SCE Schools are encouraged to follow the frameworks which form part of the Primary National Strategy to plan how they teach and assess literacy and mathematics. These frameworks were renewed in October 2006. The main focus of the Primary National Strategy is on raising literacy and numeracy skills among primary school children. However, the Strategy is used by teachers to help raise standards across the whole curriculum.
Literacy skills
As well as reading and writing, literacy involves developing speaking and listening skills. The literacy framework encourages teachers to use a variety of approaches to teaching literacy. It supports regular, dedicated literacy lessons, but recognises that pupils can also develop literacy skills while they learn about other subjects in the curriculum. The renewed framework encourages teachers to put a greater emphasis on using ‘phonics’ - teaching children to recognise the sounds of parts of words. The Strategy also stresses the part parents play in helping children to develop their literacy skills.
Mathematics skills
Following the Primary National Strategy, children receive a daily maths lesson intended to develop pupils’ mathematical thinking and number skills and recommends that children should learn their times tables. Catch-up programmes are available to help pupils in Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 who have fallen behind. Parents are encouraged to get involved in developing their child’s numeracy skills as much as possible.
Secondary
SCE Middle and Secondary schools are encouraged to follow the Secondary National Strategy which includes the former Key Stage 3 National Strategy but which is extended to cover both Key Stages 3 and 4 and broadened from the initial focus on English and mathematics to include a range of whole-school developments including assessment for learning, ICT across the curriculum, and behaviour and attendance.
Local requirements
In addition to the National Curriculum requirements and national strategies applicable to maintained schools in England, the curriculum in SCE Schools also makes provision for pupils to learn about the language and culture of the country in which they are living. For example, in SCE Primary Schools in Germany and Cyprus, support is given to learn German and Greek respectively.