Curriculum Gallery (ID 1018)

• Art
  Art

  “Creativity is contagious, pass it on” – Albert Einstein
  
  

  The National Curriculum for Art and Design in KS2 aims to ensure that all pupils:

  • develop their techniques, including their control and their use of materials, with creativity, experimentation and an increasing awareness of different kinds of art, craft and design.

  • create sketch books to record their observations and use them to review and revisit ideas

  • improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing, painting and sculpture with a range of materials [for example, pencil, charcoal, paint, clay]

  • know about great artists, architects and designers in history.

   

  At Reedings Junior School, we value Art, Craft and Design as an important part of the children’s entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum. We believe that Art Craft and Design provides significant opportunities to develop our children’s ability to explore their own self, their creativity as well as express their interests, thoughts, ideas and emotions

  The teaching and implementation of the Art and Design Curriculum at Reedings Junior School is based on the National Curriculum and is monitored to ensure a well-structured approach to this creative subject. It is taught by class teachers weekly as a discrete subject but it is often linked to another areas of the curriculum.

  Our curriculum allows the children to:

  • develop, refine and subsequently apply their understanding and skills in different contexts through the use of sketchbooks

  • develop their understanding of the visual elements of art and design (line, tone, texture, colour, pattern, shape, 3D form)

  • explore different art forms through drawing, painting, sculpture, printing, collage and digital art *

  • work both individually and collaboratively with others on a variety of scales

  • evaluate their own work, the work of their peers and the work of local, national and international artists both past and present

  • understand how art reflects and shapes our history, and contributes to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation

   

  The work of local, national and international crafts people, designers, and artists are interwoven through the curriculum and are explored to enhance the children's learning and understanding of art materials, mark making, media and styles. Pupils use sketch books to record their observations and use them to review and revisit ideas, embarking on a sketchbook journey which grows and develops as they move through the school and beyond.
  
  The skills and knowledge that children will develop throughout each art topic are mapped across each year group and throughout the school to ensure progression. Equally, staff have worked with teachers from Fawbert and Barnard to ensure progression moves across from KS1 and into our curriculum.
  
  

  Trips and visitors are encouraged to widen the children’s view of the world and perspectives of art. The curriculum also makes links to how art can provide career opportunities in many different fields.

  * Textiles is taught within our Design and Technology curriculum

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• Computing
  Computing

  Computing At Reedings, we follow the National Computing Curriculum for Education (NCCE) by Teach Computing, which provides a creative and challenging approach that is fully aligned with the 2014 National Curriculum for Computing. The curriculum has been built around an innovative progressive framework. We currently have a subscription to Purple Mash, which allows for continuity from Fawbert and Barnard. Our curriculum builds on skills taught throughout Key Stage One, and transfers skills between different computing programs throughout the Google apps, along with specific sites to develop skills. For example, our Computer Science element revisits and builds upon their use of BeeBots, and transfers these skills to Scratch before progressing to physical computing software such as Crumble Kits and Micro:bits. It is our hope that the children at Reedings will be inspired by the different areas of the Computing world and enhance their skills and career choices as they grow and develop. We are constantly growing our range of devices in school, and currently use iPads, laptops and chrome books. As interactions and relationships are increasing online, teaching the safe and respectful use of technology is paramount and is embedded across the curriculum. Children currently have one hour of dedicated Computing teaching time a week, and their skills are also used across the curriculum in different areas. As we look to grow our bank of chrome books, we aim to increase the time dedicated to enhancing and developing their skills and achievements. It is our aim that all children will be digitally literate and able to use and develop their ideas through technology – we want to ensure they are all active participants in a digital world.

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• English
  English

  English

  English is an essential part of children’s learning. It enables children to understand,  express ideas and convey information effectively, both in spoken and written forms. The widening of children’s understanding of language and communications supports empowering children, exciting their imagination, and widening their worlds.

  The teaching of English includes: spoken language, reading and writing.

  Reading

  Reedings is committed to improving our children’s literacy and understands the importance of reading for pleasure.  The National Curriculum states that reading feeds pupils’ imagination and opens up a treasure-house of wonder and joy for curious young minds. It is essential that, by the end of their primary education, all pupils are able to read fluently, and with confidence, in any subject in their  secondary education. The document below outlines the end of year expectations for each year group.

  There is good evidence to suggest that children who read for pleasure daily perform better in reading tests than those who never do.  We aim to encourage children to enjoy reading and to read a wide range of good quality literature.  

   

  Each class has their own class library which contains a range of high quality literature. In Years 3 and 4, the books are banded to support children’s choice and ensure they are reading books which are appropriate for their reading age. In Years 5 and 6, the books are separated into genres and children are supported to make appropriate choices and encouraged to read a wide range of authors and genres.

   

  Reading is taught discretely through ‘teaching reading’ sessions, where children are taught the key skills of reading. The programmes of study for reading consists of two dimensions:

  • word reading

  • comprehension (both listening and reading).

   

  The key skills of comprehension are:

  • to give/explain the meaning of words in context

  • to retrieve and record information/identify key details from fiction and non-fiction

  • to summarise main ideas from more than one paragraph

  • to make inferences from the text/explain and justify inferences with evidence from the text

  • to predict what might happen from details stated and implied

  • to identify/explain how information/narrative content is related and contributes to meaning as a whole

  • to identify/explain how meaning is enhanced through choice of words and phrases

  • to make comparisons within the text

   For children needing further support with phonics, we use the Read Write Inc Phonics Fast Track catch-up programme.

  Phonics

  Reading with Read Write Inc Phonics:

  Children learn the English alphabetic code: first they learn one way to read the 40+ sounds and blend these sounds into words, then learn to read the same sounds with alternative graphemes.

  They experience success from the very beginning. Lively phonic books are closely matched to their increasing knowledge of phonics and ‘tricky’ words and, as children re-read the stories, their fluency increases.

  Along with a thought-provoking introduction, prompts for thinking out loud and discussion, children are helped to read with a storyteller’s voice.

  To visit the parent pages on the Ruth Miskin Training website go to: https://ruthmiskin.com/en/find-out-more/parents/

  Writing

  The teaching of writing consists of two dimensions:

  • transcription (spelling and handwriting)

  • composition (articulating ideas and structuring them in speech and writing).

   Throughout the children’s time at Reedings, they are introduced and taught a wide variety of genres and texts. The document below outlines the genres and main texts taught each year.

  Spelling

  To teach spelling, we use the highly successful Read Write Inc Spelling programme. This programme has been created to meet the more demanding spelling requirements of the 2014 National Curriculum.

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• French
  French

  Through the learning of another language, we aim to foster our children’s curiosity about the world around them and the cultures of other people.

  At Reedings, we have the privilege of having a native French speaking teacher who alongside teaching of the French language, also introduces the children to the culture and geography of France.

  
  The learning of French language at our school, begins with speaking, reading and writing of basic greetings and vocabulary, such as colours and animals. This knowledge is built upon as children move into upper Key Stage two, looking at various themes such as food and drink, shopping and weather.

  
  Children have the opportunity to use French during a variety of theme days linked to French traditions and celebrations for example: Chandeleur day was a great opportunity for children to use their French to order a crêpe and celebrate the festival of light.

  Curriculum Map for French

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• Geography
  Geography

  Geography is key to helping the children understand their place in the world and how they are part of not just their local community but also a much wider global community.

  Our children come to us with knowledge of their local area and how physical geography impacts their lives – for example weather.

  During their time at Reedings, they will begin to broaden their understanding of the local area by comparing it with other places in the Uk, Europe and around the world. They will explore the similarities and differences of both physical and human geography of a wide range of area.

  Geography allows children to develop a wide range of fieldwork, map reading and other essential skills. They are encouraged to ask questions and analyse their findings to spot patterns and draw conclusions.

  At Reedings, we also explore the environmental impact of human activity on our planet and how this affects us at a local, national and international level. The children have the opportunity to visit both local areas (Sawbridgeworth, River Stort) and wider areas including Cambridge and the Natural History Museum.

  Geography links with many other subjects and children are encouraged to explore maps and atlases to develop their knowledge of the world through other subjects. For example, identifying where ancient civilisations were or places in France during French lessons.

  Useful Websites

  Digimapshttps://digimapforschools.edina.ac.uk/(see children's planners for log in details.)

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• History
  History

  History

  What is History at Reedings?

  History at Reedings focuses on the skills children need to be confident young historians; enquiry, investigation and comparison, whilst developing their knowledge of the past and understanding of chronology. In their time with us, we hope to ignite in the children a passion for the past, and to help them to develop an understanding of how the past has shaped the present.
  We aim to support the children as they work as young archaeologists, finding and examining sources, history detectives who look for clues and evidence in those sources and, finally, young historians who consider the evidence, make links back to earlier learning, ask and answer questions, and draw conclusions.

  How is History organised at Reedings?

  Throughout their four years at Reedings, children will revisit themes such as settlement and society, considering them in more complex ways and with increasing independence as their abilities and their understanding progress. Likewise, the societies covered become more complex, as our curriculum is organised in a roughly chronological way, which means that more simple societal structures – such as the Stone-age - are explored by the younger years, whilst more recent civilisations with their more challenging organisations are studied by the older children.
  In Year 6, there is more of an emphasis on how societies change and develop, both through a study of crime and punishment from the Ancient Romans to now, and also through the study of a non-European society that provides contrasts with British history, where the children compare The Maya to a concurrent society which they have already covered – The Vikings. This ability to make comparisons and draw on prior learning is an essential skill that will support the children as they move to KS3.
  We also celebrate local history at Reedings, with a whole term of Year 5 spent exploring significant people and places in the vicinity. This builds on teaching from KS1, where the children learn about significant individuals such as Brunel, as well as completing a local study in Year 2. An important aspect of this unit is first-hand experience – they visit the local church and, with support, devise their own questions to research.

  What makes History exciting at Reedings?

  We understand at Reedings that children learn about history best when they have first-hand experiences, as this not only brings the subject to life but also helps them to understand how the past has helped to shape the present. We have a rich programme of trips and visitors – such as Celtic Harmony in Year 3 and West Stow in Year 5, as well as History off the Page in Year 4 – and also celebrate remembrance with our ‘War and Peace’ days every November. These days are designed to give our children an insight into both world wars, focusing on WW1 in Year 3 and different aspects of WW2 in subsequent years. This supports our children as they move to KS3 where the wars are studied in depth. During these days, Year 5 children investigate how Sawbridgeworth was affected by WW2, giving them the opportunity to consider how our town was impacted by global affairs.

  How does History at Reedings fit in with the wider curriculum?

  History is taught for two terms each year and provides cross-curricular links for other subjects; most notably reading and writing in English. Whilst we are keen for our children to learn about history in many ways, our primary concern is that they develop the skills that they need to make them successful historians.

  The National Curriculum states that:
  
  • A high-quality history education will help pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world.
  • It should inspire pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past.
  • Teaching should equip pupils to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement.
  • History helps pupils to understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups, as well as their own identity and the challenges of their time.’
  Here at Reedings, our comprehensive curriculum is carefully designed to meet all of the above requirements and more. Our aim is for the children to develop a life-long love of history and to understand their own place within it. It is an exciting place to be!

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• Mathematics
  Mathematics

  Maths

  We believe that students deserve an engaging and ambitious mathematics curriculum, rich in skills and knowledge, which ignites curiosity and readies them for everyday life and employment in a global and digital society.

  Our mathematics curriculum will give students the opportunity to:

  • become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, through varied and frequent practice, so that pupils rehearse conceptual understanding and become confident in recalling and applying knowledge rapidly and accurately.
  • use age-appropriate mathematical vocabulary to reason effectively, and solve problems by applying their skills to a variety of problems with increasing challenge.
  • communicate, justify, argue and prove using mathematical vocabulary through discussion.
  • develop their character, including resilience, confidence and independence, so that they contribute positively to the life of the school, their local, national and international community.

  At Reedings, children have daily mathematics lessons which cover a broad and balanced mathematical curriculum including elements of number, calculation, fractions, geometry, measurement and statistics.
  
  Additionally, pupils take part in regular maths fluency sessions to embed previous learning and enhance precision in a range of skill areas in a fun and engaging way. With maths being a core subject, we aim to teach some elements of maths in a cross-curricular way to ensure children recognise the practical application of mathematical skills. For example, some aspects of statistics, such as graph drawing and analysis, is sometimes taught in science during an investigation. There is a strong focus on using mathematical vocabulary and discussion of efficient methods or approaches to problem solving, with an aim to broaden and deepen mathematical understanding.
  
  We aspire for each child to be confident in each objective, and develop their ability to use this knowledge to develop understanding and solve varied fluency problems as well as problem solving and reasoning questions. We use a range of physical and online resources throughout the school to ensure a curriculum that is specific to each child’s learning needs. Every classroom has a wide range of physical resources designed to support cognition and reasoning and encourage independent learning. Children complete homework activities, which embed prior learning and consolidate their skills, using the online resource Mathletics. They also develop their times table and division fact knowledge using Times Table Rockstars, which is an engaging and competitive way to improve recall.
  
  Teachers use verbal and written feedback to guide the children through their next steps, ensuring they are meeting each specific learning objective. Teachers also use assessment, in the form of regular informal assessment in class and termly diagnostic testing, to influence their planning and ensure they are providing a mathematics curriculum that will allow each child to achieve their full potential. The teaching of maths is also monitored by the maths co-ordinator who will look at the children’s books, visit lessons on learning walks and identify key areas for development across the school. In the summer term of Year 4, children take part in a multiplication times-table check (MTC) while at the end of KS2, Year 6 children sit their SATs.
  
  It is expected that the majority of pupils will move through the programmes of study at broadly the same pace. However, decisions about when to progress should always be based on the security of pupils’ understanding and their readiness to progress to the next stage. Pupils who grasp concepts rapidly should be challenged by being offered rich and sophisticated problems rather than moving on to the next step too quickly. Those who are not sufficiently fluent with earlier material should consolidate their understanding, including through additional practice or support, before moving on.
  
  All children make good or better progress across the mathematics curriculum, and leave Reedings ready for the challenges and opportunities that await them at secondary school and beyond.

  Fluency:

  Fluency sessions 3-5 times a week allow for rehearsal and further practice of learned skills, ensuring important mathematical concepts and skills become embedded in long-term memory over time. The areas below are the mathematical areas to focus fluency sessions on each half term. In most cases, teachers should include these areas after the main teaching has taken place, however sometimes fluency sessions revisit concepts from previous years. Teachers should adapt the content of fluency based on their ongoing assessment of children, and include areas that they believe would be beneficial to most of the class. 

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• Music
  Music

  Coming soon

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• Physical Education
  Physical Education

  PE at Reedings

  At Reedings, we believe that Physical Education develops the pupils’ physical competence, their knowledge, skills and understanding, so that they can perform with increasing confidence in a range of physical activities for enjoyment and success.

  These include dance, gymnastics, games, swimming and water safety, athletics and outdoor activities. Physical Education promotes an understanding in pupils of their bodies in action. It involves thinking, selecting and applying skills and promotes positive attitudes towards a healthy lifestyle. Thus we enable them to make informed choices about physical activity throughout their lives. We have had extended discussions with F&B to ensure that the PE curriculum builds on the skills they have gained during Key Stage 1.

  These skills are taught each week through one PE lesson of one hour, a 45-minute dance lesson and 3 x 10 minute daily mile sessions.

  Extra-Curricular opportunities

  We also provide a wide range of extra-curricular clubs as well as taking children to a range of partnership competitions throughout the year. Within school, children have opportunities to compete on sports day, during house matches and at the swimming gala in years 5 and 6.

  Curriculum resources

  Our PE teacher, Mr Williams has planned progressive units in a wide range of sports for all year groups. As children progress through the school, they gain transferable skills as well as a knowledge of rules and tactics in these sports. By Year 6, they are confidently playing games and are able to apply these skills and tactics as part of a team or individually. To enhance our teaching of dance and fitness, we use the website www.imoves.com. This website provides a wide range of interesting and stimulating resources to inspire the children and enable them to enjoy dance, fitness, Pilates and yoga. This resource also enables teachers to make cross-curricular links such as linking the dance to their History, Geography or Science topics.

  The Daily Mile

  The aim of The Daily Mile is to improve the physical, social, emotional and mental health and wellbeing of our children – regardless of age, ability or personal circumstances. At Reedings, we will be completing the ‘Daily Mile’ 3 times per week as part of our weekly Physical Education.

  Swimming

  At Reedings, children will have the opportunity to attend swimming lessons for 30 minutes per week for a whole term. This will happen in all year groups, which will hopefully result in most children being able to complete the required 25 metres unaided by the time they leave Year 6. We also provide opportunities for non-swimmers in years 5 and 6 to undertake additional lessons if they still cannot swim the required 25 metres confidently.

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• PSHE
  PSHE

  PSHE at Reedings

  What Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education including Relationships Education, is:

  The school’s PSHE provision supports the school’s aims of developing confident citizens and successful learners who are creative, resourceful and able to identify and solve problems. The social and emotional development of pupils is embedded throughout the entire school’s curriculum and culture. The school has a powerful combination of a planned thematic PSHE program, built around a spiral curriculum of recurring themes, designed to:
  1. Give pupils the knowledge and develop the self-esteem, confidence and self-awareness to make informed choices and decisions;
  2. Encourage and support the development of social skills and social awareness;
  3. Enable pupils to make sense of their own personal and social experiences;
  4. Promote responsible attitudes towards the maintenance of good physical and mental health, supported by a safe and healthy lifestyle;
  5. Enable effective interpersonal relationships and develop a caring attitude towards others;
  6. Encourage a caring attitude towards and responsibility for the environment;
  7. Help our pupils understand and manage their feelings, build resilience and be independent, curious problem solvers;
  8. Understand how society works and the laws, rights and responsibilities involved.

  We know there is a proven link between pupils' health and wellbeing, and their academic progress. Crucial skills and positive attitudes developed through comprehensive Personal, Social, Health and Economic education are critical to ensuring children are effective learners.

  How we teach PSHE education, including Relationships Education:

  At Reedings Junior school we use SCARF (Safety, Caring, Achievement, Resilience, Friendship), a comprehensive
  scheme of work for PSHE and Wellbeing education. We chose to use SCARF as it covers all of the DfE's new statutory
  requirements for Relationships Education and Health Education, including non-statutory Sex Education.

  What is being taught:

  The SCARF programme divides the year into 6 themed units. Each year group will cover all 6 units every year.
  1. Me and My Relationships: includes content on feelings, emotions, conflict resolution and friendships;
  2. Valuing Difference: a focus on respectful relationships and British values;
  3. Keeping Myself Safe: looking at keeping ourselves healthy and safe
  4. Rights and Responsibilities: learning about money, living the wider world and the environment;
  5. Being My Best: developing skills in keeping healthy, developing a growth mindset (resilience), goal-setting and achievement;
  6. Growing and Changing: finding out about the human body, the changes that take place from birth to old age and being safe. This is the unit where Sex Education is taught. RSE will be taught throughout the whole school during a dedicated week and parents will be informed when this week will be prior to it taking place.

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• Religious Studies
  Religious Studies

  RE

  The exciting RE curriculum at Reedings enables all children to develop a deeper knowledge and understanding of a range of world religions and their beliefs and practices.

  Each year progressively studies Christianity alongside another world religion, which include Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Judaism, Humanism and Buddhism.

  By exploring sacred texts, artefacts, viewpoints from believers, practical activities and first-hand experiences, the children will be able to evaluate the differences and similarities between religions and develop their own personal and critical responses to them. We successfully utilise our strong links to outside agencies and regularly visit our local churches, Bhaktivedanta Manor and the Jewish Museum. A wide range of opportunities are also given to the children to explore ultimate human questions and as a result, develop their own ideas and values. We feel that by learning about and understanding different peoples’ views and ways of living, learners are taking the first steps to appreciating diversity both locally and internationally.

  We follow the Hertfordshire Agreed Syllabus of Religious Education and our curriculum has been constructed with these 8 key areas at the forefront: belief and practices; sources of wisdom; symbols and actions; prayer, worship and reflection; identity and belonging; ultimate questions; human responsibility and values; justice and fairness.

  Agreed Syllabus - Hertfordshire 2017.pdf

  There are 156 hours of Religious Education taught over 4 years, which is approximately 13 hours per term.

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• Science
  Science

  Science

  Intent

  The Science curriculum at Reedings Junior School aims to prepare all children for the ever-increasing scientific world through exploration and enquiry. Learning environments are created to foster curiosity; engaging children in practical investigations in order that they ask relevant questions and further their own knowledge. Linking learning to real-life contexts allows children to develop their concepts of the world around them. We provide access to extra-curricular activities, as well as people with specialist expertise, as part of the school’s commitment to learning outside the classroom, giving children the opportunity to see Science in action, developing their cultural capital, and promoting Science as a core subject for the future.

  Implementation

  Teachers create a positive attitude to science learning within their classrooms and reinforce an expectation that all pupils are capable of achieving high standards in science. Lessons promote discussion, developing scientific skills alongside acquiring new knowledge. While most units feature cross-curricular links to aid children in integrating their knowledge, some modules are planned alongside English and feature a cross-curricular outcome.

  Through our planning, we include problem solving opportunities that allow children to apply their knowledge and find out answers for themselves. Lessons are engaging and progressive, providing a range of practical investigations involving a variety of resources. Tasks are planned to promote challenge to all learners. We aim to embed working scientifically skills into all lessons, allowing these skills to develop throughout the years with the aim of learners becoming independent and confident by the end of Key Stage 2. Within the classroom, displays excite learners and further their learning by showing their working scientifically skills and posing thoughtful questions.

   

  To complement our science lessons, children are offered a wide range of extra-curricular activities, such as trips and STEM ambassadors to visit our school, to broaden the curriculum and give children access to Science in the real world. These are purposeful and link with the knowledge being learned in class. Regular events such as our STEM week also allow children to apply skills and knowledge they have learned to broader contexts and provide engaging contexts for science learning.

  Impact

  The successful approach to Science at Reedings results in fun, engaging and high-quality science education that provides children with the foundations and knowledge for understanding the wider world. Children are prepared for their next steps in their science education and have the knowledge and skills they need to succeed.

  Through various extra-curricular opportunities, children have the understanding that science has changed our lives and that it is vital to the world’s future prosperity. Children also learn the possibilities for careers in science.

  Children at Reedings Junior School overwhelmingly enjoy science, and this results in motivated learners with secure scientific knowledge.

  The school’s science provision is recognised by the achievement of the ‘Primary Science Quality Mark’.

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