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Newsletters Previous Newsletters School Attendance - A Very Important Message for all Parents & Carers Bedtime Stories Diary Dates ​ Autumn Term 2023 Tuesday 4th September to Friday 27th October Half Term Monday 6th November to Friday 22nd December Spring Term 2024 Monday 9th January to Friday 9th February Half Term Monday 19th February to Friday 22nd March Summer Term 2024 Monday 8th April to Friday 24th May Half Term Monday 3rd June to Tuesday 19th July Please note these dates may be subject to change CALENDAR FOR THE ACADEMIC YEAR September 2024 -July 2025 ​ Autumn Term 2024 Monday 2nd September 2024 To Friday 25th October 2024 ​ Half Term ​ Monday 4th November 2024 To Friday 20th December 2024 ​ Spring Term 2025 Monday 6th January 2025 To Friday 14th February 2025 ​ Half Term ​ Tuesday 25th February 2025 To Friday 11th April 2025 ​ Summer Term 20 25 Tuesday 29th April 2025 To Friday 22nd May 2025 ​ Half Term ​ Monday 6th June 2025 To Friday 18th July 2025 ​ INSET DAYS Monday 23rd September 2024 Friday 25th October 2024 Monday 24th February 2025 Monday 28th April 2025 Tuesday 6th May 2025 Monday 21st July 2025 ​ Bank Holiday Monday 5th May 2025 ​ ​ ​ ​ Please note that these dates may be subject to change Parent Meetings Nursery Nursery Welcome Meeting 2023 Reception Reception Welcome Meeting 2023 Reception RWI Meeting 2022 Year 1 Year 1 Welcome Meeting 2023 Year 2 Year 2 Welcome Meeting 2023 SATs Meeting 2023 Year 3 Year 3 Welcome Meeting 2023 Year 4 Year 4 Welcome Meeting 2023 Year 4 Maths Week Resources Year 5 Year 5 Welcome Meeting 2023 Year 6 year 6 FGM / CSE Meeting Year 6 Welcome Meeting 2023 Latest Tweets @StBernsPrimary Nursery Instagram @StBernsNursery Podcasts Bedtime Stories Wishlist If you would like to donate a book to our school, the links below contain items from our Top 20 lists and Book of the Month recommendations. Each book will be stamped with the name of the person who has donated it and will be placed on our class bookshelves. Nursery Year 3 Reception Year 4 Year 1 Year 5 Year 2 Year 6 Wishlist

St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School 1/10 Parent Pay Newsletter ​ School opening hours Monday to Thursday 8.30am -3.15 pm Friday 8.30am- 2.00pm Total time 32.5 hours Pupil Absence Staff Email We are delighted to announce that St Bernadette’s School has achieved the Live Simply Award , having successfully demonstrated that we are living simply, sustainably and in solidarity with the world’s poorest communities. Please visit our 'Live Simply' page to find out more!

Prospectus Choosing the right school for your child is one of the most important decisions you will make in their early years. As a parent you want your child to feel safe, secure and happy at school. At St Bernadette’s School all children are encouraged, supported and challenged to become the best that they can be. St Bernadette’s is a Catholic school and our motto “Learn to Love, love to learn” is at the heart of everything we do. St Bernadette’s is much more than an educational establishment it is a place where the children are offered stability and enrichment to learn effectively and develop into well rounded, responsible and respectful young people. On a recent Ofsted inspection the school was classed as outstanding for personal development and welfare, this is something we as a school are very proud of, the Ofsted inspection is available on the school website and I would encourage you to read it. A Cowings Headteacher Ethos St. Bernadette’s is much more than just an educational establishment; it is a beacon of hope and a place which has to offer: Children: The stability and enrichment they need to become well rounded individuals who are well prepared for the life ahead of them. Staff: A sense of fulfilment and achievement. Parents: A school which assists them in the religious formation of their children and offers them support and advice to develop their children socially, morally and academically. Implications Therefore we need to provide: Children: A broad and exciting curriculum which engages all. A safe and secure stimulating environment in which children are nurtured and supported. A set of moral values, which inform the choices they make. Staff: Quality professional development based on assessment of needs. Opportunities to network with other educational establishments. Parents: Up to date information on curriculum and pastoral matters. Opportunities to develop parenting skills Prospectus

Collective Worship Collective Worship Policy At St Bernadette’s Catholic School, the children participate in communal acts of prayer and /or liturgical celebrations every day. Sometimes this will be in class prayer, other times it may involve children in the year band joining together in prayer or it may be in a key stage assembly or a whole school mass. Children are encouraged to learn a selection of traditional prayers in each year band, but are also encouraged to devise their own personal prayers. A list of prayers can be seen here for each year band. Prayers take place at the beginning of the school day, before and after lunch and again at the end of the school day. Every classroom has a focal point for prayer, which is appropriate to the liturgical season. Each classroom is also named after a Saint and the children learn about their saint and the lives they lead. ​ Every year band will prepare a year band mass each month, which is held in school. We also have a key stage mass in school every term and a whole school mass which takes place at Holy Family Church every two to three weeks. Parishioners are invited to celebrate mass with the school and are asked to become prayer partners for children who are receiving the sacraments. The children are able to experience the liturgical Life of the church in many ways throughout the year, such as the Stations of the Cross during Lent, Rosary Club during the months of October and may and a Carol Service at Christmas. They also celebrate their Saint’s feast day and join in Mass, with their Sister school of Holy Family, during Holy Days of obligation. ​ In addition to the children’s prayer life, the staff in school begin every meeting with a prayer. Different members of staff will lead the prayer, providing the staff with the opportunity to reflect on the Gospel Values. One training day every year is set aside for a staff retreat, with staff having had the opportunity to attend a retreat in Lourdes and Fatima in recent years. Father Fretch is our Parish Priest, who is a regular visitor in school. Sister Maura Halpin is also a regular visitor and together they support the children in the sacramental year bands of year 3 and year 6. They also visit the other year bands to support them in their RE lessons and in the preparation of mass. Collective Worship: List

A-Z of Composers A-Z of Composers: List Isaac Albéniz Isaac Manuel Francisco Albéniz y, more commonly known as Isaac Albéniz, was born on 29th May 1860 in Camprodon, Catalonia, Spain and died on 18th May 1909 in France. To classical guitarists the world over, he is known for his quintessential Spanish guitar repertoire. My younger brother, who is a professional guitarist himself, has been playing his pieces since childhood. Few realise that he was not actually a guitarist at all, but was in fact a virtuoso pianist, composer, and conductor. He is best known for his piano works often based on Spanish folk music. Despite composing mostly for the piano, it is his transcriptions for guitar that are most well known today – particularly works such as Asturias (Leyenda), Granada, Sevilla, Cadiz, Córdoba, Cataluña, Mallorca, and Tango in D. Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer and musician who was born in March 1685 and died in July 1750. This was a period of musical history known as the Baroque. He is perhaps the most well-known of the famous Bach family of musicians: Johann Christoph Bach (1642–1703), Johann Michael Bach (1648–1694), Maria Barbara Bach (1684–1720), Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (1710–1784), Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714–1788) to name just a few. He is known for instrumental compositions such as the Art of Fugue, the Brandenburg Concertos, and the Goldberg Variations, and for vocal music such as the St Matthew Passion and the Mass in B minor. A master of the keyboard, Bach gifted the world such gems as The Well-Tempered Clavier and organ works too numerous to name individually. Since the 19th-century Bach Revival he has been generally regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Western art musical canon. Here are links to some of these great pieces. Mr Baker Sept 2019 Art of Fugue Brandenburg Concertos Goldberg Variations St Matthew Passion Mass in B minor The Well-Tempered Clavier Cello Suites 1 – 6 Air on the G string Chaconne, Partita No. 2 BWV 1004 (violin) Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565 Cream (Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker & Jack Bruce) The great drummer Ginger Baker died on 6th October this year aged 80 and so it seemed fitting to continue the musical A-Z with the group he was perhaps most famous for being in – Cream. Cream were a British rock band formed in London in 1966. The group consisted of bassist Jack Bruce, guitarist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker. Bruce was the main songwriter and vocalist, although Clapton and Baker also sang and contributed songs. Formed from members of previously successful bands, they are widely regarded as the world's first supergroup as each player was considered to a master of their instrument. Their music spanned many genres of rock music, including blues rock, psychedelic rock, and hard rock. In their career, they sold more than 15 million records worldwide. The group's third album, Wheels of Fire (1968), is the world's first platinum-selling double album. In 1993, Cream were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Here are links to three of their more famous songs. Mr Baker Sept 2019 White Room Sunshine of your Love I Feel Free ​ Claude Debussy Claude Debussy was born 22 August 1862 and died aged just 55 on 25 March 1918. He is regarded as one of the greatest French composers of all time. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionist composer, seeking to paint pictures in the mind of his listeners by the quality of the sounds they hear. Despite being born to a family of modest means and little cultural involvement, Debussy showed enough musical talent to be admitted at the age of ten to France's leading music college, the Conservatoire de Paris. He originally studied the piano, but found his vocation in innovative composition, despite the disapproval of the Conservatoire's conservative professors. Debussy is responsible for some of the most recognisable piano and orchestral music of the twentieth century. He himself was influenced by Russian and far-eastern musical styles and he in his turn was to be a great influence on later composers such as Bartok, Messiaen and George Benjamin. All his music is easy to listen to but here are some links to some of my favourites. Mr Baker January 2020 La Mer La boîte à joujoux Fantaisie for piano and orchestra Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune Syrinx (for solo flute) Claire de Lune La fille aux cheveux de lin Deux arabesques Children's Corner Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp Edward Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar was born 2 June 1857 and died 23 February 1934. ​ He was an English composer who many consider to be one of our greatest. Many of his works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestral works including the Enigma Variations (including the world famous ‘Nimrod’ often played during remembrance services), the Pomp and Circumstance Marches (including ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ – played every year at the Last Night of the Proms), concertos for violin and cello, and two symphonies. He also composed choral works, including The Dream of Gerontius (based on a poem by Birmingham’s Saint John Henry Newman and first performed in Birmingham’s Town Hall in the year 1900), chamber music and songs. He was appointed Master of the King's Musick in 1924. Although Elgar is often regarded as a typically English composer, most of his musical influences were not from England but from continental Europe. He felt himself to be an outsider. It is worth noting that this self-taught composer was openly Catholic in a Protestant Britain where his Roman Catholicism was regarded with suspicion in some quarters. He never forgot his humble beginnings even when he became successful and achieved recognition for his music. Elgar has been described as the first composer to take the gramophone and recorded music seriously. Between 1914 and 1925, he conducted a series of acoustic recordings of his works. The introduction of the moving-coil microphone in 1923 made far more accurate sound reproduction possible, and Elgar made new recordings of most of his major orchestral works and excerpts from The Dream of Gerontius. Mr Baker February 2020 Nimrod Enigma Variations (complete) Pomp and Circumstance Marches 1 – 4 Pomp and Circumstance March no 1 (from the proms ) Dream of Gerontius Gabriel Fauré Gabriel Urbain Fauré was born on 12th May 1845 and died on 4th November 1924 in Pamiers, Ariège, in the south of France. He was a composer, organist, pianist and teacher. He was one of the most important French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th-century composers such as Ravel. ​ Fauré’s was not an especially musical family, but his talent became clear when he was just a small boy. Aged nine, he was sent to the Ecole Niedermeyer music college in Paris, where he was trained to be a church organist and choirmaster. Among his teachers was Camille Saint-Saëns (himself a famous composer of such works as ‘The Swan’ ), who became a lifelong friend. After graduating from the college in 1865, he made his living as an organist and teacher, leaving him little time for composition, so he didn’t become a successful composer until his middle age years. ​ Towards the end of his life, Fauré was recognised in France as the leading French composer of his day and a national musical tribute was held for him in Paris in 1922. Outside France, Fauré's music took many years to become widely accepted, except in Britain, where his work was greatly admired during his lifetime. Fauré's earlier works are among his most accessible and below are some YouTube links to his more famous pieces Mr Baker August 2020 Pavane Op.50 - Piano Solo Pavane Op.50 – Orchestral Version ​ Sicilienne. ​ Requiem Op. 48 ​ Dolly Suite Op. 56 ​ Cantique de Jean Racine, Op. 11 ​ Après un rêve for cello & piano ​ Percy Grainger Percy Grainger was born on the 8 July 1882 and died on 20 February 1961. He was an Australian-born composer, arranger and pianist who, in his adult years, lived in America and became an American citizen in 1918. During his career, he played an important role in reviving the public’s interest in British folk music in the early years of the 20th century. It is highly likely that many will be familiar with his piano and orchestral arrangements such as the folk-dance tune "Country Gardens" among others. It is these well-known folk gems and stylistically similar compositions that I will link to here. Mr Baker August 2020 Molly on the Shore ​ Country Gardens ​ Blithe Bells ​ Handel in the Strand ​ Mock Morris ​ Colonial Song ​ Lincolnshire Posy ​ Shepherd's Hey ​ Walking Tune Joe Hisaishi With Olympics and Paralympics having taken place in Tokyo this year, I thought it would be a good idea to feature a modern Japanese composer this September. ​ Joe Hisaishi was born Mamoru Fujisawa on 6th December 1950 in Nagano – Japan. He is most well known for his film music, especially the classic anime films of Hayao Miyazaki such as Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away, Kiki’s Delivery Service, My Neighbour Totoro and Princess Mononoke among others from the Studio Ghibli company. ​ He started learning the violin and the age of just four and he knew then that music would be central to his life. He also watched about 300 movies a year with his father. These two passions naturally saw him become a film composer after attending the Kunitachi College of Music in 1969 to major in music composition. He enjoyed his first success in 1974 when he composed music for the anime series called Gyatoruzu and he has never looked back. ​ Why does he go by the name Joe Hisaishi when he was born Mamoru Fujisawa? Well it comes down to his admiration for the work of American musician and producer, Quincy Jones. Retranscribed in Japanese, "Quincy Jones" became "Joe Hisaishi". ("Quincy", pronounced "Kuinshī” in Japanese, can be written using the same kanji in "Hisaishi"; "Joe" comes from "Jones".) Below are some links to some of his film music. There is much more to find as he has produced quite a lot! Mr Baker September 2021 ​ From the film – Howl’s Moving Castle Merry-Go-Round of Life ​ From the film – Spirited Away One Summer’s Day ​ From the film – Kiki’s Delivery Service Main Theme ​ From the film – My Neighbour Totoro The Wind Forest ​ From the film – Princess Mononoke Sound-track Suite (1998 version) ​ Other pieces – Asian Dream Song ​ ​ Jacques Ibert Jacques François Antoine Marie Ibert was born on 15th August 1890 and died on 5 February 1962. He was a French composer of classical music. Ibert took to music from a very early age and eventually studied at the Paris Conservatoire where he excelled winning its top prize, the Prix de Rome, at his first attempt- despite his studies being interrupted by his service in World War I. Ibert would go on to pursue a successful composing career, writing several operas, five ballets, incidental music for plays and films, works for piano solo, choral works, and chamber music. He is probably best remembered for his orchestral works including Divertissement (1928) and Escales (1922) – links to these and other works listed below. Mr Baker October 2021 Divertissment ​ Escales ​ ​ Entr’acte (recorder & guitar version – a favourite of mine) ​ ​ Karl Jenkins Sir Karl William Pamp Jenkins CBE, who was born on the 17th of February 1944, is a Welsh multi-instrumentalist and composer, best known for works that include the song "Adiemus" (once used to advertise Delta Airlines), Benedictus and Requiem. Jenkins was educated in music at Cardiff University and the Royal Academy of Music. He joined the jazz-rock band Soft Machine in 1972 and became the group's lead songwriter in 1974. Jenkins continued to work with Soft Machine up to 1984. Jenkins has won the industry prize twice. Something of a musical trademark is his notable use of ‘Vocalise’ where singers sing not words, but sounds. Mr Baker November 2021 Adiemus ​ Song of the Plains ​ Requiem - I. Introit ​ Benedictus (The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace) ​ Requiem - IX. Pie Jesu ​ I'll Make Music ​

Prayer Clubs At our school, our faith journey extends beyond the classroom. Our extra-curricular prayer clubs provide a haven for our pupils to explore and embrace their faith, whilst also promoting a sense of unity. Pupils are encouraged to engage in meaningful discussions and cultivate their religious practices. We understand the importance of nurturing the whole child, and our prayer clubs play a vital role in supporting their emotional, mental and spiritual wellbeing. We invite all pupils from EYFS to Year 6, seeking a space for reflection and connection, to participate in these integral extra-curricular prayer clubs. December - Advent During Advent, we have the opportunity to gather as a KS2 family to share ideas about how we can be ready to meet Jesus. This year the children collectively created an Advent Reflection. They reflected on simple steps that they could take in their daily lives and explored how they could carry out our mission. Lent During Lent, we gather together to explore CAFOD’s Lenten calendar to help us journey through Lent. This year our Year 4 pupils reflected on Pope Francis’ Lenten message and began each session by exploring how Jesus speaks to us through the word of God. They explored daily readings and used CAFOD’s online Lent calendar to journey through Lent with their global family. The children created purple prayer cubes and encouraged each other to preform acts of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Lenten Prayer Club Through the inspiring resources from Mission Together, we gathered together in prayer, exploring themes of repentance, sacrifice, and renewal. Our interactive sessions incorporated Lent-themed craft activities, providing hands-on experiences that reinforced the messaged shared in the weekly Gospel reading. May - The Month of Mary Our prayer club in May is dedicated to “Mary”. This year, the children were provided with the opportunity to learn about, explore and pray the mysteries of the Holy Rosary. Each week the children explored and reflected on one of the four mysteries. June - The Sacred Heart During the month of June, children from Reception and KS1 have the opportunity to take part in a Sacred Heart Prayer Club. This year the children gathered together to learn about the devotion of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The children were encouraged to be prayerful and attentive during this special time. All children took an active role in the club; setting up the prayer table, writing and reading prayers, singing Hymns and listening to the word God. The children had the opportunity to create Sacred Hearts using a range of different materials, building upon skills they have learnt during their art lessons. They also reflected on the devotion of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and shared prayers of love and thanks.

Our Mission At St. Bernadette's Catholic School you will find us caring, hardworking and co-operative. We follow the ways of Jesus using our talents and gifts to make our school special. We show respect to all and welcome you. Click play below Our Behaviour Expectations and Values ​ Our Catholic ethos promotes positive relationships based on respect; pupils are helped to make moral choices about their behaviour and their contribution to the school community. Our behaviour expectations are based on Christian values. We expect children to be polite, co-operative and considerate of others. Staff are committed to creating a school environment where these qualities are seen to be important and are positively encouraged and reflected in their own conduct. Classroom behaviour is based on simple expectations and values that the children can understand and have confidence in and which relate to all aspects of school life. Below are the 8 positive behaviour statements that are displayed around the school and prominently in classrooms.

History History Policy History Progression of Skills Knowledge & Skills Year 1 Autumn Year 2 Autumn Year 3 Autumn Year 4 Autumn Year 5 Autumn Year 6 Autumn Year 1 Spring Year 2 Spring Year 3 Spring Year 4 Spring Year 5 Spring Year 6 Spring Year 1 Summer Year 2 Summer Year 3 Summer Year 4 Summer Year 5 Summer

EYFS Early Years Foundation Stage ​ Welcome to St. Bernadette’s Early Years Foundation Stage! ​ Our teaching team in Nursery consists of Miss Deards (Red Group), Miss Barron (Yellow Group), Mrs. Buchanan (Blue Group), Mrs Robbins (Green Group). The teaching team in Reception consists of Mrs Jones and Mrs O'Brien (RSJ), Miss Coley and Miss O’Neill (RLC) and Miss Belcher and Miss Baker (RCB). . ​ Our school is a beacon of hope and a place that offers children in the EYFS an education rich in wonder and memorable experiences. We want our children to succeed in our ever-changing world; we hope our education gives our children the best chance to become happy and well-rounded individuals, reaching their full potential and fostering our school motto, ‘Love to Learn, Learn to Love ’. At St Bernadette’s School, we are committed to the Catholic faith, recognising and valuing every individual as special and unique, created in the image and likeness of God. We welcome and celebrate differences and our curriculum is designed to recognise children’s diverse range of experiences and prior learning from their previous settings and their home environment. We know the crucial role that early years education has to play in providing firm foundations upon which the rest of a child’s education is successfully based. Our EYFS curriculum is driven by our four fundamental EYFS curriculum drivers: Learn to Love, Love to Learn We want children’s curiosity and creativity to be nurtured so their love for learning is ignited. Through developing learning behaviours, such as: playing and exploring, active learning and creating and thinking critically, we want children to be autonomous with their own learning and resilient. We want them to plan, implement and review this process and do it with integrity and become successful, lifelong learners. Communication Communication and language skills are the cornerstone of learning. We want our children to be able to speak clearly and process speech sounds, express their ideas and to understand and interact with others. We want them to develop an enriched vocabulary and a love for reading. Communication is the vehicle for learning, making friends and succeeding in life. Community We want our children to develop a sense of pride in themselves and respect and tolerance for others in their immediate and school community, as well as the world that is beyond their local environment. They need opportunities to experience the richness of our diverse community and show they care about its management and sustainability. We want to cultivate partnerships with families and engagement in their child’s lifelong learning journey. We want children to develop a sense of citizenship in line with British Values. We follow the Values and Virtues from the Archdiocese of Birmingham's Catholic Schools’ Pupil Profile; we see them in action in our lives and in the lives of others and we work on how to encapsulate these values in our lives. Possibilities We are passionate about broadening the horizons of our children, providing rich learning opportunities and experiences to develop imagination, curiosity, creativity and ingenuity. Our children cannot aspire to things that they have never encountered; we want to expand their knowledge of the world in which we live. Instagram Feed @StBernsNursery Play Based Learning Outdoor Learning Reading Reading Tips Nursery Ryhmes Maths Pencil grip Outdoor Learning “The best kept classroom and the richest cupboard are roofed only by the sky” Margaret McMillan (1925) The outdoors provides young children with one of the best possible environments in which to learn. ​ Why is learning outdoor important: Physical development is the pre-requisite for the children’s growth. It enhances the development of gross and fine motor skills, develops co-ordination, balance and body awareness. It develops a life-long good habit of daily exercise, encouraging them to be active and healthy. It provides the opportunity for assessed ‘risky’ freedom, where children can play and socialise freely and use their own imagination an initiative. All the areas of learning can be achieved outside while the children’s long-term social, emotional and mental health are being enhanced. Learning outside the classroom gives children contact with the natural world and offers them experiences that are unique to outdoors, such as direct contact with the weather and the seasons. Playing and learning outside also helps children to understand and respect nature, the environment and the interdependence of humans, animals, plants, and lifecycles. Outdoor play also supports children’s problem-solving skills and nurtures their creativity, as well as providing rich opportunities for their developing imagination, inventiveness and resourcefulness. The outdoor environment offers space and therefore is particularly important to those children who learn best through active movement. Very young children learn predominately through their sensory and physical experiences which supports brain development and the creation of neural networks. For many children, playing outdoors at their early years setting may be the only opportunity they have to play safely and freely while they learn to assess risk and develop the skills to manage new situations. At our school we have two well equipped outdoor areas, as well as a garden where the children can explore, learning and play. In addition to this, the children will have the chance to visit the EcoPark where they can experience, hands-on, pond dipping, mini-beast hunts, explore the seasons and build dens to name a few. ​ ​ Outdoor Play Based Learning Play underpins the Early Years Foundation Stage at St. Bernadette’s Catholic Primary School. When children play, they are learning at the highest level and through play, children develop language skills, their emotions and creativity, social and intellectual skills. Play takes place indoors and outdoors and it is in these different environments that children explore and discover their immediate world, practise new ideas and skills, take risks, show imagination and solve problems on their own or with others. We provide high quality planned and unplanned experiences for children’s play and our teaching team support children’s learning so that it is both enjoyable and challenging. Play Reading At St. Bernadette’s Catholic School we foster a love of reading from the onset, sharing stories, poems and rhymes to develop vocabulary and comprehension. We have selected a number of high, quality texts to support a love of reading. Nursery Reading and Rhyme Spine Reception Reading and Rhyme Spine Nursery Rhymes in EYFS We also follow Pie Corbett’s ‘Talk for Writing’, this is a multi-sensory approach, introducing a simple way to inspire young children's language development through storytelling. Our children learn language through memorable, meaningful repetition. The ‘Talk for Writing’ approach enables children to internalise the language of story so that they can imitate it, innovate on it and create their own effective stories independently, allowing their language development and creativity to flourishes. We have a secure, systematic, synthetic phonics programme taught from the beginning of Reception, with phase 1 listening and attention activities being the focus in our Nursery. Our children have many opportunities to read and reread books that match their phonics stage. We also have a robust assessment system in place to quickly pick up children falling behind and thus we are able to give these children targeted support. Check out our Reading area on our school website for more information. EYFS Mathematics There's more to mathematics than just counting! Children learn about maths through play and their daily experiences and the more meaningful to them and hands on it is, the better. Our Nursey and Reception (both indoors and out) is full of mathematical opportunities and has exciting things for children to explore, sort, compare, count, calculate and describe. This supports them to be creative, critical thinkers, problem solvers and to have a go and to be resilient. EYFS Mathematics Overview Click here to visit our Mathematics area of our school website for more information. Literacy We believe that literacy and communication are key life skills. We will help children to develop the skills and knowledge that will enable them to communicate effectively and creatively in both spoken and written language. We want the children to enjoy and appreciate a rich variety of literature. Literacy skills permeate the curriculum and are vital in ensuring progress across all subjects. We aim to develop pupils’ abilities within our core programme of reading, writing, speaking and listening. The children have opportunities to use and improve their skills in other subject areas. We are committed to engaging our children with stories and rhymes from a very young age. Early language development is established through daily stories and rhymes. Children will experience quality reading, story, rhyme, talk and play on a daily basis. This is carefully planned within directed teacher led sessions and in our continuous provision. ​ ​ Knowledge Organisers Our EYFS curriculum is judiciously balanced, with a focus on the knowledge and skills children need to flourish. It is based on wonder and awe, delivered through topics which engage the children. Each half term, children will cover a new topic. Topic overviews are created which stipulate real life experiences, key texts, rhymes and poems, parental involvement, Cultural Capital links, key festivals and events, as well as key skills and knowledge that will be covered during the topic. However, our children are given the opportunity to influence and plan the direction of their own learning by identifying what they already know, understand and would like to know about each new topic of work. Each topic is then flexibly delivered, incorporating an initial ‘Sparky Start’ to ‘hook’ the children’s imagination in their new topic. Here you will find our Topic Overviews: Nursery Overview 23 24 Nursery Autumn 1 Nursery Autumn 2 Nursery Literacy Spring 2 Nursery Spring 2 Nursery Maths Spring 2 Nursery Literacy Summer 1 Nursery Summer Nursery Maths Summer 1 Rec Literacy 23 24 Rec Maths 23 24 Rec Spring 23 24

Pupil Premium Pupil premium is funding to improve education outcomes for disadvantaged pupils in schools in England. Evidence shows that disadvantaged children generally face additional challenges in reaching their potential at school and often do not perform as well as other pupils. DFE Guidance Pupil Premium Policy 2021/22 Pupil Premium Strategies

Science At St. Bernadette’s, we are in the process of writing and developing a bespoke curriculum based on the National Curriculum. “…careful curriculum design, where new knowledge is broken down into meaningful components and introduced sequentially, can support all pupils to learn scientific concepts. This includes those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.” Research Review Series: Science. Ofsted, 2021. Science Policy 23/24 Science Curriculum Overview 23/24 Intent, Implement, Impact Science Prior Knowledge “Assessing students' prior knowledge allows an instructor to focus and adapt their teaching plan. For students, it helps them to construct connections between old and new knowledge.” Assessing Prior Knowledge, Cornell University, 2022 Each unit with a prior knowledge check – this aids both teachers and learners. A focused flashback helps pupils to retain prior knowledge on the topic and make links between old and new content. Each planning grid outlines prior knowledge in order to support teaching. Retrieval “Sufficient curriculum time must be allocated for pupils to embed what they have learned in long-term memory through extensive practice before moving on to new content.” Research Review Series: Science. Ofsted, 2021. Each lesson begins with three flashback activities: The idea is that this: Will help to transfer information into pupils’ long term memories Will act as a ‘pre-teach’ for key concepts and vocabulary Will address common misconceptions before they arise Will lead to greater understanding as we progress through a topic as effective links can be made. Vocabulary “Vocabulary plays a crucial role in science because it is at the heart of science learning and knowledge building. To discuss and build knowledge, students need to have access to the vocabulary of science.” National Science Teaching Association, 2020 ​ ​ Each unit contains: A discrete lesson on vocabulary that is taught at the start of the unit, this pre teaches new scientific words. A selection of key vocabulary showcased on classroom science display boards. Each lesson contains: Scientists “Researchers have found that the sense of belonging in science matters more than grades and background when it comes to keeping students in science majors and careers. Creating a more equitable, inclusive, and leakproof STEM pipeline requires helping more students feel like scientists.” Helping students (re)think of themselves as scientists. C&EN, 2020. Each unit has a key scientist linked to it. These scientists have been reviewed to ensure our curriculum is more diverse and relevant to our pupils. Many units also have a ‘Just Like Me’ scientist also included, helping pupils learn about people like them working in different careers within the field of science today. When learning about scientists, we will focus on: the impact that scientist had on the world whose ideas that scientist built upon the barriers some scientists faced and how they successfully overcame these to make a significant difference to the world around them which of our ‘Working Scientifically’ skills these scientists utilized. Here are examples of a few modern and diverse scientists included in our science curriculum: Environmental Awareness “Environmental education promotes critical and creative thinking skills and inspires kids to become more engaged with their communities. It helps kids understand why the environment is important and provides them with the building blocks they need to live eco-friendly and sustainable lives.” Why Environmental Education is Important for Kids. Rubicon, 2021. The golden thread of environmental awareness runs through each unit in school. Each unit has a linked environmental focus – ‘Care of God’s Creation’ (linked to Catholic Social Teaching). This makes our curriculum more relevant to issues faced today, which should engage pupils and help them to see the real-world purpose of their learning. Enquiry Types Throughout school, children are exposed to five types of enquiry: Comparative/fair testing Research Observation over time Pattern seeking Identifying, grouping and classifying Working Scientifically A set of characters have been created to represent each of the ‘Working Scientifically’ skills that the children will utilise within their investigations and enquiries. These characters are displayed in every classroom and appear in many science lessons, even when the focus is not directly linked to enquiry. Reading At St. Bernadette’s, we believe that reading is a cornerstone of each and every curriculum area. As such, opportunities to share picture books, as well as fiction and non-fiction texts, have been planned into each unit. A range of books related to each science topic have also been purchased for each classroom in order to allow children to extend their learning outside of lesson time. Reading as part of the Curriculum (sample): Wider reading material (sample): Reading Across the Curriculum Science in Nursery and Reception The EYFS framework is structured very differently to the national curriculum as it is organised across seven areas of learning rather than subject areas. The skills taught across EYFS feed into national curriculum subjects and statements from Development Matters are prerequisite skills for science within the national curriculum. ​ The most relevant statements for science are taken from the following areas of learning: ​ Communication and Language Personal, Social and Emotional Development Understanding the World Science in EYFS Science Knowledge Organisers Year 1 Plants Seasonal Changes Everyday Materials Animals including humans Year 2 Living things and their Habitats Everyday Materials Animals including humans Plants Year 3 Animals including humans Rocks Forces and magnets Plants Light

Spelling & Grammar In 2019 we introduced a new approach to our spelling teaching and learning using 'Spelling Shed'. This scheme has been created following key National Curriculum objectives and provides children with 100% coverage of the statutory and non-statutory spelling lists in each age phase. ​ It is a fun interactive way to help children practise spellings via simple online games. Pupils will also be given a booklet containing their spelling lists for the year (also available on the school website). Each week, children are set ten spellings. The words in their spelling list either follow a particular rule or relate to a certain sound, depending on their age and/or ability. They will be tested each week and should practise their spellings using both the booklet and the Spelling Shed website. You do not have to purchase the app – they can log in using the official website instead. There are four difficulty levels, which offer different levels of support. By playing the games, pupils earn points to buy items for their avatars. We will be able to monitor how much each child practises their spellings and will be able to address common areas of difficulty. Progression in writing: years 1-6 English Policy 22/23 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5 Stage 6