INTENT

Heatherside Junior School believes that Physical Education (PE), experienced in a safe and supportive environment, is essential to ensure children attain optimum physical and emotional development and good health. We intend to deliver high-quality teaching and learning opportunities that inspire all children to succeed in physical education and in developing life skills. We want to teach children skills to keep them safe such as being able to swim.  We also want to teach children how to cooperate and collaborate with others as part of an effective team, understanding fairness and a sense of play to embed life-long values. Our curriculum aims to improve the wellbeing and fitness of all children at Heatherside, not only through the sporting skills taught, but through the underpinning values and disciplines PE promotes.

• PE at Heatherside Junior School provides challenging and enjoyable learning through a range of sporting activities including; invasion games, net & wall games, strike and field games, gymnastics, dance, swimming and outdoor & adventure.
• The long term plan sets out the PE units which are to be taught throughout the year and ensures that the requirements of the National Curriculum are fully met.
• Pupils participate in two high quality PE lessons each week, covering two sporting disciplines every half term. In addition, children are encouraged to participate in the varied range of extra-curricular activities. Lunch time sports clubs are available every day and children can attend after school sport clubs which are available four evenings per week.
• Children are invited to attend competitive sporting events within the local area. This is an inclusive approach which endeavours to encourage not only physical development but also mental well-being. These events also develop teamwork and leadership skills and are very much enjoyed by the children.
• Each year, all Year 6 children are invited to become Young Leaders for the school. They develop into sporting role models for the younger children, assisting with lunch-time activities. In addition, a small number of Year 6 children are voted in as House Captains and assist in our annual Sports day and any other Sporting activities.
• Children participate in workshops covering a variety of outdoor and adventure through Forest Schools, again providing the children with an opportunity to develop, improve their fitness and to try something new.
• All children in Year 5 swim once a week for 6 weeks during the Spring Term. 
• The children are given daily active brain breaks which contributes to 60 active minutes a day.
• We regularly collect feedback from the children using student conferencing and make changes accordingly.

IMPACT

We help motivate children to participate in a variety of sports through quality teaching that is engaging and fun. From our lessons, our children learn to take responsibility for their own health and fitness, many of whom also enjoy the success of competitive sports. We impart good health habits, including a positive attitude toward regular physical activity, which are likely to carry over into adult life. We also ensure that children are aware of the many benefits physical activity can have on their mental health and wellbeing.

 

INTENT

Our aim is to deliver a high-quality Modern Foreign Languages education with a focus on French. We hope to engage children in language learning using a variety of approaches that inspire the children to use the language first, before learning to write it.  We want our children to become confident language learners through using games, projects, songs, stories and creative sessions alongside more traditional language methods.  Through this approach, we also take the opportunity to look at cultural similarities and differences and intend for our children to appreciate the traditions and characteristics of cultures around the world.

IMPLEMENTATION

French is taught during PPA time with a designated French teacher. With a view to further embedding the use of language across the school, we also encourage children to use French around the school and try to incorporate simple classroom phrases and admin tasks in French during every school day. 

Structure of the lessons:

Each lesson begins with an opportunity to rehearse general greetings in French.  This builds across the key stage as the children become more familiar with the language and are able to ask and answer a wider variety of questions. The main focus or learning intention for the lesson then follows, with a variety of tasks that scaffold or support children’s learning.  Year 3 and 4 first learn to use the language through speech, games and songs, with a little focus on simple recording.  Year 5 and 6 continue this but also use more formal written recording, progressing on to understanding simple grammar and sentence structure.

We use both incidental and planned opportunities to develop children’s awareness and appreciation of different cultures.  This may be a simple discussion around an aspect they have learned, for example how a particular religious festival is celebrated, or through a purposely planned unit of work. We regularly discuss the use of languages within a country and how many different languages can permeate elements of English.

IMPACT

The children at Heatherside Junior School are confident, inquisitive language learners.  They are keen to understand the roots of French (and other modern foreign languages) and will ask questions to clarify their understanding of what they are learning.  They also frequently make comparisons between French and other langauges.  Children can often be heard trying to use French around the school, for example when ordering their meal choices for lunchtime or greeting their teacher in the morning.  EAL children are encouraged to use their first language to develop their understanding and those who currently attend the school are really enthusiastic about sharing their home language with their peers.

INTENT

Design and technology prepares children to take part in the development of tomorrow’s rapidly changing world.  Therefore, we want the pupils at Heatherside Junior School to develop their imagination, their critical thinking and their understanding of the world around them through their love of Design and Technology. We aim to enable children to become autonomous and keen problem-solvers, both as individuals and as part of a team. By engaging in design and technology, children will learn how to think and plan in a logical sequence to overcome problems and find possible solutions. Our broad curriculum allows pupils to use their ideas and imagination to design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others' needs and values; making links and connections between subjects including S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths).  We evaluate past and present design technology and the ways these have influenced modern society. The pupils are taught to combine their designing and making skills with knowledge and understanding in order to design and make a product. Our Growth Mindset approach at Heatherside is especially relevant to the DT curriculum, where mistakes and failures are sometimes necessary aspects of a design process.

The national curriculum for design and technology aims to ensure that all pupils:

• 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
• 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

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 in the five main domains: textiles, cooking and nutrition, mechanisms, electrical control and structures. Pupils design and make innovative, high-quality products with a clear purpose in mind and an intended user of the products. Design and Technology is planned as a discrete subject but, wherever possible, we make links with other topics being taught. Sometimes we may deliver design and technology in longer blocked sessions or in a condensed two or three-day timeframe to give greater coherence to pupils’ learning and enable ongoing modifications and improvements to be made. 

Using the National Curriculum as a basis for our planning, our DT units across the school provide children with opportunities to learn and develop a range of skills through the Design, Make and Evaluate approach. Our progression of skills is used to help children acquire, use and then apply practical knowledge and skills to projects which include electrical components, moving mechanisms, computer-aided design and textiles.  They will also learn about the importance of a healthy diet, where food comes from and how to prepare it.  

Design and Technology also embeds our Heatherside Junior School learning values. It is an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject, requiring collaboration, independence, thinking, creativity, reflection, curiosity as well as collaboration. Pupils design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts. It is cross - curricular and draws upon subject knowledge and skills in other subjects. Children learn to take risks, be reflective, be innovative and resilient. Through the evaluation of past and present technology, they can reflect upon the impact of Design Technology on everyday life and the wider world.

In addition to our DT curriculum, we provide a range of additional opportunities for children to develop and use their DT skills. These include Mix-Up Mornings where children take part in a challenge task, theme Weeks/Days, family Afternoons and homework activities.  The school also has a Children’s Kitchen and through the support of parent helpers, offers all children the chance to cook three times a year additional to the National Curriculum expectations.

IMPACT

By the time pupils leave Heatherside Junior School, they will have:

• An excellent attitude towards learning and independent working.
• The ability to use time efficiently and work constructively and productively with others.
• The ability to carry out thorough research, show initiative and ask questions to develop a detailed knowledge of users’ needs.
• The ability to act as responsible designers and makers, working ethically, using a range of materials carefully and working safely.
• A thorough knowledge of which tools, equipment and materials to use to make their products.
• The ability to apply mathematical knowledge and skills accurately.
• The ability to manage risks, be resourceful, innovative and enterprising to manufacture products safely and hygienically.
• A passion for the subject

Assessment of pupil's learning in Design and Technology takes the form of ongoing monitoring of pupil's understanding, knowledge and skills built into lessons by the class teacher. Summative assessment is conducted termly by class teachers across each year group using Design and Technology objectives set out in the National Curriculum and key skills highlighted in our Heatherside Junior School Assessment document.  The children collate all their DT work in their DT project files which go through the school with them.

Also, the assessment process is aimed at targeting next steps in learning as well as informing the subject leader of progress and knowledge still to be embedded as well as future training requirements for staff. Design and Technology is also monitored by the subject leader throughout the year in the form of collection of evidence (photos and scans), book monitoring, looking at outcomes measured against age-based progression and pupil conferencing. This tangible evidence aids understanding and establishes the impact of the teaching taking place. The impact of using the full range of tools and resources, will be seen across the school with an increase in the profile of Design and Technology.

INTENT

Our aim is to deliver a high-quality music education that will engage and inspire our children to develop their love of music and their talent as musicians.  We aim for children to develop a good understanding of what music is through listening, singing, playing, evaluating, analysing and composing across a wide variety of historical periods, styles and musical genres.  We intend children to develop transferable skills such as team-working, leadership, creative thinking, problem-solving, decision-making and performance skills that are vital to their development as learners and can have a wider application in their lives outside school.

IMPLEMENTATION

Our music curriculum comprises five key strands; performing, listening, composing, the history of music and the inter-related dimensions of music.  These strands are interwoven into cross-curricular units of work that are taught throughout the school.  The music curriculum ensures children sing, listen, play, perform and evaluate. This is embedded in the classroom activities as well as our weekly singing assembly, choir, recorder club, various concerts and performances and the learning of instruments. 

Music is taught on PPA afternoons by a music specialist.  In Y3 and Y4, each class has three one-hour music lessons over a four-week period.  In Y5 and Y6, each class has a two-hour music lesson, every three weeks.  In each lesson, children actively participate in musical activities drawn from a range of styles and traditions, developing their musical skills and their understanding of how music works.  Lessons incorporate a range of teaching strategies from independent tasks, paired and group work as well as improvisation and teacher-led performances.

The dimensions of music are taught in classroom lessons so that children are able to use some of the language of music to dissect it, and understand how it is made, played, appreciated and analysed.  In the classroom, children learn to play a variety of untuned and tuned percussion instruments.  Playing instruments enables children to use a range of methods to create notes, as well as how to read basic music notation. They also learn how to compose, focusing on different dimensions of music. Where appropriate, children use music apps to compose and perform.  Composing or performing using body percussion and vocal sounds is also part of the curriculum, which develops the understanding of musical elements without the added complexity of an instrument.

IMPACT

Children at Heatherside will be confident performers, composers and listeners and will be able to express themselves musically.  They will show an appreciation and respect for a wide range of musical styles and will understand how music is influenced by the cultural, social and historical contexts in which it is developed.  Children will understand the ways in which music can be written down to support performing and composing activities.  They will demonstrate an enthusiasm for music and be able to identify their own personal musical preferences.

Intent:

The National Curriculum for Science at Key Stage 2 enables pupils to:

• Develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics;
• Develop understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science through different types of science enquiries that help them to answer scientific questions about the world around them;
• Assimilate the scientific knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future.

At Heatherside, we believe Science is a core part of any child’s learning journey: Science holds the key to unlocking a lifelong curiosity and wonderment about the world around us.  Pupils are encouraged to be curious, ask questions about what they observe and will be helped to understand scientific ideas and phenomena by using different types of enquiry to answer their own questions.

 

We want to support out children to:

Develop scientific knowledge through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics.

Develop conceptual understanding through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics.

Develop understanding of the process and methods of science through different types of science enquiries that help children to answer scientific questions about the world around them.

Be equipped with the scientific knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of science today and for the future.

Implementation

Science is taught weekly with a key idea/question investigated within each unit. Scientific knowledge and skills are taught in conjunction with each other. Where possible, children are given the opportunity to link their learning to mathematics through the use of measurement and statistics.

Our Science Curriculum is sequenced coherently so useful knowledge and skills builds through the three distinct disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics, ensuring both the children’s substantive (scientific) and disciplinary (skills) knowledge are built upon in unison. The National Curriculum is broken into units of work which are then shared between year groups. Each year group plan their own science lessons using the progression of skills document to determine specific learning objectives, build upon prior knowledge and ensure a complete coverage of the curriculum.

Whilst all disciplinary skills are taught from Year 3 onwards, our planning and teaching allows pupils to become more confident when using these because they are embedded within lessons. Repeated exposure will allow children the opportunity to demonstrate increased independence by the time they reach Years 5 and 6. The same approach is taken with the use of scientific language so that pupils become familiar with the necessary vocabulary and can use it accurately before moving onto KS3. This learning is supported through the use of widgits, word banks and working walls.

Impact

Through the successful teaching of science at Heatherside Junior School, our approach results in fun, engaging and a high-quality science education, which provides children with the foundations to understand the world.

In order to assess the success of the curriculum, pupils will be able to demonstrate their learning through the use of pupil voice, carefully planned assessment tasks and book monitoring.

In order to demonstrate that we have accomplished our aims, pupils should:

• Be able to question ideas and reflect on their existing knowledge.
• Make links between different areas of science and other subject areas
• Demonstrate that they are becoming increasingly independent when instigating their own scientific questions and interpreting their findings
• Show confidence to use and explain scientific vocabulary.
• Transition to the next stage of their education with a keen interest in the continued learning of this subject.

Contribution to SMSC and British Values:

• Enabling a better understanding of meaning and purpose in natural and physical phenomena.
• Promoting an interest in all living things: from the smallest micro-organism to the largest mammals and plants.
• Creating a curiosity about materials, forces, space and the beauty in natural objects.
• Encouraging an open-minded approach to others’ ideas, and an ability to draw conclusions based on evidence rather than personal views.
• Considering the environment, the use of natural resources, and the effect on the future of the planet and its inhabitants.
• Discussions and practical activities in groups which encourages team work and taking roles of responsibility.
• Making links with discoveries in the past and work being carried out for our future.
• Exploring discoveries and contributions made by men and women across the world in all countries and cultures.

INTENT

Within an ever changing and technological world, Heatherside Junior School understands and values the importance of teaching Computing from a young age. We acknowledge that future generations will rely heavily on their computational confidence and digital skills in order to support their progress within their chosen career paths. Therefore, our aim is to give children a wide experience of using different digital devices for a range of purposes in order to develop their skills, which can then be transferred to Maths, Science and DT. We intend to develop digitally literate children who are able to use, express themselves and develop their ideas through information and communication technology. Through our curriculum, we intend the children to be active and safe participants in the digital world.

IMPLEMENTATION

In order to achieve the outlined intentions, the Computing curriculum is continuously reviewed through monitoring and evaluation by the Subject Leader and Senior Leadership Team.  The computing curriculum is taught as three strands, which support each other and also the use of technology in other curriculum areas. These three strands are: digital literacy, online safety and programming.

Each class has access to CHQ (the computer suite) weekly. There are enough computers for all children to work independently. In addition to this, extra time can be spent by using the laptops or iPads which are signed out in advance on weekly timetables.

Each hour-long computing lesson will cover one of the three strands, and have a learning objective to be covered during that session. These will follow progression across a unit, which usually lasts for 4-6 weeks, and across the academic year.

Year group teachers plan their own Computing lessons, using the Long Term overview and progression of skills document (which is based upon the national Curriculum objectives) to determine the specific learning objectives for each unit. The progression of skills document, written by the subject lead, has been devised to ensure that all children have an opportunity to develop their skills throughout their time in KS2 and that they cover each of the three strands every year.

Digital literacy includes effective use of word processing software (usually Microsoft Word), presentation software (usually Microsoft Powerpoint) and spreadsheet software (usually Microsoft Excel). Proficiency is attained through using these programs in every year group. Programs available on the Internet, and apps on the school iPads are also used so that children have a wide range of experiences.

Coding is developed through different programming languages: Logo for Year 3 and 4, Scratch for Years 3-6, Flowol for Year 5 and 6. Children learn general programming skills such as using repeat and variables, and see how these are similar and different with different programming languages.

We use the ProjectEVOLVE toolkit to teach our online safety curriculum every half term. These objectives may be covered within the computing slot or as part of cross-curriculum units such as PSHE. At Heatherside we know that online technologies are constantly changing. Therefore, it is important that we support and help educate parents in keeping children safe online. To do this, we offer a range of useful resources such as newsletters, information meetings and useful websites.

IMPACT

The success of the curriculum itself will be assessed through pupil voice and end of topic tasks which are planned into each unit, or assessments on skills or knowledge. These may be taken from the Teach Computing resources.

In order to demonstrate that we have accomplished our aims, pupils at Heatherside Junior School should:

• Be logical thinkers, able to solve problems within computing and continue these skills into other curriculum areas.
• Be able to identify the source of problems and work with perseverance to ‘debug’ or resolve them themselves. 
• Have useable digital literacy skills such as typing, saving documents, retrieving documents and sorting folders, which they use in all subject areas that involve the use of computers.
• Be proficient, safe and responsible digital citizens of the future.
• Transition to secondary school with a keen interest in the continued learning of this subject for the next stage of education and future careers.

 

INTENT

Learning about History at Heatherside encourages our children to ask questions and relate their historical knowledge to the world in which they live. We aim to inspire children to be keen historians for life, examining a range of evidence critically and evaluating how it has changed our interpretations of the past. By linking their learning to a range of topics, children have opportunities to investigate and interpret the past, understand chronology and build an overview of Britain’s past as well as that of the wider world.  As well as developing their knowledge and understanding of people, events and contexts, children develop their ability to think critically about history and communicate ideas confidently for a range of purposes. They are encouraged to think, reflect, debate, discuss and evaluate the past by formulating and refining questions and lines of enquiry.

IMPLEMENTATION

At Heatherside, enquiry-based learning is at the heart of our History curriculum. There is a clear progression of historical skills and knowledge across the school as outlined in our progression of skills documentation. All topics begin with an exciting hook to entice and motivate children to learn as a historian. Children are then supported to collect and interpret information in a range of ways before concluding their findings by creating a final project. Through the topics, children are encouraged to place historical events on a timeline, and we have recently designed and installed a custom-made timeline across our stairwells to embed the idea of chronology, overlap and duration across the school. This includes many elements of the children’s learning at KS1 and KS2, as well as a local history thread. Our library is a valuable resource in fostering a love of history where the children can be signposted towards historical fiction, fostering further opportunities for breadth in their historical experiences and allowing them to evaluate whether historical events are portrayed accurately. We have a rich programme of trips, visitors, drama and immersive experiences to add depth to the children’s historical understanding, and we use a variety of artefacts to provide opportunities to ask questions and consider the concepts of change and continuity. We have a whole school History Week every other summer term in which the children study the history of our local area through a “History Mystery”. In Y3/4, the children look at the history of their local county through the study of the Mary Rose. In Y5/6, the children delve deeper into their skills as a historian by examining a range of sources such as maps, census returns and newspaper to consider the possible reasons for the demolition of Dinorben Court, which was located across the road from our school’s current location.  The children’s history books move with them throughout the school. This enables them to reflect on their previous learning and to consider how there may be links and connections between different areas of their studies. Each topic includes a “bridging lesson” which is structured to help the children to draw out these connections and differences, both in terms of the historical knowledge and the skills they are developing.

IMPACT

Children at Heatherside will be enthusiastic historians, and relish the many and varied opportunities to find out about the past. They will be well prepared for a future of asking questions, evaluating evidence and understanding that people have good reasons for a different point of view. They will be reflective learners and confident communicators, and they will continue to learn for life.

INTENT

Our aim is to deliver a high-quality geography curriculum that inspires a curiosity and fascination in the children about the world and its people.   We intend to equip children with knowledge about diverse people and places as well as natural and human environments. Pupils will develop understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes.

IMPLEMENTATION

Our geography curriculum comprises four key strands; locational knowledge, place knowledge, human and physical geography and geographical skills and field work. These strands are interwoven into units of work taught throughout the school. Children develop their geographical vocabulary as they study these units.

Each year group plan their own units of work using the Progression of Skills document to ensure National Curriculum coverage and appropriate advancement of knowledge and skills as the children move up through the school.

There is a considerable emphasis on investigative and practical skills to provide the children with first-hand learning experiences. Pupils undertake fieldwork activities that utilise the local area and give the children experience of learning outside of the classroom.

The children use a combination of digital and physical maps and atlases to develop their map skills. They develop an understanding that both physical and human aspects of geography are constantly evolving.

Where practical and possible, children’s written work is completed in their geography book. As pupils move up through the school, their geography book moves with them. This helps the children to build more explicitly on previous learning and adds continuity to the learning journey.

IMPACT

Children at Heatherside Junior School will be inquisitive learners. They will develop a curiosity and interest in the world that will stay with them long after they leave our school. Children will be able to apply their investigative skills and locational knowledge to other curriculum areas. They will become conscientious members of the community with an understanding of how their actions can impact on the environment.