach a specific musical instrument that your child may wish to learn.

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Religious Education

As a Christian school, our Religious Education curriculum is centred on Christianity.  However, it also covers Judaism, Hinduism, Sikhism and Islam.  The children are encouraged to compare and contrast faiths and the ways in which people celebrate their beliefs. They develop the skills to investigate and inquire about religions alongside asking questions about values, purpose and commitments.

The main Christian celebrations of Easter and Christmas are taught throughout the school.  At Christmas, this incorporates a Nativity for the younger children and a Church service for the older children.

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PSHCE

At Fosse, we follow the SEAL program within our PSHCE which helps give pupils the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to lead confident, healthy independent lives and to become informed, active, responsible citizens. 

Throughout their schooling, we encourage the children to take part in a wide range of activities and experiences across and beyond the curriculum, contributing fully to the life of their school and communities.  In doing so they learn to recognise their own worth, work well with others and become increasingly responsible for their own learning.   

Our assemblies are used to tackle many of the spiritual, moral, social and cultural issues that are part of growing up.  Children learn to understand and respect our common humanity, diversity and differences so that they can go on to form the effective, fulfilling relationships that are an essential part of life and learning.

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