Welcome to the Pathfinders

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We have four classes in Pathfinders, forming the lower Key Stage 2 department:

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• Mont Blanc

· Mount Eiger

• Kilimanjaro

• Mount Vinson

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Within the team we have a range of experienced teachers and teaching assistants who encourage our children to build their independent learning skills and show enthusiasm for the curriculum.

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An exciting curriculum

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The Pathfinders Team experience an exciting curriculum. We incorporate ‘WOW’ moments to inspire learning. We love getting out and about meeting experts to help us in our learning. In September, Year 3 enjoy a tour of the local landmarks in the North East to start their learning about landmarks across Europe. We enjoy getting up close to the Angel of the North even though it can be very windy! Year 4 enjoy visiting the zoo in Lancaster when becoming the experts in the Rainforests. Across the year, Year 3 become experts in the Stone Age, Ancient Egypt, Volcanoes and mining in Wheatley Hill. Year 4 look forward to becoming the experts in Ancient Greece, the Romans and Carnivals in South America. These exciting areas inspire our reading, writing and wider curriculum.

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Making music

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We enjoy having termly music lessons from the resident music teacher: across the department we are learning skills to play the ukulele and boomwaka as well as sing together as a group.

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Teaching and learning

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Children in the Pathfinders Team are encouraged to develop themselves as independent learners. They use work systems to progress their skills and practical work to help consolidate more challenging concepts. We encourage children to develop good habitats of reading at least three times a week and this is celebrated across the classes. Children in Year 4 prepare to take a times tables test in the summer term. We offer a before and after school session to access Times Tables Rock Stars as we aim for every child to access thirty minutes of practise across the week.

 

 

Hands-on fun

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We enjoy hands-on learning whenever we can. In science, we share our ideas and work together in groups to explain our thinking. In the autumn term, we have fun baking in design technology, making some delicious biscuits, jam tarts and flavoured bread. In maths, we use practical equipment to support our learning and reinforce concepts. We are proud of our learning environments and include continuous provision areas to develop our learning of our expert focus and previously learnt skills.

 

 

Visits and events

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For every expert focus, we go on a visit or welcome a visitor to school to help us in our learning. The children enjoy visiting a wide range of experiences from the Hancock Museum, the Roman fort, Hadrian’s Wall, the Oriental Museum, Beamish and sometimes staying close to home with a visit to the Heritage Centre and old mining sites in the villages.

Our children have the opportunity to go on a mini-residential in the summer term where they work together on outdoor adventures and show independence sleeping away from home!

 

 

And even more…

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In the Pathfinders Team we celebrate everyone’s uniqueness. We always take time to share each other’s interests and respect our differences. Every week we look forward to our celebration assembly where we give out Star Awards which recognise qualities such as hard work, effort in lessons, improvements in learning, kindness to others and being a good friend. Our aim is to try our best and love our learning.

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