Our Curriculum

“This is what we are about.

  We plant seeds that one day will grow.

  We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.

  We lay foundations that will need further development.

  We provide yeast that produces effects beyond our capabilities.”

             Archbishop Oscar Romero

"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe."  John Muir

Intent: Our school ethos is built upon the Catholic faith, and our children learn to live in ‘St. Mary’s Way’, where fostering respect for others and care for creation form the foundations of our curriculum.  They enjoy learning, playing and praying together, becoming more loving, persistent and resilient through working both independently or in collaboration with others.  We begin with the National Curriculum but deliver so much more.

At the Junior School, the learning becomes more subject specific whilst still ensuring that there is always a context for learning. Children are encouraged and supported to challenge themselves and are given clear targets and success criteria so that all children have the opportunity to achieve their full potential.

Both schools work closely with outside agencies, such as an Educational Psychologist, a Speech Therapist, a Drama Therapist, Social Services and CAMHS, to ensure that all our children can access our rich curriculum at their own appropriate stage of learning. Interventions are put in place for those who may need additional support to close the gap between them and their peers.

Impact: We know our curriculum is impacting as children tell us they love their learning and they take great pride in their books, especially the project books.

Teachers have high expectations of all children and are able to provide challenge, stretch and enrichment in learning because they know the starting points of the children and understand the progression required to reach the end goal. This is achieved through the use of a range of assessment and analysis strategies: timely testing, moderation of work, pupil interviews, use of assessment grids and data tracking systems. The results are seen in outcomes of work, feedback from the community and in the pride the children have of themselves and their school.

Monitoring shows that children are active in their learning, are able to construct their own knowledge and are able to think flexibly and creatively.

Analysis of internal testing provides staff with an accurate overview in order that gaps in learning can be closed.

The planning shows that staff design learning activities that offer challenge and provide a sense of achievement and personal success.

Curriculum RE

'All knowledge is sterile which does not lead to action and end in charity.'
 (Cardinal Desire Joseph Mercier)

Intent: Religious education in each class is based upon the Diocesan supported programme, ‘Come and See’. We support parents through our sex education programme which is approved by the Diocese, and books and other materials are freely available for parents to help them in this task as part of the personal and social education of children.

We also teach our children about other faiths because we live in a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic world and we value the contributions these groups make to our society. We strongly believe in the tolerance of different faiths and beliefs.

Our curriculum is a knowledge-based curriculum that enables the children to learn the teachings of the Catholic Church whilst also allowing them to base their knowledge and understanding in their own life experiences, and gain an understanding of other faiths and beliefs.

Implementation: We follow the 'Come and See', schemes of work which is a programme that has been developed to respond to the needs of primary children in their faith journey. It integrates the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the new Religious Education Curriculum Directory. 

The following strategies and aims underpin the effective delivery of religious education:

• Religious Education will be taught discretely and developmentally.
• It will include the deepening of knowledge, and understanding of key theological ideas and their application.
• ample opportunities will be offered for children to apply and use their knowledge and understanding in cross-curricular studies.
• opportunities to engage with their own and others' beliefs as this will develop positive attitudes and dispositions.
• opportunities to develop a sense of self-worth through their experiences of belonging to a caring community and an awareness of the demands of religious commitment to everyday life.

  Impact: 'The outcome of excellent religious education is religiously literate and engaged young people who have knowledge, understanding and skills-appropriate to their age and capacity -to reflect spiritually, and think ethically and theologically, and who are aware of the demands of religious commitment to everyday life'.

                    Religious Education Curriculum Directory for Catholic Schools 2012

  We assess impact through pupil voice, evidence in books and regular formal assessments.

English

 

'If we talk about literacy, we have to talk about how to enhance our children's mastery over the tools needed to live intelligent, creative and involved lives.' (Danny Glover)

Intent

We believe that talk underpins thinking and so is key in helping children to become more engaged and effective in their learning. To that end we teach our children to express themselves increasingly confidently and coherently through discussion and role-play, and as they grow older through drama, presentations and debate.

Our children are taught to read using a range of strategies that are designed to stimulate and challenge their thinking and comprehension. In doing so, our aim is for all children to develop a love of reading, and for us to create enthusiastic, motivated life-long readers and writers. Our shared and guided reading sessions begin from Nursery and continue all the way through to Year 6. Each classroom has a book corner containing fiction, non-fiction and poetry to support children’s acquisition of knowledge and encourage reading for pleasure. Additionally, both our schools have attractive, well-resourced school libraries and well-equipped ICT facilities. As children grow older these facilities help them to research their schoolwork and personal interests. The School follows Letters and Sounds for phonics and uses the Book Band system of graded readers until the children become fluent, independent readers and no longer need to.

We aim to establish close partnerships with parents and guardians, and particularly value the help and support they give by sharing books and stories with their children at home.

We encourage the children to write on a wide range of topics and for a variety of audiences. We understand the importance for children to write for a purpose and therefore our lessons are planned to stimulate and engage their imagination and develop their topic-specific vocabulary. We are also keen to engage the children in local and national issues and events at an age-appropriate level, which they always find particularly enjoyable and interesting to learn about. The children are taught to use accurate spelling, grammar and punctuation throughout their written work and use our own school script.

 

Our aim is for all children to develop a love of reading, and for us to create enthusiastic, motivated life-long readers and writers. In doing so, our children are taught to read using a range of strategies that are designed to stimulate and challenge their thinking and comprehension.

We aim to establish close partnerships with parents and guardians, and particularly value the help and support they give by sharing books and stories with their children at home and making better use of community reading and learning facilities in their local libraries.

We encourage children to write on a wide range of topics and for a variety of audiences. We understand the importance for children to write for a purpose and therefore our lessons are planned to stimulate and engage their imagination and develop their topic-specific vocabulary. 

We are also keen to engage the children in local and national issues and events at an age-appropriate level, which they always find particularly enjoyable and interesting to learn about. The children are taught to use accurate spelling, grammar and punctuation throughout their written work and use our own school script to enrich their vocabulary.

Our English curriculum covers reading, writing and grammar to give depth and breadth to their study of the subject equipping all children to develop the broad range of skills through exposure to learning appropriate to their age and ability whilst stretching them to achieve their true potential. Take English literacy as an illustration, Children have daily English lessons, and guided reading sessions with opportunities to apply their literacy skills in other subjects whilst applying some vocabularies learnt in other subjects during English lessons. 

Communication through speech and writing is an essential skill. We aim to lay firm foundations in the basic skills e.g. grammar, punctuation, spelling, comprehension, Speaking and Listening and cursive handwriting. 

Implementation

Our rich, broad balanced curriculum is designed to be delivered through thematic units that have at their heart and starting point high quality texts. This allows for learning to be contextualised, with English skills underpinning subject-specific study. Each year group’s curriculum is revised annually by teachers with guidance from the subject lead. Based on this review, a Priority Action Plan is developed for each class. 

The subject lead make use of the individual teacher’s Priority for Improvement to develop a Whole-School Action Plan which is then implemented and reviewed by the subject lead who is tasked with timely and successful delivery of the Plan. High level monitoring is undertaken by the Headteacher/Executive Head providing senior management input on the overall direction of the Plan. The subject lead carry out periodic review of the Plan through feedback from colleagues and peer review to ensure the Plan’s relevance, reliability and improvements.

Impact:

Children are expected to make good progress in acquiring knowledge and skills in English and as a result achieve well in comparison to national benchmarks. This is reflected in their outcomes at the end of Year 6 and through in year monitoring of their performance. We also assess impact through the confidence in pupil voice and the ease with which they communicate, the range and depth of vocabularies used, evidence in books and regular formal assessments.

Maths

‘Maths is not a spectator sport, it’s not a body of knowledge, it’s not symbols on a page. It’s something you play with, something you do.’  (Keith Devlin)

Intent

We aim to give the children a thorough understanding of mathematical concepts and the confidence to apply skills and knowledge in a variety of situations. There is a strong focus on mental mathematical skills that we can apply to a range of problems.

We employ a practical approach in order to develop a concrete understanding which is needed for progress in mathematics. We try to develop in the children, a positive attitude to this subject by making the learning as interesting and enjoyable as possible.

We aim to develop the use of Maths in other cross curricular subjects. Computing is used to enhance the teaching of mathematics especially through the handling and presenting of data.

At the Junior School we believe that Mathematics helps children to make sense of the world around them through developing their ability to calculate, to reason and to solve problems whilst expressing their reasoning fluently. It enables children to understand and appreciate relationships and patterns in both number and space in their everyday lives. Through their growing knowledge and understanding, children learn to appreciate the contribution made by many cultures to the development and application of mathematics.

Implementation: In every Mathematics lesson we ensure our pupils experience/engage with the concrete, through to the pictorial, through to the symbolic approach to learning. Our schemes of work, the planning, and delivery are based on this approach. The maths activities in every class will offer an open ended approach to questioning (what if?) which gives all pupils the opportunity to explore, ask questions, be creative, problem solve by applying their mathematics to a variety of everyday real life problems with increasing sophistication, including breaking down information into a series of simpler steps and persevering in looking for clues and seeking solutions.

Impact: This approach will improve maths vocabulary and language. Pupils develop accuracy, specificity, problem solving skills and strategies which will lead to improved outcomes in both progress and attainment in mathematics. With lessons that allow all pupils to explore mathematics through the concrete, pictorial and abstract, pupils will become fluent in the fundamentals. With varied and frequent practice, pupils will develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately. As pupil’s knowledge develops, they will also be able to reason mathematically. Pupils will develop a love for mathematics and skills for life as they acquire knowledge that will remain in their long term memory.

We assess impact through pupil voice, evidence in books and regular formal assessments.

Science

‘Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known’. (Carl Sagan)

Intent

Science education provides the foundations for understanding the world.  We aim to develop children’s understanding of the world around them through systematic enquiry, using both first hand and secondary sources as appropriate.

They will be encouraged to ask questions about what they observe, devise experiments to answer these questions and find a variety of ways to communicate this information.

The national curriculum for science reflects the importance of spoken language in pupils’ development across the whole curriculum – cognitively, socially and linguistically (National Curriculum 2013). Therefore, children will be taught to use scientific vocabulary in verbal explanations and taught to spell scientific vocabulary when completing written science work. 

The teaching of science involves the children in practical work through whole class activities, through small group work and individual work.

Science is for everyone! Science inspires children, encouraging them to be inquisitive about the world, nurtures their innate curiosity and enables them to develop a range of skills that are useful across their learning. At St. Mary’s we all champion primary science and want every child to have a positive experience of science throughout their education here.

Working scientifically' involves the processes of science, including understanding the sorts of questions that are the province of science; the design of experiments; reasoning and arguing with scientific evidence; and analysing and interpreting data.

Children will develop independent and group learning skills. They will learn the process of design of their own investigations and take measurements with increasing accuracy. They will become skilled at reading and presenting different types of data and solving problems. They will be able to select the resources and equipment they need, doing this safely through enquiry based teaching and learning methods. Exploring different environments (out of class learning) using scientific vocabulary confidently.

Assessment formative and summative.

At the end each lesson children self-assess learning along with teacher assessment. Each term there is a progress and end of topic test for each unit, which assesses objective from the programmes of study.

Pupils achievements and progress in science is essential at St. Mary’s. The outcomes are used to secure even better science.

Music

‘Music is a more potent instrument than any other for education, because rhythm and harmony find their way into the inward places of the soul.’ (Plato)

Intent

Music has a very special place in our schools and is linked closely to the daily Practise of our Faith. Throughout the day all our pupils are encouraged to sing together whether it be through hymns or sung prayers.

At the Junior School, the children will not only focus on compositional skills and sound experimentation, but will also look at music in a historical context.

Individual and group tuition is offered for a range of instruments and our pupils are given the opportunity to perform publicly throughout the year. For peripatetic music, which can be an important extra strand of a child's formation, lessons are provided by external, vetted teachers.  Parents should approach the school office for private tuition details.

A high priority will be placed on the value of music in our lives and how musical learning is life-long and valuable. Children will receive explicit musical tuition in class groups in Year 4 and 5. All children have the opportunity to take up individual lessons for instruments. Currently on offer are piano, guitar and drums / percussion.

Year 4 children will integrate music into their Nativity Production. Year 6 children will use music and dance in their end-of-year summer production in July.

Implementation: Class teachers will plan and deliver lessons as a whole, and the peripatetic music teacher will  plan and deliver lessons in Year 4 and 5. 

Impact: Children will be assessed through performance and the ability to read and use music at the end of each block of study.

History

 ‘What man is, only history tells.’ (George Mosse)

Intent

Our History curriculum aims to ignite the children’s curiosity about the past in Britain and the wider world. It builds and develops skills such as understanding, enquiry, interpretation and reasoning. The children are encouraged to consider how the past has influenced the present and through this gradually develop an understanding of chronology. During their time in school children are given opportunities to go on educational visits to further develop their understanding of past societies.

At the Junior School children will follow a chronological programme of study that helps them to place historical events in context. Different periods of history will be carefully linked to other areas of study, in particular literacy and geography. The historical topics taught will outline the experiences of people living in the British Isles, and history of other areas of the world will be carefully placed in context. Children will explore :

Implementation: Children will learn historical events in carefully planned lessons that help children to make connections between events and help children to understand the passage of time. They will use external resources including the local history of their town to enrich and deepen understanding. They will be given the opportunity to add to understanding by visiting museums in London and further afield.

Impact:Children will be assessed by presentation and recording of learning, and teachers will interrogate the ability of a child to place historical events in context and to explain their significance.

Standards and quality of children’s learning as evaluated through learning reviews, and knowledge assessments.

Geography

'The study of geography is about more than just memorising places on a map. It's about understanding the complexity of our world, appreciating the diversity of cultures that exists across continents. And in the end, it's about using all that knowledge to help bridge divides and bring people together.' (Barack Obama)

Intent

Our pupils will taught to develop curiosity and knowledge about the world around them. They will learn subject specific vocabulary relating to human and physical geography and begin to use geographical skills, including first-hand observation, to enhance their locational awareness. Children will explore seasonal and daily weather patterns in the United Kingdom; North and South Poles; Mediterranean region; volcanoes and earthquakes; Brazil and environmental studies with through rainforests; water cycles and the geography of the local area. They will be using geographical equipment and study geography through concrete experiences throughout the year. 

 

At the Junior School the children will learn geographical skills that can be used at a local level in the world around them, and to understand secondary sources of information. They will learn the importance of maps and how to read them, and have a good knowledge of the place of their town, country and continent in the world. They will understand that climate plays a part in human experience in different places in the world, and that we all have environmental responsibilities to safeguard the world in which we live. Geographical knowledge will be linked to other disciplines and used to deepen knowledge of history and literature. Children will use technology to deepen understanding of the world. They will also learn about our place in the universe.

Implementation: Children will be taught geography in tandem with history, and all possible links between the two disciplines will be exploited. Children will build on map-making and visualisation skills learned in Key Stage One, and be pushed to use increasingly complicated language to explain their understanding and what they have learned. They will be challenged to use geographical-specific language in learning so that they can explain what they remember.

Impact:Children will be assessed by learning reviews, evidence of learning recorded, and pupil voice. They will be regularly challenged by teachers to explain what they have learned and remembered.

Standards and quality of children’s learning is evaluated through learning reviews, knowledge assessments and their written work.

Computing

'When you learn computing, you are thinking about thinking' (Bill Mitchell)

Intent

At the core of the computing curriculum is Computer Science in which pupils are taught the principles of information and computation, how digital systems work and how to put this knowledge to use through programming. The aspects of computational thinking are taught throughout the curriculum and can be applied to problem solving in mathematics, science and design technology.

The children are taught how to create programs and a range of content to express their understanding and to enhance the learning of others. The children also learn how to be digitally literate, to communicate and collaborate effectively using web tools and to search and interrogate information. Each year group also study a significant individual who has made an impact in the development of computing.

At the heart of our curriculum is the importance of online safety. At our school, we deliver a rigorous online safety programme from Reception to Year 6 which is supported through our involvement in national events such as Safer Internet Day.

Computing is embedded in teaching and learning across the school and supports our home-school partnerships through the MLE and LGfL programmes which are accessible anywhere.

 

At the Junior School children will explore different aspects of computing through specific learning topics that will cover the elements that they need for life in twenty-first-century Britain. They will become increasingly skilled at manipulating the digital world as a tool for learning.

Implementation: Learning will be covered in explicit IT lessons each week on Mondays and Tuesdays, and reinforced by class teachers at other times. Children will revisit aspects of online safety regularly in the rest of the curriculum.

Impact: The IT teacher will assess skills in particular aspects of IT and report back to class teachers and the SLT. Class teachers will observe IT use in other areas of learning and assess through pupil voice and evaluation using different communication technology. 

PE

‘Sports build good habits, confidence, and discipline. They make players into community leaders and teach them how to strive for a goal, handle mistakes, and cherish growth opportunities.’ (Julie Foudy)

Intent

Our PE curriculum promotes teamwork, co-operation, leadership and how to lead a healthy, active lifestyle. Children are provided with opportunities to develop their personal, social, cognitive and physical skills through school sport and our extra-curricular program. Children develop these skills as individuals and as a participant in group and team activities.

We deliver high quality PE lessons that are delivered by specialist coaches as well as teachers, concentrating on Physical Literacy through gymnastics, dance and multi skill activities during curriculum time. Children are provided with the opportunity to use specialist equipment is each lesson. Athletic activities and swimming are experienced at Key Stage 2.

This is complemented by active playtimes and after school extra-curricular activities including dance, cross country, fitness, tennis and football.

Our schools compete in many competitions throughout the year including, athletics, cross-country, swimming, football and netball.

Intent

At St Mary’s Catholic Junior School, we aim to provide a valuable physical education for all children which is delivered by our staff using the ‘Key PE Sports’ programme. Our teachers are committed to engaging pupils and developing their knowledge, skills and capabilities necessary for their mental, emotional, social and physical wellbeing for the future. Our intent is to not only teach children a variety of physical activities and skills and how to be active for a continued period of time but to understand the importance of team work by communicating and cooperating with one another. We also work towards making the children mindful of the importance of fairness and equity through P.E which is a skill that can be embedded for life.

 

Implementation

At St Mary’s the children participate in two PE lessons per week which includes a swimming lesson taught by a qualified swimming instructor. Each class participates in weekly lunch sporting activities delivered by external coaches from various sporting bodies. We also deliver opportunities for all children to participate in extra-curricular activities after school including football, netball, dance and swim squad. Children are given opportunities to engage in competitive sporting activities in our school and in the Croydon Borough.

The children are also encouraged and given the opportunity to take part in the ‘Daily Mile’ every day around the playground.

 

Impact

All children are assessed by their class teacher termly against a set of success criteria. By the end of key stage two children should have acquired fundamental skills, the ability to play competitive games with basic knowledge of attacking and defending, developed their flexibility, strength, technique control and balance through athletics and gymnastics and be able to perform a range of movements through dance. Whilst learning all these skills children are taught the meaning of team work and fair play and the positive effects physical activity can have on our minds and bodies. Children are also assessed by their swimming instructor to measure if they can swim competently and confidently over long distances using a range of strokes effectively. 

Our curriculum aims to progress the children’s fitness and well-being. Our impact is to inspire children to use their skills independently and effectively to enable them to live a healthy and happy lifestyle.

PSHE, Citizenship and British Values

'No one is born a good citizen; no nation is born a democracy. Rather, both are processes that continue to evolve over a lifetime. Young people must be included from birth. A society that cuts off from its youth severs its lifeline.' (Kofi Annan) 

Intent

Personal, social and health education (PSHE) and citizenship enables children to become healthy, independent and responsible members of society.

We encourage our pupils to play a positive role in contributing to the life of the school and the wider community, and teach them what it is to be a British Citizen.

In so doing we help develop their sense of self-worth. We teach them how society is organised and governed. We ensure that they experience the process of democracy in school through the School Council.

The aims of personal, social and health education and citizenship are to enable the children to:

• know and understand what constitutes a healthy lifestyle;
• be aware of safety issues;
• understand what makes for good relationships with others;
• have respect for others;
• be independent and responsible members of the school community;
• be positive and active members of a democratic society;
• develop self-confidence and self-esteem, and make informed choices regarding personal and social issues;
• develop good relationships with other members of the school and the wider community.

  As a Catholic School, this framework will be implemented in the light of our mission statement with Catholicism at the centre of our approach.

 

At the Junior School the intent is to provide a range of resources and guidance in a number of different areas that help each child to grow and develop with the knowledge that he or she requires and the confidence to make good decisions based on the information provided. Teaching is principally led by the class teacher, as first point of contact for all pastoral matters. RE lessons are planned to complement PSHE issues and as a starting point for discussion in a number of areas; in particular emotional development, family life and spiritual knowledge. Science lessons are strategically planned so that learning about health and puberty are matched to biological learning at the same time. PE also provides opportunities for discussion and complement learning about health and fitness.

PSHE learning is also guided by new statutory guidance for RSE.

Implementation: our class teachers ensure that the range of topics for PHSE are completed and that there is no overlapping with other curriculum areas, so that learning is complemented and not doubled. The Senior Leadership Team also have an important role to play in reinforcing some key ideas in assembly time.

Impact: all professionals in the schools continuously monitor children's personal progress and there is an open forum among professionals to highlight successes and to recognise areas that need further support. In the Junior School all staff are mindful of the challenges that children face in the wider world and are responsive to needs as identified in shared assessment time.

Art

‘Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life’ (Pablo Picasso)

Intent

• We believe that creativity, challenge and inspiration are fundamental to the development of every child. Our Art and Design curriculum aims to develop a deep understanding and appreciation of the role creativity has played culturally and historically, through an exploration of key artists and craftsmen through time.

  We provide high quality teaching and learning in drawing, painting and sculpture to enable children to invent and create their own works of art, craft and design. In addition, children will have regular opportunities to explore a wider range of skills and techniques to express ideas creatively across the curriculum

At the Junior School we build on the sound foundation of artistic development from KS1.  Children learn a range of six key disciplines: painting, 3D, collage, printing, drawing and textiles. Each child has the opportunity to practise each of these skills each year. 

Implementation: children study different topics each year that are matched to other learning opportunities, and follow a programme that builds on the skills acquired in the previous years. They are encouraged to reflect on their tasks and to work together to appraise each other and support each other on their learning journey.

Impact: children are assessed in a number of ways:

• the ability to talk about the art that they have produced, what was successful and what they need to do to improve it further
• evaluations of the final, completed piece of art in each learning block
• development of skills by comparison with previous pieces, which when possible are retained
• knowledge of artists in all fields and the ability to speak with confidence about what is special and the influence it has had on artists later.

Design and Technology

Intent

Design and technology is an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject. Using creativity and imagination and practical activities, our pupils will design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values.

At the Junior School we believe that design and technology should be an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject. It encourages children to learn to think and intervene creatively to solve problems both as individuals and as members of a team.  We encourage children to use their creativity and imagination, to design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values.

Implementation: Through a variety of creative and practical activities, we teach the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in the process of designing and making. The children work in a range of relevant contexts (for example home, school, leisure, culture, enterprise, industry and the wider environment).

When designing and making, the children are taught to:

Design
• use research and develop design criteria to inform the design of innovative, functional, appealing       products that are fit for purpose, aimed at particular individuals or groups
• generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through discussion, annotated sketches, cross-sectional diagrams, prototypes, pattern pieces and computer-aided design
Make
• select from and use a wider range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks (for example, cutting, shaping, joining and finishing) accurately
• select from and use a wider range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their functional properties and aesthetic qualities
Evaluate
• investigate and analyse a range of existing products
• evaluate their ideas and products against their own design criteria and consider the views of others to improve their work
• understand how key events and individuals in design and technology have helped shape the world
Technical knowledge
• apply their understanding of how to strengthen, stiffen and reinforce more complex structures
• understand and use mechanical systems in their products
• understand and use electrical systems in their products
• apply their understanding of computing to program, monitor and control their products

Key skills and key knowledge for Design and Technology have been mapped across the school to ensure progression between year groups. This also ensures that there is a context for the children’s work in Design and Technology; that they learn about real life structures and the purpose of specific examples, as well as developing their skills throughout the programme of study.

Impact: We ensure the children:
• develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world
• build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high-         quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users and critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and the work of others
• understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook. Children will design and make a range of products. Pupils are expected to produce their best finish in all design and activities that is appropriate to their age and ability.

Learning is assessed through pupil voice, making and feedback and formal end of block assessments.

Modern Foreign Languages

Intent

In the Junior School, French is taught to all the children. We believe that the process of learning an additional language has a positive impact on language development in general. Children learn basic communication skills in Key Stage Two, so that they can interact with francophones. In Years 3 and 4 this begins with learning about how different languages are spoken and the physical demands of different sounds. Children learn basic greetings, number skills, colours and about food. In Years 5 and 6 the children take this further and learn decoding skills and how to translate simple texts. The older children also learn about aspects of french culture and the francophone world.

Implementation: through weekly lessons children gradually build a depth of vocabulary and experiences. Children use lots of different prompts for learning including repetition and rhyme, and learn simple songs. All children retain language learning in a portfolio.

Impact: recognising that there are several communities in our schools that are french-speaking, we expect all children to leave the Junior School with the ability to communicate with them, and to be able to use their knowledge when travelling in the wider world.

If you require any additional information regarding your child's curriculum please speak to your child's class teacher.

Remote Education Provision

In times when children cannot attend school (for example, if the DFE advises that schools close, or in the event of extreme weather), learning will be provided via our school's learning platform Fronter, facilitated by itslearning. All children learn how to use this platform in Computing lessons.

In situations where children cannot access their area of the platform, key learning can be posted to the school website until service is restored.

The Senior Leadership Team will make judgements about the loan of laptops during prolonged periods of remote learning and allocate devices accordingly, following a user loan agreement signed by parents.