“Every human is an artist.”

Don Miguel Ruiz

Subject Vision

We want the children at John Donne to understand that Art and Design enriches the quality of our experiences, providing rewarding activities that inspire, inform, stimulate, challenge and entertain. Art and Design activities invite children to express themselves and develop the capacity to formulate and communicate ideas and feelings; they enhance perceptual skills through responding, developing and evaluating, and physical skills through control and use of movement.

What do our children learn?

We follow the CUSP (Curriculum for Unity Schools Partnership) curriculum for Art and Design. 

EYFS 

Within the Expressive Arts and Design area of learning children will learn how to:

• Safely use and explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques, experimenting with colour, design, texture, form and function

• Share their creations, explaining the process they have used

Year 1

• Drawings based on seasonal changes and weather

• Paintings inspired by Mondrian

• Printmaking

• Textile portraits

• Inuksuk sculptures

• Paul Klee inspired collage

• Creative response to the whole school project

Year 2

• Mark-making

• Wassily Kandinsky inspired paintings

• Repeated patterns in printmaking

• Abstract collages

• 3-dimensional sculptures

• Creative response to the whole school project

Year 3

• Stone Age drawings

• Paintings and mark making

• Textured prints and mono-prints

• Storytelling through textiles

• Louise Bourgeois and 3D insects

• Creative response to the whole-school project

Year 4

• Drawings inspired by Giorgio Morandi and Anglo-Saxon artefacts

• Georgia O’Keeffe paintings

• Gilbert Ahiagble weaving and dyeing techniques

• Alberto Giacometti inspired wire sculptures

• Painting techniques revisited looking at Helen Frankenthaler’s work

• Creative responses to the whole school project

Year 5

• Subtractive drawing and enlarging images

• Reduction and stencil print-making linked to the work of Andy Warhol

• Lesley Richmond inspired nature collages

• Barbara Hepworth sculptures

• Watercolour techniques

• Creative response to the whole school project

Year 6

• Portraits inspired by Frida Kahlo

• Still Life paintings

• One-point perspective

• Dale Chihuly inspired 3D structures

• Terry Gilecki inspired water paintings

• Creative response to the whole school project

 

How do our children learn?

Our Art and Design curriculum is organised into blocks with each block covering a particular set of artistic disciplines, including drawing, painting, printmaking, textiles, 3D and collage. Vertical progression in each discipline has been deliberately woven into the fabric of the curriculum so that pupils can revisit key disciplines throughout their Primary journey at increasing degrees of challenge and complexity.  In addition to the core knowledge required to be successful within each discipline, the curriculum outlines key aspects of artistic development in the Working Artistically section. Each module will focus on developing different aspects of these competencies. This will support teachers in understanding pupils’ development as artists more broadly, as well as how successfully they are acquiring the taught knowledge and skills.  

How do we know what our children have learned?

• Questioning

• Pupil book study

• Talking to teachers

• Low stakes ‘Drop-in’ observations

• Quizzing and retrieval practices

• Feedback and marking

• Progress in book matches the curriculum intent

“Computing is not about computers any more. It is about living.”

Nicholas Negroponte

 

Subject Vision

We want the children at John Donne to become digitally literate and to use computing to express themselves creatively. We want all of our pupils to have the opportunity to use a wide range of software in a meaningful way which will enable them to use these skills in daily life and further into their future. Through the teaching of online safety lessons, they will learn to be considerate and safe participants in an ever changing digital world.

What do our children learn?

We follow the Teach Computing curriculum for Computing from the National Centre for Computing Education. 

EYFS

Children will explore technology through a range of activities including:

• taking a photograph with a camera or tablet

• searching for information on the internet

• playing games on the interactive whiteboard

• exploring an old typewriter or other mechanical toys

• using a Beebot

• watching a video clip

• listening to music

Year 1

• Computing systems and networks - Technology around us

• Creating media - Digital painting

• Creating media - Digital writing

• Data and information - Grouping data

• Programming A - Moving a robot

• Programming B - Introduction to animation

Year 2

• Computing systems and networks - Information technology around us

• Creating media - Digital photography

• Creating media - Making music

• Data and information - Grouping data (Pictograms)

• Programming A - Robot algorithms

• Programming B - Quizzes  

Year 3

• Computing systems and networks - Connecting computers

• Creating media - Animation

• Creating media - Desktop publishing

• Data and information - Branching databases

• Programming A - Sequence in music

• Programming B - Events and actions  

Year 4

• Computing systems and networks - The Internet

• Creating media - Audio editing 

• Creating media - Photo editing

• Data and information - Data logging

• Programming A - Repetition in shapes

• Programming B - Repetition in games  

Year 5

• Computing systems and networks - Sharing information

• Creating media - Vector drawing

• Creating media - Video editing

• Data and information - Flat-file databases

• Programming A - Selection in physical computing

• Programming B - Selection in quizzes  

Year 6

• Computing systems and networks - Communication

• Creating media - 3D Modelling

• Creating media - Web page creation

• Data and information - Spreadsheets

• Programming A - Variables in games

• Programming B - Sensing

 

How do our children learn?

The Teach Computing Curriculum is structured in units taught through a ‘spiral’ curriculum. This means each of the themes is revisited regularly (at least once in each year group), and pupils revisit each theme through a new unit that consolidates. This style of curriculum design reduces the amount of knowledge lost through forgetting, as topics are revisited yearly. It also ensures that connections are made even if different teachers are teaching the units within a theme in consecutive years.

The Teach Computing Curriculum acknowledges that physical computing plays an important role in modern pedagogical approaches in computing, both as a tool to engage pupils and as a strategy to develop pupils’ understanding in creative ways. Additionally, physical computing supports and engages a diverse range of pupils in tangible and challenging tasks. 

Every unit of work in the Teach Computing Curriculum contains: a unit overview; a learning graph, to show the progression of skills and concepts in a unit; lesson content — including a detailed lesson plan, slides for learners, and all the resources you will need; and formative and summative assessment opportunities.

 

Children use a range of technologies to learn practically. We have 1:1 Chromebooks in KS2 and access to Chromebooks and iPads across the rest of school. Opportunities for enhancing learning through technology are always taken, for example we use VR headsets to immerse children in new worlds and environments, in KS1 children use Code-a-pillars to begin their learning journey around coding and programming and by the time our pupils reach upper KS2 they consolidate that learning by coding with more advanced Micro:Bits technology.

Children learn how to keep themselves safe online and how to use technology responsibly through Computing and the wider curriculum. 

Older children have the opportunity to become Digital Leaders. This role gives them the chance to assist staff in the lower year groups to implement the computing curriculum, help the wider community with computing queries at school events and work with the computing lead to support all students to navigate the challenges they face online.

 

How do we know what our children have learned?

• Questioning

• Talking to teachers

• Low stakes ‘Drop-in’ observations

• Quizzing and retrieval practise

• Feedback and marking

“Good buildings come from good people, and all problems are solved by good design.”

Stephen Gardiner

 

Subject Vision

We want the children at John Donne to use creativity and imagination to design and make products that solve real and relevant problems. Children will take risks, become resourceful, innovative and enterprising. 

Design and Technology explores designing and making products that solve problems, and then evaluating how successful the results are.

 

What do our children learn?

We follow the CUSP (Curriculum for Unity Schools Partnership) curriculum for Design and Technology. 

 

EYFS

Within the Expressive Arts and Design area of development children will learn how to:

• safely use and explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques, experimenting with colour, design, texture, form and function

• share their creations, explaining the process they have used

Year 1

• Mechanisms: Sliders and levers

• Structures: Freestanding structures

• Food and nutrition: Preparing fruit and vegetables

• Understanding materials: Selecting materials

• Textiles: Templates and joining techniques

• Food and nutrition: Understanding a recipe

Year 2

• Textiles: Exploring shape and texture

• Food and nutrition: Following a recipe

• Mechanisms: Axles and wheels

• Understanding materials: Manipulating materials

• Food and nutrition: Increasing our intake of fruit and vegetables

• Structures: Freestanding structures with moving parts

Year 3

• Textiles: Combining materials

• Food and nutrition: A balanced and varied diet

• Mechanisms: Levers and linkages

• Electrical systems: Switches and circuits

• Food and nutrition: Adapting a recipe

• Structures: Developing strength in structures

Year 4

• Food and nutrition: Food choices

• Mechanisms: Hinges

• Electrical systems: Switches and circuits revisited

• Structures: Designing structures

• Textiles: Fixings and fastenings

• Food and nutrition: Understanding dietary requirements

Year 5

• Food and nutrition: Eating seasonally

• Mechanisms: Gears

• Textiles: Making clothes last longer

• Mechanisms: Pulleys

• Structures: Developing stability in structures

• Food and nutrition: Collaborating culture

Year 6

• Food and nutrition: Eating ethically

• Mechanisms: Gears

• Food and nutrition: Eating on a budget

• Structures: Designing structures 

• Electrical systems: complex switches and circuits

• Textiles; Sustainable materials

 

How do our children learn?

Each unit includes an overview for the teacher which details the context within which the learning is set through a key learning question; prior knowledge; expected knowledge and skills outcomes; background information about designers relevant to the block of learning; and further points of consideration such as elements of DT that are covered and Health & Safety considerations.

Dual coded knowledge organisers contain core information for children to easily access and use as a point of reference and as a means of retrieval practice.  The sequence of learning makes clear essential and desirable knowledge, key questions and task suggestions for each lesson. Detailed explanations of the core knowledge are planned into the lessons alongside technical vocabulary which children are encouraged to retrieve (from knowledge notes and lesson materials) and use in their discussions and work.

Retrieval practice is planned into the curriculum through spaced learning and interleaving and as part of considered task design by the class teacher.  Teaching and learning resources and provided for class teachers so they can focus their time on subject knowledge and task design.  Knowledge notes include the core knowledge for the block.

Knowledge notes focus pupils’ working memory to the key question that will be asked throughout the block.  It reduces cognitive load and avoids the split-attention effect. The units are supported by vocabulary modules which provide both resources for teaching and learning vital vocabulary.

How do we know what our children have learned?

• Questioning

• Pupil book study

• Talking to teachers

• Low stakes ‘Drop-in’ observations

• Quizzing and retrieval practices

• Feedback and marking

• Progress in book matches the curriculum intent

“The study of geography is about more than just memorising places on a map. It’s about understanding the complexity of our world, appreciating the diversity of cultures that exist across continents. And in the end, it’s about using all that knowledge to help bridge divides and bring people together.”

President Barack Obama

 

Subject Vision

We want the children at John Donne to understand, and respect, different cultures, backgrounds and faiths. To realise the impact they can have on the world and how they can ensure it is a positive one. 

Geography is the study of where places are found, what they are like and the relationships between people and their environments.

 

What do our children learn?

We follow the CUSP (Curriculum for Unity Schools Partnership) curriculum for Geography. 

 

We have four substantive concepts that weave progressively through our geography curriculum:

• Locational knowledge 

• Place knowledge 

• Human and physical geography 

• Geographical skills and fieldwork 

 

Year Group Area of Study:

EYFS

Within the Understanding the World area of learning children will learn about: 

• Weather and seasonal changes

• Transport and travel

• People and communities

Year 1

• Continents

• Oceans

• Countries of the UK

• Capital cities of the UK

• Seas around the UK

• The Equator

• North and South Poles

• Hot and cold places

• School study (maps)

Year 2

• Human and physical features

• Compare a small part of the UK to a non-European location (The Gambia)

• Fieldwork and map skills

• Compare a small part of the UK to a non-European location (Amazon Rainforest)

Year 3

• Fieldwork: Human and Physical features

• Fieldwork and map skills

• UK Study

• OS map and scale

Year 4

• Fieldwork and map skills

• Fieldwork: Human and Physical features

• UK Study

• OS map and scale

Year 5

• World countries – Biomes and environmental regions

• 4 and 6 figure map references

• OS maps and fieldwork

Year 6

• Comparison study – UK, Europe and North or South America

• Physical processes: Earthquakes, mountains and volcanoes

• Settlements

• Maps and orienteering

How do our children learn?

To support our children with thinking like a geographer as they progress through the school we focus on five disciplinary skills:

• Place and Space 

• Scale and Connection (Relationship and interdependence) 

• Physical and human geography 

• Environment and sustainability 

• Culture and diversity (Uniqueness)

Each geography unit has a ‘big idea’ which is then broken down into smaller learning questions to structure the children’s learning. 

Dual coded knowledge organisers contain core information for children to easily access and use as a point of reference and as a means of retrieval practice.

Knowledge notes for each lesson break the knowledge down further, and provide further detail and structure to support the children’s understanding. 

There is a strong focus on vocabulary in each unit with key words identified and explored in a variety of ways so children are able to understand and use it.

 

How do we know what our children have learned?

• Questioning

• Pupil Book Study - a structured approach to talking to children about their learning

• Talking to teachers

• Low stakes ‘Drop-in’ observations

• Quizzing and retrieval practise

• Feedback and marking

• Progress in book matches the curriculum intent

"The more you know about the past, the better prepared you are for the future"

Theodore Roosevelt

 

Subject Vision

We want the children at John Donne to understand how people and events across time have shaped the world we live in today.  

History is the study of the past - learning about people, places, events and changes.

 

What do our children learn?

We follow the CUSP (Curriculum for Unity Schools Partnership) curriculum for History.  

We have six substantive concepts that weave progressively through our history curriculum:

• Community 

• Knowledge

• Invasion

• Civilisation

• Power

• Democracy 

EYFS

Within the Understanding the World area of learning children will learn how to:

• Understand chronology and how things change over time

• Recognise significant people in our lives and within our community

Year 1

• Changes within living memory – What are the stages in my life?

• The lives of significant people including, Mary Anning, David Attenborough, Mae Jemison and Neil Armstrong 

Year 2

• Events beyond living memory – The Great Fire of London

• Local History study – Shakespeare, The Globe Theatre

Year 3

• Changes in Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age – with a Bronze and Iron Age comparison

• The Roman Empire and its influence on Britain

Year 4

• Britain settlement by Anglo-Saxon and Scots

• The Viking and Anglo-Saxon struggle for the Kingdom of England to the time of Edward the Confessor

• The achievements of the earliest civilisations – Ancient Egypt

Year 5

• A non-European society that provides contrast with British History – Benin (c. AD 900 - 1300). Compare location, settlement, people, culture and invention between Anglo-Saxon and Benin (c. AD 900 - 1300)

• Ancient Greece – a study of Greek life and achievements and their influence on the western world

Year 6

• A study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ knowledge beyond 1066 – The Windrush generation

• A study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ knowledge beyond 1066 – a local history focus on the impact of World War Two 

• A study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ knowledge beyond 1066 – Monarchs through time

How do our children learn?

To support our children with thinking like a historian as they progress throughout the school we focus on six disciplinary skills:

• Chronology 

• Cause & consequence 

• Change & continuity 

• Similarity & difference 

• Evidence 

• Significance

 

Each history unit has a ‘big idea’ which is then broken down into smaller learning questions to structure the children’s learning. 

Dual coded knowledge organisers contain core information for children to easily access and use as a point of reference and as a means of retrieval practice.

Knowledge notes for each lesson break the knowledge down further, and provide further detail and structure to support the children’s understanding. 

There is a strong focus on vocabulary in each unit with key words identified and explored in a variety of ways so children are able to understand and use it.

How do we know what our children have learned?

• Questioning

• Pupil Book Study - a structured approach to talking to children about their learning

• Talking to teachers

• Low stakes ‘Drop-in’ observations

• Quizzing and retrieval practise

• Feedback and marking

• Progress in book matches the curriculum intent

 

“Without mathematics, there’s nothing you can do. Everything around you is mathematics.  Everything around you is numbers.”

Shakuntala Devi, an Indian writer and mental calculator

 

Subject Vision

We want children at John Donne to become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, developing conceptual knowledge and an ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately. We want children to be able to reason mathematically and solve problems, to gain the necessary life skills to be successful in their daily lives and chosen careers. We aim to create a culture where mathematics is valued.  

 

What do our children learn?

Our mathematics curriculum is consistent, coherent, and progressive. 

We use the following resources to support our Maths curriculum:

• EYFS - Maths Mastery

• Y1 - Y6 - White Rose Maths

• Y1-Y6 - Doodlemaths

 

In Year 1-6 children's mathematical understanding develops through studying the following areas: 

Number

• Counting and Place Value 

• Addition and Subtraction

• Multiplication and Division

• Fractions, Decimals, and Percentages

 

Measurement

• Time

• Length

• Area

• Mass

• Volume

 

Geometry

• Properties of Shapes

• Position and Direction

• Statistics

• Ratio and Proportion

• Algebra

 

For further details please see our progression of vocabulary and progression of skills documents.

 

How do our children learn?

The school’s curriculum planning for mathematics carefully sequences knowledge, concepts and procedures to build mathematical knowledge and skills systematically and, over time. The curriculum draws connections across different ways of looking at mathematical ideas. 

The curriculum divides new material into manageable steps lesson by lesson. A significant amount of time is spent reinforcing numbers in order to build competency and ensure children can confidently access the rest of the curriculum. 

The school’s curriculum identifies opportunities when mathematical reasoning and solving problems will allow pupils to make useful connections between identified mathematical ideas or to anticipate practical problems they are likely to encounter in adult life. 

There are sufficient opportunities planned to revisit previously learned knowledge, concepts and procedures; this is to ensure that, once learned, mathematical knowledge becomes deeply embedded in pupils’ memories. 

We ensure that all children, when introduced to a new concept, has the opportunity to build competency by following the CPA (Concrete, Pictorial, Abstract) approach. This features throughout our schemes of learning.

 

How do we know what our children have learned?

• Questioning 

• Pupil Book Study - a structured approach to talking to children about their learning

• Talking to teachers

• Low stakes ‘Drop-in’ observations

• Quizzing and retrieval practise

• Immediate Feedback and marking

• Progress in book matches the curriculum intent

• Termly Summative assessments

“Without music, life would be a mistake.”

Friedrich Nietzsche

Subject Vision

We want the children at John Donne to understand the importance of Music in their everyday lives. To understand the role it plays in helping to understand about other cultures and countries. We want them to have opportunities to create, make and read music and to develop their listening skills.

What do our children learn?

Children will develop their musical skills across four main strands:

• Listening and appraising

• Improvising and composing

• Performing

• The elements of music - duration, timbre, tempo, pitch, dynamics, texture, notation, structure

 

Children learn about a range of musical genres including:

Year 1 -  Hip Hop

Year 2 - Punk rock, electronic, indie rock, reggae, jazz, carols, musicals

Year 3 - Experimental/contemporary/traditional music

Year 4 - Folk, experimental

Year 5 - Amapiano, Afrobeats, pop, rock, experimental (picture stimulus), Dubstep

Year 6 - Drill, funk, garage, musicals

 

For further details please refer to our progression of skills document.

 

How do our children learn?

In Early Years, the music curriculum is predominantly accessed through the children singing, dancing and listening to musical stories. 

As the children progress into Key Stage 1, they will begin to learn about the history of particular styles of music and are introduced to music notation.  Children will also begin to use tuned and untuned percussion to improvise, perform and compose pieces in small groups or as a whole class along with learning more complex songs.

Lessons include opportunities for children to perform, compose and improvise.  Time is also dedicated to listening and responding to music from a broad range of styles and time periods as well as peer performances.  Every child will explore and gain a positive understanding of the elements of music, pitch, pulse, rhythm, tempo and dynamics, using them to improvise, compose and perform their own musical pieces.  

As children reach Key Stage 2, they will continue to build and develop the skills they learnt in Key Stage 1 through the introduction of whole class ukulele lessons and music technology software.

In KS1 and KS2 each class receives music lessons from our music specialist, Miss Trotman. 

Weekly singing assemblies mean that children across the school (Year 1-Year 6) are exposed to music from various time periods, cultures and genres and get to enjoy singing alongside their peers within their Key Stage.  There are various opportunities throughout the year for children to perform to one another and collaboratively.

How do we know what our children have learned?

• Questioning

• Talking to teachers

• Low stakes ‘Drop-in’ observations

• Performances

Additional Music Opportunities

John Donne also offers weekly piano, violin and singing lessons that are delivered by Ms Hollweg (our peripatetic music teacher) and Miss Trotman.  

We also have a school choir (JD singers) who perform for the school, out in the local community and at mass-choir events such as Young Voices at the O2!

At John Donne, we recognise the importance of our outside space in improving our physical and mental health and the contribution it can make to enhancing the children’s learning experience. Beyond the immediate benefits of fresh air and more physical exercise, learning outdoors and partaking in outdoor activities has been shown to improve problem solving and team building skills as well as supporting the development of communication, understanding and empathy between children.

The importance of outdoor play and exploration as a key to successful learning is widely recognised in the Early Years, but we believe that outdoor play should not stop when the children move on from the Foundation Stage.

We have set up dedicated areas for outdoor activities across the playground such as the garden, the Construction Area and the Forest Kitchen to support these learning opportunities. These include growing our own vegetables for the kitchen, den building, team games and cooking on the fire pit or our very own pizza oven. Across all of these activities, children are encouraged to work collaboratively and show resilience when faced with problems they have to solve. 

My role as Outside Learning Coordinator is to provide the children with exciting opportunities for learning and to support the staff in developing their own skills in teaching outside the classroom. I have worked alongside class teachers to provide opportunities that support the learning in class. This has included building bridges out of bamboo canes to look at how communities deal with floods, recreating Ancient Egyptian mud bricks, baking bread and “accidentally” setting fire to a street of model Tudor house to explore how the Fire of London spread so quickly and using our pizza oven to explore the best types of materials to insulate.

Outdoor learning also extends beyond the school with children enjoying local walks, trips to museums and galleries across London as well as city farms and nature reserves. Children in year 5 and 6 are also invited to attend week long residential trips to Nethercott Farm in Devon and Bushcraft camping in Oxfordshire. All of these experiences offer the chance for the children to explore and develop themselves in ways that would not be possible in the classroom environment.

“One of the greatest gifts adults can give is to read to children”

Carl Sagan

 

Phonics instruction at our school is grounded in the systematic synthetic program known as "Little Wandle Letters & Sounds". This comprehensive program takes a multi-sensory approach, incorporating letter frames, flashcards, phonic games, and listening activities to engage our pupils effectively. 

What do our children learn?

The children learn the sounds (phonemes) that make up words and the letters that represent them. We teach children to blend these phonemes together to make a word and to segment (break up) words to be able to spell. Children also learn words that can’t be read easily with phonics, known as tricky words. Children use these skills to read books and to write their own sentences.  

For further details please see the Little Wandle Programme Overview.

How do our children learn?

Children learn through structured carpet sessions where they are taught to read and write words or sentences. They practise their reading through small group reading sessions where they read books based on the phonics they have learnt in school and consolidate this by reading the same books at home. They are also given a range of opportunities to read using their new phonics skills throughout the day in their environment. 

Children practise writing in whole class sessions and in Reception, they practise writing in small groups. They also use these skills to write for a variety of purposes, such as writing a shopping list in the role play area, or a report on dinosaurs.  

How do we know what our children have learned?

We gather information about children’s learning all of the time, through their responses in lessons and in the work they do outside of phonics sessions. This helps us to move their learning forward instantly. We also assess children at the end of each half term. 

How can you support your child at home?

To support your children’s learning at home, please read the levelled reading books that your child receives. This has a significant impact on their learning to read and write. For more information you can also visit the Little Wandle website, where you can find out more about what they are learning, how to pronounce the sounds they are learning, how to form the letters for writing and much more. 

https://www.littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk/resources/for-parents/

“I think exercise tests us in so many ways, our skills, our hearts, our ability to bounce back after setbacks. This is the inner beauty of sports and competition, and it can serve us all well as adult athletes.”

Peggy Fleming

Subject Vision

We want the children at John Donne to acquire the skills, knowledge and motivation to support them for a lifelong participation in physical activity, sports and to lead a healthy lifestyle. 

What do our children learn?

We want the children at John Donne to have opportunities to experience, enjoy, succeed and excel in a wide range of physical activities. Through physical education children are given opportunities to grasp the values of collaboration, perseverance, effort and excellence.

We follow the LPESSN curriculum for PE.

EYFS 

Children will learn to:

• Negotiate space and obstacles safely, with consideration for themselves and others

• Demonstrate strength, balance and coordination when playing 

• Move energetically, such as running, jumping, dancing, hopping, skipping and climbing. 

• Use both hands to catch an object

• Kick a ball towards and through different targets

 

Year 1 

• Invasion games - send and receive equipment in a controlled manner

• Multi-skills - understand the importance of agility, balance and coordination in all forms of physical activity

• Gymnastics - perform a range of movements using control and begin to sequence these together to form a routine

• Invasion games - to throw accurately at a target (moving or still) with repeated success

• Net games - to hit a ball repeatedly to a target

• Athletics - to be able to run with speed in control as well as over longer distances and to be able to jump and land in a controlled manner

 

Year 2 

• Multi-Skills - use different movement patterns and apply them to competitive situations

• Gymnastics - to begin to apply taught movements onto apparatus confidently

• Invasion games - to dribble with control in space and to pass consistently to a target

• Net games - hit a ball to a partner with control

• Invasion games - throw and catch an object over increasing distance

• Athletics - to jump for height with control and balance and strengthen running technique

 

Year 3  

• Athletics - hop, step and jump in the correct sequence and demonstrate a variety of throwing techniques

• Ball games - begin to understand how to keep possession of a ball by identifying the correct time to pass and dribble

• Gymnastics- apply different types of travel across apparatus and understanding different balance points on the body

• Swimming - become more confident in the water and learn the freestyle and backstroke techniques

• Tennis - to begin to learn how to perform a rally in Tennis

 

Year 4  

• Swimming - swim up to 10m confidently using the freestyle and backstroke technique

• Games - pass and move the ball  as part of a team towards a target whilst keeping the ball away from an opponent

• Gymnastics - work with a partner to combine movements together and perform routines across different stations

• Striking and Fielding - bowl using underarm and overarm techniques and learn how to hit the ball into different areas of space

 

Year 5

• Multi-skills - throw and catch equipment in a number of different ways to a partner whilst avoiding others and begin to evade defenders

• Gymnastics - move at different speeds and levels and link these into a sequence as part of a group and begin to perform a number of counter balances with a partner

• Invasion Games - pass and play whilst under pressure and understand the need to create space to help maintain possession of an object

• Basketball - dribble, pass and shoot with greater confidence and accuracy and begin to familiarise themselves with the rules of the game

• Swimming - swim with confidence underwater and use the freestyle and backstroke technique over a longer distance

• Athletics - sustain jogging and sprinting for longer periods of time and begin to learn how to throw for distance using different techniques

 

Year 6  

• Athletics  - sustain jogging and sprinting with the same pace for longer periods of time and begin to give feedback to partners on how to improve performance

• Invasion Games - maintain possession using different techniques whilst working as a team to move towards a target

• Gymnastics - create sequences with several different actions individually, with a partner and as part of a group

• Tennis - attack and defend space on a court and use strategies to outwit an opponent

• Rounders - understand the importance of hitting into space and identify tactics to combat this when fielding

• Swimming - swim 25m confidently using a range of techniques including both freestyle and backstroke as well as being able to hold breath underwater for a sustained period of time

 

How do our children learn?

In KS1 and KS2 each class receives P.E. lessons from specialist coaches as well as their class teacher. They help the children to learn a wide range of physical skills but also focus on developing a positive attitude to sport.

Children in Y3 and above have swimming lessons by a specialist swimming coach at a local secondary school.

There are opportunities for children to join sports clubs and take part in competitions with local schools.

 

How do we know what our children have learned?

• Questioning

• Talking to teachers

• Low stakes ‘Drop-in’ observations

• Demonstrations of skill by children

Hello everybody, I’m Ms Naomi and I’m the Poetry Teacher at John Donne Primary, where I introduce pupils to the “power of words and expression” through POETRY

“P is for Poetry” works alongside the Literacy curriculum, encouraging all pupils to engage with words and express ideas confidently. I use both classic and contemporary poems from around the world as the framework for my classes, encouraging pupils to speak clearly, convey ideas and develop their vocabulary, while gaining confidence with reading and sharing out loud. The work culminates with an end-of-term poetry assembly, enabling all participants to recite and perform their class poems.

Working together, each class is introduced to a collection of new poems, linked by a theme, style or poet. We explore the ideas and the feelings of each poem, and incorporate all of this into our own expression of its meaning, making this poem our very own. Using gestures and movement, intonation and articulation, each child enjoys this expressive way of engaging with the poems. During our time together I encourage the children to be bold with their choices and believe in their abilities to perform in front of others. This confidence grows in differing ways, from raising a hand in class, through sharing their ideas about a word or an action, to standing in front of others, with no text in front of them, performing an entire poem from memory. The children find that they enjoy the acting and the challenge of remembering the words and actions.

The other wonderful gift of poetry is how it makes us all feel from within. Being able to climb inside the world of a poem enables our children to develop a sense of belonging and self-worth, creating positive experiences that they can reflect on when necessary. They tell me that, “Remembering a poem and the actions that go with it helps me to feel calm,” and, “When I sit on my own and think about my class poem it relaxes me.”

My many years of experience as a theatre-maker also means that I can confidently enter John Donne Primary into the LAMDA programme of examinations. LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art) is one of the UK’s oldest and most respected awarding bodies, and has offered examinations in communication and performance for over 130 years. During the spring term, “P is for Poetry” prepares learners for their Introductory and Speaking Verse exams - an excellent starting point for children who have never taken an exam before and for those who want to progress further with the programme.

“The more that you read, the more things you will know.  The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”

Dr. Seuss

 

Subject Vision

We want our children at John Donne to have a love for reading. They are given the tools, through reading, to be able to articulate themselves and express their views and ideas. Children explore a range of books carefully matched to their needs and interests, with a consideration of content, diversity and richness.

 

What do our children learn?

In EYFS and KS1 children use the Little Wandle Scheme to support the development of their reading skills. Please see the Phonics page for further information.

In KS2 we use VIPERS to help structure and support our teaching of reading skills. This acronym stands for:

• Vocabulary

• Inference

• Prediction

• Explanation

• Retrieval

• Summarise

 

For further details please refer to the following documents:

EYFS and KS1 Reading Progression

KS2 Reading Progression

 

Our Reading Spine ensures that children are accessing a wide range of diverse, high quality texts.

 

How do our children learn?

Children are given a range of language rich texts with varied themes that are rich in diversity and genre. Children are given the opportunity in school to explore these texts through various avenues, such as chain reading, buddy reading, independent reading and also create opportunities for our children to read publicly. John Donne places huge importance on our children developing a love for reading and reading for pleasure is a key focus. We create this culture by ensuring children have access to a wide variety of books and celebrate reading achievements through awards in assembly or whole school reading competitions. The reading journey at John Donne starts in our Early Years setting, where all children take part in our early reading phonics programme scheme Little Wandle. This scheme has been specially designed to ensure that the individual needs of each child allows our staff to be able to specially target our delivery and interventions to the exact needs of both the class and child where needs be. This programme runs through each child’s journey through Key Stage 1. This is further supplemented by Reading Practice sessions, which are streamed and targeted to the specific needs of each child and links directly with the learning that takes place in the phonics sessions. In KS2 our children move on to the VIPERS guided reading scheme which moves away from sound decoding and fluency reading and more into the exploration of themes in reading books. This scheme is equally progressional and is built upon through KS2 so that children have the tools required to discuss, explore and decipher varied texts in a range of genres. Reading interventions are consistent throughout a child’s learning journey and staff are constantly trained to deliver sessions which are both specific and relevant to the needs of each child. Reading at home is also very important at John Donne. Children are encouraged to take as many books as they can home to continue to practise and develop their reading skills. These include books targeted to each child’s reading level, through ongoing assessment, as well as children being able to select books of their own choice to read at home.

 

How do we know what our children have learned?

• Questioning

• Talking to teachers

• Low stakes ‘Drop-in’ observations

• Quizzing and retrieval practise

• Feedback and marking

• Progress in book matches the curriculum intent

 

"RE is like an iceberg. As you unpack ideas, you come to understand deeper meaning."

Pupil

Subject Vision

We want the children at John Donne to understand, and respect, different cultures, backgrounds and faiths. To realise the impact they can have on the world and how they can ensure it is a positive one.

 

What do our children learn?

At John Donne we follow the Charles Dickens RE Scheme which has been developed by a local RE expert to reflect the local community in Southwark.

 

EYFS

Children in the Early Years learn about religions followed in our community. They also learn about religious festivals and celebrations such as Eid, Christmas and Hanukkah.

 

Year 1

• What does it mean to be a Muslim?

• What does God look like in Islam?

• What does it mean to be a Christian?

• Who was Jesus and why is he so important to Christians?

• What is the Hajj?

• What happens inside a mosque?

 

Year 2

• What is the Qur’an?

• Why is Muhammad so important?]

• What is the meaning of Christmas?

• What is the meaning of Easter?

• Who were the people of the Old Testament?

• What religious festivals take place in our community?

 

Year 3

• Judaism: Beliefs

• Judaism: Practices

• What evidence of Christianity is there in London?

• What did Jesus teach about the poor?

• What does Islamic art teach us about Allah?

• What symbols are important in religion?

 

Year 4

• Sikhism: Beliefs

• Sikhism: Practices

• What do stories in the Bible tell us about Christianity?

• What does a church look like?

• What are the Five Pillars of Islam?

• What does London’s Muslim community look like?

 

Year 5

• Hinduism: Beliefs

• Hinduism: Practices

• How do people make ethical decisions?

• How do Christians respond to war?

• How do Muslims help those in need?

• How do Muslims respond to climate change?

 

Year 6

• How is Christianity different around the world?

• What can we learn from historic faith leaders?

• Buddhism: Beliefs and Practices

• Jerusalem: Place Study

 

How do our children learn?

In the Early Years children learn through sharing personal experiences and reading stories. They explore the traditions and foods linked to religious festivals and celebrations. 

Lessons are structured to build upon prior knowledge. Questioning is used to scaffold and guide whole class discussions around the learning questions enabling students to gain a deeper understanding.

In KS1 the focus is on discussion and in KS2 children have RE booklets in which to record their learning.

 

How do we know what our children have learned?

• Questioning

• Talking to teachers

• Low stakes ‘Drop-in’ observations

• Quizzing and retrieval practise

• Feedback and marking

“Science is fun. Science is curiosity. We all have natural curiosity. Science is a process of investigating. It's posing questions and coming up with a method. It's delving in.”

Sally Ride

Subject Vision

We want the children at John Donne to have an impactful science education. Children’s natural curiosity should be encouraged and valued in theoretical and practical lessons which allow children to learn through exploration and questioning. There should be cross-curricular links where possible and learning should be enriched through the whole school's excitement towards science being in the real world. Learning should spark children and teachers’ excitement, allowing for appreciation and respect of the world around them. We want our children to experience the wonder in learning about our earth and to play a crucial role in addressing global issues affecting us all.

Science is the process of learning about the natural world through observation and experimentation.

 

What do our children learn?

We follow the CUSP (Curriculum for Unity Schools Partnership) curriculum for Science.

 

EYFS

Within the Understanding the World area of learning children will learn how to:

• explore the natural world around them, making observations and drawing pictures of animals and plants

• know some similarities and differences between the natural world around them and contrasting environments, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class

• understand some important processes and changes in the natural world around them, including the seasons and changing states of matter.

Year 1

• Seasonal changes

• Plants

• Animals, including humans

• Humans

Year 2

• Living things and their habitats

• Animals, including humans

• Use of everyday materials

• Plants

Year 3

• Animals, including humans

• Forces and magnets

• Light

• Plants

• Rocks

Year 4

• Living things and their habitats

• Electricity

• Animals including humans

• Sound

• States of matter

Year 5

• Properties and changes of materials

• Animals including humans

• Earth in space

• Forces

• Living things and their habitats

Year 6

• Living things and their habitats

• Light

• Animals, including humans – circulatory system

• Animals, including humans – water transportation

• Electricity

• Evolution and inheritance

 

How do our children learn?

Each science unit has a ‘big idea’ which is then broken down into smaller learning questions to structure the children’s learning.

Dual coded knowledge organisers contain core information for children to easily access and use as a point of reference and as a means of retrieval practice.

Knowledge notes for each lesson break the knowledge down further, and provide further detail and structure to support the children’s understanding.

There is a strong focus on vocabulary in each unit with key words identified and explored in a variety of ways so children are able to understand and use it.

How do we know what our children have learned?

• Questioning

• Pupil Book Study - a structured approach to talking to children about their learning

• Talking to teachers

• Low stakes ‘Drop-in’ observations

• Quizzing and retrieval practise

• Feedback and marking

• Progress in book matches the curriculum intent

"Learning another language is not only learning different words for the same things, but learning another way to think about things."

Flora Lewis

Subject Vision

We want the children at John Donne to foster the enthusiasm and enjoyment of learning a new language.

 

What do our children learn?

EYFS and KS1

Children explore the languages of our community through songs, games and stories which promote an understanding of some of the differences in our world.

 

KS2

Children have the opportunity to understand Spanish language and Hispanic culture, as well as to develop an international outlook in a fun and inclusive learning setting. Learning Spanish helps our children to develop communication skills and extends their knowledge of how language works, helping them to develop their grammar skills, and preparing them for the challenges of the secondary school curriculum.

Spanish is intended as a gateway to cultivate children’s attention to study a foreign language and develop their interest in the culture of other nations.

Year 3 - Learning basic greetings and talking about feelings. Counting to 31 and making simple calculations. Singing and dancing songs about colours, body parts and simple instructions.

Year 4 - Learning the alphabet and the sound of the letters, focusing on phonics in order to have a strong foundation for learning to read and write in Spanish. Saying the date and describing colours, size and shapes. Counting to 100.

Year 5 - Talking about the weather and making weekly forecasts using connectives and opinions.  Learning about school: objects, equipment and subjects. Give opinions and use adjectives to describe things. 

Year 6 - Describing personal appearances, family and pets. Having simple conversations, reading simple texts and writing short paragraphs. Developing an understanding of Spanish verbs and adjectives.

 

How do our children learn?

Spanish is taught by a specialist native teacher, Eva Rodriguez-Moya, and is tailored specifically to the different KS2 groups and intended to fulfil the attainment targets of the National Curriculum of MFL. This way, each year group follows differentiated learning outcomes that encourage children’s understanding and knowledge of the Spanish language to deepen and progress over time. Inclusion is a big part of the learning spirit behind the lessons, both introducing the Spanish language and culture to non-Spanish speakers while reinforcing those with a pre-existing knowledge of the language.

The curriculum is designed to progressively develop children’s skills in languages, through weekly taught lessons.

Learning objectives comprise the full spectrum of Spanish, with Oracy, Literacy and Intercultural Understanding. This results in a holistic approach to the target language, with distinct emphasis on the Oracy component (i.e. listening, speaking and spoken interaction). Oracy is important for the target audience to serve as an effective introduction to language and culture through listening, speaking and interacting orally to songs and rhymes, to each other and to native speakers, as well as recorded and on-line speech and songs.

Phonics are extremely important in the curriculum. Learning the sounds of the alphabet in Spanish is one of the most important things we can do to give our children a strong foundation for learning to read and write. Phonemes are so important because they are the sounds that help us distinguish one word from another

Children progressively acquire, use and apply a growing bank of vocabulary and grammar organised around topics.

The lessons make extensive use of immersion and target language, which encourages a level playing field across the groups and ensures greater effectiveness via participation. The teaching materials are varied, fun, innovative and highly interactive, intended to stir curiosity, creativity and energise the lessons.

Positive motivation and reinforcement are core values of the lessons, establishing rapport and maximising participation within the groups. This teaching approach includes a significant use of kinesthetic tools, which are particularly well suited for children within this age range. They comprise elements like gestures to represent key vocabulary words or graphics to denote concepts delivered via songs, games, etc.

How do we know what our children have learned?

• Questioning

• Talking to teachers

• Low stakes ‘Drop-in’ observations

• Quizzing and retrieval practise

• Feedback and marking

• Progress in book matches the curriculum intent

“You should write because you love the shape of stories and sentences and the creation of different words on a page. Writing comes from reading, and reading is the finest teacher of how to write.”

Annie Proulx

Subject Vision

We want the children at John Donne to become proficient and confident writers who are equipped with the tools needed to express themselves with their words.

Writing at John Donne Primary School is of fundamental importance as it not only allows students to express themselves and their ideas through their learning, but also helps them to communicate and express themselves in their everyday lives. We want our children to view writing as an outlet for creativity and imagination. At our school, our students are able to explore varied writing genres through their English lessons, as well as their foundation subjects. We want the children at John Donne to feel confident and take risks in their writing. We aim for our literature and learning to reflect our children and their experiences and be relevant to our learners. For our lessons and planning to expand our children’s minds, to make them more tolerant and conscientious citizens. Children are taught the power and value of vocabulary and why the words they choose to use matter. Children are encouraged to develop their own writing voice and can express that through various writing pieces. Writing development is not limited to English lessons but is specifically planned into most of our subjects so that our children always get the opportunity to practise and develop writing in varied contexts.

What do our children learn?

Our writing curriculum is built around high quality texts. Writing is stimulated through reading these texts as well as real world prompts. As a result, it is really important that we choose books that are both rich in theme but also books that are diverse and relatable to the children at our school. When planning any writing genre we ensure we focus specific aspects of writing that we know our children need to be clear on. These may vary across each genre of text and each year group but each published writing piece will explore these aspects and endeavour to showcase them.

Our aspects of writing

• Composition - planning, drafting, reviewing

• Grammar

• Punctuation

• Spelling

• Handwriting

We explore a range of writing genre through Years 1 - 6 which include:

• Character descriptions

• Setting descriptions

• Diary entries

• Newspaper reports

• 3 and 5 point narratives

• Formal and informal letters

• Chronological reports

• Information text e.g. biography, balanced argument, fact files

• Instructions

• Non chronological reports

For further information please see our writing progression document

How do our children learn?

At John Donne our children learn how to write in various ways. Before we start any formalised writing pieces we ensure that we give enough time in our lessons for the practising of writing skills. These sessions are always certain to be based around our aspects of writing. We also believe it is important that our children are fully immersed in the genre that they are writing in, we do this by allowing them to have the chance to rehearse, perform and even act out their writing. These teaching techniques are developed by the CLPE and evolve as children develop through the school. The CLPE Power of Reading scheme is a writing development scheme which supports our staff in teaching writing by focusing on how to explore high quality texts. We endeavour to choose genres that link to our wider curriculum subjects where appropriate, this is to ensure that we can explore each reading text that we choose in as much depth as possible which will lead to better writing outcomes.

Our writing sequences begin with the teaching of grammar skills and repeated practise of these skills. Children then explore ‘real’ examples of their writing genre so that they can examine what features they need to include in their own writing. Children will then practise a ‘shared’ or ‘guided’ write supported in class. This involves a lot of rehearsal and live feedback given by both peers and adults. Once the practice in class has taken place, children will then write their own independent piece of writing which they will then edit. Editing is a very important aspect of our teaching of writing as it teaches children how to reflect on their own learning. This also progresses as children develop through the school and by the end of KS2 it is expected that each child can independently edit their own work. Once this process has been completed, often all writing pieces are celebrated and showcased through assemblies or displays around the school. Where we can, we try to further showcase our writing by placing them outside of school, we have sent persuasive letters to local MPs and started campaigns on climate change in our local area.

How do we know what our children have learned?

• Questioning

• Low stakes ‘Drop-in’ observations

• Feedback and marking

• Progress in book matches the curriculum intent

• Summative and Formative Assessment

• Moderation (Internals and External)