St Martha

Class Teacher: Mrs Reynolds

Now that your child is in Upper Key Stage 2 please encourage them to take responsibility for their behaviour and learning and help them understand this is fundamental to their future at secondary school and beyond.

We would be glad to speak to you at a convenient time about any queries you or your child has throughout the year, please catch us at the end of the day or speak to the office to arrange an appointment.

The core priorities of the school this year are reading and writing.

Our Learning

We have a daily maths lesson that is taught discretely to theme using our school scheme ‘Maths – No problem’.

Daily literacy lessons cover guided reading, reading comprehension and grammar, punctuation and spelling (GPaS) .

Each term is based around a cross-curricular theme; overviews for each term can be found below.  Superstarter days introduce the theme and fantastic finisher days conclude the learning at the end of the term.

We follow the RE scheme Understanding Christianity as recommended by Rochester Diocese.

PE, French and Computing is taught discreetly.

Challenge

Each term the children are set a curriculum challenge which is linked to the cross-curricular theme.  Every lesson includes a challenge which the children strive to reach to extend their learning further. Weekly chocolate challenges are set in maths bases on the weeks learning, children complete the task independently and one child is selected to win a prize.

Each piece of homework also includes a challenge section for the children to engage in.  Please encourage your children to complete the challenge element of the homework.

Children can be selected  to join the Maths Masters Challenge Club where they receive additional weekly problem solving activities.

Homework in UKS2

Children receive three pieces of homework on a Friday:

• Comrehension task
• Literacy task
• Maths task

This is to support and extend their learning in school and to prepare them for the increasing amount at secondary school.  They spend 40 mins in each piece of work which is then handed in the following Friday. Each piece of homework also includes a challenge for children to complete.

Children are also expected read, practise spellings and times tables every night.

In order to ensure that pupils are fully prepared for the next stage of their schooling in KS2, children will be required to stay in at lunchtime play on Mondays after they have eaten to complete their missed work.

Physical Education 

PE takes place on Friday.

Children have set school uniform and P.E. Kit which should be in school at all times.

School uniform: white shirt / polo top, plain trousers / skirt, blue jumper / cardigan and flat school shoes.

P.E. kit: White t shirt, dark shorts and jogging bottoms, plimsolls or trainers and no jewellery.

Behaviour and Rewards

The children are expected to work towards our six golden rules that they should be used to from last year as they run throughout the school. These are:

         1)    Do be gentle – don’t hurt others                                        2) Do be kind and helpful – don’t hurt others’ feelings

         3)    Do work hard – don’t waste your own or others’ time       4) Do listen – don’t interrupt

         5)    Do be honest – don’t cover up the truth                            6) Do look after property – don’t damage things

Children are individually rewarded for good work, effort or behaviour in UKS2 with raffle tickets. Every Friday afternoon the raffle tickets drawn out of the class pot win the individual prizes…the more tickets you receive throughout the week, the more chance you have of winning a prize!

Individual pupil names are added to the school praise book for Literacy, Maths and Behaviour and then pupils stand up and are applauded by the whole school in assembly on Fridays.

Whole class rewards are negotiated between pupils and staff in each class every term. The children decide what they would like for a whole class prize.  Our current target is ensure we work as a team inside and outside of the classroom.