LOWER SCHOOL AT CHINTHURST
(Reception–Year 2)
FROM THE HEAD OF LOWER SCHOOL
At Chinthurst, we want our children to be happy and confident young people with the essential foundations for successful lifelong learning. We achieve this by building meaningful relationships with them from the very beginning of their time with us, so we can provide highly individualised learning and gentle stretch or support when needed. Children know they are loved here so feel safe to try new things, with mistakes turned into valuable learning opportunities along the way.
Throughout Lower School, children are challenged to increase their independence, to investigate their curiosities and to work effectively with their peers. Importance is placed on being kind, respectful to others, having good manners and listening to each other with interest. Healthy discussions are encouraged to cultivate strong communication skills and the importance of reflecting on different viewpoints.
As they develop, children begin to take ownership of their learning and become more involved in and aware of the learning process, in readiness for Upper School and beyond.
I hope you find the information in this booklet useful, and I would be delighted to talk further to you in person about what makes Lower School at Chinthurst unique.
Toni Burton Head of Lower School
WHY LOWER SCHOOL AT CHINTHURST?
Our children are happy – We never forget that childhood is a precious time and that children learn best when they are enjoying themselves. Laughing and having fun with friends is as important as fractions and grammar. Chinthurst children are good citizens, respectful of others and, above all, kind.
Our teachers are excellent – We recruit teachers with a genuine love of children and the skill to deliver exciting and creative lessons to engage the children in deep learning. We have specialist teachers in drama, sport, music, languages and from Year 1 upwards, computing, as well as experienced teaching assistants to give additional support both academically and pastorally.
Relationships and wellbeing are at the heart of everything we do – We take the time to get to know each child extremely well. We celebrate their successes (no matter how small) and support them when we know they need a little extra time. Our extensive Wellbeing at Heart programme is embedded in everything we do.
Plenty of opportunities – Our curriculum is broad and stimulating and there is an extensive range of extracurricular activities. There are many opportunities to perform, and this builds confidence and self-esteem.
THE SCHOOL STRUCTURE
Chinthurst educates children from the age of 2½ to 11 years old. To ensure the very best education and support for the children, the school has a Lower and Upper School structure. This booklet focuses on Reception, Year 1 and Year 2.
Lower School
Early Years Little Chicks Children join as soon as they turn 2½ years old.
Kindergarten
Reception
Key Stage 1 Years 1&2
The pre-school year. Children move up from Little Chicks into Kindergarten or join Kindergarten directly in the September before they turn 4 years old. Children can join mid-year if spaces become available.
The first year of ‘big’ school. Children move up from Kindergarten or join Reception directly in the September before they turn 5 years old.
Children move up from Reception. Occasional places sometimes become available for direct entry into these year groups.
Upper School
Key Stage 2 Years 3–6
Occasional places become available for direct entry into these year groups.
Reception at Chinthurst is made up of two classes. Most children move up from our Nursery, which is in the classroom next door, and are joined by children coming from other settings. The transition tends to be easy and seamless, and it is very much a fresh start for everyone.
Nursery children already know staff, buildings, and routines extremely well and Reception teachers spend additional time in Kindergarten during the summer term, so the teachers are even more familiar to the children when September comes.
For children coming from other nurseries, we host a morning settling-in session with their new friends and teacher during our ‘Meet the Teacher’ event in June. Staff visit new families at home during the summer holidays and everyone is invited to a wonderful Teddy Bears’ Picnic a few days before term starts.
THE CURRICULUM
In Reception, the curriculum is based on the final phase of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) (which is taught from Little Chicks upwards at Chinthurst). There is a strong focus on the individual, child-initiated learning and having lots of fun!
When the children move up to Key Stage 1 (Years 1&2), the curriculum transitions to the National Curriculum Framework. Initially, the balance of activities shifts gradually from predominantly child-initiated towards more adult-led tasks, but variety and movement are still in plentiful supply throughout the day.
As an independent school, we further design and develop both curriculums to add breadth and creativity and to reflect the unique Chinthurst ethos. Fun and enjoyment remain the key elements of the children’s learning.
“Pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding develop extremely well across all subjects.”
ISI Inspection Report 2023
ENGLISH
PHONICS (READ WRITE INC!)
At Chinthurst, we love Read Write Inc! It provides a structured and systemic approach to teaching phonics. All children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are put into groups for daily phonics lessons dependent on their stage of learning rather than their age. They are assessed regularly and regrouped so that each child can learn at their own pace, being stretched or supported accordingly. The phonics sessions are always enjoyable and interactive.
“Reading is highly valued and given a prominent place in daily school life.”
ISI Inspection Report 2023
“Read Write Inc! is designed to create fluent readers, confident speakers, willing writers and able spellers.”
Ruth Miskin, Founder
TALK FOR WRITING
Children are naturally creative and have vivid imaginations, but conveying their thoughts and ideas to paper can sometimes prove challenging. That is why we use the highly successful Talk for Writing method throughout Chinthurst, from Reception upwards. It is a powerful scheme based on the principles of how children learn, encouraging them to talk about their ideas first before committing them to paper.
A variety of genres are investigated and at the beginning of each one, the class teachers involve the children with a creative and engaging ‘hook’ so they are excited by the idea of writing.
“In Year 1, when the children begin studying the text of The Evil Pea as part of the fantasy genre, the classroom is set up as a crime scene. The children love it and want to start to hunt the Evil Pea straight away.”
Toni Burton, Head of Lower School
The children are then immersed in a variety of high-quality texts, picking out the key features and vocabulary. By using a focus text, they learn its structure and language and retell it orally using a story map before imitating it for their own piece of writing. This enables the children to apply all they have learned independently during the invention stage.
The whole process is great fun for the children and yields fantastic results as well as helping to build confidence. Our aim is for every child to be excited by writing and not see it as a chore, whilst at the same time fostering their imagination, which helps develop critical thinking and creative problem solving.
Real authors need notebooks to record their ideas and inspiration and so every child at Chinthurst has an author’s notebook and is encouraged to be as creative and imaginative as possible.
“Pupils are highly numerate.”
ISI Inspection Report 2023
MATHS
In Reception, the children are encouraged to have fun with numbers and to experiment with them in lots of different ways. Numicon and many other visual resources and games are used so the children can picture their mathematical investigations, and this aids a deeper understanding of concepts.
“The
children start with 10 skittles standing up. They knock over 5 and then count the 5 that are still standing. Now they know that 5+5 makes 10!”
Lara Bland, Reception teacher
“We
want all children to enjoy their maths lessons and to develop a deep understanding of concepts. We do this by using lots of games, songs, and practical activities.”
Scott Thompson, Head of Maths
From Year 1 upwards, children are taught to challenge themselves, think through problems and learn from their mistakes in maths lessons. There is an emphasis on reasoning and justifying their answers. The children are encouraged to use counters, dienes, dice and cubes to aid their understanding, and challenge stations help to give them a deep understanding of mathematical problems. Times tables and arithmetical skills are also practised in short sessions during the week to reinforce and retain their basic mathematical foundations.
Children develop:
• Fluency (rapid recall, flexibility to move between different mathematical concepts);
• Reasoning (explaining and justifying answers using mathematical vocabulary);
• Problem solving (identifying operations needed to solve problems, as well as looking for patterns and persevering in finding solutions).
The Concrete, Pictorial and Abstract method of teaching helps the children gain a deep understanding of maths. Using toys, counters or twigs (the concrete stage), the children will first group these into sets of 3 or subtract them from each other. They then progress to using pictures (they look and see a picture of 15 fish and group together another fish to make 16 fish), followed by the abstract stage (15+1=16).
“Pupils demonstrated high levels of perseverance.”
ISI Inspection Report 2023
COMPUTING & IT
COMPUTING LESSONS
“Job opportunities that exist today may well be replaced by automation in the next 20 years. It is therefore essential that children can communicate, create, store and manage information, and develop robust coding and robotics skills.”
Oxford Study
In Reception, children have the opportunity to interact with ageappropriate computer software using iPads in the classrooms as well as desktop computers in the computing suite. During weekly computing lessons, they develop their digital literacy skills and the keyboard is used to introduce simple functions, directions and labelling. They hone their fine-motor skills by using the computer mouse for drawing and by learning to move through programs and to drag and drop.
In Years 1&2, the children are taught in our well-equipped IT classroom in Upper School. They build on the skills they have acquired in Reception with age-appropriate software. Internet safety is paramount, and the children learn how to keep themselves safe whilst using technology.
INTEGRATED TECHNOLOGY
Technology is not just reserved for computing lessons; it is fully integrated into the children’s learning. In Reception, the children explore technology in many ways, including using Bee-Bots to learn basic coding. They have access to Busy Things, an interactive learning tool developed to support learning in all subjects, both within lessons and at home.
As they move into Years 1&2, the children use iPads to research their topics and enjoy learning animation skills and coding via Scratch Junior.
SCIENCE
Science lessons in Lower School draw together a wide range of practical skills and resourcefulness and children are encouraged to predict outcomes and explore results. Investigations are a fundamental part of lessons, as we firmly believe that experiments are the best way to answer scientific questions. The children learn important skills that form the foundations for more detailed scientific study in the Upper School.
“When Reception explore the story of The Three Little Pigs, the children become designers, engineers and inventors. They use a wide range of different materials to build houses and then test them to see which one withstands the huff and puff of a big bad wolf.”
Lara Bland, Reception teacher
“In Year 2, science lessons are always exciting. The children might be asked to think about what Paddington’s jacket should be made from to protect him from the rain. They have fun predicting which materials are waterproof and testing out their ideas.”
Alex
Brotzel, Year 2 teacher
“Enjoyment of languages is the most important thing at this stage.
The children love the interactive nature of the lessons and develop strong foundations for further language study.”
Sam Stubberfield, Head of Languages
LANGUAGES
“Pupils exhibit outstanding attitudes to learning.”
ISI Inspection Report 2023
Children in Reception enjoy weekly French lessons with a specialist language teacher, in our bright and colourful languages room. They have lots of fun leaning French songs, games and rhymes based around specific themes such as French food and the body.
In Years 1&2, the children learn both French and Spanish in alternate half terms. Lessons continue to be themed by topics and there is an increasing focus on listening and speaking and the gradual introduction of writing skills.
THE ARTS
DRAMA
Children from Reception to Year 2 look forward to their weekly drama lessons with our specialist drama teacher. Hilarious and interactive sessions take the form of theatre games, improvisational mini plays and learning about the basic elements of drama. There are plenty of opportunities for the children to perform in assemblies, the annual Christmas musicals and plays, as well as class poetry recitals.
MUSIC
Music is an important part of life at Chinthurst. The whole school sings together at assemblies and the Lower School children also have their own weekly singing practice. Little Voices (our Year 1&2 choir) rehearse every week and enter local music festivals as well as performing at school events.
Specialist music teaching is embedded within the curriculum and classes are designed to develop the children’s musical abilities, appreciation and love of music. Musical learning is approached primarily through singing, playing tuned and untuned percussion instruments and the creation of simple compositions. For Year 1 and 2 children, this takes place in the specialist music classroom in the Upper School.
There is a strong instrumental programme and visiting teachers provide lessons for children from Year 1 upwards. We currently offer tuition on piano, violin, cello, flute, guitar, drum kit/percussion, voice and trumpet. Our young instrumentalists also enjoy the opportunity to join our school orchestra to develop their ensemble playing from Year 2 onwards. The children can showcase their musical talents as soloists, as part of an ensemble and at school performances throughout the year.
ART
In the Lower School, art is taught within the children’s classrooms. In Reception, the children begin to develop many artistic skills by taking part in a range of activities, focusing on exploring different materials and learning the colours. As the children move up to Years 1&2, they are using a variety of media such as paint, clay and collage to support specific topics. Everyone is encouraged to use their imaginations and individual creativity to create their own unique outcome.
OUTDOOR LEARNING
Our children play outside at every opportunity and lessons take place in outdoor spaces whenever possible. Reception children have their own dedicated playground for free flow throughout the day and they also enjoy playing in the school’s main playgrounds and central field. They have regular woodland learning sessions, and this encourages the children to love and nurture our natural world.
There is considerable evidence suggesting that time spent outdoors, in nature, increases life expectancy, improves wellbeing, reduces symptoms of depression and increases a child’s ability to function in school. And playing outside, climbing trees or making dens costs nothing, as Dr Tessa Livingstone, creator of the Child of Our Time project concluded: “Even today, the things children love the most are free.”
WELLBEING
We recognise that children learn best when they are happy, and we focus on developing strong, positive relationships with our children, so that they feel secure and loved. Our whole-school pastoral care programme, Wellbeing at Heart aims to ensure that every child:
• Has a strong and close relationship with staff
• Feels confident to step out of his or her comfort zone
• Knows that mistakes are an important part of learning
• Understands the importance of being kind and caring
• Has time to reflect
• Leads a balanced school life
… but most importantly of all, we aim to ensure that our children have the space and time to be happy – because happy children can achieve amazing things!
Regular circle times encourage the children to be kind, take turns or comfort a friend who may be sad.
Each child has a ‘bubble’ with his or her name on it; leaving it on a teacher’s chair or desk signifies ‘I’d like some time’. And the teacher always prioritises that request. No matter what.
From Reception upwards, each class has a marble jar, and they earn marbles by working together. A full marble jar means the class receives a ‘marble treat’. This may be a pyjama party or a teddy bears’ picnic.
“The quality of pupils’ personal development is excellent.” ISI Inspection Report 2023
SCHOOL OF THE YEAR for Sporting Achievement
SPORT
“Pupils spoke passionately about the sports provision.”
ISI
Inspection report 2023
All children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 have weekly swimming lessons. They have a PE lesson which focuses on ball skills, balance and coordination and a games afternoon which prepares them for games that they will play in the Upper School. The annual sports days are always great fun and give the children the opportunity to develop their athletic skills.
EXTRACURRICULAR & WRAPAROUND CARE
We have an extensive programme of extracurricular clubs, and the children can enjoy ballet, art clubs, sports clubs and many more. We offer wraparound care from 7.30am through to 6.00pm during term time. Camp Beaumont, a long-standing and well-regarded holiday camp provider, offers exciting activities onsite during most of the school holidays.
SAMPLE EXTRACURRICULAR PROGRAMME
HOME/SCHOOL PARTNERSHIP
We recognise the importance of having genuine partnerships with our parents. We are always available at drop off and pick up to chat through any issues arising during the day. For issues that require a little longer, we are very happy to arrange a meeting before or after school and can be contacted directly by email at any time. There are two Parents’ Evenings during the year when we can discuss your child’s progress in detail and written feedback at the end of each half term.
The development of each child is recorded on the school tracking system for the Early Years. Key moments and observations are posted on the online platform Seesaw for parents to engage with at home.
THE CHINTHURST COMMUNITY
We have a wonderful school community and parents are regularly invited to assemblies, curriculum evenings, sports days, and musical performances.
Our active parents’ association also arranges a host of activities during the year, which are always enjoyed by everyone.
EXAMPLE TIMETABLE: RECEPTION
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EXAMPLE TIMETABLE: YEAR 1
EXAMPLE TIMETABLE: YEAR 2
Chinthurst School, Tadworth Street, Tadworth, Surrey KT20 5QZ 01737 812 011 | admissions@chinthurstschool.co.uk www.chinthurstschool.co.uk ChinthurstSchool chinthurst.school