Reading

At John Hellins Primary School we are continuously promoting reading and spelling skills in and around the classroom environment, allowing children to be immersed in print throughout the day. We believe children should enjoy reading and we work hard to promote a love of books whilst simultaneously focusing on the vital skills of spelling and decoding. In addition to the learning experienced within lesson times, children will share a reading interview once a fortnight. Individual reading is an additional activity which supports the constant reading across the day and will give the teacher a clear incite to your child’s personal reading journey. During this time, your child will read a book, recall graphemes and share words that they have learnt.

The reading scheme we use is a carefully chosen selection of books that are fully decodable and matched to our phonics scheme. All books are labelled according to the phonics phase they support. Initially, children will share picture books where they can develop an understanding of how a text can unfold. Following on from this, they will read a selection of books to promote phonological awareness. As their reading confidence grows children will select their own books. By reading regularly with your child at home you will help them to develop the skills they learn at school and you will be able to enjoy watching their fluency flourish.

Phonics

At John Hellins Primary School we follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds synthetic phonics programme to teach the skill of decoding systematically.  Please click here to find out more about the scheme.

The regular teaching and learning of phonics allows children to decode words more readily and this has a significant impact on reading fluency. To maximise success in your child’s development they will participate in whole class phonic sessions daily and will be taught the specific phase they are working at. If you would like to support your child at home with their phonics, look at the document links below which will explain the phases in more detail.

Maths

Maths is taught daily in John Hellins and we ensure we consolidate previous learning before we deliver new concepts.  All Mathematics begin with practical exploration and a fundamental understanding of the relationships between simple numbers. Counting, sequencing, ordering, number bonds and number patterns form the basis for all Mathematics sessions and we use tools such as ten frames, numicon, number lines and number squares to support mathematical concepts, for example; subsidising and composition.

Project

Our curriculum is the vehicle through which we promote a life-long love of learning for our children. We aim to ensure the provision is engaging, broad and rich.

The project themes are built around a core curriculum but are also designed to appeal to children's interests, this ensures high levels of engagement.  Our highly skilled teachers ensure full coverage of the National Curriculum through these projects, across the year and over time.  Details of the year group curriculum and their current project plans can be viewed on their class pages.