Cupernham Junior School
Curriculum
Curriculum Overviews
Our Curriculum
At Cupernham Junior School, our curriculum aims to help all of our children to ‘Dream, Believe, Achieve’ across the wide range of opportunities that the school presents to them. We aim to ensure that every child grows and flourishes; we know that happy, confident children with a strong sense of self-worth are more likely to grow into happy, confident adults. We have excellent relationships within the school and work tirelessly to ensure that all children’s personal needs are met.
We aim to help the children develop the knowledge and attributes they need to be effective learners and develop a strong work ethic, including on areas that may be potential barriers to their success. We put a strong emphasis on all children developing the social skills, learning attributes and attitudes they will need to be successful. We use Building Learning Power to develop these learning attributes and support children’s understanding of their personal learning strengths.
Our curriculum is broad and balanced to provide rich and memorable learning experiences. We want our curriculum to ensure that every child has the knowledge, understanding and skills to achieve well in their next school and beyond. We seek to develop the children’s aspirations and ensure that all children are successful and achieve highly in a wider range of areas. The curriculum is structured to promote progression and develop knowledge and skills in each curriculum area which reinforce and complement each other.
We deliver our curriculum through subject areas. We want to develop the future designers, artists, geographers etc so it is important that children develop a strong understanding of the subjects and their uniqueness over time. Where appropriate, links are made to enhance the learning and enable learners to make purposeful connections across subject areas. Trips, visitors, special days and weeks are all used to enhance the curriculum and child’s engagement.
All aspects of our curriculum are accessible to all children, irrespective of their ethnic background, gender, disability, religious or linguistic background. We strive hard to meet the needs of all children, including those pupils with special educational needs, those with disabilities, those with higher attainment and the children who are learning English as an additional language.
Our curriculum design acknowledges:
- The core vision and values of the school by being broad and balanced and developing the whole child
- That children need to be taught the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to be successful learners across the curriculum subjects in a progressive way
- That children need to be taught how to be effective learners - we do this through developing their Building Learning Power
- The importance of the children’s personal and social development, including learning how to make reasoned decisions and knowing how to stay safe
If you have any further questions surrounding our school curriculum, please contact the school office.
The Curriculum at Cupernham Junior School
Learning to be a successful learner
Every child has a right to learn and develop their ability to be a successful learner. Our children are taught skills that support them to be successful learners in school and also set them up with the right attributes and work ethic for the future. We use Building Learning Power to structure this learning development.
Curriculum Enhancement
Curriculum Enhancement and Carousel
To achieve their full potential, we recognise that children learn best when they are enjoying a range of learning experiences. This is achieved through visits/visitors, residential trips and other outdoor learning experiences which provides our children with an exciting, challenging and memorable experiences.
The weekly Carousel activities enable the children to learn with others across different classes and age ranges. This increases the opportunities children have for choice as well as experiences. These experiences are linked to Building Learning Power or special events across the year e.g Anti -Bullying Week, Diwali etc.
Special days and weeks
Some aspects of the curriculum are delivered or enriched through focus days. The normal timetable is adjusted and activities are focused on a key theme. For example, grounds afternoons, national and international weeks and World Book Day
Extended School Opportunities
The school participates in a variety of sports festivals and we also offer a range of sports children to participate in before and after school. The school also has a strong musical offer, with a large number of instruments that can be learned at school.
Key Stage 2 National Curriculum
The National Curriculum is statutory for all pupils from Year 1 upwards. This consists of the core subjects of English, Maths and Science and foundation subjects (PE, History, Geography, Art, DT, Computing and Music). Our Modern Foreign Language is French. As part of the music curriculum children will learn a music instrument through the ‘Listen to me’ scheme.
A useful link for parents on the National Curriculum is: https://www.gov.uk/national-curriculum
Religious Education
As a Hampshire school our RE teaching is taught through ‘living difference’. There is teaching and learning about Christianity and about other faiths and promote respect and sensitivity towards those with beliefs different from our own.
We hope that all children will participate in the religious education and worship at the school. However, we respect the parent’s rights to withdraw their child from this part of school life. Such requests should be discussed with the headteacher.
Physical Education
Physical Education is promoted well from within school through lessons and competitions. In our Physical Education lessons, we cover the following areas: gymnastics, dance, games, athletics and swimming. As we have a swimming pool, children form all year groups will be taught swimming annually. Being inclusive to all, where possible every child has the opportunity to attend at least one sports festival each school year. Physical fitness is also promoted at lunchtime through the daily mile and activities led by sports leaders.
French
Children have weekly French lessons taught by Madame De Zoysa from Year 3 through to Year 6.
Personal Social and Health Education and Relationship and Sex Education
Please see the separate part of the website for information on the schools Personal Social and Health Education and Relationship and Sex Education curriculum.
Curriculum Aims, Intent & Impact
Teaching Intentions
An inclusive culture
Every teacher will value and celebrate each individual and recognise personal strengths and talents. Every child will receive the support and challenge that will enable them to thrive and make progress.
Personal best and high expectations
Everyone will strive to do their best and produce learning of a high standard. Everyone will model high standards of personal and professional behaviour. It is expected that everyone will work hard.
Focused lessons and reflective feedback
We use learning objectives and success criteria to focus our lessons. Children are taught to self-evaluate their success and recognise the personal responsibility they have for their learning.
Evidence informed practice
Our teaching will be rooted in research. Teachers will use professional enquiry and coaching to enhance their teaching skills and strategies to raise standards across the curriculum.
Preparation for future citizenship
Our curriculum equips the children with the knowledge and skills they will need to succeed in the future. This helps children aspire and believe that their personal strengths will be valued in their future. They will also acquire knowledge beyond the national curriculum to develop essential skills for life.
Organisation
Our curriculum is broad and balanced and aims to provide rich and memorable learning experiences. Our curriculum is predominately based on discrete subject specific work taught as ‘stand-alone’ units of learning but where meaningful links can be made that add value, they are. The curriculum is structured to promote progression and develop knowledge, understanding and skills in each curriculum area. The planned progression is carefully mapped and reviewed annually. Topic hooks are used regularly to stimulate discussion and create awe, wonder and curiosity in the children. Where possible, learning will be ‘first hand’. Some aspects of the curriculum are also enhanced through focus days and weeks.
Carefully chosen reading texts are used to provide sufficient challenge, hook the children in and engage them in their learning. Writing is linked to the keys texts and occasionally subjects that are leading the topic. A fluency, reasoning and problem-solving approach is taken in the teaching of maths. This is supported by the use of concrete apparatus, pictorial representations and abstract concepts to secure mathematical understanding. Science is taught through a problem-solving model, so that knowledge and understanding is applied in investigations, where working scientifically knowledge is taught.
Each foundation subject has identified aims and progression of key knowledge and understanding for each year group. Knowledge and understanding is reinforced through the development of key skills.
Impact and Evolution
Impact
High standards
Children attain highly in all subjects, enabling them to be ready for the next year group and transition to secondary school. All children will be literate and numerate.
Awareness of self
Children will be able to articulate their own personal, academic and artistic strengths, as well as the areas that they will need to continue to work hard at.
Essential learning aptitudes
Children will have developed resilience, resourcefulness, the ability to reflect and the skills to work both individually and collaboratively.
Awareness and understanding of others
Children will have developed an understanding and acceptance of others, including those of different cultures, as well as an understanding of social justice and human rights.
Self-confidence and aspirations
Children will have strong self-confidence, a can-do attitude and aspirations for their futures. They are able to identify how their personal strengths will be valued in the work place.
Evaluation
Qualitative
We use observations, discussions and feedback from a range of sources including pupil and parent voice.
Formative
Through a mixture of day-to-day and week-by-week feedback and assessment.
Summative
Using key benchmarks and formal assessments that capture achievement and progress at key points throughout the year.
Core Subjects