Pre Prep Curriculum

At Reddiford Pre Prep, Mathematics forms an essential part of the curriculum. Pupils are encouraged to develop their natural curiosity, fluency and problem-solving ability in well-planned and creative lessons.

We aim to not only develop the mathematical skills and understanding required for later life, but also an enjoyment, enthusiasm and fascination about mathematics itself. Through number recognition, thinking and reasoning skills, and allowing the children to learn through discussion, mathematical tasks and problem solving we aspire to increase pupils ability and confidence, so they can predict, ask questions, and express themselves and their ideas using the language of maths.

Reddiford pupils excel at Maths, and we take pride in ensuring all pupils fulfil their potential.

At Reddiford, pupils are immersed in a wide range of literature that will inspire and educate and ensure learning is fun, whilst developing a love of reading and writing. Pupils are encouraged to use the school library and to select books that will excite and challenge them.

Our English curriculum is built upon a variety of high-quality texts and short animations, using Pie Corbett’s Talk for Writing strategies.

In the Pre-Prep Department the children continue to develop different strategies to support them with reading which include awareness of phonics, visual and contextual cues. Reading comprehensions provide pupils the opportunity to recall key events from texts and develop skills of inference and deduction.

The Oxford Reading Tree and the Jolly Phonics Schemes are followed throughout the school and a wide variety of resources are used including audio books, online texts and games to consolidate phonics.

We also celebrate World Book Day with a myriad of activities based around a famous children’s author, we organise performance skills workshops and pupils in Year One visit the Roald Dahl Museum.

In the Pre Prep school Science is taught through a variety of exciting and interesting topics. The pupils are encouraged to develop their natural interest and curiosity by experimenting, discovering, observing, predicting and sharing ideas, which they are encouraged to record and discuss, using the appropriate scientific language.

Through their learned and lived experiences Reddiford pupils will also gain a deeper knowledge and understanding of the importance of nature, sustainability and the causes and impact of climate change.

The Science curriculum is enhanced by Science Clubs, trips and STEM days which are held each year.

Music is taught during weekly lessons to all Pre Prep pupils. They enjoy a variety of practical activities including singing and playing tuned and untuned percussion instruments. The children also learn a variety of multicultural songs for their own enjoyment and in preparation for the regular concerts throughout the year. All the pupils enjoy performing in these concerts which help them to become more confident and articulate individuals. The children perform as individuals and in small or class groups.

All Pre Prep pupils are encouraged to learn to play instruments and individual lessons in piano, guitar and violin are available by specialist music teachers at an additional cost. Children are also auditioned twice yearly to join the Pre Prep choir or Year Two ensemble. The Pre Prep choir and ensemble performs during concerts throughout the year and at regular school events including the Christmas Fayre and Summer Fun.

Our aim at Reddiford School is to promote the children’s natural curiosity and enjoyment of the sporting world. Pupils will be encouraged to develop their skills and challenge themselves. They will be provided with a stimulating environment where sporting and physical activities are fun, meaningful and worthwhile. PE and Games lessons take place in our new fully equipped school gym or at local high quality sports pitches.

The Pre-Prep pupils also take part in Music and Movement and Swimming lessons. Swimming lessons introduce the children to lifelong learning opportunities and allows them to maintain a level of fitness and awareness of water safety. They are taught in small groups by qualified and dedicated staff.

The History curriculum in the Pre Prep school aims to inspire the children with important events and people who have shaped the world they live in.

The pupils learn through questioning, critical thinking, research and trying to make a sense of the world they live in and Great Britain’s place within this. Through our History work our pupils become fascinated and knowledgeable of past events and how these influence our present day and future.

Religious Education is an essential part of the Pre-Prep curriculum, which aims to early establish, a positive understanding of differences and similarities between, places of worship, practises and teachers within various religious communities. Children learn the importance of showing respect towards the beliefs of others, as well as the value of learning about or even taking part in celebrations.

The study of Geography introduces pupils to our fascinating world on both a local and global level, with a focus on exploring the natural processes that shape our planet, the cultural diversity of its inhabitants, and issues that our environments face.

Reddiford pupils are encouraged to be curious and inquisitive about the natural world, and are provided with opportunities to investigate the links between different people and their environments across all the Continents. By developing thinking skills in these areas, we are able to explore values and issues, challenge stereotypes and encourage pupils to be independent learners.

At Reddiford, pupils learn French in weekly lessons, starting from Reception. Lessons are conducted in the target language by a subject specialist, with an initial focus on discovery and enjoyment, leveraging our young pupils’ enthusiasm and natural curiosity for the world around them. The language is taught through songs, games, puppets, stories and interactive websites, with a clear emphasis on phonetics and accurate pronunciation.

Our intent is to prepare pupils for the multi-cultural society in which we live, where communicating effectively in another language is a valuable skill and fostering inter-cultural understanding a necessity.

Learning a second language boosts listening skills, problem-solving, critical thinking, memory and concentration, as well as enhancing creativity and mental flexibility.

At Reddiford, pupils enjoy learning art, craft and DT through exciting, fun and innovative lessons taught by specialist teachers. Pupils are encouraged to follow their passion for this subject and to be creative, adventurous and fulfil their potential.

Arts and crafts are important for a child’s healthy development as it provides them with self-expression, discipline, fine motor skills, critical thinking and creativity.

The pupils learn through a mixture of activities including drawing, painting, printing, model making, textiles and art theory. The curriculum supports other subjects too, for example: science – designing a healthy lunch, maths – perspective and symmetry, ICT- designing a greeting card or history – making Viking jewellery.

Children’s work is celebrated by being displayed in classrooms or on the school website and pupil’s take a glowing pride in their achievements.

Critical thinking skills and Reasoning are taught at Reddiford as part of the broader curriculum and as a discreet subject in Year 1 and Year 2.

Pupils are given the opportunities to work both collaboratively and individually on tasks, which aim to develop essential skills; problem solving, evaluating, verbalising and reflecting on solutions.

They learn the value of being able to think ‘outside the box’ and the importance of giving reasons for their answers. Curiosity is encouraged, as is careful listening to each other.

In Year 1 pupils have weekly problem-solving sessions, which are often linked with English or other subjects.

In Year 2, pupils have weekly Verbal Reasoning lessons. They are introduced to thinking logically about language, recognising different types of language and their contextual meanings. These skills are embedded throughout the curriculum.

In Pre-Prep we run sports clubs throughout the year, pupils have the opportunity to learn new skills and develop teamwork in a number of different sports. Children have the opportunity to transfer the skills taught in their PE lessons into different games, exercises and contexts.

At Reddiford ICT and Computing are integral to a child’s educational development and are taught both discreetly and in ICT lessons as part of a creative, dynamic and exciting curriculum in order to prepare our pupils for the future.

ICT and computing adds a new and exciting dimension to learning and enhances traditional methods of teaching and learning.

Reddiford pupils are equipped with a broad range of skills to prepare them for the future. They are taught coding, how to use software, internet safety, research skills and using the internet responsibly. Internet Safety and Safeguarding is of paramount importance and we have a robust monitoring system of pupil internet access.

Our pupils gain many experiences across the school curriculum and in after school clubs from Pre School to Year 6.
We ensure our ICT equipment is modern and up to date whilst our software is innovative and exciting for our pupils to use. Our pupils also have access to our new state of the art ICT suite, multi award winning interactive screens and interactive white boards in every classroom.
The pupils become competent in a wide range of applications including collaborative exercises and homework, computer coding, animation and video, desktop publishing, data handling, using and mastering graphics and music production.
Throughout the School, there is software appropriate to each age group and their needs, encouraging a dynamic and innovative approach to teaching and learning.

All lessons are taught in the specialist learning hub by an ICT teacher.