The Curriculum
Foundation Stage One
In the Nursery children are introduced to the six areas of learning from the Foundation Stage, including Communication, Language and Literacy, Mathematical Development, Creative Development, Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Physical Development and Knowledge and Understanding of the world. All the Nursery staff are qualified and the Nursery leader is an Early Years Professional.
Child initiated activities are encouraged throughout all areas by Nursery staff, to foster the children’s independence. The children’s progress across all disciplines is recorded in their profiles and a meeting for parents to explain how the profiles work, takes place within the first three weeks of the term.
Twice weekly PE sessions and/or music and movement are designed to help the children develop specific large motor skills, but daily physical exercise is built in to the nursery day. Writing areas are set up for mark making and art and craft areas are permanently set up, so that the children may avail themselves of these facilities at any time. Access to a computer is always available.
Nursery children have Music twice a week, led by a specialist teacher. Oral French classes take place once a week, delivered by a native speaker using songs, rhymes and stories.
Children begin the day in the main Nursery room, but small groups also use the Playroom for role play, the Upper Nursery for focused work and the Art room for painting, model making and sand and water play. They are encouraged to take part in outdoor activities such as growing vegetables or searching for mini beasts.
The nursery has its own soft surface playground, but the nursery children also use the large playground area to ride on the bicycles and scooters.
Staff ratios ensure that the children are safely supervised at all times.
Foundation Stage Two
In Reception the children work with their class teacher and a teaching assistant is always available. In the mornings the children learn phonics and focused literacy and numeracy as a whole group and then separate into smaller groups for guided and/or independent work. During the first term, the afternoons are primarily spent in learning through play, allowing the children to adjust to the change from the Nursery schedule. A full programme of activities is in place during afternoon sessions, including outside activities to ensure that the children have access to a broad range of study methods, including art, music,construction, growing things and physical development.
Children follow our Phonics programme and then move on to the Oxford Reading Tree scheme at their own pace. A session is held for parents to encourage them to help their children with these early reading skills.
Phonics are delivered as an integral part of the reading process and correct letter and number formation is consolidated.
Numeracy is taught through practical work and early mental calculations are introduced when appropriate. .
There are two music sessions with music specialists and two PE sessions per week. At this age PE is primarily taught to develop individual skills, but team games are also introduced to encourage sharing and responsibility for each other. Regular daily exercise is built into the curriculum as part of our Healthy Schools programme.
Fresh fruit and milk at snack time are provided for all children in the Foundation Stage.
Junior and Senior School
The curriculum at Aston House is broad and balanced and covers Mathematics, English, Science, French, History, Geography, Music, Art, Design and Technology, ICT, Religious Education and Personal Health and Social Education.
Art, Drama, Music and Sport play an important part in the over all development of the children and as such feature strongly within the Aston House curriculum . Sports fixtures regularly take place against other schools.
The staff are well qualified and regular Professional Development courses mean that they are up to date with the latest methods of teaching. The classrooms are bright and welcoming and pupils’ work is displayed in the hallways and rooms. Class sizes are small, which allows a personalised approach to study.
In the Junior school the children are taught by their class teacher for most subjects. French and Music are taught by specialist teachers.Teaching assistants support the children either within the classroom or in small group sessions.
As the children in Year 2 will be going up to the Senior school the following year, they start the day at the senior school once a week, to familiarise themselves with the building and to get to know the staff.
They begin the day at the Senior School with Music, followed by IT in the computer suite. They have lunch in the senior building and then walk down to the Junior school for PE in the afternoon.
In the Senior School the children are taught by subject teachers, which will help prepare them for when they move on to public or grammar schools. Music is taught by a specialist teacher, who also takes charge of the school choir. Additional one to one sessions in key subjects are built in as required, for children who need support.
SEN We have an experienced SEN teacher who works with those children who have specific learning difficulties. Close liaison with the teachers helps support the children’s work in the classroom . One to one sessions take place twice a week, where specific areas of difficulty are targeted .
EAL We often have children from other countries arriving without any English knowledge. We provide group sessions twice a week to help develop spoken and written English with an experienced EAL teacher. The children are grouped according to their level of understanding.
We encourage parents to come into school and become involved, perhaps through listening to the children reading, taking part in our International assemblies or assisting in excursions.
