The Curriculum
Lagos Preparatory School aims to provide an academic programme which will stimulate and encourage each pupil to reach their full potential in all areas of the curriculum.

The subject information is based on the National Curriculum. Subject Coordinators, Class Teachers and Subject Specialists work together from this core curriculum to build an exciting teaching programme which differentiates to accommodate the learning style and ability of each child.

The information will enable you to map your child's progress through each Key Stage during their education at LPS and support your child in each area of the curriculum. It also gives an overview of how we assess and evaluate pupil performance.

The Foundation Stage includes pupils in Nursery, and Reception.
• Key Stage One represents pupils in Year One and Two.
• Key Stage Two spans pupils from Year Three, Four, Five and Six.
• Key Stage Three includes pupils in Year Seven, Eight and Nine.

Computers are a tool, which, when mastered can enhance learning. Computers and interactive whiteboards are used throughout the curriculum to ensure all pupils can competently use, and support their learning and research with the latest Information Technology.

The information provided gives a basic outline and does not detail the many enrichment programmes available to all pupils. LPS strives to develop a lifelong love of learning, continually inspiring and encouraging all pupils to reach their full potential.

The core Subjects

ENGLISH

The English Curriculum develops competent and enthusiastic readers, writers, speakers and listeners. We place particular emphasis upon extending children's reading abilities, analytical skills, writing structure, and oral and written vocabulary.

Speaking and Listening

All children are encouraged to participate actively in discussions and to regularly contribute to 'news ' sessions in the early years, where children recount events and experiences. Throughout their time at school, children use good speech, appropriate vocabulary and correct grammatical forms. Public speaking skills are developed through participation in drama and role play, retelling stories, school assembly presentations, poetry recitation, speech delivery, plays and school productions.

Reading

Our English curriculum uses Phonics from Nursery and throughout the Early Years.

In addition to Phonics, the children participate in a literature based reading programme utilising our three School libraries. The children are also taken on regular trips to the local library.

Children are motivated to read in an environment which displays print and indentify various aspects of the printed word, including its purpose, effect and meaning. Reading should be an enjoyable activity. It is important that teachers and parents work together to give all children support, encouragement and patience to develop at their own reading interest and ability. As well as daily reading sessions, children should read each night at home and in the early years, this should take the form of reading and discussing the stories in a fun and relaxed atmosphere. Allow your child to point to each word if it helps them. Discuss the pictures and the story and predict what will happen. In the older years, students should read aloud as well as silently and listen to reading, i.e. books on tape.

In Transition to Year Three each child has a reading record book. After listening to your child read, please sign and make a comment about their reading. From Year Four onwards children, parents and teachers continue to make comments on their progress in the relevant section of their homework diary.

Parents should listen to their children read as frequently as possible, and it is helpful if a note/comment is made in their reading logs. As children mature further in their reading they will be reading independently each night and recording their own comments.

In Key Stage One the children are involved in Guided reading sessions. Guided reading is a strategy that helps students become proficient readers. The teacher provides support for small groups of readers as they learn to use various reading strategies (context clues, letter and sound relationships, word structure, and so forth).

In Key Stage Two and Three your child's reading should embrace both fiction and non-fiction. They practise gathering information from a range of sources and implement skills of skimming, scanning and summarising. Frequent comprehension practice will occur involving reasoning, opinions and predictions. The children will be given a chance to discuss how or why a writer is using language in a particular way. They will also begin to analyse for deeper meaning in the text so as to be able to think both analytically and eventually critically about their reading materials.

During Key Stage Three, pupils are encouraged to develop a critical awareness of reading materials through oral and written activities, selecting sentences, phrases and relevant information to support their views. Children will be encouraged to identify different layers of meaning in a text and comment on their significance.

Writing

Through reading, children become aware that writing is a purposeful and meaningful method of communication. Each week in Transition and Reception, children have frequent opportunities to develop their writing skills, from the earliest scribbles to more complex sentences, their efforts are praised constructively.

All children are encouraged to say sounds when trying to write a word. They then develop sentence structure and begin to use simple punctuation. Children write in a variety of fictional and non-fictional genres throughout their time at LPS.

In the senior school, the students begin to write analytically. The children develop structurally as well as stylistically in both their creative and analytical writing.

Spelling

During Transition and Reception children should be positively encouraged when trying to spell words. It is important, at this early stage, to just 'have a go'. It is an approach where the individual learns the sounds represented by letters and then letter combinations. The child then attempts to blend these sounds to pronounce small words. As the child develops so the blending becomes more complex.

From the end of Reception the children have different spelling words every week. Encourage your child to look at the patterns in the words to make learning easier. Confidence is very important. Be positive towards their efforts.

Informal testing takes place throughout Reception and more formal weekly spelling tests start from Year One. Pupils continue to extend on the phonics and spelling work from previous years with an emphasis on sound blends and high frequency words. Pupils in Key Stage Two and Three also use dictionaries and thesauruses regularly.

Handwriting

The children concentrate on learning the correct starting point of each of the lower case letters from Transition and Reception. Writing with flicks is encouraged, as this makes it easier when the children learn to join their letters. Joins are taught in groups with similar patterns.

The formation of letters will be constantly revised and regular handwriting lessons given. Children are expected to present their work neatly and tidily.

Homework

Homework is used to support English through:
Regular reading at home with a parent. Children are encouraged to take home a new reading book each day to read in the early years, and each week in the older years.
Reception word tins following simple word blend order as 'abc' sound codes are taught. Learning sounds and blends in the Foundation Stage and Key Stage One.
Key Stage One, Two and Three children are often given writing and comprehension tasks.
In Key Stage Three, longer assignments are given.
Cross-Curricular research projects.

Assessment

Assessment is used to guide the progress of individual pupils in English. It involves determining what each child has learnt and the next stage in their learning.

Tasks include:
Observing children's speaking and listening abilities in different groupings and contexts. Children are tested on their sound knowledge and ability to read and spell high frequency words.
From Reception to Year Nine, samples of the children's independent writing in various genres will be collected each term and marked according to set criteria.
Handwriting is continually monitored.
Each child has a record in which dated and signed entries are made of reading practice and books read.
From Reception onwards progress is measured using a standardised reading test.

MATHEMATICS
Numeracy is a proficiency that involves confidence and competence with numbers and measures. It requires an understanding of the number system, a range of computer skills and an inclination and ability to solve number problems in a variety of contexts. Numeracy also demands practical understanding of the ways in which information is gathered by counting and measuring and it is presented in graphs, diagrams, charts and tables.

At LPS we present the children with a range of mathematical experiences. Activities are accessible for all pupils, but give scope for further challenges and extension, fostering a sense of success in pupils of all levels of ability.

All teachers are involved in the planning of Mathematics. The Mathematics Coordinator prepares the schemes of work for each Year group, ensuring continuity throughout the school.
A typical lesson is structured as follows:

Oral work and calculation (about 5 minutes)

This involves whole class work to rehearse, sharpen and develop mental and oral skills.

The main teaching activity (about 25 to 30 minutes)

This includes both teaching input and pupil activities and a balance between whole class, grouped, paired and individual work.

A plenary (about 5 to 10 minutes)

This involves work with the whole class to sort out misconceptions, identify progress, to summarise key facts and ideas and what to remember, to make links to other work and to discuss next steps.

Homework is set on a regular basis for all classes. The time allocated is related to the age of the children and ranges from 10 to 60 minutes per session. The purpose of homework is to practise skills taught during the week, such as learning multiplication tables, practising mechanical sums and solving problems.

Assessments form a part of every lesson to check children's understanding and give teachers information, helping them to adjust daily lesson plans. Children's progress is reviewed and recorded.

In Transition, Reception and Year One, children are given a termly oral assessment. The Transition and Reception Mental Oral Assessment forms part of the Reception Profile.
In Years One to Nine pupils sit a half termly test to assess their understanding of the concepts covered.
Children in Reception to Year Nine complete standardised tests as a benchmark to measure progress.
Children taking entrance examinations are exposed to a variety of Mathematics papers in order for them to become familiar with what is expected and to maintain the high standard these examinations require.

he aim of Science at LPS is for children to develop knowledge and understanding of important scientific ideas, processes and skills. Children will be encouraged to observe, classify, question, plan, measure, and interpret data. They are encouraged to observe, predict and investigate.

Children naturally explore the world around them from a very early age. Topics are developed that relate to their interests and every day experiences so that curiosity is stimulated and pupils are motivated to understand and interpret the world around them.

Science is an important medium for developing and promoting other areas of the curriculum. Science stimulates language development by providing opportunities for oral and written responses. It is a motivator for practising and developing reading skills and encourages the purposeful use of mathematical skills and concepts. It promotes creativity and inventiveness and allows children to develop their independent thinking skills.

The Science Curriculum is taught by class teachers in the early years and by specialist teachers from Year Three upwards. One topic per term is taught in the early years and two topics per term from Year Three upwards.

With teacher support, pupils will learn to plan their own investigations in the Science Laboratory and then describe their observations and record the data using simple tables.

Key Stage Two pupils are encouraged to select suitable equipment to use for experiments with only limited teacher guidance. They are encouraged to recognise the need for fair tests and to decide what evidence should be collected. Pupils will learn to make a series of observations and measurements and learn to plot clear tables and graphs. From the patterns obtained, pupils are then encouraged to draw accurate conclusions.

In Year Seven The children are given the opportunity to learn about a wide range of scientific subjects, taught separately as Biology, Chemistry and Physics. They have five lessons per week during which they will make full use of the laboratory facilities and take part in many practical activities. Revision and examination techniques are taught during Autumn and Summer Terms.

Homework is set as appropriate to the age group and in accordance with the Homework Policy. The emphasis for all homework is on variety, which includes follow up work from classroom based activities, written work, questions, research and project work. Homework is set to reflect the teaching objectives and should be tackled with the minimum of adult intervention.

Assessment takes the form of teacher observation and informal testing. For children in Year Two upwards, there will be a topic test at the end of each half term and an examination at the end of the year.

In Key Stage Two and Key Stage Three the aim is to encourage a culture of pupil responsibility for self-assessment and monitoring of their own learning. Self-assessments are completed at the beginning and end of each topic whereby pupils can record prior knowledge and skills and those acquired during the topic. Evidence for this learning comes from written work, group work, oral contribution and the End of Topic Tests.

Pupils in Key Stage Two and Three will also regularly undertake practical investigations designed to improve their investigative skills. These may take the form of complete investigations or practical work designed to re-enforce particular strands of scientific enquiry.

ADDITIONAL SUBJECTS
In addition to the above mentioned three core subjects, all children in the school aged five and upwards have lessons in humanities, dance/drama, art and design, guided learning, swimming, PE, ICT, cookery, independent and initiative skills and French. Our older children also have lessons in business studies and a second foreign language.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
The school is not affiliated to any specific religion.  However all faiths are respected.