Curriculum
Leaders have carefully considered the curriculum content. They have high aspirations for all pupils. Leaders check the curriculum in all subject areas and are continuing to develop and implement the ambitious curriculum they have in place. – Ofsted, November 2022
A warm welcome to our curriculum page. Here you can find all the important information relating to our curriculum and how it works here at TJLS.
Our Curriculum Vision
Our curriculum needs to support the vision for our children. Our curriculum intent is for our children to:
Learn to remember things worth remembering.
We have created Curriculum Drivers to reflect this so what we teach, the way we teach, and why we teach are rooted in our core purpose. As a school community, we discussed the history of the school and the cohorts coming through TJLS. We discussed the great achievements and characteristics of our community, but also the areas that our TJLS children need specific focus and development.
Curriculum Structure
Our curriculum is structured into different layers to ensure the journey from the National Curriculum Document (2014) to what the children experience in class is carefully designed and mapped out.
Our Intent
At TJLS, our intention is for our curriculum to:
- Extend opportunity
- Raise aspirations
- Give children an understanding of belonging
- Promote creativity
- Open children’s eyes to the world beyond their immediate environment
- Enable children to live happy, healthy and productive lives
- Inspire children to learn more
The principles informing our intent
- Our curriculum is focused on the development of children’s knowledge and skills across all primary subjects with the aim of ensuring children are ready for the next stage of their learning.
- Knowledge underpins and enables the application of skill.
- We strive for children to learn skills alongside knowledge – ensuring both are explicitly developed.
- We believe knowledge x effort = skill and skill x effort = achievement
- At TJLS, we believe effort counts twice.
Our Curriculum Drivers
Our curriculum is underpinned by our Dream, Discover, Flourish drivers. We also make use of the 3Es (Embed, Enrich, Enhance), to support children’s learning journey.
Our Implementation
We implement our intended curriculum through 8 key strands. The implementation plan has been informed by the work of Barak Rosenshine on Effective Principles of Instruction. You will see his principles threaded throughout our implementation plan.
Curriculum Pathway
Click here to see our Curriculum Pathway for Year 1 to 4 (and the plan for Year 5 and 6 when we convert to primary).
Click here to see our Writing Overview.
Click here to see our Maths Overview.
v7 TJLS Whole School Curriculum Overview – YEAR A_ EYFS
v7 TJLS Whole School Curriculum Overview – YEAR B_ EYFS
Subject Progression Frameworks
We have clearly mapped out the progression expected across the curriculum and matched this to the content we teach.
These documents are organised with the National Curriculum Aims in mind – as well as the skills to be learned and the knowledge to be taught.
The frameworks have been planned all the way up to Year 6 in place for our potential expansion under the Schools for the Future initiative. This will ensure that we are clear with how our curriculum now prepares children for their learning later on the primary stage.
Click on the subject name below to view each progression framework.
Reading and Phonics at Thomas Johnson Lower School
Vocabulary and Grammar Progression Framework
Art & Design Progression Framework
Geography Progression Framework
PSHE and RSE Progression Framework (parents and carers have the right to withdraw their children from all or part of RE learning. Please contact the school to discuss this further if needed.)
Subject Guides
Below you will find a guide for each subject outlining our intent, the links to our curriculum drivers, and also our implementation.
Reading – we use Little Wandle to support our teaching of reading. Letters and Sounds | A complete Phonics resource to support children (littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk)
Music – please see our Music Development Plan by clicking here: Music Development Plan Summary
To find out more or to ask for a paper copy of any of the above documents. Please request these from the school office.
For information on remote education provision, please click here: Copy-of-Remote-Education-Provision_-information-for-parents.docx.pdf (thomasjohnsonschool.co.uk)
