St John's Church of England Primary School

Curriculum

Our Intent

At St John's, we are dedicated to developing the whole child through a vibrant and enriching curriculum. We believe that education is not just about academic achievement; it is about nurturing creativity, fostering emotional intelligence, and equipping our children with the skills they need to thrive in life. Our curriculum is designed to unlock each child’s potential, allowing them to explore their interests and passions while preparing them for future success.

We understand that every child is unique, and we strive to provide an inclusive learning environment where all children feel valued and supported. Inclusion is at the heart of our school ethos, and this principle guides our curriculum planning. We are committed to ensuring that every child has access to a full and dynamic curriculum that enriches their life experiences and helps them develop their own unique skills. Our approach is to cater to the diverse needs of our learners, ensuring that everyone can engage with and benefit from the educational opportunities we offer.

To achieve our vision, we have carefully curated a curriculum that encourages depth of understanding through the exploration of overarching concepts. By revisiting key themes across subjects, we enable children to make connections and deepen their knowledge over time. This approach not only enhances their learning experience but also fosters critical thinking and problem-solving skills that are essential for their future.

As church school worship is central to all we do, it helps explore the Christian values that our community holds. Our mission statement; Love of God, Love of Neighbour, Love of Oneself is at the heart of our journey as learners. This starts in Early Years, the foundation of the learning at St John’s CE. Our teaching is based upon the Early Learning Goals criteria set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum Guidance Development Matters. This is the foundation upon which we build throughout Key Stage 1 and 2, where we follow the National Curriculum. Our curriculum prepares the children for school on many levels; educationally, physically, socially and emotionally. Each aspect of the curriculum plays as important a part in developing our children to successful learners and engaged, happy members of our community.

Throughout the year, we organise a number of themed weeks to raise the profile of various curriculum areas and provide our children with fantastic learning opportunities. At the start of the year, we hold Healthy Schools Week, which promotes well-being and healthy lifestyles. In Spring, we celebrate Values Week, encouraging students to explore important themes around school ethos, and Science Week, where we dive into a wide range of scientific concepts. Finally, Arts Week in the Summer allows children to engage with creativity and the arts, culminating in a showcase of their talents and learning.

Collaboration and oracy are fundamental to our teaching philosophy. We believe that children learn best when they work together, sharing ideas and perspectives. Our curriculum is designed to promote collaborative learning, encouraging students to engage in discussions, debates, and group projects. By incorporating oracy into all areas of our curriculum delivery, we help children develop their communication skills, build confidence, and learn to articulate their thoughts effectively.

Recognising the crucial role our staff play in delivering the curriculum, we are committed to providing the best continuous professional development (CPD) opportunities available. We understand that effective teaching is rooted in a deep understanding of pedagogy and subject knowledge. By investing in our staff’s professional growth, we ensure that they are equipped with the latest strategies and techniques to make learning ‘stick’ for our students. Our teachers are passionate about their subjects and dedicated to creating engaging and memorable learning experiences for every child.

Long Term Curriculum Planning

To find out more about the curriculum plan for your child's year group, please click on the links below:

• Early Years Foundation Stage
• Year 1/2
• Year 3/4
• Year 5/6
  

At Key Stage 1 and 2 we adopt the National Curriculum. This requires we teach the core subjects of:

Mathematics

 (currently under review, the website will be updated shortly)

Writing at St John’s

Writing Units Whole School Overview

Phonics at St John’s 
We have a systematic approach to the teaching of phonics at St John’s. We use the ‘Letters and Sounds’ materials to support the children’s development in phonics. This introduced to our children in Nursery with early phonic games and consistently built upon throughout EYFS, KS 1 and KS 2 where needed. Support for spelling is taught in latter KS 1 and KS 2 where appropriate. Phonics groupings are differentiated in order to give the necessary level of support for each child maximising their progress.

Parent workshops are offered to all parents to support the partnership between school and home in enabling our children to achieve success in becoming readers and writers.

Reading at St John’s 

Computing

• Computing Curriculum Introduction
• Computing Whole School Long Term Plan 

Science

• Science Curriculum Introduction
• Science Whole School Long Term Plan

Religious Education (RE)

• RE Curriculum Introduction
• RE Whole School Long Term Plan 

In addition to this we also teach the foundation subjects of:

Art

• Art Curriculum Introduction
• Art Whole School Long Term Plan

Design and Technology

• DT Curriculum Introduction
• DT Whole School Long Term Plan

• Geography Curriculum Introduction 
• Geography Whole School Long Term Plan 

History 

• History Curriculum Introduction
• History Whole School Long Term Plan

Modern Foreign Languages (taught throughout KS2, as they are a statutory part of the KS2 curriculum; we teach French)

• French Curriculum Introduction
• French Whole School Long Term Plan

Music

• Music Curriculum Introduction
• Music Whole School Long Term Plan 

  (currently under review, the website will be updated shortly)

Personal, Social, Health & Economic Education (PSHE)

• PSHE Curriculum Introduction
• PSHE Whole School Long Term Plan