Curriculum Intent, Implementation and Impact.
St John’s Curriculum Policy
Aim
A learner at St John’s follows an exciting and innovative curriculum that reflects the Christian ethos of our school. Our curriculum is accessible to all and we aim to enable all children to reach their full potential academically, socially and spiritually.
Intent
At St John’s, we intend to provide an ambitious curriculum delivered through topics which meet the requirements of the 2014 primary National Curriculum. We have six values that are woven into all aspects of school life. Responsibility, caring, resilience, forgiveness, honesty and achievement. They are embedded into our curriculum and referred to both explicitly and implicitly throughout the school day. Our values relate to three key areas, aspiration, well-being and global citizenship that are all important aspects of modern life. We believe these allow our children to grow into aspiring, balanced adults that have an understanding of the world that we live in. Elements of Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development are highlighted in every subject that is taught. We work closely with St John’s Church and have regular assemblies with our Vicar. Religious Education is important to us and we follow the Essex syllabus which teaches children about Christianity and other important world religions. Our school is situated on the fringes of London and next to Epping forest and It is important to us that our school reflects the needs and interests of the children that live here. We care for the whole child and aim to provide them with everything they need to become happy and responsible citizens.
Implementation
We use a variety of teaching and learning styles in our lessons. We believe in whole-class teaching methods and we combine these with enquiry-based research activities. We encourage children to ask and answer questions. Resources for subjects are shared throughout the school and are regularly updated, we have chrome books and computers for all year groups that are used to access a variety of resources.
Differentiation
We recognise the fact that there are children of different abilities in all classes and we provide suitable learning opportunities for all children and we ensure that every child is appropriately challenged. We achieve this in a variety of ways such as setting common tasks which are open-ended and can have a variety of responses, setting progressive tasks of increasing difficulty as well as providing support materials to enable all children to access tasks set. Targeted questioning is used to develop thinking and reasoning skills required to make links and deepen their knowledge and understanding across the curriculum.
Impact
Education is valued at St John’s. Books show the progression of work throughout the years. Displays for each subject showcase the teaching and learning taking place. Children are able to use key vocabulary to make comments about their learning. High engagement in lessons allows for positive behaviour throughout the school, which is reinforced by all members of our community. Children work together in class and outside to develop collaborative and social skills. They are encouraged to make mistakes and build resilience to gain the confidence and skills needed in life.
A St John’s learner is equipped with the skills they need to move on to the next stage of their education and life.
Click on the links below to view individual foundation subject skill progression documents.
Science Skills Progression (Knowledge)
Science Skills Progression (Working scientifically)