Curriculum

Our curriculum goes beyond a plan of what will be taught and when it will be taught. These 3 key words underpin everything we do at Lydgate Junior School

Intent

We strive to have children who are:

fluent readers with a love of books
clear and engaging writers who can communicate their thoughts and feelings
fluent mathematicians, with confidence in problem solving and reasoning

We also want our children to be happy, healthy, interested and interesting so at the same time as promoting high standards in English, maths and science, we proudly maintain the breadth of our wider curriculum so that it appeals to all our learners and promotes a curiosity in the world around them. It is designed so that pupils will leave with a treasury of junior school memories, a deep-rooted curriculum knowledge and so that they will know more and remember more.

We believe that when learning can be related to real life, it gives meaning and purpose, and is therefore remembered so we aim to make every child’s learning vivid, real, engaging and memorable. We fill our curriculum with real experiences, including Forest schools and outdoor learning sessions, visitors, theme days, workshops, trips and use of the local area and school community. Learning is not restricted to the classroom!

Implementation

Our curriculum meets the aims of the National Curriculum of England and Wales and we have sequenced learning in each subject so that every child at Lydgate Junior School builds knowledge and skills lesson on lesson, term on term and year on year until they reach the end of year 6.

Progression is clearly outlined for each subject within our wider curriculum offer with ‘core themes’ running vertically from Year 3 to Year 6. These core themes encompass the key concepts, knowledge and skills outlined in the National Curriculum (see individual subject pages for details)

We follow a thematic approach for History, geography, art and DT, organised into 4 equal blocks over the year. Each unit is either history-led or geography-led. All other subjects are taught in half termly blocks, making links between subjects where we can. We have designed our curriculum carefully so that our leaders and teachers know what is taught in each subject, each year, and why. This means that we can help children to link their thinking back to what they have learnt in previous years.

As a school, we are on a journey with our curriculum and we are mindful that it is ever-developing. It will change and grow as we change and grow.

Impact

We hope that our children will leave Lydgate Junior School having developed an understanding of the world and their place within it. We hope that they will celebrate diversity and know the value of respect. We hope to have inspired in them a love of learning and the desire to continue to learn throughout their lives. We hope that they will leave our school equipped with the tools and self-confidence to constructively influence their own lives and so that they can contribute fully and thrive in an ever-changing world. But, ultimately, we hope that Lydgate Junior School is a place every child remembers with affection and pride.