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 

At St John's we adopt a systematic approach to teaching phonics, which is fundamental to developing literacy skills in our students. Central to our methodology is the implementation of the Little Wandle synthetic phonics scheme. This structured programme is designed to provide a comprehensive foundation in phonics, enabling children to decode words effectively and develop their reading fluency.

From the outset, we introduce phonics instruction in Nursery, continuing through the EYFS and into KS1. In Nursery, children follow Little Wandle Foundations, exploring rhymes and tuning into sound to support developing language and phonological awareness. From Reception onwards, phonics teaching is informed by the original ‘Letters & Sounds’ framework, alongside the structure of Little Wandle. This ensures that children are equipped with the necessary skills to read and write confidently as they progress through their early education.

In conjunction with the Little Wandle scheme, we utilise a carefully curated selection of reading books that are matched to the phonics knowledge of our students. This alignment between the phonics programme and the reading materials supports children in applying their decoding skills in context, fostering a love for reading and enhancing comprehension.

In Year 2, we focus on bridging the gap between phonics and fluency in spelling before the jump into the spelling curriculum of KS2, using Little Wandle Spelling and Fluency. Our curriculum in KS2 incorporates the National Curriculum spelling requirements, ensuring that students not only learn to read but also to spell accurately and confidently.

Our approach in KS2 mirrors the successful strategies employed in earlier phonics teaching and learning. We continue to break down words into their component parts, allowing students to understand the structure of language. This includes exploring spelling rules, patterns, and the etymology of words, which enriches their vocabulary and deepens their understanding of language.

Through this systematic and structured approach to reading, we aim to create proficient readers who are not only capable of decoding text but also possess a strong grasp of spelling and language structure. Our commitment to high-quality phonics instruction and the integration of reading and spelling skills ensures that our students are well-prepared for their future academic endeavours.

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