Christ the King School

Curriculum

Literacy and Numeracy form the foundation for all learning and at Christ the King School we focus on developing strong skills in these areas, especially in the early years of schooling.

Our high expectations for progress and achievement in Literacy and  Numeracy for all our students are supported by ongoing professional development for classroom teachers in these important areas.  Effective classroom programmes challenge the children in their thinking and encourage discussion so that they develop a variety of strategies when reading or when solving mathematical problems.

At Christ the King we use a range of assessment tools to identify the strengths and needs of our students in Literacy and Numeracy.  These tools include standardized tests, assessments developed by the school, and most importantly, ongoing assessment as the teachers work with their students and give them feedback on their learning.

Quality classroom teaching is not the only factor in making sure all our children are achieving success in Literacy and Numeracy.  We also work with families and children in a three-way partnership in setting individuals goals for each student and in working towards achieving them.

Reading Recovery, an effective reading programme that has been well researched, is offered at our school.  We also have in place special programmes for those children whose home language may not be English, or who are new to New Zealand.

Well developed Literacy and Numeracy skills are essential for our children if they are to succeed in their learning.  At Christ the King School, we ensure that there is a firm focus on these areas, particularly in years 1-4, so that our students leave the school accurate and confident in their use of the printed word and when working with numbers.

Our curriculum is concept-based though inquiry learning.

A rich concept is selected each term to cover most aspects of the curriculum.

The essence of this approach is the relationship between those learning areas concerned with the world around us (Science, Technology, Social Studies and Health) and those areas and processes through which we explore and come to understand that world (language, mathematics, art, drama, dance, music as aspects of technology). As students investigate these topics, they develop increasingly sophisticated understandings of their world.