Curriculum
We inspire our children's learning through a creative curriculum, ensuring our pupils experience a wide breadth of study and have, by the end of each key stage, long-term memory of an ambitious body of procedural and semantic knowledge. Our progressive curriculum, from 3-19 years ensures that children have the requisite knowledge to proceed to their next year of study, including transition to secondary school. Our curriculum is ambitious, meeting and often exceeding the national curriculum, for all and strives to address inclusion and disadvantage inits intent and implementation. For more information of the intent, implementation and impact of each curriculum area, please read the Futura curriculum (Pdf). The Futura curriculum principles (Pdf) shows how our curriculum benefits from being part of the Futura Learning Partnership and integrates with the Futura values.
Our four curriculum drivers; environment, spirituality, morality, and creativity also shape our curriculum breadth. They are derived from an exploration of the backgrounds of our students; our beliefs about high-quality education; and our values. They are used to ensure we give our students appropriate and ambitious curriculum opportunities and live out the school's vision.
You can read about the intent, implementation, and impact of our curriculum; the social, moral, spiritual and cultural development statement; and British values curriculum statement. Additionally, please see our teaching and learning policy.
To find out more about year group specific curriculum information please refer to our class pages.
The Futura Learning Partnership intent for Art and Design is that learners will explore a diverse range of traditional and contemporary artists, crafts people and designers, fostering their curiosity and understanding of the world around them.
Learners’ experiences will enable them to develop an appreciation of their own and other cultures and how artistic styles have been influenced over time. Through high quality art lessons learners will become reflective critical thinkers with the abilities to express themselves creatively.
They will learn to evaluate their own work and the work of others. A well-sequenced art curriculum will allow learners to make continued progression through the refinement of skills and building on prior knowledge.
Learners will have the opportunity to apply their skills and knowledge in a range of contexts. Learners will be exposed to art in the local community, galleries and museums to inspire and inform their creative practice.
For more information, please see the Futura Curriculum for Art and Design (Pdf).
The Futura Learning Partnership intent for Computing is that an exciting and rigorous Computing education will ensure children are immersed in engaging, technology-rich learning experiences which allow them to learn deeply and embed core computing skills, think independently and problemsolve in an ever evolving digital world.
Regardless of changes within technology and the world we live in, our children will possess the core skills and behaviours required to safely and confidently access new technology to enhance their wider learning, access the curriculum throughout their school journey and inspire a future where technology is used to innovate and make positive change.
We believe that learning about Computing provides an important context for the development of pupils’ key learning skills, particularly problem-solving, creative and critical thinking and resourcefulness.
Futura recognise that social context plays a vital role in children’s education and as such we aim to provide opportunities for children to experience Computing in ways that are unique to their local and wider community.
For more information, please see the Futura Curriculum for Computing (Pdf)
Our DT curriculum aims to equip students with the knowledge, skills and attitudes they need to become successful, innovative young designers and makers. By building on prior experience, students progressively develop technical skills and practical expertise. They are encouraged to think creatively, imaginatively and be ambitious in their design ideas.
They are given opportunities to solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values. They learn to recognise the importance of design and technology in the real world and its relevance in everyday life.
They are given opportunities to learn about and be inspired by designs and designers past and present who have impacted on life across the world. Through the design, make, evaluate process, students are guided to develop skills of team work, communication, resilience and reflectiveness through problem solving.
They learn to use knowledge and understanding from other curriculum areas including mathematical, scientific, computing and art skills, applying them in relevant and practical contexts. In this way, we aspire for our students to become articulate, dynamic thinkers able to approaching new challenges with confidence and enthusiasm.
For more information, please see the Futura Curriculum for Design and Technology (Pdf)
The Futura Learning Partnership (FLP) intent for English is that a high-quality education will inspire children to become creative and critical thinkers. We believe that it is the right of every child to become a competent and confident user of the English language; able to live, work and succeed in the literate world. Children will be able to communicate fluently and confidently, using a wide vocabulary accurately and effectively. They will be able to critique a range of fiction and non-fiction texts, appreciating a rich and varied literary heritage.
Children will be inspired to become imaginative writers who can write coherently with a high level of accuracy in spelling, punctuation and grammar; children will be able to adapt their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences. English provides the fundamental building blocks for students to succeed in all subjects; a high level of literacy provides the vehicle needed to unpick key concepts across the curriculum. This, alongside carefully selected texts appropriate to our contexts, develops the cultural capital needed to succeed in life. Crucially, we aim to foster a love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment.
Phonics
The school uses the Read Write Inc scheme of work, in Reception and Years 1 and 2, to teach children to read accurately and fluently with good comprehension. They also learn to form each letter, spell correctly, and compose their ideas step-by-step.
For more information, please see the Futura Curriculum for English (Pdf)
The purpose of the Futura Learning Partnership geography intent is to provide a framework for high quality geography education across phases to inspire in pupils a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. The aim is to ensure that pupils are equipped with knowledge about a diverse range of places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the earth’s key physical and human processes.
Pupils should make sense of the complex world around them, understand and be confident to investigate some of the major issues, challenges and opportunities that the world faces today. The aim is to ensure that pupils will develop greater competence in using geographical knowledge, approaches, concepts and skills in analysing and interpreting a wide range of different geographical information. In that way pupils will enrich their locational knowledge and spatial and environmental understanding as well as acquire the geographical cultural capital needed to be confident and successful global citizens.
Numeracy (number and measurement) solving numerical problems, the ways in which numerical information is gathered by counting and measuring, and how it is presented in graphs, charts and tables. There are many opportunities within geography for students to develop their numeracy skills.
For more information, please see the Futura Curriculum for Geography (Pdf)
The Futura Learning Partnership intent for history is that a high-quality history education will inspire children to have a curiosity and fascination about the local area and Britain’s past and that of the wider world as well.
Children will be able to think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement. The children’s deep learning of history and its related information gathering skills will enable them to have an understanding of where we have come from and how this has been influenced by the wider world and different cultural heritages. This in turn will enable us to learn from the past, model the future and understand society and the child’s place within it. Furthermore, it gives us a view of other cultures and their development through time.
We believe that learning about historical events provides an important context for the development of pupils’ key learning skills, particularly communication, working with others, problem solving and critical thinking skills and that this will be done not just through experiences in the classroom but also through the use of field work and educational visits.
For more information, please see the Futura Curriculum for History (Pdf)
Learning a foreign language is a liberation from insularity and provides an opening to other cultures. At the Futura Learning Partnership, we aim to foster pupils’ curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world. We strongly believe that languages are a skill for life, and something that pupils should enjoy and find rewarding. Through learning foreign language, students also develop literacy and oracy in their own language as well as resilience and problem solving skills. Language learning should provide the foundation for learning further languages.
We hope to expand students’ cultural knowledge whilst developing their language skills. Through language learning, pupils gain a sound understanding of the structure of their own language, leading to effective communication in the foreign language. Students of all abilities can benefit from learning a foreign language, supporting and enhancing their literacy learning across the curriculum.
The Languages curriculum caters for students with varied previous language learning. It enables students to build upon prior knowledge or language learning skills. Students are well-prepared at the end of each key stage to tackle the next steps in language learning but equally, should they choose not to continue their formal language learning, they are equipped with the skills and knowledge to use in the workplace or for leisure or to further their learning.
At St John's we learn French.
For more information, please see the Futura Curriculum for Languages (Pdf)
Our long-term aim is to produce an ambitious, engaging, connected curriculum accessible to all pupils in the Futura Learning Partnership. Pupils will make rich connections across mathematical ideas to develop fluency, mathematical reasoning and competence in solving increasingly sophisticated problems.
The intent of our mathematics curriculum is to design a curriculum, which is accessible to all and will maximise the development of every child’s ability and academic achievement and preparation for their journey into the wider world.
We aim to deliver lessons that are creative and engaging. We intend for our pupils to be able to apply their mathematical knowledge across the curriculum.
Pupils who grasp concepts rapidly should be challenged through being offered rich and sophisticated problems before any acceleration through new content.
For more information, please see the Futura Curriculum for Maths (Pdf)
Multiplication Challenge - TTRS
We use Times Table Rockstars, a whole-school times table challenge, to encourage children to learn their multiplication facts by heart.
Children complete fun and exciting games/activities according to their ability. Once they have improved their time taken to answer the questions their Rock Star Avatar changes. Can you aim to become a Rock legend? Further to this, the more frequently they play, then the more points they gain to spend on their Avatar.
Helpful resources
Please see the links below for helpful resources for learning times tables. Many further resources can be found on the TTRS website login: play.ttrockstars.com/auth/school/student/62780)
In the Futura Learning Partnership, our intention is that children develop a life-long love of music. Through the musical experiences and opportunities offered to them throughout their education, each child will develop a musical identity which is personal to them, this may be in the form of a performer, composer and/or as an active listener who, in the future, will become a participator in the cultural life of the UK.
In EYFS, KS1 and KS2 music acts as an integral part of the school day, be that singing whilst packing up, or listening to a new piece of music whilst walking into assembly. Our music curriculum plan, guided by the EYFS framework and National Curriculum, ensures that all children from EYFS and Year 9 experience a stimulating, practical and holistic curriculum which explores music through singing, performing, composing and listening. Every student in the trust will have been taught the substantive and disciplinary knowledge required for GCSE Music, and therefore possibly A-Level, should they wish to study Music at KS4 and KS5.
Alongside this we encourage all students to develop their musicianship in a variety of extra-curricular activities both in and outside school. Inevitably, the cultural capital of each student will be developed throughout their musical education within the trust yet each individual school also aims to meet the cultural interests, and needs, of the community in which our schools are based - all musical cultures and welcomed and embraced.
We strive to ensure all students find Music an engaging and fulfilling subject in which they embrace the discipline of practice, the challenge of analysis and the excitement of creating and finding their own musical voice.
For more information, please see the Futura Curriculum for Music (Pdf)
Our RSE policy was agreed in consultation with parents.
The purpose of the Futura Learning Partnership PSHE intent is to provide a framework for high quality PSHE education across phases which is accessible to all and ensures that each of our pupils will develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to keep themselves healthy, safe and prepared for life and work. The aim is to ensure our pupils understand more about how to play a positive and successful role within our society, both as a child and as an adult within the future.
It should have an impact on both academic and non-academic outcomes for pupils, particularly the most vulnerable and disadvantaged. The aim is for a holistic PSHE learning journey spanning the pupil’s school career, with a progressive, spiral curriculum that addresses real needs in a rapidly changing world. Our curriculum is ambitious for all and strives to address inclusion and disadvantage in its intent and implementation.
For more information, please see the Futura curriculum for personal, social, health and economic (Pdf)
Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) information
• Relationships and sex education (RSE) policy
• Jigsaw guidance for parents
• DfE guidance for parents
• How does Jigsaw PSHE support the Church of England's principles and charter in relation to RSHE?
The purpose of the Futura Learning Partnership cross-phase Physical Education curriculum is to foster a life-long love for a variety of physical activities and sporting opportunities. Through this engaging curriculum they will develop a range of transferrable skills, language, knowledge and understanding which can be used in multiple settings. A student will be provided with many opportunities to develop wider personal, social and moral skills which could include resilience, communication, teamwork, independence, leadership, analysis and evaluation.
Our students will develop their understanding of what engenders a healthy lifestyle both physically and the contribution this has on good mental health and well-being. Opportunities will be provided to experience a broad range of different sports safely, through participation and observations, in both the curricular and extra-curricular provision. Community links are established and advertised to encourage our students to have further opportunities for continuing participation through school extra-curricular activities and local clubs and sports.
Our relevant, engaging and challenging curriculum means that students who have studied PE at a Futura school will continue to enjoy learning about Physical Education, physical activity and a variety of sports throughout their lives. The curriculum overview has been created to develop a range of activities for students, whilst also providing specific support/opportunities for activities that are likely to be used in GCSE/A level assessment, along with links to extra-curricular opportunities.
Through creating a structured programme, specific SOL can be created for each activity which enables clear progression through years 1-11. This allows all Futura schools to meet Ofsted requirements and those of the National Curriculum. Leaders, teachers and students need to be able to articulate the learning journey and this structure allows this to happen.
Where activities have been suggested, an alternative can be taught in schools where this better suits the local context. An example of this could be, when gymnastics has been suggested, trampolining could be used instead if the school has the provision for this.
For more information, please see the Futura curriculum for physical education (Pdf)
Intent
As a Church of England School, our RE lessons are important times when children can explore and better understand their own and other people’s experiences of Christian and other world faiths. The children explore human life, its aspirations, times of celebration, problems, and challenges.
The Futura intent for Religious Education is that all children develop an awareness of major world religions and world views, including their impact on society and culture. Our pupils should be able to appreciate and respect faiths and beliefs which may be different to their own, which will equip them for their adult life, employment as well as lifelong learning. Through RE lessons, children will be able to engage with challenging questions of meaning and purpose, which will equip them to continue their studies of RE in secondary school where they will deepen their understanding of different world faiths as well as more general philosophical and ethical questions. Our pupils will be given the opportunity to develop their own religious, spiritual and philosophical beliefs in a safe environment. Children will be able to reflect, consider, analyse, interpret and evaluate different issues which are prevalent in our society, whilst also promoting mutual respect and tolerance in line with British Values. Our curriculum is ambitious for all and strives to address inclusion and disadvantage in its intent and implementation.
We teach Religious Education using the scheme Discovery RE resource to support our lessons.
For more information, please see the Futura curriculum for Religious Education (Pdf).
The purpose of the Futura Learning Partnership cross-phase Science curriculum is to help students understand and question the world around them. It gives them the scientific knowledge and skills that they need in order to be successful in their future lives and make a contributionto the wider community.
Students are empowered with a strong knowledge base that they can then use to evaluate important issues, analyse evidence and problem solve. They develop the confidence to form their own opinions and articulate themselves effectively.
Our engaging and challenging curriculum means that students who have studied Science at a Futuraschool will continue to enjoy learning about Science and how the world works throughout their lives.
For more information, please see the Futura Curriculum for Science (Pdf).
Our school reflects British values in all that we do. We nurture our pupils on their journey through life so they grow in to caring, responsible and tolerant adults who make a positive difference to British society and to the wider world. We encourage them to be creative, unique, open-minded and independent individuals, respectful of themselves and others in our school, our local community and beyond.
At St John’s, we actively promote British values in the following ways:
Democracy
Pupils are encouraged to debate topics of interest, express their views and make a meaningful contribution to the running of the school. They are able to do this in a number of ways e.g. school council; eco council and class discussions.
Rule of law
We have a clear positive behaviour policy which helps pupils to make good choices about their behaviour. Pupils are helped to distinguish right from wrong, in the classroom, during assemblies and in the playground. This is supported by a Restorative Justice approach.
Individual liberty
At school, pupils are encouraged, and given the freedom to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment, e.g. challenging themselves in their learning. They are supported to develop self-knowledge, self-confidence and a growth mind set in all areas of school life. Pupils are taught to understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms in a safe way, e.g. UNICEF Children’s Rights and within Jigsaw lessons. They have key responsibilities in school e.g. classroom monitors, playground partisans, spiritual leaders, school council and eco-council representatives as well as sports leaders.
Mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs
Respect is one of our school values. Pupils understand that respect is shown to everyone, both adults and children. We help them to develop an understanding of, and respect for, their own and other cultures. Staff and pupils are encouraged to challenge prejudicial or discriminatory behaviour. Through the PSHE (Jigsaw) and RE curriculum pupils are encouraged to discuss and respect differences and similarities between people. We offer a culturally rich and diverse curriculum in which all major religions are studied. Through our curriculum we learn about the world in themes such as Eco Warriors and Wonderful World.
At St John's, we take great pride in our approach to SMSC across the school, feeling that pupils should develop into tolerant, caring individuals with a social conscience. SMSC feeds into several areas of life at St John's: collective worship during assemblies; charity and community outreach projects; school council; eco-council; online safety and mental health awareness days; as well as playtime partisans and spiritual and sport leaders.
This statement should be read alongside the relationships and sex education (RSE) policy.
E-safety is an integral part of children’s education in today’s digital world and is embedded in their learning at school. We also want to help our parents and children improve their own understanding of e-safety issues so they can learn to use the internet and all digital media in a safe and secure way.
You can download the DofE advice for parents on cyberbullying
You can also access the DofE support website called Parent Info
It's important to remember that the legal age to have an account on most social media - Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, Snapchat - is 13 years old.
At home
As a parent you'll know how important the internet is to children - they use it to learn, play, socialise and express themselves. It's a highly creative place of amazing opportunities. But the technology children use every day can seem a bit daunting and you might worry about the risks your child can face online - such as bullying, contact from strangers or the possibility of them seeing illegal or inappropriate content.
You can download a simple checklist here that may help you start to protect your children online and decrease the risks they face. Or you can engage with your children regarding their use of the internet while at home. Here are some conversation starter ideas from www.childnet.com
- Ask your children to tell you about the sites they like to visit and what they enjoy doing online.
- Ask them about how they stay safe online. What tips do they have for you, and where did they learn them? What is OK and not OK to share?
- Ask them if they know where to go for help, where to find the safety advice, privacy settings and how to report or block on the services they use.
- Encourage them to help. Perhaps they can show you how to do something better online or they might have a friend who would benefit from their help and support.
- Think about how you use the internet as a family. What could you do to get more out of the internet together and further enjoy your lives online
Parent Resources
To try and help parents with the fast moving and changing world of internet and social media we've suggested a few internet sites below which are fantastic resources. They contain information on different types of social media and how to help keep children safe.
www.thinkyouknow.co.uk/parents
www.ceop.police.uk/safety-centre/
Childnet also produce a leaflet for parents which you can download here.
At School
As part of your child’s curriculum and the development of computer skills, we provide access to the internet only in teacher supervised lessons. We strongly believe that the use of the web and email is hugely worthwhile and an essential tool for children as they grow up in the modern world. But because there are always concerns about children having access to undesirable materials, we have taken positive steps to deal with this risk in school. Our school internet access provider operates a filtering system that restricts access to inappropriate materials.
Every February, the children take part in 'Safer Internet Day', where they participate in activities linked to staying safe online.
Parent Fact Sheets & Guides To Popular Social Media
Click on the following links to find some useful parental guides to the following social media
