Paisley Primary School is a diverse learning community with 381 children on roll. We are an outward-looking learning environment with children coming from all parts of the world and we have 30% of our children with English as an additional language.

Paisley Primary offers a broad and balanced curriculum, which aims to excite and engage enquiring and creative minds. Inclusivity and celebration of all is fundamental to our pedagogy and practice. Children are taught to understand and to contribute to the world in which they live and to develop moral, spiritual and cultural awareness.

Respect, tolerance and British Values are inherent in the curriculum. Our diverse community lends itself to a curriculum, which celebrates similarities and differences. Children are taught to lead healthy and safe lifestyles and to enjoy and achieve in life; seeing learning as ‘life-long’.

Our intent is that the curriculum is reflective of the local community: its historical links to the fishing trade; our school’s proximity to the annual, Hull Fair, and the weekly, trading market.

High expectations of academic standards are set for all children from their individual starting points, in order to prepare them for their next steps in learning, phases of learning, their respective secondary schools and the world of work.

The impact of our curriculum is that it equips children with the life skills, awareness and knowledge to apply to their immediate contexts, the local community and the wider-world, making them forward-thinking, outward-looking learners and citizens.

To find out more about the curriculum our school is following in greater detail, you can contact the school office [email protected]

Class Organisation

In delivering the school curriculum, Literacy and Mathematics are taught as discrete subjects in the mornings. We have adopted a topic-based approach to the foundation subjects in the afternoons.

Children are usually seated in groups to foster team work and speaking and listening opportunities, to further develop their learning and understanding.

Assessment

This is an integral and essential part of our teaching and learning and is carried out on a continuous and daily basis. Good assessment informs the teachers of each child’s strengths and weaknesses the next steps in the learning process.

In addition to this, statutory, formal assessments are completed at the end of each phase of learning, namely Foundation Stage II, Year 2 and Year 6. Optional assessments may be used in other year groups throughout the year, at the discretion of the Headteacher and teaching staff. Parents are informed of children’s progress and attainment at autumn and spring term consultation events and in the end of year written report in the summer term.

Parents as Partners in Learning

There are many ways in which our school encourages parental involvement in children’s learning, namely: supporting reading at home, homework, learning spellings and times tables. We are also keen for parents to join us for termly craft events, parents’ consultation evenings, assemblies, concerts, fundraising and enterprise events and many more special curriculum events throughout the academic year.

Religious Education and Collective Worship

The school follows the Hull and East Riding of Yorkshire Agreed Syllabus (2016) and aims. It is based on an enquiry learning model which focuses mainly on Christianity and one other religion in Key Stage 1 (Judaism) and Christianity and two other religions in Key Stage 2 (Judaism and Hinduism). The teaching of RE follows the coverage of the ‘Programme of Units for Key Stage 1 and 2’ which you can find at http://www.eriding.net/all-ages/religious-education/units-of-learning-and-exemplification/ks1-and-ks2/programme-units-for-ks1-ks2/ however, some year groups may teach the programme over a two year cycle. Although the subject is available for all children, the school will make arrangements for parents to exercise their right of withdrawal of their children from Religious Education.

Please follow the links above for more information about the content of the RE curriculum.

The RE curriculum is non-denominational.

We have an act of Collective Worship every day, which is broadly Christian in character, as a whole school or in Phase or year groups. There may be a discussion and often there is time for reflection. If you wish your child to be withdrawn from these assemblies, please contact your child’s teacher or the Headteacher and alternative provision will be made.

Homework

We greatly value parents support of homework and, in line with Government recommendations, we have produced a Homework policy, a copy of which is available from the school office or our website.

Superhero Maths

Developing children’s mental maths knowledge is a fundamental part of mathematics. Knowledge of number facts develops children’s confidence and helps them to apply their number knowledge to solve problems and puzzles. To support children’s progress in mental maths, children in years 1 to 6 take part in the Maths Superhero Challenge.