Reading workshops

Mrs Cliff and Miss Younger led our most recent Reading Workshop recently, you can access their presentation below: 

Term Dates 2023 – 2024

Science

Term Dates 2022 – 2023

Calendar Dates for 2022/2023 Academic Year
Please note our Inset Training Days differ slightly from the suggested Central Bedfordshire Council dates

Monday 5th September – Friday 16th December 2022

Staff Inset Day Friday 2nd September
Dates of the Autumn Term
Monday 24th October – Friday 28th October 2022 
School reopens for children on Monday 31st October
School closed for Half Term Holiday
Monday 19th December 2022 – Monday 2nd January 2023School closed for Christmas Holidays
Wednesday 4th January – Friday 31st March 2023
Monday 2nd January 2023 – Bank Holiday
Staff Inset Day Tuesday 3rd January
Wednesday 4th January – Return to School
Dates of the Spring Term
Monday 13th February – Friday 17th February 2023School closed for Half Term Holiday
Monday 3rd April – Tuesday 18th April 2023

Staff Inset Day Monday 17th April
School closed for Easter Holidays
Tuesday 18th April – Friday 21st July 2023

Monday 1st May Bank Holiday school closed
Dates of the Summer Term
Monday 29th May – Friday 2nd June 2023

Staff Inset Day Monday 5th June 2023

School reopens for children on Tuesday 6th June
School closed for Half Term Holiday
Friday 21st July 2023Last day of the academic year

RSE and PSHE Curriculum

Curriculum Intent

We aim to provide pupils with the knowledge, understanding, attitudes, values and skills they need in order to reach their potential as individuals and within the community. Pupils are encouraged to take part in a wide range of activities and experiences across the curriculum, contributing fully to the life of their school and communities. In doing so they learn to recognise their own worth, work well with others and become increasingly responsible for their own learning. We encourage our children to reflect on their experiences and understand how they are developing personally and socially, tackling many of the spiritual, moral, social and cultural issues that are part of growing up.

We intend for our children to learn to understand and respect our common humanity; diversity and differences so that they can go on to form the effective, fulfilling relationships that are an essential part of life and learning. At Beaudesert, we choose to deliver Personal, Social, Health Education (including Relationships Education) using three main themes: ‘Health and Wellbeing’, ‘Relationships’ and ‘Living in the Wider World’. These themes cover the statutory guidance outlined by the Department for Education and support our school values.

Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education is a subject through which pupils develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to manage their lives, now and in the future. It helps children and young people to stay healthy and safe, while preparing them to make the most of life and work. PSHE education also helps pupils to achieve their academic potential.
Most of PSHE education became statutory for all schools from September 2020 under the Children and Social Work Act 2017. This includes Relationships Education at Key Stages 1 and 2, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) at key stages 3 and 4, and Health Education in both primary and secondary phases.
The Department for Education published Statutory Guidance for Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education in June 2019. This sets out what schools must cover from September 2020 (though not all they should cover as part of broader PSHE education).

Curriculum Implementation

  • PSHE lessons take place in class for an hour a week. This may be a one-hour session or a session split into 2 half hour segments.
  • PSHE themes are also covered through our whole school ‘values’ assemblies.
  • Teachers deliver the PSHE curriculum with the support of the PSHE Association, their programme of study, ‘programme builders’ and their quality marked resources.
  • Just like in any lesson, teachers draw upon resources to support the learning of all pupils in regards to ability or SEND need. This could come in the form of having smaller group discussions or using story books which supplement the key theme/message being taught within a lesson.

Having the PSHE Association programme of study, ‘programme builders’ and access to their wealth of resources, helps guide and support teachers whilst teaching topics which may create debate or answering difficult questions from pupils. Having this resource allows teachers to plan and prepare for any questions which may arise and have a quality assured resource in place to refer to, to ensure personal beliefs and attitudes do not influence teaching.

At Beaudesert Lower School we benefit from being a member of the PSHE Association. Therefore, if any teachers are unsure about their ability to teach certain areas of the PSHE curriculum, they have access to up to date key guidance, the ability to exchange ideas within a community of dedicated practitioners and most importantly, can get support from subject experts via phone or email.

Please click on the links below to view our comprehensive programme of study and model lesson plans.

Impact

Our pupils leave school with a good understanding about how to stay safe, how to be healthy and how to develop positive relationships. Our pupils are well behaved, polite and respectful members of the school community who try hard to model our key school values: kindness, positivity, perseverance, compassion, respect and community spirit. They understand what it means to belong to to a multi-cultural and diverse society.

Term Dates 2021 – 2022

Calendar Dates for 2021/2022 Academic Year
Please note our Inset Training Days differ slightly from the suggested Central Bedfordshire Council dates

Monday 6 September – Friday 17 December 2021Dates of the Autumn Term
Monday 25 October – Friday 29 October 2021
Staff inset day Monday 1 November
School reopens for children on Tuesday 2 November
School closed for Half Term Holiday
Monday 20 December 2021 – Monday 3 January 2022School closed for Christmas Holidays
Tuesday 4 January – Friday 1 April 2022Dates of the Spring Term
Monday 14 February – Friday 18 February 2022School closed for Half Term Holiday
Monday 4 April – Tuesday 19 April 2022School closed for Easter Holidays
Wednesday 20 April – Thursday 22 July 2022Dates of the Summer Term
Monday 30 May – Friday 3 June 2022School closed for Half Term Holiday
Friday 22 July 2022Last day of the academic year

Curriculum Progression and Intent

English

Intent

At Beaudesert, we aim to ensure that all children become confident and fluent within each strand of our English curriculum: reading, writing and spoken language. Our intention is to foster a life-long appreciation of rich vocabulary and texts, develop stamina to write at length and for purpose, developing the necessary expression and distinction in their writing to communicate well. We will provide vital tools for expression and creativity through imaginative story-telling. We strive to enable all children develop well both emotionally and socially through having access to a diverse range of literature across different mediums. This will enable children to read often for both pleasure and information. From the Early Years Foundation Stage through to Year Four, we provide an inspiring environment that promotes enjoyment in learning all key aspects of the English language.

Implementation

Upon wider school reopening in September 2020, we have begun to deliver a bespoke curriculum designed to prioritise key knowledge and skills, allowing for opportunities to review and embed fundamental prior learning. Our ‘Back on Track’ Engage and Explore Units provide each year group with captivating texts to read and inspire well-structured writing at length.

With these aims in mind, writing and reading opportunities are timetabled daily across all year groups.

Early Reading

In years 1 – 4 weekly guided reading sessions provide the children with opportunities to develop word reading and comprehension skills.  In reception and KS1 daily phonics supports the development of early reading skills, with Phonic intervention groups in place in lower key stage two when necessary (see separate Intent, Implementation and Impact for Phonics). In addition to the discrete daily reading, a diverse range of reading opportunities are embedded across the curriculum. Quality texts are used as a lead into many writing opportunities where new vocabulary can be learnt and applied and whole class texts are shared with the children to allow time to listen to and enjoy stories.

Reaching Every Child

Vulnerable groups and those needing additional reading support are identified by class teachers and reading interventions are put in place to support the development of their reading. This may be small group comprehension work or additional daily reading to develop fluency and build confidence. Purchases of lower level, older interest books have been bought to support our less confident readers in KS2.

Challenge

Whilst children are able to choose books that interest them, we encourage a desire to read outside that comfort zone so that they experience a wide range of genre and a good variety of fiction and non-fiction within that. We began a system of ‘leader-readers’ so that children in every year group and reading level get to experience leading a book discussion.

Writing

At Beaudesert, we ensure that the teaching of writing is purposeful and there is a clear progression for all children.  In line with the National Curriculum, we ensure that each year group is teaching the explicit grammar, punctuation and spelling objectives required for that age group whilst exposing children to model texts and providing varied writing opportunities.  As well as teaching the National Curriculum objectives, teachers are able to embed the skills throughout the year in cross-curricular writing opportunities. We make use of whole school joint write each term. A story begins in our Early Years with each child writing and their story is passed up so that every child adds their own additions until Year Four conclude. It shows the children their potential and progression, enabling them to share the communicative value of the written word. Writing is celebrated across the school with displays of high quality writing, along with sharing successes for the children in our celebration assemblies.

Each year group has indicated their own learning pathways that ensures that our intent for this subject is planned into their sequence of learning.

Impact

  • Our pupils enjoy reading and are exposed to a broad range of high quality texts and authors.
  • Successful readers are nurtured through the good teaching of both language comprehension and word reading.
  • Pupils have a vast range of vocabulary that they are able to apply in their writing.
  • Pupils have a good knowledge of how to adapt their writing for different purposes and audiences.
  • Pupils have a solid foundation in spelling and have a toolkit of different strategies to support the continual learning of their spelling after they leave us.
  • Pupils are able to identify, use and apply grammatical features in their writing effectively across the curriculum.
  • In KS1, pupils achieve above national and local averages in reading and writing both at and above age related expectations and at greater depth.
  • In lower KS2 (Year 4), pupils achieve above local averages in reading and writing both at and above age related expectations and at greater depth.

We foster a community of enthusiastic and engaged readers and writers who we hope will carry forward the high aspirations and creativity that has been encouraged at Beaudesert as they move forward in their education.

Updated Risk Assessment – Tier 4

PTA Newsletter

Please click on the link below for the latest PTA newsletter

https://www.ps-connect.cloud/schoolemails/160673673853178031316339/PTANEWSDecember2020pdf.pdf