The Curriculum, Educational Organisation and Teaching Methods

Ysgol Rhostyllen is an English medium school with Welsh taught as a second language to all pupils from Nursery through to Year 6. All pupils are taught in eight straight year groups. From September 2022 a new curriculum was introduced in Wales and the Curriculum and Assessment (Wales) Act 2021 sets out the following concepts and mandatory elements which will be taught to pupils from ages 3 to 16:

  The cross curricular skills of literacy, numeracy and digital competence

   Religion, values and ethics

   Relationships and sexuality

The school aims to provide a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum which gives varied opportunities to develop essential skills. We will support learners in their journey to become:

   Ambitious, capable learners, who are ready to learn throughout their lives

   Healthy, confident individuals who are ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of      

   society

   Enterprising, creative contributors who are ready to play a full part in life and work

   Ethical, informed citizens who are ready to be citizens of Wales and the world

These are called the four purposes of the curriculum and will be central to children's learning and development. As well as literacy, numeracy and digital skills children's learning will be focused around six areas of learning and experience. Everything your child learns will be connected to these areas. They are:

   Expressive Arts

   Humanities

   Mathematics and Numeracy

   Health and Wellbeing

   Languages, Literacy and communication

   Science and Technology

Religious Education and Collective Worship
Through Religious Education we aim to develop an awareness of the importance of religion and to appreciate and respect different religious beliefs.There are three acts of collective worship per week and on the other two days short assemblies are held in class. There are regular visits from the local Minister and occasionally from representatives of charitable organisations. Parents and family members are invited to join the staff and children in class assemblies throughout the year. Parents who wish to withdraw their children from such activities will need to inform the school of their decision.

Welsh
English is the language of the day to day business of the school, but some Welsh is also used as a language of communication with the pupils. As a school within Wales we pride ourselves on celebrating our country’s language we pride ourselves on celebrating our country’s language and culture through drama, music, dance, stories and visits to the Urdd organisation’s residential centres in Bala and Cardiff. We endeavour to promote the Welsh language so that it can survive as a living tongue as our pupils acquire second language skills. Although there are attainment targets in our programme of study, we will take into consideration that the pace of progress in second language development varies from child to child, situation to situation and that the same levels of achievement will not correspond to particular ages, or to every teaching situation, but we hope to ensure that all our pupils will attain some measure of second language success. The normal expectation is that pupils will transfer to English medium secondary provision and continue to learn predominantly through the medium of English,learning Welsh as a second language.

Relationships and Sexuality
A Personal Development and Relationships Policy and scheme of work have been approved by the Governors. The school has a progressive sex education programme tailored to the age and the physical maturity of pupils. This covers basic life processes and human life development. Teachers arrange separate sessions for boys and girls in Years 5 and 6 to discuss puberty and emotional development. 

Physical Education

In Physical Education sessions we aim to develop the skills essential for taking part in a variety of sporting activities.The school has a good sized hall for indoor work, adequate outdoor hard surfaces for class lessons such as short tennis and netball and a grassed area which includes a football pitch. This is also used for rounders and athletics. 

Homework
At Ysgol Rhostyllen we regard homework as a very important aspect of children’s learning. We see homework as an opportunity for parents to share activities with their children and to encourage their learning. The involvement of parents or carers can be so effective, not only in assisting the child to make educational progress but also to reinforce the values of learning. Children in Nursery and Reception will have ‘Home Activity’ books which are varied, often practical tasks. Reception pupils will also practice their key words,phonics and reading. Children in Years 1 and 2 will also have ‘Home Activity’ books. In addition they should spend time practising their reading, spelling and phonics. In Year 2 pupils who have a computer may access some of their Maths homework on line. Children in Years 3 to 6 should spend time each evening reading at home. They will also have spellings to learn each week and at least one piece of homework which could relate to skills development. At the beginning of each year, class teachers will inform parents of the arrangements for homework in their class.