Our curriculum

At Ashton Primary, we pride ourselves in making learning fun, through an exciting and enriching curriculum.

We try to reinforce all topics either with a visitor coming to school or with an out-of-school visit for the children.

This page contains an overview of the curriculum at Ashton, but it is by no means all-encompassing. If you would like more detailed information on any aspect of the school curriculum, please contact the Headteacher.

Reception

In reception, our aim is for the children to have a happy and exciting start to school life. Children in their reception year, follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum. The children learn skills, acquire new knowledge and demonstrate their understanding through 7 areas of learning and development. These are Communication and Language, Physical development, Personal social and emotional development, Numeracy, Literacy, Understanding the world and Expressive arts and design. Learning takes place within these areas through a mixture of adult led and child initiated activities. Throughout the year an emphasis is placed on the children gaining more independence, creating relationships with adults and peers and developing a love of learning. Due to the size and structure of our school, children in reception also experience the curriculum of Key Stage 1 children, and this is adapted so they can access it at their own level.

Children are encouraged to read daily. We use the Oxford Reading Scheme through reception and Key Stage 1.

We teach children to become confident writers at Ashton and this begins in reception. We begin to introduce children to phonics using the Letters and Sounds scheme.

Key Stage 1 (Years 1 and 2)

In Key Stage 1 we teach using a three year rolling programme, and continue to use the scheme Letters and Sounds as our basis for phonics.

The curriculum for children in years 1 and 2 builds upon and extends the experiences that children have had in reception. Children are gradually eased into more formal learning as the year goes on so that they remain motivated and eager learners. In the Infant class, the children begin to follow the National Curriculum and we ensure the children are given plenty of opportunities to explore their topics in a practical and creative way.

Key Stage 2 (Years 3 - 6)

In Key Stage 2, we operate a four year rolling programme for the National Curriculum. We make our topics exciting for the children and we make use of trips, visits and visitors to support this. We are currently in a position to offer four mornings of teaching Literacy and Maths in two separate groups, (years 3/4 and then years 5/6.) This has had a positive impact on our outcomes for children over the last academic year.

We encourage children to become more independent as they progress through the Junior class, and when the children are in Year 6 they are confident and able to perform many roles and responsibilities across the school.

Click here to see the curriculum map for the juniors this term.