Juniors

Reading, writing, speaking and listening are a positive experience and something in which children are actively engaged. We achieve this through enriched texts and cross-curricular learning. Children are given opportunities to read and write within a wide variety of genres.

Creativity and originality of ideas are to be valued and encouraged. Children reflect upon and edit their own work, therefore building on and consolidating their self-evaluation skills. We believe that individual reading books should be right for the child’s level and ability, thus fostering a keen desire to read, leading to the development of a culture of reading for pleasure.

Digital learning is a core component of delivering a holistic education to our students at King’s. There are two aspects to this. Firstly, we understand and act on the benefits of using technology and applications, knowing where they add value and where they do not, i.e. led by pedagogy rather than technology.

Secondly, students should be enabled to make informed choices, using digital tools where they add value to their learning and knowing when not to use digital tools - where they do not add value or may be a distraction. These core components underpin our ambition to ensure that each student develops competencies related to digital citizenship, digital learning and digitally collaborating and innovating.

Children build up a knowledge bank of historical facts and an understanding of chronology through the provision of a History curriculum which is broad, balanced and relevant. This helps children gain a level of historical understanding appropriate to their age, ability and maturity. The study of Geography at King's School includes pupils in exploring the relationship and interactions between people and the environments in which they live and upon which they depend.

We seek to develop young geographers who are able to make links and connections between the natural world and human activity and to understand the kind of questions geographers ask such as ‘Why is this place like it is, how is it changing and what will the costs and benefits of these changes be when they happen?’. We will ensure that what our pupils learn in Geography, not only inspires and stretches them intellectually, but also contributes to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and helps to prepare them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life in the 21st century.

It helps to give children the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to lead confident, healthy, independent lives and to become informed, active, responsible citizens. Children are taught about how to keep themselves safe, including Internet Safety, which is embedded throughout the school.

At King’s school, children’s wellbeing, happiness and safety are our first priority, and PSHE is the key vehicle through which we share this with children. We regard PSHE as an important, integral component of the whole curriculum; it is central to our approach and at the core of our ethos.

We deliver a rich, broad, balanced, diverse, and engaging curriculum with a holistic approach and access to exciting resources. Lessons link to each year groups’ class topic whilst at the same time, are continuously adapted to suit the children’s needs, our forever changing world, our school community and beyond. KS2 art lessons are designed around the idea that art is more than technical skill, and that the mistakes we learn through art help us to learn about art.

From KS1 to KS2, sketchbooks become bespoke to each child so that they can express their creativity through open-ended exploration where the emphasis is on the journey. We hope this enables each child to feel that they have found an area of the visual arts that is relevant and inspiring to them.

The lessons focus on key learning and skills and support pupils both academically and holistically, developing their sense of collaboration, performance and resilience and their knowledge of the subject.