EPD Curriculum

Purpose

Art and design education engages, inspires and challenges children, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design. As children progress, they learn to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of art and design. Importantly, they develop an understanding of how art and design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of cultures and societies.

Aims

At GSIS, the EPD curriculum for Art and Design aims for children to:

• produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences to become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques
• evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art, craft and design
• know about great artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art

Ages 5 to 7

Children learn:

• to use a range of materials creatively to design and make products
• to use drawing, painting and sculpture to develop and share their ideas, experiences and imagination
• to develop a wide range of art and design techniques in using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space
• about the work of a range of artists, craft makers and designers, describing the differences and similarities between different practices and disciplines, and making links to their own work.

Ages 8 to 11

Children develop their techniques, including their control and their use of materials, with creativity, experimentation and an increasing awareness of different kinds of art, craft and design. Children learn:

• to review and revisit ideas through discussion and/or create sketch books to record their observations
• to improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing, painting and sculpture with a range of materials [for example, pencil, charcoal, paint, clay]
• about great artists, architects and designers in history.

Purpose

Through the study of English, children learn to speak and write fluently so that they can communicate their ideas and emotions to others. Through their reading and listening, others can communicate with them. Through reading in particular, children are empowered to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually. Literature, especially, plays a key role in such development. Reading enables children both to acquire knowledge and to build on what they already know. All the skills of language are essential to participating fully as a member of society.

Aims

At GSIS, the aim is to develop high standards of language and literacy. Learning is planned to equip children with strong command of spoken and written language, and promote their love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment. The EPD curriculum for English aims that children:

• read easily, fluently and with good understanding
• develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information
• acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language
• appreciate the rich and varied literary heritage of the English language
• write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences
• use discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas
• are competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate.

Ages 5 to 11

Speaking

The curriculum for English reflects the importance of spoken language in children’s development across the whole curriculum – cognitively, socially and linguistically. Spoken language underpins the development of reading and writing. The quality and variety of language that children hear and speak are vital for developing their vocabulary and grammar and their understanding for reading and writing. Continual development of children’s confidence and competence in spoken language and listening skills is essential. They should develop a capacity to explain their understanding of books and other reading, and to prepare their ideas before they write. Children are encouraged in making their thinking clear to themselves as well as to others. This ensures that they build secure foundations by using discussion to probe and improve their English. Children understand and use the conventions for discussion and debate. In addition, they are enabled to participate in and gain knowledge, skills and understanding associated with the artistic practice of drama. Children are encouraged to adopt, create and sustain a range of roles, responding appropriately to others in role. They have opportunities to improvise, devise and script drama for one another and a range of audiences, as well as to rehearse, refine, share and respond thoughtfully to performances.

Reading

The programmes of study for reading focus on developing children’s competence in word reading and comprehension (both listening and reading). Skilled word reading involves the speedy working out of the pronunciation of unfamiliar printed words (decoding) and the speedy recognition of familiar printed words. Underpinning both is the understanding that the letters on the page represent the sounds in spoken words. This is why phonics is emphasised in the early teaching/learning of reading to beginners (i.e. unskilled readers) when they start school. Good comprehension draws from linguistic knowledge (especially vocabulary and grammar) and on knowledge of the world. Comprehension skills develop through children’s experience of high-quality discussion, as well as from reading and discussing a range of stories, poems and non-fiction. Children are encouraged to read widely across both fiction and non-fiction to develop their knowledge of themselves and the world in which they live, to establish an appreciation and love of reading, and to gain knowledge across the curriculum. Reading widely and often increases children’s vocabulary because they encounter words they would rarely hear or use in everyday speech. Reading also feeds their imagination and develops curious young minds. By the end of their primary education, the aim is that children are able to read fluently, and with confidence, in variety of subject areas.

Writing

Programmes of study for writing are constructed similarly to those for reading:

• transcription (spelling and handwriting)
• composition (articulating ideas and structuring them in speech and writing).

Focus is on developing children’s competence in these two dimensions. In addition, children learn how to plan, revise and evaluate their writing. These aspects of writing are incorporated into the programmes of study for composition. Writing down ideas fluently depends on effective transcription: that is, on spelling quickly and accurately through knowing the relationship between sounds and letters (phonics) and understanding the morphology (word structure) and orthography (spelling structure) of words. Effective composition involves forming, articulating and communicating ideas, and then organising them coherently for a reader. Children are supported to develop clarity, awareness of the audience, purpose and context, and an increasingly wide knowledge of vocabulary and grammar. The development of fluent, legible and, eventually, speedy handwriting, is emphasised in order to facilitate writing confidence and competence.

Spelling, vocabulary, grammar, punctuation

Opportunities for children’s vocabulary arise naturally from their reading and writing. As vocabulary increases, children learn how to understand the relationships between words, how to understand nuances in meaning, and how to develop their understanding of, and ability to use, figurative language. They grasp how to work out and clarify the meanings of unknown words and words with more than one meaning. It is expected that children increasingly show control of their speaking and writing. Conscious use of Standard English is emphasised, and children learn to show this in written form through the elements of spelling, grammar, punctuation and by knowing the ‘language about language’. Children are encouraged to think consciously about the vocabulary they need to discuss their reading, writing and spoken language, and are supported to learn the correct grammatical terms in English in an integrated manner.

Purpose

Science education provides the foundations for understanding the world through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics. Science has changed our lives and is vital to the world’s future prosperity, and it is therefore important that children learn essential aspects of the knowledge, methods, processes and uses of science. Through building up a body of key foundational knowledge and concepts, children recognise the power of rational explanation and develop a sense of excitement and curiosity about natural phenomena. They are encouraged to understand how science can be used to explain what is occurring, predict how things will behave, and analyse causes.

Aims

At GSIS, the EPD curriculum for Science aims that children:

• develop ​scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding ​through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics
• develop understanding of the ​nature, processes and methods of science ​through different types of science enquiries that help them to answer scientific questions about the world around them
• are equipped with the scientific knowledge required to understand the ​uses and implications ​of science, today and for the future.

Ages 5 to 7

The focus of science learning at this stage is to enable children to experience and observe phenomena, looking more closely at the natural and humanly-constructed world around them. They are encouraged to be curious and ask questions about what they notice. They are supported to develop their understanding of scientific ideas by using different types of scientific enquiry to answer their own questions, including observing changes over a period of time, noticing patterns, grouping and classifying things, carrying out simple comparative tests, and finding things out using secondary sources of information. Children begin to use simple scientific language to talk about what they have found out and communicate their ideas to a range of audiences in a variety of ways. Most learning about science at this stage is done through the use of first-hand practical experiences, but is supported by some use of appropriate secondary sources, such as books, photographs and videos. Children should read and spell scientific vocabulary at a level consistent with their increasing word reading and spelling knowledge.

Ages 8 to 9

The focus of science learning at this stage is to enable children to broaden their scientific view of the world around them. This is approached through exploring, talking about, testing and developing ideas about everyday phenomena and the relationships between living things and familiar environments, and by beginning to develop their ideas about functions, relationships and interactions. Children ask their own questions about what they observe and make some decisions about which types of scientific enquiry are likely to be the best ways of answering them, including observing changes over time, noticing patterns, grouping and classifying things, carrying out simple comparative and fair tests and finding things out using secondary sources of information. Children draw simple conclusions and use some scientific language, first, to talk about and, later, to write about what they have found out. Children should read and spell scientific vocabulary correctly and with confidence, using their growing word reading and spelling knowledge.

Ages 10 to 11

The focus of science learning at this stage is to enable children to develop a deeper understanding of a wide range of scientific ideas. This is approached through exploring and talking about their ideas; asking their own questions about scientific phenomena; and analysing functions, relationships and interactions more systematically. At this stage, they encounter more abstract ideas and begin to recognise how these ideas help them to understand and predict how the world operates. Children begin to recognise that scientific ideas change and develop over time. They select the most appropriate ways to answer science questions using different types of scientific enquiry, including observing changes over different periods of time, noticing patterns, grouping and classifying things, carrying out comparative and fair tests and finding things out using a wide range of secondary sources of information. Children draw conclusions based on their data and observations, use evidence to justify their ideas, and use their scientific knowledge and understanding to explain their findings. Children should read, spell and pronounce scientific vocabulary correctly.

Purpose

Geography inspires in children a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. Children are equipped with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes. As children progress, their growing knowledge about the world helps them to deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes, and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments. Geographical knowledge, understanding and skills provide the frameworks and approaches that explain how the Earth’s features at different scales are shaped, interconnected and change over time.

Aims

At GSIS, the EPD curriculum for General Studies (Geography) aims for children to:

• develop contextual knowledge of the location of globally significant places – both terrestrial and marine – including their defining physical and human characteristics and how these provide a geographical context for understanding the actions of processes
• understand the processes that give rise to key physical and human geographical features of the world, how these are interdependent and how they bring about spatial variation and change over time
• become competent in the geographical skills needed to: collect, analyse and communicate with a range of data gathered through experiences of fieldwork that deepen their understanding of geographical processes
• interpret a range of sources of geographical information, including maps, diagrams, globes, aerial photographs and Geographical Information Systems (GIS)

• communicate geographical information in a variety of ways, including through maps, numerical and quantitative skills and writing at length.

Ages 5 to 7

Children develop knowledge about the wider world and their own locality. They learn basic subject-specific vocabulary relating to human and physical geography and begin to use geographical skills, including first-hand observation, to enhance their locational awareness. Children learn about:

• Locational knowledge
• Place knowledge
• Human and physical geography
• Geographical skills and fieldwork

Ages 8 to 11

At this stage, children extend their knowledge and understanding beyond the local area to include surrounding regions and other context relevant regions. This includes the location and characteristics of a range of the world’s most significant human and physical features. They develop their use of geographical knowledge, understanding and skills to enhance their locational and place knowledge. Children learn about:

• Locational knowledge
• Place knowledge
• Human and physical geography
• Geographical skills and fieldwork

Purpose

The study of History enables children to gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of the past. It inspires their curiosity to know more about previous civilisations, societies, and generations. Children are equipped to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement. History helps children to understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups, as well as their own identity and the challenges of their time.

Aims

At GSIS, the EPD curriculum for General Studies (History) aims for children to:

• know and understand the history of places, people and events as a coherent, chronological narrative, from the earliest times to the present day: how people’s lives have shaped the present time and how a context relevant country has influenced and been influenced by the wider world
• know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations; the expansion and dissolution of empires; characteristic features of past non-European societies; achievements and follies of humankind
• gain and deploy a historically grounded understanding of abstract terms such as ‘empire’ and ‘civilisation’
• understand historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance, and use them to make connections, draw contrasts, analyse trends, frame historically-valid questions and create their own structured accounts, including written narratives and analyses
• understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims, and discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed
• gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts, understanding the connections between local, regional, national and international history; between cultural, economic, military, political, religious and social history; and between short- and long-term timescales.

Ages 5 to 7

Children develop an awareness of the past, using common words and phrases relating to the passing of time. They learn where the people and events they study fit within a chronological framework and identify similarities and differences between ways of life in different periods. They increasingly use a wide vocabulary of everyday historical terms. They ask and answer questions, choosing and using parts of stories and other sources to show that they know and understand key features of events, and understand some of the ways in which we find out about the past and identify different ways in which it is represented. Children learn about:

• changes within living memory
• events beyond living memory that are significant
• the lives of significant individuals in the past
• comparing aspects of life in different periods
• significant historical events, people and places in their own locality.

Ages 8 to 11

Children continue to develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of context relevant, local and world history, establishing clear narratives within and across the periods they study. They note connections, contrasts and trends over time and develop the appropriate use of historical terms. They address and sometimes devise historically valid questions about change, cause, similarity and difference, and significance, and construct informed responses that involve thoughtful selection and organisation of relevant historical information. They are encouraged to understand how our knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of sources.​​Children increasingly explore history through themes as they continue to learn about:

• changes within living memory
• events beyond living memory that are significant
• the lives of significant individuals in the past
• comparing aspects of life in different periods
• significant historical events, people and places in their own locality

Purpose

PSHE is an integrated programme of learning through which children and young people acquire the knowledge, understanding and skills they need to manage their lives now and in the future. As part of a whole-school approach, PSHE education develops the qualities and attributes children need to thrive as individuals, family members and members of society. The PSHE programme makes a significant contribution to children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, their behaviour and safety and the school’s responsibility to promote children’s wellbeing. PSHE equips children with the knowledge, understanding, skills and strategies required to live healthy, safe, productive, capable, responsible and balanced lives. It encourages them to be enterprising and supports them in making effective transitions, and positive learning and life choices. A critical component of PSHE is providing opportunities for children and young people to reflect on and clarify their own values and attitudes and explore the complex and sometimes conflicting range of values and attitudes they encounter now and in the future. PSHE contributes to personal development by helping children to build their confidence, resilience and self-esteem, and to identify and manage risk, make informed choices and understand what influences their decisions. It enables them to recognise, accept and shape their identities, to understand and accommodate difference and change, to manage emotions and to communicate constructively in a variety of settings. Developing an understanding of themselves, empathy and the ability to work with others helps them to form and maintain good relationships, develop essential life-long skills, and better enjoy and manage their lives.

Aims

At GSIS, the aims for PSHE in the EPD are to provide children with:

• accurate and relevant knowledge
• opportunities to turn that knowledge into personal understanding opportunities to explore, clarify and if necessary challenge, their own and others’ values, attitudes, beliefs, rights and responsibilities
• the skills, language and strategies they need in order to live healthy, safe, fulfilling, responsible and balanced lives.

Ages 5 to 11

Children at this stage gradually build on the skills, attitudes and values, knowledge and understanding they have started to acquire and develop during the Early Years. PSHE offers learning opportunities and experiences which reflect the increasing independence and physical and social awareness of children as they move through the primary phase. They learn skills to develop effective relationships, assume greater personal responsibility and keep themselves safe. PSHE assists children to cope with the changes at puberty, introduces them to a wider world and enables them to make an active contribution to their communities. The coordinating themes are:

• Health and wellbeing
• Relationships
• Responsible citizenship.

Purpose

Information & Digital Literacies equips children to think about and understand information in order to make sense of the world.

Information & Digital Literacies covers three key strands:

• working with information,
• working with people
• working with tools.

The three strands are informed by the learner profile of students as

• creative contributors,
• critical thinkers,
• confident learners
• caring citizens.

The interdependence of key strands and the learner profile guides the development of working year level objectives.

Interdependency also allows for a variety of sustainable learning, teaching and assessment strategies.

The goal of the Information & Digital Literacies course is to use digital technology to develop an adaptable, deep thinking learner within the context of 21st century learning.

Information & Digital Literacies ensure that children become digitally literate – able to use, and express themselves and develop their ideas through information – at a level suitable for the future workplace and as active participants in a digital world.

Aims

At GSIS, the EPD curriculum for Information and Digital Literacies aims that children will:

• evaluate and apply information technology, including new or unfamiliar technologies, analytically to solve problems
• use a variety of learning technologies to critically analyze information, manage inquiry, conduct research and solve problems
• apply learning technologies to produce original digital artifacts
• apply learning technologies to construct new knowledge
• use learning technologies to communicate with a variety of audiences
• transfer ICT skills & knowledge to other subjects
• organize & review constructed knowledge through learning technologies
• are responsible, competent, confident and creative users of information and communication technology.

Ages 5 to 7

Children learn to:

• use technology purposefully to create, organise, store, manipulate and retrieve digital content
• explore & use technology terms, functions & menus
• communicate ideas through various media
• recognise common uses of information technology beyond school
• use technology safely and respectfully, keeping personal information private; identify where to go for help and support when they have concerns about content or contact on the internet or other online technologies.

Ages 8 to 11

Children learn to:

• use search technologies effectively, appreciate how results are selected and ranked, and be discerning in evaluating digital content
• select, collect, analyse, evaluate and present data and information
• use technology safely, respectfully and responsibly; recognise acceptable/unacceptable behaviour; identify a range of ways to report concerns about content and contact.
• interact, collaborate & publish with peers through various media
• troubleshoot problems & transfer learned technical skills
• develop their digital property, identity & footprint

Purpose

Learning a foreign language provides an opening to other cultures and an opportunity for self reflection. Languages education fosters children’s curiosity and deepens their understanding of the world. Children express their ideas and thoughts in another language and understand and respond to its speakers, both in speech and in writing. As is possible and relevant, opportunities for children to communicate for practical purposes, learn new ways of thinking and read great literature in the original language are provided. At this stage, languages learning provides a foundation for better understanding of the target language of the curriculum (English) and is intended as an introduction to study of languages other than English pursued in subsequent learning stages.

Aims

At GSIS, the EPD curriculum for Languages aims to ensure that children:

• understand and respond to spoken and written language from a variety of authentic sources
• speak with increasing confidence, fluency and spontaneity, finding ways of communicating what they want to say, including through discussion and asking questions, and continually improving the accuracy of their pronunciation and intonation
• can write at varying length, for different purposes and audiences, using the variety of grammatical structures that they have learnt
• discover and develop an appreciation of a range of writing in the language studied.

Ages 5 to 7

Participation in Languages education at this stage is wholly experiential and designed to develop children’s interest and motivation. Strands emphasised are listening and speaking. Learning is in keeping with developmentally appropriate standards, and understanding children’s developmental progress in the core language medium of the EPD Curriculum - English. N.B. Languages are not offered/recommended within the national curriculum in the first stages of key learning (up to 7 years).

Ages 8 to 11

Children are provided with an appropriate balance of spoken and written language that builds a foundation for further foreign language learning at later stages (11+). At this stage, children are encouraged to understand and communicate ideas, facts and feelings in speech and writing, focused on familiar and routine matters, using their knowledge of phonology, grammatical structures and vocabulary. The focus of study is on practical communication. Children learn to:

• listen attentively to spoken language and show understanding by joining in and responding
• explore the patterns and sounds of language through songs and rhymes and link the spelling, sound and meaning of words engage in conversations; ask and answer questions; express opinions and respond to those of others; seek clarification and help
• speak in sentences, using familiar vocabulary, phrases and basic language structures
• develop accurate pronunciation and intonation so that others understand when they are reading aloud or using familiar words and phrases
• present ideas and information orally to a range of audiences
• read carefully and show understanding of words, phrases and simple writing
• appreciate stories, songs, poems and rhymes in the language
• broaden their vocabulary and develop their ability to understand new words that are introduced into familiar written material, including through using a dictionary
• write phrases from memory, and adapt these to create new sentences, to express ideas clearly
• describe people, places, things and actions orally and in writing
• understand basic grammar appropriate to the language being studied, including (where relevant): feminine, masculine and neuter forms and the conjugation of high-frequency verbs; key features and patterns of the language; how to apply these, for instance, to build sentences; and how these differ from or are similar to English.

Purpose

Mathematics is a creative and highly inter-connected discipline that has been developed over centuries, providing the solution to some of history’s most intriguing problems. It is essential to everyday life, critical to science, technology and engineering, and necessary for financial literacy and most forms of employment. The study of mathematics provides a foundation for understanding the world, the ability to reason mathematically, an appreciation of the beauty and power of mathematics, and a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject.

Aims

At GSIS, the EPD curriculum for Mathematics aims for children to:

• become ​fluent ​in the fundamentals of mathematics, including through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time, so that pupils develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately.
• reason mathematically​by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language
• can ​solve problems ​by applying their mathematics to a variety of routine and non routine problems with increasing sophistication, including breaking down problems into a series of simpler steps and persevering in seeking solutions.

Mathematics is an interconnected subject in which children need to be able to move fluently between representations of mathematical ideas. The programmes of study are, by necessity, organised into apparently distinct domains, but children should make rich connections across mathematical ideas to develop fluency, mathematical reasoning and competence in solving increasingly sophisticated problems. They should apply mathematical knowledge to science and other subjects.

Ages 5 to 7

The principal focus of mathematics learning at this stage is developing children’s confidence and mental fluency with whole numbers, counting and place value. This involves working with numerals, words and the four operations, including with practical resources [for example, concrete objects and measuring tools]. At this stage, children develop their ability to recognise, describe, draw, compare and sort different shapes and use the related vocabulary. They are exposed to a range of measures to describe and compare different quantities such as length, mass, capacity/volume, time and money. By the end of this stage children should know the number bonds to 20 and be precise in using and understanding place value. An emphasis on practice at this early stage will aid fluency. Children should read and spell mathematical vocabulary, at a level consistent with their increasing word reading and spelling knowledge.

Ages 8 to 9

The principal focus of mathematics learning at this stage is children’s increasing fluency with whole numbers and the four operations, including number facts and the concept of place value. The aim is to ensure that children develop efficient written and mental methods and perform calculations accurately with increasingly large whole numbers. At this stage, children develop their ability to solve a range of problems, including with simple fractions and decimal place value. Children draw with increasing accuracy and develop mathematical reasoning so they can analyse shapes and their properties, and confidently describe the relationships between them. They should use measuring instruments with accuracy and make connections between measure and number. By the end of this stage, children should have memorised their multiplication tables up to and including the 12 multiplication table and show precision and fluency in their work. Children should read and spell mathematical vocabulary correctly and confidently, using their growing word reading knowledge and their knowledge of spelling.

Ages 10 to 11

The principal focus of mathematics learning at this stage is the extension of children’s understanding of the number system and place value to include larger integers to develop the connections between multiplication and division with fractions, decimals, percentages and ratio. Children are encouraged to develop their ability to solve a wider range of problems, including increasingly complex properties of numbers and arithmetic, and problems demanding efficient written and mental methods of calculation. With this foundation in arithmetic, children are introduced to the language of algebra as a means for solving a variety of problems. Their learning of geometry and measures consolidates and extends knowledge developed in number. Children classify shapes with increasingly complex geometric properties and learn the vocabulary they need to describe them. By the end of this stage, children should be fluent in written methods for all four operations, including long multiplication and division, and in working with fractions, decimals and percentages.

Purpose

Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. Music education engages and inspires children to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement. As children progress, they develop a critical engagement with music, allowing them to compose, and to listen with discrimination.

Aims

At GSIS, the EPD curriculum for Music aims for children to:

• perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians
• learn to sing and to use their voices, to create and compose music on their own and with others, have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, use technology appropriately and have the opportunity to progress to the next level of musical excellence
• understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the inter-related dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations.

Ages 5 to 7

Children learn to:

• use their voices expressively and creatively by singing songs and speaking chants and rhymes
• play tuned and untuned instruments musically
• listen with concentration and understanding to a range of high-quality live and recorded music
• experiment with, create, select and combine sounds using the inter-related dimensions of music.

Ages 8 to 11

Children sing and play musically with increasing confidence and control. They develop an understanding of musical composition, organising and manipulating ideas within musical structures and reproducing sounds from aural memory. Children learn to:

• play and perform in solo and ensemble contexts, using their voices and playing musical instruments with increasing accuracy, fluency, control and expression
• improvise and compose music for a range of purposes using the inter-related dimensions of music
• listen with attention to detail and recall sounds with increasing aural memory
• use and understand staff and other musical notations
• appreciate and understand a wide range of high-quality live and recorded music drawn from different traditions and from great composers and musicians
• develop an understanding of the history of music

Purpose

Physical Education inspires children to succeed and excel in competitive sport and other physically-demanding activities. It provides opportunities for children to become physically confident in a way which supports their health and fitness. Opportunities to compete in sport and other activities build character and help to embed values such as fairness and respect.

Aims

At GSIS, the EPD curriculum for Physical Education aims for children to:

• develop competence to excel in a broad range of physical activities
• be physically active for sustained periods of time
• engage in competitive sports and activities
• lead healthy, active lives.

Ages 5 to 7

Children develop fundamental movement skills, become increasingly competent and confident and access a broad range of opportunities to extend their agility, balance and coordination, individually and with others. They engage in competitive (both against self and against others) and co-operative physical activities, in a range of increasingly challenging situations. Children learn to:

Sports and games

• master basic movements including running, jumping, throwing and catching, as well as developing balance, agility and coordination, and begin to apply these in a range of activities
• participate in team games, developing simple tactics for attacking and defending
• perform dances using simple movement patterns.

Ages 8 to 11

Children continue to apply and develop a broader range of skills, learning how to use them in different ways and to link them to make actions and sequences of movement. They are encouraged to enjoy communicating, collaborating and competing with each other. They develop an understanding of how to improve in different physical activities and sports and learn how to evaluate and recognise their own success. Children learn to:

Sports and games

• use running, jumping, throwing and catching in isolation and in combination
• play competitive games, modified where appropriate [for example, badminton, basketball, cricket, football, hockey, netball, rounders and tennis], and apply basic principles suitable for attacking and defending
• develop flexibility, strength, technique, control and balance [for example, through athletics and gymnastics]
• perform dances using a range of movement patterns
• take part in outdoor and adventurous activity challenges both individually and within a team compare their performances with previous ones and demonstrate improvement to achieve their personal best.

Swimming and water safety

Children learn to:

• swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres
• use a range of strokes effectively [for example, front crawl, backstroke and breaststroke]
• perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations.