Curriculum
English
Science
Art
Geography
Curriculum Vision
Moorpark Junior School curriculum is committed to providing an exciting personalised curriculum, which is centred around developing the individual pupil, with an emphasis on healthy minds, bodies and well-being. Rooted at the heart of our curriculum is language development. We ensure that pupils are immersed in a range of opportunities to develop their oracy skills with a particular focus on developing vocabulary. We place equal importance on academic developments and personal development.
Our curriculum, which is progressive, ensures that prior knowledge provides the anchor for future learning opportunities. Retrieval of knowledge and skills is a key component so that learning is embedded into long term memory. We are determined to ensure that our curriculum provides breadth, balance and depth for every learner across all areas of the curriculum.
Our curriculum fully enables the children to develop their cultural capital by fostering our values and bringing them to life! We hold dearly British Values and are proud to be British Citizens. Our curriculum develops the use of pupil voice and their ability to promote change.
Our curriculum is designed to be aspirational and to open up the world for them to explore. Children at Moorpark Junior School are empowered to achieve their dreams, we believe that everyone has the potential to be extraordinary. We develop growth mind set and a love of learning and the risks involved to ensure that children become resilient and confident and know how to manage their emotions when striving to achieve. Our curriculum enables the children to gain a common body of knowledge to which they are entitled to, set out within the National Curriculum.
Underpinning our curriculum and daily life is our Moorpark Promise to pupils. This promise sets out a wide range of developmentally appropriate experiences, that we firmly believe every child should experience as they grow up. These are integrated within our curriculum from year 3 – 6
Further information can be found in our subject specific information pages.
Moorpark Junior School English Intent
English
At Moorpark Junior School we acknowledge that our children often enter our school with limited language, communication and a vocabulary deficit. Therefore, we make it our mission to bridge these gaps and help our children to develop these skills by immersing children in a language-rich and engaging curriculum, with quality texts at its heart.
Writing
Writing at Moorpark Junior School is taught and celebrated in a range of ways, and is taught daily across the school across a range of subjects. We aim, wherever possible, to create cross-curricular writing opportunities, as we believe that in order for children to see themselves as successful writers they need to be involved in writing for a purpose. We ensure that a range of genres are covered, including: narrative, non-fiction and poetry. Genres are taught and learnt considering the purpose, structure and audience and throughout each genre, the links between reading and writing are made explicit – we read as writers and we write as readers. Vocabulary underpins our writing and children are taught higher-level vocabulary explicitly to strengthen their writing and to enable them to read with more understanding.
Reading
Our aim for reading at Moorpark Junior School is to increase the opportunities for all readers, in particular those who do not read at home. We also aim unlock a love of reading in all as we believe that all children can love reading if they are inspired and encouraged by those who love reading too. We value reading as a key life skill, and are dedicated to enabling our pupils to become lifelong readers. We believe reading is key for academic success and make it our aim to ensure that by the time children leave Moorpark, they are competent readers who can recommend books to their peers, have a thirst for reading a range of genres and participate in discussions about books that they have read or would like to read.
Moorpark Junior School Maths Intent
Maths
We know that our children start school with different levels of maths understanding. Our curriculum is designed to ensure that all children have access to progressive, creative and engaging opportunities in maths; preparing them for their future as a lifelong learner.
Specific language development and practical experiences in maths will enable them to become “deep thinkers” acquiring maths skills that can be recalled quickly and transferred and applied in different contexts.
The challenges presented in maths will enable children to become resilient, making clear connections across the areas of maths, using their knowledge in other subjects and in their everyday lives.
Moorpark Junior School Science Intent
Science
At Moorpark Junior School, we recognise the importance of Science in every aspect of life and the way it connects us all. As one of the core subjects taught, we give the teaching and learning of Science the prominence it requires. We want our children to be able to develop questions about the world around them and the skills they need to investigate these.
Our aim is for science to be practical and child-led, developing skills associated with Science as a process of enquiry. Science knowledge is taught through science enquiry wherever possible to give the learning a purpose. We ensure that the Working Scientifically skills are built-on and developed throughout children’s time at the school so that they can apply their knowledge of science when using equipment, conducting experiments, building arguments and explaining concepts confidently and continue to ask questions and be curious about their surroundings. Children are provided with opportunities to use key scientific vocabulary which is revisited throughout a topic. Most importantly, we want to develop a love of a science within every child and to inspire them when thinking about their future careers.
Moorpark Junior School Art Intent
Art
As a school, we believe that art is an essential part of the curriculum. It enables children to develop their individual creativity and express their ideas. Within art lessons children learn the skills of drawing, painting, printing, collage, textiles, 3D work and digital art and are given the opportunity to explore and evaluate different creative ideas.
Learning is enhanced through many topic links such as history, geography and science. Children learn how art and design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation.
At Moorpark our broad and balanced curriculum will engage children, enabling them reach to their full potential. Children are given opportunities to develop skills and express their interests, thoughts and ideas. We want to inspire and challenge pupils ensuring they have the knowledge and skills to experiment and create their own piece of art. We want every child to develop their confidence and to have a sense of achievement.
Moorpark Junior School Geography & History Intent
Geography & History
Humanities Intent
We know that our children start school with different levels of understanding of the world around them in relation to History and Geography. Therefore, our curriculum is designed to teach children about these subjects in a cross-curricular and enquiry-based manner, where children’s interests and questions form the basis of their learning. We aim to inspire pupils with a curiosity and fascination about the world, its people and its history that will remain with them for the rest of their lives.
Throughout our topics, we focus on specific skills and knowledge that will help children to understand the world around them as it is today and how it came to be. We specifically teach them new vocabulary and themes, which will follow them through their journey from Year 3 to Year 6, where explicit links will be made between previous and new learning.
Moorpark Junior School MFL Intent
Modern Foreign Languages (MFL)
It is our intent at Moorpark Junior School School to provide all of our children with a high-quality education in Modern Foreign Languages (MFL), which develops their love of learning about other languages and cultures. Our current MFL taught is French, it is our intention to ensure that by the end of our children’s primary education, they have acquired an understanding of both spoken and written French, confidence to speak in French with others and know how important other languages can be in their future
Moorpark Junior School Music Intent
Music
Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. A high-quality music education should engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as [active]musicians, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement. As pupils progress, they should develop a critical engagement with music, allowing them to compose, and to listen with discrimination to the best in the musical canon.
The national curriculum for music aims to ensure that all pupils:
- Perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians.
- Learn to sing and to use their voices, to create and compose music on their own and with others, have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, use technology appropriately and have the opportunity to progress to the next level of musical excellence.
- Understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the inter-related dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations.
Moorpark Junior School P.E Intent
Physical Education (PE)
At Moorpark Junior School we believe that Physical Education (PE), experienced in a safe and supportive environment, is essential to ensure children attain optimum physical and emotional development and good health.
We intend to deliver high-quality teaching and learning opportunities that inspire all children to succeed in physical education and in developing life skills. We want to teach children skills to keep them safe such as being able to swim. We also want to teach children how to cooperate and collaborate with others as part of an effective team, understanding fairness and equity of play to embed life-long values.
Our curriculum aims to improve the wellbeing and fitness of all children at Moorpark Junior School not only through the sporting skills taught, but through the underpinning values and disciplines PE promotes.
Moorpark Junior School R.E Intent
Religious Education (RE)
The principal aim of RE is to engage pupils in systematic enquiry into significant human questions which religion and worldviews address, so that they can develop the understanding and skills needed to appreciate and appraise varied responses to these questions, as well as develop responses of their own.
Learning about and learning from religion through direct teaching and for example: enquiry, exploration, discussion, asking and answering questions, using a range of sources, including artefacts, visits and ICT.
The key concepts for pupils are:
Acceptance
Appreciation
Understanding
Tolerance
Faith
Moorpark Junior School Design and Technology Intent
Design and Technology
In design and technology our curriculum is designed to challenge children by immersing them into exciting ‘real life’ projects which are relevant to them. Our curriculum is planned to ensure children are given the opportunity to develop their problem solving skills with engaging practical lessons. We encourage using technology so that the children become confidence in our ever-changing technologically advanced society.
At Moorpark D&T is taught through enterprise weeks where each year group designs and create an items to sell at the school fayre. Not only do they create their designs, they will also learn how to evaluate critically and critique their ideas and others. By teaching with this method, children use a range of skills such as Mathematics, IT, science, engineering and arts.
Each academic year we build upon the skills to embed their understanding and to challenge them further. We want the children to develop the skills to think, design and evaluate ready for the future.
orpark Junior School P4C Intent
What is Philosophy for Children (p4c)?
P4C is essentially about developing thinking and reasoning skills, through talking and posing challenging questions. These questions cover a range of subjects and experiences. P4c is designed to get everybody thinking. Not all questions can be answered but all answers can be questioned!
Why do P4C?
P4C sessions allow us time to focus on developing key thinking, communication and social skills.
Research (please refer to www.sapere.org.uk for details) shows that P4C supports the development of children’s cognitive, speaking, listening and reasoning skills. This, in turn, results in improved English and Maths outcomes.
P4C also allows personal, social and emotional growth of individuals, boosting confidence and self-esteem. Children are given the time and space to learn how to manage their emotions appropriately, as well as allowing them to become more understanding towards one another.
The main principles of a P4C discussion are:
It’s Ok to change your mind.
It’s ok to disagree as long as you are respectful.
Everyone’s ideas are valued.
The adult also focuses on developing P4C 4C’s thinking:
Caring – understanding others and being respectful of different opinions.
Collaborative – finding solutions together.
Creative – making connections and thinking of new ideas.
Critical – understanding what we think and why.
P4C also specifically promotes the school attributes of:
Curious– Children are encouraged to ask questions about the world we live in.
Independent– Children forward their own ideas, and argue their own reasoning, coming to conclusions on their own individually or as a group, in contrast to simply being told.
Articulate– Children share their opinions with each other, build upon each other’s ideas.