Primary curriculum in Scotland

[Tailtwister]

DS1 is due to start school in a couple of weeks and I'm a bit at sea with what exactly he will be learning in P1. Obviously I won't be teaching him and will follow the lead regarding homework etc from his teacher, but I would like to know a little bit more for my own peace of mind.

Does anyone know of a book which covers the Scottish primary curriculum? Something aimed at parents would be good, just to give me an idea of what the teacher is aiming for each year.

Our school invites the parents of P1 in just a few weeks into the term to explain the curriculum and also to give hints on how to help with homework.

My children both had homework on the first day the whole class was in. It was their letter and they had to practice writing it at home and also practice the sound. Reading didn't happen until September once a large amount of letters had been taught. Their topic was people who help us, which was meeting the ladies in the office, the care zone person, the janitor and the dinner ladies.

You'll be surprised as to how quickly they go through things and pick things up. But it does vary from school to school as to how they do things.

Thanks for the information Euphemia, I'll take a good look through it today. I think we have a parent's evening a few weeks into term, so that may be when they give us some more guidance. It's nice to hear things from a teacher's point of view.

That's really useful information to know Groovee. I have no idea how they go about starting to teach reading, but it makes sense that they'll start with learning the letters first. DS1 knows most of them, but it will be good for him to learn them in a structured way and also in the right way to progress with learning to read.

I don't want to interfere with what's being taught, so haven't gone out of my way to prepare him in any way (apart from the practical side, dressing etc). I just want to ensure I'm doing enough to support his learning and I'm not letting him down by not knowing enough myself.

The Jolly Phonics website is good for learning letter names and sounds.

I'll do some research into that Euphemia. It doesn't come naturally to me to sound the letter rather than naming it, so I'll need to watch myself with that.

Thanks for the suggestion Groovee. I've heard of Jolly Phonics, but haven't looked at their website.