Foundational Fluency at Falinge Park High School
We recognise that literacy, oracy, and numeracy are the keys that unlock the wider curriculum. These are not treated as bolt-ons but are threaded through our curriculum. We prioritise and monitor fluency in literacy and numeracy rigorously to intervene early, ensuring no child is left behind due to a lack of foundational skills.
Without these tools, empowerment is impossible. By design we have included opportunity, within our curriculum model, for foundational fluency to be a high priority. We do this because we believe that foundational fluency is the key to breaking down barriers to opportunity.
Foundational fluency is secured by threading it through the teaching and learning of our subject disciplines through our whole school approaches to Talk for Learning and Reading to Learn which are embedded at both KS3 and KS4. Numeracy is supported in Science through data analysis, Geography (Cartography and Statistics) and Technology (Measurement). Gaps in foundational fluency are identified and addressed through literacy and numeracy interventions that ensure students work towards an expected standard. Foundational fluency is also developed through dimensions 3 and 4. In addition, each year group has a bespoke offer.
Year 7
- As part of their English entitlement, discrete literacy lessons are a vehicle to improve reading, oracy, writing and handwriting through our Year 7 Literacy curriculum
- Students use platforms such as Sparx and Bedrock learning to develop students’ foundational fluency within library lessons every week and self-study.
- Within fortnightly mathematics lessons KS3 numeracy is delivered to all pupils using materials from the NCETM.
- Our Year 7 Thrive Curriculum is intentionally designed to support the critical transition from primary to secondary school by wrapping all our students in the Care and Education of the “Falinge Family.” We recognise that for students to truly Aspire, Thrive, and Achieve, they must first feel seen, valued, and safe. Therefore, this curriculum seamlessly integrates RSHE, Citizenship, and explicit Oracy instruction to nurture the whole child—moving them conceptually from a deep understanding of their internal world to an empowered, active role in wider society.
Year 8 and 9
- Students continue to use platforms such as Sparx and Bedrock learning to develop students’ foundational fluency within library lessons and self-study.
- Students who still have foundational gaps have interventions to address these through our integrated approach to care and education which looks different for different students and groups of learners.
- Within fortnightly mathematics lessons KS3 numeracy is delivered to all pupils using materials from the NCETM.
Key Stage 4
- Students continue to use platforms such as Sparx and Bedrock learning to develop students’ foundational fluency through self-study.
- Students who still have foundational gaps have interventions to address these through our integrated approach to care and education which looks different for different students and groups of learners. For example, students who are still in stanines 1 and 2 for their reading receive reading intervention in 8 week blocks.
- Purposeful groupings in core subjects allow for targeted teaching and learning.
- Responsive approaches to raising attainment to meet expected standard in English and Maths at Key Stage 4 are utilised. For example, morning revision for Maths, Period 6 revision for target groups in Maths and English, Falinge 5.5, re-distributing time for additionality (using time from GCSE courses which finish early).