Learning
Key Stage 2
Problem solving. Creativity. Resilience. All desirable qualities in a person, regardless of age. Developing and nurturing these personal attributes is at the very core of our teaching here at Dania, and forms a big part of our work at Key Stage Two. Welcome to Years 3, 4, 5 and 6.
Dania’s KS2 cohort is divided into two groups: Lower Key Stage Two (Year 3 and 4) and Upper Key Stage Two (Year 5 and 6). Building on the foundations laid in Key Stage One, the children’s learning is extended more intensely as we move towards the transition into Secondary School.
Homework
Importantly, at this Key Stage, the emphasis is on preparation for Secondary School, which is a source of great apprehension for both children and their parents. So, from Year 3, we begin to introduce homework tasks for the first time, to help strengthen that discipline they will need when they transition to Secondary School.
Homework can be both subject-based or creative. From practising times tables to creating a presentation on their favourite animal. Homework gradually becomes part of their lives as they progress through Key Stage Two. Parents also find homework important to family life at this stage, using it as a way to connect with the school, bridging what the children do at home with what they do here with us.
Academic Learning
At Key Stage Two there is a marked shift in focus to a more academic approach to teaching and learning. However, the playfulness and creativity remains. It’s something we won’t compromise on at all, regardless of the year group. Because we see it as a core principle of effective lifelong learning.
The timetable at Key Stage Two has a strong focus on all aspects of learning. Our core subject lessons are scheduled in the morning and then creative lessons in the afternoon. And, as always, we make sure we spend a lot of time outside too. Once again, because our teacher-student ratios are so good, learning is heavily tailored to our children’s individual needs. It’s just more academic. We begin to foster a sense of responsibility in our children. Responsibility for their learning. They are guided and encouraged to take ownership of their own learning journey by being involved in our assessment strategy: evaluations, dialogue with teachers, target-setting, and selecting work for their own personal portfolio.
Our philosophy throughout Key Stage Two centres on problem solving and project-based teaching. Because we believe it leads to creative minds and resilient humans ready for the next chapter of their lives.