At Gayton we provide an engaging and creative curriculum that allows our children to develop the skills, vocabulary and knowledge required to succeed and to give them a secure foundation for their future years in education.
We have designed a ‘Thematic’ curriculum that is literature rich – linking the topic lessons with literacy units and class story books – which enables the children to become more engaged and immersed with the unit they are studying, helping to improve understanding and embed knowledge.
Our curriculum not only meets the national requirements but also supports and nurtures the pupils and provides experiences that will help them to grow into confident, articulate, responsible citizens, giving them every opportunity to become the best that they can be.
“Pupils have a very mature attitude to school and recognise how important this is in helping them prepare for the future.” OFSTED 2013
If you have any questions about our curriculum, please contact Mr O’Donnell, our Deputy Headteacher and Curriculum Lead (dodonnell@gaytonj.derby.sch.uk).
Please click on the here to view our Progression of Skills documents for each curriculum subject so that you can see how we aim to build on skills acquired as your child moves up through the school.
Learning2Learn and Talk4Learning
Whilst teaching the children the knowledge they need, we also teach the children how to be learners. Lessons are planned to develop children’s ability in these key skills for learning, all of which will be useful in later life and will develop positive attitudes to learning.
We have developed an approach to learning called Learning2Learn. We feel it is important that the children develop a set of key skills and attitudes that will best equip them for learning throughout their lives. These skills and attitudes help children develop self-awareness and resilience in learning; to transfer skills and learning from one context to another and to understand how they learn best and to use this effectively.
We also encourage the development of oracy and speaking skills. We have adopted a system called Talk4Learning which gives the children daily opportunities to discuss their work with their peers, debate, peer teach and present. This enables the children to become more confident in their ability to speak to others and to communicate clearly.
Literacy
A daily one hour lesson developing reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. Children are taught in ability groups to help focus teaching at a comfortable yet challenging level. Blocks of lessons focus on specific texts, with planned activities to engage the children in the genre before they write their own texts at the end of a unit.
Year 3 children who require additional support with phonics following infant school also take part in Read, Write, Inc as part of their daily Literacy lessons.
Maths
A daily one hour lesson focusing on different elements of Maths. A weekly session helps the children practise their arithmetic skills. Again, children are taught in ability groups to help focus teaching at a comfortable yet challenging level. From 2020, children in Year 4 will take an online times tables test. The National Curriculum specifies that pupils should be taught to recall the multiplication tables up to and including 12 × 12 by the end of Year 4. The purpose of the test is to determine whether pupils can recall their times tables fluently, which is essential for future success in mathematics. It has been designed to help schools to identify pupils who have not yet mastered their times tables, so that additional support can be provided. The test is taken online. Similar tests can be found on Mathletics, which we have subscribed to. Maths Chase provides a fun version to support the learning of times tables.
Please click here to visit our Assessment Page which shows the expectations in Literacy and Maths for children in all four year groups.
Science
Science modules are taught in half termly blocks. Much of the work is practical and encourages the children to develop their thinking skills.
Computing
Children use laptops in most areas of the curriculum when appropriate to either research or present their work. Through this they develop their understanding of what each of the programmes can do. Computing skills are taught in weekly sessions in our Tech Lab and are linked to other curriculum areas where possible.
PE
Every child has two PE lessons a week. Indoor lessons focus on fitness and agility, dance and gymnastics. Outdoor lessons focus on striking and fielding games, athletics and team games. Children in Year 3 also have a weekly swimming lesson.
French
A weekly half an hour French lesson is supported by teachers using French in other lessons when appropriate, for example when giving instructions such as ‘sit down’ and ‘asseyez-vous’.
Thematic Curriculum
In our thematic curriculum lessons we find common threads between our Art, DT, Geography, History, PSHE and Music lessons. Children can then relate their learning across the subjects we teach.
Sample Timetable
This is an example of a typical timetable for a week at Gayton.
| 9.00 – 10.00 | 10.00 – 11.00 | 11.00 – 11.15 | 11.15 – 12.15 | 12.15 – 1.20 | 1.20 – 2.15 | 2.15 – 3.10 | 3.10 – 3.30 | |
| Monday | French / PSHE | Literacy | Break | Maths | Lunch | Reading | Indoor PE | Whole school assembly |
| Tuesday | Reading | Literacy | Break | Maths | Lunch | RE | Computing | Class assembly |
| Wednesday | Literacy | Outdoor PE | Break | Maths | Lunch | Topic | Topic | Whole school assembly |
| Thursday | Science | Literacy | Break | Maths | Lunch | The Arts | The Arts | Lower school Assembly |
| Friday | Spellings & Handwriting | Reading | Break | Maths | Lunch | Topic | Topic | Whole school assembly |
