The Star consists of Gold Class. The children have access to a second classroom for engaging with group and play activities and therapies. They also enjoy time in our sensory room on a daily basis.
PE
Our PE days are on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. However, children in The Star will also access PE lessons with their year groups on the following days:
Reception: Monday and Friday
Year 1: Wednesday and Thursday
Year 2: Wednesday and Friday
Year 3: Tuesday and Friday
Children can come to school dressed in their PE kit on these days but, equally, if they are more comfortable in PE kit, they may wear these on non PE days too.
Reading
We encourage a love of reading for all children in The Star. Not only will this develop their reading skills which are vital to all learning, but provides a wonderful opportunity for social communication and interaction. We encourage children to read at home with parents and for parents to read to them as much as possible.
All children will be sent home with a reading book linked to their phonics level, as well as a book that has been read in phonics sessions.
Reading books are changed once a child has read it three times and phonics books are changed each Friday. Children also choose a library book that reflects their choice and interest.
For children who are off our Phonics programme, they will read books linked to their assessed reading age on the Accelerated Reading programme. Once they have read the book, they will complete an online quiz which assesses their comprehension and tracks their progress.
Phonics
Children will continue their phonics journey from their starting point – working on either the initial sounds of the letters of the alphabet and ch, th, sh, ng and nk (set 1 sounds), the vowel sounds such as ay, ee, igh (set 2 ) or the alternatives for these sounds such as ai, ea, ie (set 3).
Phonics sessions take place every morning with children either working in The Star on an individual or small group basis and through the use of practical and fun activities, or in phonics sessions with other children from Reception, Year 1 and 2, following the RWI (Read Write Inc) phonics programme.
Our Learning
Our Curriculum is linked to the National Curriculum and is taught through themes linking different aspects of learning. There is lots of opportunity for sensory experiences and learning through play.
The curriculum map below is a summary overview of the year.
The Star Curriculum Map 2024-25.docx
All children have their own Personal Learning Intention Map (PLIM) which is unique to them. This covers areas of Sensory, Emotional, Cognitive and Communication development as well as Social interactions, Friendships, Play and Safety skills.
The PLIMS are shared with parents at the beginning of the year and new targets will be set for the following year, based on each child’s progress and needs.
There are a number of therapies that are run in the afternoons which meet the individual needs of the children. These sessions are run either individually or in small groups and include Attention Autism, Food is Fun, Puppet Play, Tac Pac and Emotion Labelling. Specialists run Music and Speech and Language Therapy on a weekly basis.
Further details about The Star can be found in the document below.