Dear Parents and Carers,

It is wonderful to see the children settling very well into Paddington class after their holiday. We are happy to be back and start our learning journey this Summer term. Laura is back from her training placement and will be teaching in class this term alongside the rest of the team.

Here is some information detailing our curriculum for the Summer term. We always use a holistic approach to the curriculum and we will continue to work in this way to ensure the children thrive socially, educationally and emotionally whilst keeping their health needs as paramount.

In English, our focus will be on phonics and developing language and communication skills. Emphasis is on listening, encouraging the children to use their voices, sensory differentiation and using communication aids such as symbols and (for some) eye gaze technology. Our focus text is ‘Caribbean Counting Poem’ and poems with pattern and rhyme by Michael Rosen. We are also using the book ‘Planting a Rainbow’ by Lois Ehlert that additionally supports our science and gardening lessons. 

In Mathematics, children will be learning the number names 1-7 and to anticipate their order using sensory games and activities. Some written numerals will be introduced with additional features to support our visually impaired students.  We will also explore and talk about shapes in the second part of term.

In Science, the topic of the term is ‘Plants’ and we have already started exploring soil, seeds and water to grow sunflowers and salads!  The children will nurture a number of plants inside and outside to help them understand that light and water is necessary to help plants grow. We will cook with the fruits of our labours in our Design & Technology sessions. We also plan to make trips to the local park on a regular basis.

In Art and Design lessons, children will explore bubble painting, sponge painting and the colours yellow and blue which tie in nicely with our Caribbean counting poem. We will also be working on props and costumes for our special Coronation celebration in May and Summer concert in July. We will be working with a year 6 class from the mainstream school to help support us in the Summer concert which we are really looking forward to. 

Music is a big part of Paddington’s curriculum as it incorporates all our learning into one lesson! We will continue to celebrate a range of different religious and cultural festivals from around the world in our weekly music lessons and whole school singing assembly. This ties in nicely with our R.E. curriculum and helps the children learn about the diverse community we support at The Vale.

In PSHE, there will be a strong emphasis on personal, social and emotional development. We will be studying pictures of familiar faces in class and introducing pictures of those in other areas of the school to support any transitions for September. There will be lots of opportunities to encourage the children to interact with their peers and express themselves through free choice activities.

During P.E sessions we will focus on individual physical development and expression, including dance, swimming and Yoga taught by specialist teachers.

Humanities - In the first half of the term, we will have Geography and we will learn about diverse places such as the Rainforest and desert. 

In Computing children will be working with switch operated toys to enable them to be more independent and be able to show preferences for activities.

So, we have a busy term!!

We are looking forward to a positive and productive term – and we aim to involve you all as much as possible.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any queries.

Laura, Tracey and the Paddington class team