Curriculum

Here at St John’s, we follow the National Curriculum:

We follow a rolling programme of topics in order to achieve the objectives set out in the National Curriculum.

Curriculum Intent Statement 2021

Pupils follow a knowledge-based curriculum where they have the opportunity to explore the topics and develop the core knowledge to build the skills in order to become the best possible learner, being willing to:

Have a go
Use creative thinking
Be an independent learner
Become a problem solver
Be a team worker

For further information about how different subjects are taught at St John’s, please visit the links below:

RE is provided in accordance with the recommendations of the LA’s agreed syllabus, a copy of which is available in school. We support the Christian elements of this teaching with the ‘Understanding Christianity’ Resource.

PSHE/RSE ;

At St John’s, PSHE is an important part of the curriculum as we feel it is vital that children learn about themselves, their feelings and how to build relationships. We follow the award winning Shropshire’s ‘Respect Yourself’ programme which includes the ‘Eat better, move more’ curriculum. Each class follows a rolling programme. We are pleased to be using the PSHE Association planning framework to support teaching and learning in PSHE. Through its three core themes (Health and Wellbeing, Relationships, and Living in the Wider World) the PSHE Association Programme of Study provides us with a framework for creating a programme which matches their pupils’ needs. It covers the breadth of PSHE from relationships and sex education (RSE) and health, to economic wellbeing and careers, setting out suggested content for each key stage. We were part of the government Early Adopters programme for RSE and led in supporting others to set up their PSHE/RSE and mental health programmes.

Teaching at St John’s

To complement and underpin the termly themes we have devised structured programmes for teaching the basic skills of literacy and numeracy at the level appropriate for each child. We like children to take books and maths activities home and we urge parents to be active partners with us and to help children by encouraging him/her at home.

In addition to the development of the basic skills and the acquisition of knowledge and understanding in the core subjects of English, Maths and Science, RE and the foundation subjects are also experienced. The children are offered opportunities to express themselves creatively in a variety of Art forms, including music, dance, drama, movement, visual arts, expressive language and PE. They are encouraged to appreciate and enjoy the Arts. They are taught to observe closely, to pay attention to detail, to approach their work with confidence and to develop control.

As children move up the school the teacher builds upon what has already been achieved. In each class there are children at different stages of development. The teacher decides whether to teach the whole class, a group or an individual depending upon the learning and the needs of the children. When children first come to school they are heavily dependent upon the teacher’s direction. Gradually we aim to develop a range of skills and attitudes which help them to become more independent in their learning, able to find information and equipment for themselves and use these to help them solve problems and meet the requirements of set tasks. We place an increasing emphasis on personal responsibility.

We encourage all our children to think about and take pride in their work. We try to comment on and evaluate work, with the child wherever possible, in order to reinforce achievement, monitor progress and identify areas in which the child needs more experience or help.

If you would like to find out more about our curriculum, please contact us!