The purpose of Art Education is to give pupils the skills, concepts and knowledge necessary for them to express their responses to experiences in a visual or tactile form. It fires their imagination and is a fundamental means of personal expression. Through a cross-curricular approach the school intends to provide the children with all areas of experience recommended in the National Curriculum Statutory Requirements for Art. Children in the early years department will follow the Desirable Outcomes for Creative Development. Art is taught mainly through topic work.
Design and Technology is a non-core foundation subject within the National Curriculum. The main focus core activity of Design and Technology is practical problem-solving. Through teaching Design and Technology, we aim to provide children with the opportunity to experience designing, making and modifying so they can enhance their skills, knowledge and understanding of such processes. The subject helps to nurture creativity and innovation through design and making tasks and encourages children to develop their understanding of the subject through practical activities. Each term, a new task is introduced based on a given theme that focuses on a particular area of knowledge i.e Control, Structures, Mechanisms, Food, Textiles and Electricity. Examples of the children’s work and finished products are displayed around the school each year.
At Wat’s Dyke the children are taught from the Programmes of Study of the National Curriculum, which help them to communicate effectively in Speaking and Listening, Reading and Writing. This work gives opportunities for the children to develop sentences in Standard English, which is achieved in spoken form using the communication of Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation. Drama and an interest in books are encouraged; both contribute towards a child’s personal development and can help expand cross-curricular activity.
Reading has a very high status within the school and we strive to create fluent readers who value books. Much use is made of the School Library Service and our own school library.
Book fairs and Theatrical events are regularly organised within the school.
Geography teaches an understanding of places and environments. Through their work in geography, children learn about their local area and compare their life in this area with that in other regions in the United Kingdom and the rest of the world. They develop skills of research, investigation, analysis and problem solving. Through their growing knowledge and understanding of human geography, children gain an appreciation of life in other cultures. Geography also motivates children to find out about the physical world and enables them to recognise the importance of sustainable development for the future of mankind.
The aims of geography are:
- To enable children to gain knowledge and understanding of places in the world.
- To increase children’s knowledge of other cultures and, in doing so, teach a respect and understanding of what it means to be a positive citizen in a multi-cultural country.
- To allow children to learn graphic skills, including how to use, draw and interpret maps.
- To enable children to know and understand environmental problems at a local, regional and global level.
- To encourage in children a commitment to sustainable development and an appreciation of what ‘global citizenship’ means.
- To develop a variety of other skills, including those of enquiry, problem solving, ICT, investigation and how to present their conclusions in the most appropriate way.
Teaching History offers opportunities to stimulate the children’s interest in and understanding of the lives of people who lived in the past. Children develop a sense of identity and a cultural understanding based on their historical heritage. They learn about the development of Wales, Britain, Europe and the wider World and consider how events in the past have influenced our lives today. Children are also introduced to the skills involved in understanding and interpreting the past.
INFORMATION & COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)
ICT prepares pupils to participate in a rapidly changing world in which work and other activities are increasingly transformed by access to varied and developing technology. At Wats Dyke School, pupils use ICT tools to find, explore, analyse, exchange and present information responsibly, creatively and with discrimination. They learn how to employ ICT to enable rapid access to ideas and experiences from a wide range of people, communities and cultures. Increased capability in the use of ICT promotes initiative and independent learning; with pupils being able to make informed judgements about when and where to use ICT to best effect, and consider its implications for home and work both now and in the future.
Children are taught as a class, individually or in groups, suitable to the task and their needs. They follow the recommended pathway though a variety of resources centred around Heinemann and Rigby Mathematics Schemes. Emphasis is laid upon practical experiences preceding written and abstract calculations, to order to foster good understanding. Content complies with National Curriculum Programmes of Study, relating to:-
- Using & Applying Mathematics
- Number
- Shape, Space & Measures
- Handling Data (Key stage 2)
In order to develop Mathematics as a Key Skill, further opportunities are provided through cross-curricular activities when appropriate.
MUSIC
Children are provided with opportunities to develop their understanding, awareness and enjoyment of Music, through participation, listening and appraising. They develop skills in performance, composition, listening and appraising as outlined in the National Curriculum Programmes of Study. Music plays an important part in school life and children have frequent opportunities for singing. All pupils are taught to play the recorder at Lower Key Stage 2. Upper Key Stage 2 pupils have regular ‘Music Workshop’ (school band/orchestra) sessions as part of the school curriculum. All pupils are given the opportunity to perform at the annual school concerts.
PERSONAL & SOCIAL EDUCATION (P.S.E.)
P.S.E. helps to give pupils the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to lead confident, healthy, independent lives and to become informed, active and responsible citizens.
Pupils are encouraged to take part in a wide range of activities and experiences across and beyond the curriculum, contributing fully to the life of their school and communities. They 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.
We provide opportunities for our pupils to pursue activities that include:
- Games: ranging from invasion, net and wall and striking and fielding. Including games where our children may have the opportunity to challenge those from other schools outside normal school hours.
- Dance: investigating movement and different dances from a variety of cultures.
- Athletic and Gymnastic activities.
- Outdoor and Adventurous activities, ranging from problem solving sessions to on-site orienteering games.
- Swimming where children are encouraged to use their existing skills to attain basic life saving skills.
The school makes use of Wrexham Waterworld and Queensway Gymnasium to enhance the provision of P.E.
The teaching of Religious Education in our school is a statutory requirement and we are legally obliged to include it in our curriculum. Collective Worship occurs every day and is largely based on Christian principles. Stories from the Bible, stories from other religions and other lands and some with a moral basis are used. Concern for others less fortunate than ourselves and caring for the environment are themes that frequently occur. The school also strives to heighten the children’s awareness of diversity in today’s multicultural society. Classroom lessons are in line with Wrexham’s Agreed Syllabus for Schools. If parents so wish, their child/ren may be withdrawn from Collective Worship and Religious Education.
Our science education provides pupils with a range of opportunities which enables them to experience scientific processes and to gain skills and knowledge to provide them with a better understanding of themselves and the world in which they live. This complies with National Curriculum Programmes of Study, which relate to:
- Experimental and Investigative Science
- Life Processes and Living Things
- Materials and their Properties
- Physical Processes
Welsh is taught as a Second Language throughout the school. Bilingual skills are developed by communicating through a range of enjoyable activites, including media and ICT texts, using various stimuli that build on and increase children’s knowledge and experiences. We endeavour to make Welsh a living language within the school community by using incidental Welsh as an integral part of the school day. We aim to foster a real interest in Wales, Welsh heritage and culture, through class work, assemblies and visits.
