The Curriculum at St John the Baptist Church of England Primary School

We believe that the primary years should be full of joy, laughter and inspirational learning in a safe and supportive school. We are an attachment aware school, proud to use emotion coaching and restorative approaches to help children to develop the skills they need to get on with others and be kind to themselves. All we do at St John the Baptist Church of England Primary School is based on our Christian values of courage, compassion and creativity. 

Children thrive with supportive adults modelling the values and behaviours we wish for our children, everybody at St John’s is a learner and every individual can learn something new every day.  We believe that all children have the capacity to learn and to delight in learning and that they learn best through play, through being outdoors and through first-hand experience.  All members of our school are given the support and challenge they need across a broad, rich curriculum to discover and develop their unique attributes as learners and to live our values. Children of all ages can be confident, independent learners, evaluating their learning, taking on board feedback to improve and wanting to do their best. 

Parents, carers, and our wider community—including our church family—are warmly welcomed into the learning adventure of our children. We provide opportunities for community participation and leadership development for all pupils, and aim to ensure that every child at St John’s grows in courage, shows compassion for others and the world around them, and uses their creativity when building connections across local, national, and global communities.

At St John’s we recognise that all subjects help our children develop their lifelong love of learning. In Reading, Writing and Maths, targets are used to highlight each individual child’s next step to success. English, Maths and Guided Reading sessions take place every morning, with Science and the Foundation subjects (history, geography, computing, religious education, physical education, art, French and design and technology) taking place during the afternoons. However, we always seek to base our learning around cross-curricular topics where relevant links between knowledge and skills from different subjects can be combined.

Over the course of the year, we have themed days which allow children to develop their skills in a more focused way. There are also educational visits and days allocated specifically to studying in our outdoor environment which reinforce the learning taking place in the classroom.

Each area of the curriculum is led by a subject leader who is responsible for monitoring the quality of teaching and learning for that subject, supporting colleagues with professional knowledge and ensuring that there is continuity and progression across the school.

Together, staff and pupils, we continuously evolve our curriculum to reflect the needs and interests of our learners, drawing on the strengths and talents of our team. As we believe, “The curriculum is not only the subjects on the timetable; it is the whole experience of education.” At SJTB Primary, we create memorable experiences that lead to memorable learning.

To learn more about the National Curriculum we follow, please visit the DfE website.   https://www.gov.uk/national-curriculum/overview)