PRIMARY SCHOOL
The Primary department of Cedar Lodge is split into 3 Keystages
- The Foundation Stage (Years 1 and 2)
- Key Stage 1 (Years 3 and 4)
- Key Stage 2(Years 5, 6 and 7)
Children in the Foundation Stage learn through a curriculum that is practical, interactive and enjoyable. It provides opportunities for them to work and play together in order to develop physical confidence and competence.
There is a multi-professional approach where the teacher, classroom assistant, speech and language therapist and occupational therapist work together in order to build up basic communication and manipulative skills.
In Key Stage 1 & 2 children build on and develop the experiences provided at the Foundation Stage. Continued emphasis is placed on personal, social & emotional development as well on the development of skills in Communication, Using Mathematics, Using ICT and Thinking Skills and Personal Capabilities. Children are provided with opportunities to develop these skills through a range of worthwhile, challenging, relevant and enjoyable learning experiences.
Within the department the following teaching strategies and programmes are offered in order to promote literacy and numeracy skills. They are:
- Linguistic Phonics which teaches the children phonic skills which are utilised very successfully in decoding print and in spelling.
- Reading Recovery where children are offered an intensive 10 week literacy programme which accelerates their grasp of reading, writing and spelling skills greatly.
- Primary Movement which, through structured daily exercises, allows the children to discard retained reflexes that hinder their cognitive development.
- Mental Maths promotes the children’s oral Maths work and teaches them strategies to perform simple mathematical calculations in their head.
Pupils in Year 7 maintain links with another special school in Kilkenny and keep in contact through the medium of video conferencing and e mails. They meet once a year.