Primary education information for parents - The curriculum for primary education

Children aged under five

Schools and all registered early years providers have to follow a structure of learning, development and care for children from birth to five years old. This is called the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and it enables your child to learn through a range of activities.

The key aims are that children learn through play and that the early years provider works closely with parents, keeping them up to date on their child’s progress, and ensuring the welfare, learning and all round development of all children, including those with special educational needs and disabilities.

The EYFS is organised into the areas below.

The prime areas of learning:

• communication and language
• physical development
• personal, social and emotional development

The specific areas of learning:

• literacy
• mathematics
• understanding the world
• expressive arts and design

Characteristics of effective learning:

• playing and exploring
• active learning
• creating and thinking critically

A completed EYFS Profile consists of 20 items of information: the attainment of each child assessed in relation to 17 early learning goals, together with a short narrative describing the child’s learning characteristics. Assessments will be based primarily on observation of daily activities and events.

Children aged 5 to 11

Pupils aged 5 to 11 study the National Curriculum as part of the school’s own curriculum. Your child’s school may cover these subjects under different names, and may teach more than one subject together under the same name. This is left up to individual schools, as long as they are covering the National Curriculum.

Schools are also advised to teach at least one modern foreign language, personal, social and health education (PSHE) and citizenship.

Pupils are assessed by teachers at the ages of 5 (Foundation Stage Profile) and 7 (Key Stage 1). At age 11 (Key Stage 2), pupils are assessed by teachers and by national tests. You can see progress reports for each subject after these assessments.

You can get further details about the National Curriculum from www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-curriculum

Religious education

Religious education is taught in community and voluntary controlled schools in line with the agreed Wirral syllabus for religious education. The Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education reviews this syllabus. You can get copies from schools or from the Local Authority. Parents have the right to withdraw their children from religious education and collective worship.

Religious education at voluntary aided schools is the responsibility of the governing body and is taught in line with the school’s trust deed. The trust deed is the document which sets out the basic values and beliefs of the school.

All schools provide daily group worship for all pupils.

Sex and relationship education

In primary schools, governing bodies decide whether sex and relationship education should be taught. If it is taught, it must encourage pupils to consider the moral side of sex and the value of family life. The detailed content of sex education is for schools to decide. Parents may request a copy of the sex and relationship policy from the school and may choose to withdraw their children from all or part of sex education.

Music

Learning to play a musical instrument is a journey of discovery, joy, challenge and fulfilment. Edsential provides music tuition in many primary, secondary and special schools. If your child is not able to receive tuition in school, then Edsential can offer tuition in Music Centres at Woodchurch or Wallasey in the evenings or on Saturday mornings. The Wirral Centre for Young Musicians takes place on Saturday mornings and provide string, orchestral, wind and brass groups as well as theory and aural tuition for children of all abilities. More advanced students may audition to become members of senior ensembles, including orchestra, brass band, big band and concert band. These groups regularly tour abroad and are involved with regional and national festivals of music.

Charges may be made for lessons and other activities. Financial support is usually available for children in receipt of pupil premium. Please enquire at your school or directly with Edsential for further details about financial support for music tuition and the remissions policy. Instruments may be hired or purchased from Edsential.

You can get further details about tuition, music centres and ensembles from:
Edsential Music Service
Phone: 0151 541 2170 ext: 2011
Email: Music@edsential.co.uk
Web: edsential.com

Physical Education

There is a varied Physical Education programme for all pupils in Foundation 1 and 2 and Key Stages 1 and 2. Swimming is taught mainly in primary schools, and games, gymnastics, dance and athletics are the main activities in Key Stages 1 and 2.

Many schools also offer outdoor education involving other subjects as well as Physical Education. Pupils also have the chance to try Health-Related Exercise programmes, which encourage a more personal attitude to Physical Education. Wirral co-ordinates a PE and Sport Partnership programme. This involves a secondary PE teacher supporting a group of family primary schools with their PE and Sport provision. This enables specialist teachers of Physical Education to provide a variety of
sporting opportunities for all children.

School sport in Wirral continues to maintain a high reputation. By working closely with the Sports Development Unit all pupils are encouraged (whatever their age, gender or standard) to make the best of their talents and interests by extending their experiences through after-school clubs.