Years 1 and 2 see the children make the transition from the play-based learning of the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum to the more formal lessons of Key Stage 1. At Lockers Park our dedicated staff team work to foster independent, individual thinkers and we provide great flexibility within the curriculum to follow children’s questioning, enabling them to gain independence and to take responsibility for their own learning.
Reading is an integral part of the school curriculum at Lockers Park. We value the importance of being a confident reader as it impacts on all other learning. As a result, we seek to instil a lifelong love of reading in each and every child. The staff work hard to develop the children’s reading skills with one-to-one reading sessions as well as giving the freedom to select books from the well-stocked Pre-Prep Library. A daily phonics lesson builds knowledge, and we utilise the ‘Read, Write Inc.’ approach to aid the children’s progress and development.
Our children are working to produce well-structured, detailed writing; handwriting practice is encouraged each day so that most children are producing neat, cursive script. Writing sessions (as a class, in small groups and independently) focus on grammatical detail, punctuation and spelling. Our approach is underpinned by ‘Get Writing’ and Ros Wilson’s ‘Big Writing’ strategies.
Employing Abacus, the unique maths toolkit, the children become confident in numbers, shapes and measurements in Years 1 and 2. Using a kinaesthetic approach, the children learn strategies to problem solve and become confident in using and applying mathematics. Fluency in numbers is a key skill for our Pre-Prep children to master as this provides a strong foundation to build upon. Lockers Park’s skilled teachers ensure there are regular mental maths and times table practice to build assurance in this key area.
The curriculum at Lockers Park embraces Art, Design & Technology, Geography, History, PSHE, Religious Studies and Science through termly topics inspired by world events and the children’s interests. Examples of recent topics include Ourselves, Harvest, Rainforest and Space. The children also enjoy weekly French and Swimming lessons and are taught the following subjects by specialist staff at the main Preparatory School: Art, Computing, Drama & Movement, Music, Nature & the Environment and PE. Our children particularly enjoy the weekly Nature lessons where recent activities have included a teamwork exercise making dens and creating clay tree spirits.
To further reinforce and enrich the children’s learning at Lockers Park we organise termly day trips which prove hugely popular. These have included a visit to the National Space Centre to support our Space topic, plus a trip to Kew Gardens to inspire our learning of rainforest plant life.
Regular involvement throughout Years 1 and 2 with the Prep School helps to prepare with sensitivity the Lockers Park boys for the Prep School and the broader world that lies ahead. The transition to Year 3 is an exciting step. Children have the opportunity to visit beforehand, becoming familiar with the staff and surroundings, and this includes a Move Up day in June. Parents also benefit from introductory meetings and the opportunity to get to know teaching staff.
Having embedded these core values in Lockers girls, we work closely in partnership with these families using our strong local networks, to select schools and place their daughters in a supportive and appropriate environment for the next step in their educational journey from Year 3 onwards.