What we teach
Each subject below is taught at Ravenstone. Click on each one to find out more.
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Art
Art
Art Curriculum
Ravenstone - Our Art Curriculum Intent
At Ravenstone we have a high-quality Art curriculum which helps our pupils gain a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of art through history. It inspires pupils to be creative and develop their confidence in self-expression.
Our Approach to Art
- Our Art Curriculum is taught through the use of the Kapow scheme. This has been used since January 2020.
- Our Art approach is based on the teaching of skills from the National Curriculum set against topics which provide the context to our lessons. Across their time at Ravenstone they will become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other craft and design techniques (DfE, 2019).
- Lessons are taught on a half-termly basis, and are interchangeable with Design Technology across the school. As a result, Art is taught for one half-term and DT for the other.
- During an Art unit, lessons are taught sequentially and consist of exploring context/placing the artist in time, deconstructing the artist's process and developing success criteria to facilitate high quality artworks. Skills are taught both in isolation and in context as part of the unit of work and children will have the opportunity to produce drafts to build and develop confidence.
- Our lessons are planned in order to provide immersive and exciting opportunities for children to learn artistic skills, as well as gaining an understanding of important periods in art history.
Art at Ravenstone
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Design and Technology
Design and Technology
DESIGN TECHNOLOGY
Ravenstone -Our Design Technology Curriculum Intent
At Ravenstone we have a high quality Design Technology curriculum which helps our pupils to design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others' needs, wants and values. They acquire a broad range of subject knowledge and draw on disciplines such as mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art. Pupils learn how to take risks and become resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens. They develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world.
Our Approach to Design Technology
Our Design and Technology approach is based on the teaching of skills from the National Curriculum, set against topics which provide the context to our lessons.
Lessons are taught on half termly basis, and are interchangeable with Art across the school. As a result, Design and Technology is taught for one half term and Art for the other.
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- Our DT Curriculum is taught through the use of the Kapow scheme. This has been used since January 2020.
- During a Design and Technology unit, lessons are taught each week and an hour is dedicated to each lesson.
- Our lessons combine knowledge and provide challenging opportunities for imagination and creativity to build children's determination and confidence.
- The tasks ensure progression of learning and skills through teamwork as well as individual tasks with endless opportunities to learn and develop lifelong skills.
- The building blocks of Design, Make, and Evaluate are applied to allow reflection and consideration of ways of improvement and future targets.
Design Technology at Ravenstone
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Writing
Writing
WRITING
Overview/vision of subjects aims
Our Writing Handbook, which is provided to all staff, can be found HERE.
At Ravenstone we believe that every child has the ability to enjoy English and the language/skills that go with it. Our approach to writing ensures progression of skills across the school. We provide meaningful experiences using the contexts inspired by quality texts and inspire children to write through exciting shared experiences. We model high standards of writing and spoken English. Our approach to spelling starts with consistency from the Early Years. Teachers base spelling lessons around Letters and Sounds (EYFS and KS1) and No Nonsense (KS2) and teach spelling rules through games, investigation and hands on strategies. This creative approach allows for children to become familiar with patterns, rules and spellings while able to enjoy the process. This should always be linked to creative writing. Spelling patterns are constantly reinforced through high quality texts and reading opportunities. We believe that the reader makes the writer.
Curriculum layout/design
Writing schemes, drawn from a selection of products, such as 'The Power of Reading', are used to provide a structured approach as well as challenge and enthuse children. Teachers choose books which will engage the children as well as have a rich vocabulary on which to draw from and provide high spelling and grammar. All children are taught using fiction, non-fiction, poetry and plays. Most lessons begin with a grammar focus which links to the main part of the lesson. Teachers model writing, carry out shared writes and then the children apply their skills independently. Drama and practical strategies are used within lessons to improve speaking and listening and build confidence and self-esteem. Children are encouraged to share and read their work to the class. Teachers use Writing Indicators and Age Related Expectations which help them to plan and assess lessons and to ensure there is no overlap between year groups. Texts are mapped out by year group to ensure the children have access to a variety of books and a progression of skills.
Texts Used by Year group and Writing opportunities
To develop as effective writers, pupils should be taught to:
- Extend and develop as writers throughout their time in school, drawing on new vocabulary and grammar in their writing.
- Develop the skill of generating ideas and words.
- Read a variety of texts for purpose and pleasure, accurately, fluently and with understanding.
- Talk about their ideas and writing before committing to paper as well as hearing.
- Understand the variety of written language, and the differences between fiction and non-fiction.
- Improve their abilities to read, analyse and evaluate a wide range of texts, including literature from other cultures and traditions.
- Plan, practice, make mistakes, edit and improve their writing.
The word-lists for Years 3 and 4 and Years 5 and 6 are statutory.
The lists are a mixture of words pupils frequently use in their writing and those which they often misspell.
Some of the listed words may be thought of as quite challenging, but the 100 words in each list are taught within the four years of Key Stage 2 alongside other words that teachers consider appropriate.
Please click here to see:
HANDWRITING
Our children start writing using the broken cursive scr1pt and are then introduced to joined up writing in Year 2. Our Handwriting Policy can be found HERE.
We ask parents to model the same scr
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Geography
Geography
Geography
Our Geography approach is based on the teaching of skills from the National Curriculum, set against topics which provide the context to our lessons.
Our Geography Curriculum is taught through the use of the Rising Stars scheme.
-Lessons are taught on a half termly basis, and are interchangeable with History across the school. As a result Geography is taught for one half term and History for the other.
-During Geography unit lessons are taught each week and an hour is dedicated to each session.
-Lessons based on field studies are not necessarily required to be recorded in books.
- Our lessons are planned in order to provide immersive, engaging and exciting opportunities for children to learn geographical skills knowledge and understanding.
- Throughout the year each topic should encompass locational knowledge, place knowledge, human and physical geography and geographical skills and fieldwork.
Our Geography handbooks can be found here
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History
History
History
Our history approach is based on the teaching of skills from the National Curriculum, set against topics which provide the context to our lessons.
Our History Curriculum is taught through the use of the Rising Stars scheme.
- Lessons are taught on a half-termly basis, and are interchangeable with geography across the school. As a result, geography is taught for one half-term and history for the other.
- During a history unit, lessons are taught each week and an hour is dedicated to each session.
- Our lessons are planned in order to provide immersive and exciting opportunities for children to learn historical skills of enquiry, as well as gaining an understanding of important periods in history.
Our History handbook can be found here
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Computing
Computing
COMPUTING
The Ravenstone Computing Curriculum
A high-quality computing education equips pupils to use computational thinking and creativity to understand and change the world.
Our Computing Curriculum is taught through the use of the Purple Mash scheme.
Computing has deep links with mathematics, science and design and technology, and provides insights into both natural and artificial systems. The core of computing is computer science, in which pupils are taught the principles of information and computation, how digital systems work and how to put this knowledge to use through programming. Building on this knowledge and understanding, pupils are equipped to use information technology to create programs, systems and a range of content. Computing also ensures that pupils become digitally literate - able to use, and express themselves and develop their ideas through, information and communication technology - at a level suitable for the future workplace and as active participants in a digital world.
Our Vision for computing
The Ravenstone curriculum for computing aims to ensure that all pupils:
- can understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of computer science, including abstraction, logic, algorithms and data representation
- can analyse problems in computational terms, and have repeated practical experience of writing computer programs in order to solve such problems
- can evaluate and apply information technology, including new or unfamiliar technologies, analytically to solve problems
- are responsible, competent, confident and creative users of information and communication technology
Our computing handbook can be found here
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Mathematics
Mathematics
MATHS
All lessons are taught around the layers of learning that are necessary in order for children to demonstrate a deep understanding of the maths they are taught.
Each lesson has 3 tasks that progress through these layers of learning and they are as follows:
- Task 1: Factual and Procedural - Can the child answer the question in its most simple for. Are they setting their work out accurately and efficiently?
- Task 2: Conceptual - Can the children demonstrate an understanding of the concept when it is presented differently? An example of this is missing number problems.
- Task 3: Language and communication - Can the child explain their thinking when asked to reason around a concept?
If a child completes all 3 tasks, and we would expect some of our more able children to do so, the teacher will then have a Mastery challenge ready for the child to demonstrate deep mathematical thinking.
The tasks are brief and very carefully planned to ensure clear progression and that children are not spending too long on the lower level factual and procedural tasks. Also key to this approach is skilled questioning throughout lessons and, as teachers, we are working on improving our questioning so that we can meet the needs of all our pupils in a mixed ability classroom.
Our Curriculum Handbook, which is provided to all staff, can be downloaded HERE.
The method
We are developing our maths teaching alongside some leading schools in the South West London Maths Hub.
This should enable us to meet the National Curriculum objective of moving children through the curriculum at 'broadly the same pace'. As we are still in the early stages of this development there may of course be some teething problems along the way as we work out the best ways to both support and challenge through the 3 tasks that we set in each lesson.
Planning
Here you will find a few useful documents to keep you up to date with the maths curriculum. These documents include:
- Yearly overviews for each year group with the key skills to be taught each term.
- Our calculation policy outlining the expected mental and written methods of calculation from years 1-6.
- Progression maps for each of the key areas of maths from years 1-6
- A document containing the key objectives for each year group from years1-6.
Long term plans
- Year 2
- Year 3
- Year 4
- Year 5
- Year 6
- Calculations Policy
- Progression map years 1-6
- Key objectives years 1-6
South west maths hub
Mr Westland (our Lead teaher for maths) is a mastery specalist for the south west maths hub and supports school across London to develop their maths curriculum.
Further information around Mr Westlands work, maths mastery and the basis of Ravenstone's maths curriculum can be found on their website.
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Modern Languages
Modern Languages
Italian
Learning a foreign language is such an important part of a child's education and Ravenstone's curriculum is dedicated towards allowing children to succeed in developing key language skills.
The language that we will be using to drive this forward is Italian.
Some of the benefits our modern foreign language curriculum delivers are as followed:
- Improve your confidence
- Teach you more about your own language
- Widen your career/job options
- Give you more of an understanding of the world
- Connect the world and promote peace
- Make travelling easier and more enjoyable
- Help you make friends in a new country
- Show that you are open minded and tolerant
- Boost brain power
The Italian lessons taught start from Reception up until year 6 by a fully qualified teacher supplied by the Italian Embassy will deliver weekly lessons to every class.
We also offer French and Spanish lessons after school through external club providers. Kidslingo offers French and Spanish to children from Year 2 upwards, and HeySpanish offers Spanish lessons to children from ages 3 - 6.
For more information on how to book these clubs, please visit our clubs page.
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Music
Music
MUSIC
Music Provision at Ravenstone
At Ravenstone every class will experience a weekly music lesson delivered by a specalist music teacher. We use the Rhythmajig scheme to help deliver this.
As well as this Year 3 or 4 will experience a weekly music lesson delivered by Wandsworth Music Service where they will learn a music instrument (currently violin and cello). We also offer a school choir and 1-1 music lessons.
At Ravenstone we believe that music aids a child's development immensely.
Music is academic
For some people, this is the primary reason for providing music lessons to their children.
A recent study from the University of California found that music trains the brain for higher forms of thinking. Second graders who were given music lessons scored 27% higher on proportional maths and fractions tests than children who received no special instruction. Research indicates that musical training permanently wires a young mind for enhanced performance.
Music is physical
Music can be described as a sport. Learning to sing and keep rhythm develops coordination.
The air and wind power necessary to blow a flute, trumpet or saxophone promotes a healthy body.
Music is emotional
Music is an art form.
We are emotional beings and every child requires an artistic outlet. Music may be your child's vehicle of expression.
Music is for life
Music is a gift you can give your child that will last their entire lives.
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Physical Education
Physical Education
PE AND SPORT
PE and Sport are an integral part of school life for pupils at Ravenstone.
Children will experience a PE, dance and swimming lesson (from Year 4) every week.
Our aim as a school is also to enter every sporting competition that Wandsworth offers and excel in athletics and swimming.
PE and sport in Ravenstone is designed to improve the following:
- pupil concentration, commitment and self-esteem; leading to higher attendance and better behaviour and attainment;
- fitness levels; active children are less likely to be obese and more likely to pursue sporting activities as adults, thereby reducing the likelihood of illness
- success in local and international competition by ensuring talented young sports people have a clear pathway to elite sport and competition whatever their circumstances.
We also beleive that a rich sporting and activie lifestlye will improve happiness among our pupils
PE and school sport at Ravenstone wil inspire our children to demonstrate the following;
- show a strong commitment to making PE and school sport an important and valuable part of their lives in both school and the community;
- know and understand what they are trying to achieve and how to go about it;
- have an understanding of how what they do in PE and school and community-based sport contributes to a healthy and active lifestyle;
- have the confidence to get involved in PE and school and community sport;
- have the skills to take part in PE and school sport and are in control of their movement;
- respond effectively to a range of different competitive, creative and challenge-type activities both as individuals and as an integral part of teams and groups
- are clearly thinking about what they are doing and making appropriate decisions for themselves;
- show a desire to improve and achieve in relation to their abilities and aspirations;
- have the stamina, suppleness and strength to keep going; and
- enjoy PE and school and community sport.
Dance at Ravenstone
Dance is an integral part of our PE curriculum and starts in nursery.
We employ a specialist dance teacher who has designed the curriculum that she teachers all children on a weekly basis.
The standards for the curriculum can be found here.
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PSHE
PSHE
PSHE AND RSE
Ravenstone's PSHE (personal, social and health education) and Growth books
At Ravenstone we are preparing our children for the future.
We use the plans and scheme of the PSHE Association to deliver this.
We believe that providing the best possible education for our children includes activities, lessons, experiences, discussions and projects that will prepare pupils to be able to thrive when they are adults.
The growth books the children undertake at Ravenstone will enable our children to understand what is right and wrong, to teach them how to stay safe in the world, to be able to show kindness to others while challenging discrimination and inequality. The ultimate aim is to ensure our children grow up to be able to contribute to society while becoming good co workers, friends, partners and parents themselves.
Ravenstone's PSHE curriculum
During Key Stages 1 and 2, learners gradually build on the skills, attitudes and values, knowledge and understanding they have started to acquire and develop during the Early Years/Foundation Stage.
Ravenstone's PSHE education offers learning opportunities and experiences which reflect the increasing independence and physical and social awareness of learners as they move through the school. They learn skills to develop effective relationships, assume greater personal responsibility and keep themselves safe. Our PSHE curriculum assists pupils to cope with the changes at puberty, introduces them to a wider world and enables them to make an active contribution to their communities and in turn, prepares them to be able to succeed in the future.
The curriculum is broken into three core aims outlined below;
1) Health and wellbeing
2) Relationships
3) Living in the wider world
Each area will be taught throughout the school year and will be tailored for the age of the pupils. Each area will provide the pupils with the following objectives
Health and Wellbeing
1. What is meant by a healthy lifestyle
2. How to maintain physical, mental and emotional health and wellbeing
3. How to manage risks to physical and emotional health and wellbeing
4. Ways of keeping physically and emotionally safe
5. About managing change, including puberty, transition and loss
6. How to make informed choices about health and wellbeing and to recognise sources of help with this
7. How to respond in an emergency
8. To identify different influences on health and wellbeing
Relationships
1. How to develop and maintain a variety of healthy relationships, within a range of social/cultural contexts
2. How to recognise and manage emotions within a range of relationships
3. How to recognise risky or negative relationships including all forms of bullying and abuse
4. How to respond to risky or negative relationships and ask for help
5. How to respect equality and diversity in relationships.
Living in the wider world
1. About respect for self and others and the importance of responsible behaviours and actions
2. About rights and responsibilities as members of families, other groups and ultimately as citizens
3. About different groups and communities
4. To respect equality and to be a productive member of a diverse community
5. About the importance of respecting and protecting the environment
6. About where money comes from, keeping it safe and the importance of managing it effectively
7. How money plays an important part in people's lives
8. A basic understanding of enterprise.
Growth books:
Every child will be given their growth book from year 1 and it will travel with them throughout their time at the school.
The books will be decorated with pictures from the child's home life; this could include baby pictures, family trips, hobbies or experiences that have stuck with them. The books themselves will be used to store a range of different lessons that the child will experience throughout their time at Ravenstone. Some examples are as followed;
Any work that is recorded from the weekly PSHE lesson (ta
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Religious Studies
Religious Studies
At Ravenstone, we celebrate and learn from the rich and diverse heritage, cultures and faiths of our children and their families. We understand the vital importance of community cohesion and believe that the subject of RE provides a key context by which our school can contribute to this.
- We use the LCP Religious Education Scheme to deliver our RE lessons.
- Our curriculum is designed to develop young people's understanding and appreciation of diversity, to promote shared values and to challenge racism and discrimination.
- Through developing our children's knowledge of different groups in society and exploring and highlighting shared values, the subject may encourage an appreciation of different faiths and cultures. In using resources from a range of different traditions, encouraging open and respectful debate and in giving all students a voice in the school to share their ideas, the subject can promote FBV and SMSC in its content and style of teaching.
- Our RE handbook can be found here
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Science
Science
SCIENCE
Science Curriculum
The Ravenstone Science Curriculum
A high-quality science education provides the foundations for understanding the world through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics.
We use the Collins SNAP Science scheme to deliver the teaching of science.
Science has changed our lives and is vital to the world's future prosperity, and all pupils should be taught essential aspects of the knowledge, methods, processes and uses of science. Through building up a body of key foundational knowledge and concepts, pupils should be encouraged to recognise the power of rational explanation and develop a sense of excitement and curiosity about natural phenomena. They should be encouraged to understand how science can be used to explain what is occurring, predict how things will behave, and analyse causes.
Our science subject handbook, which is given to all staff, can be downloaded HERE.
Our Vision for science
The Ravenstone curriculum for science aims to ensure that all pupils will:
- develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics
- develop understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science through different types of science enquiries that help them to answer scientific questions about the world around them
- are equipped with the scientific knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future.
Science at Ravenstone
Click on the link below to view Ravenstone's Science progression of skills and knowledge:
Whole School Science progression of skills and knowledge
Area of Study and Age-Related Expectations
Activities:
Click on the links below for some suggestions of science activities and experiments that you can do at home...
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Reading
Reading
READING
Please click on the following link for the Reading Handbook, that details our School-wide approach to this curriculum area.
Take home system at Ravenstone
At Ravenstone, we encourage children to read for pleasure as well as impressing upon them the importance of learning to read.
Children are expected to be reading at least five times a week in every year group for 10 - 15 minutes per day and this should be recorded in the homework book each time.
We assign children to a book band based on their word reading skills and their ability to understand and explain what they are reading. Earlier book bands, up to gold, are linked to phonics phases. The book bands are named by colour and given an Oxford Reading Tree level.
For book bands from pink to gold, children should be encouraged to reread their book three times.Children will be assigned to a book band when they enter the school and will then progress through the stages at their own pace until they leave us. It is important to note that the book bands are designed to be different lengths so while some book bands may be completed over a half term, most are designed to last a few months and some up to a year or more, particularly in the higher bands.
The first time the book is read, children should focus on deciphering the text using word reading strategies.
These include:
- Using phonics strategies to sound out words
- Recognising common words by sight
- Identifying known words with similar spelling/rhyming pattern
- Reading around the word in a sentence then using the context to work out the word.
- The second time the book is read, children should be focusing on:
- Being able to read the text fluently and accurately
- Responding accurately to punctuation
- Ensuring grammar is correctly used
- Developing their understanding of what is happening in the text; being able to retell the story, sequencing events and describing characters and settings.The third time the book is read, children should be focusing on deepening their understanding, including:
- Talking about their opinions of the book as a whole and of specific events, characters and settings, giving reasons for their ideas
- Discussing the feelings and actions of characters, giving reasons using evidence from the text if possible
- Thinking about why a specific word or phrase has been used by the writer and what effect it creates for the reader
- Making links between the text and other similar texts.
For book bands from white to black, children should only need to read a book once but should be encouraged to reread specific sentences and paragraphs where they are less sure of the meaning or meet an unfamiliar word. At this level, children should be able to read a text silently to themselves but should be discussing what they have read with others and answering questions about the text. They should also be using dictionaries to establish the meaning of unfamiliar words.
year group Colour book band Reception Pink Reception Red Reception Yellow Year 1 Blue Year 1 Green Year 1 Orange Year 2 Turquoise Year 2 Purple Year 2 Gold Year 2 White Year 2 Lime Year 3 Brown Year 3 Grey Year 4 Grey PhonicsPhonics
PHONICS
At Ravenstone we have developed our phonics approach through the government recommended approach called 'Letters and Sounds'.
This approach starts from nursery and continues throughout the school in the form of daily phonics meetings as well as a range of intervention and booster groups.
Our phonics approach is vital to every aspect of our approach to teaching reading.
Do come and view our termly gallery lessons where you can observe our lead teachers delivering a range of lessons that include phonics.
More information can be found here http://www.letters-and-sounds.com/what-is-letters-and-sounds.html
