Curriculum

Curriculum Intent Statement

At Harnham Junior School we value each child as an individual, with a unique potential for learning. We are highly ambitious for our children in order that they flourish to become active and engaged citizens as we prepare them for secondary school and the world beyond education. We aim to ensure that children feel a sense of pride in our School.

We aim to be a school to be proud of as we:

• inspire children and adults to develop self-motivation, resilience and have high aspirations for our own learning and behaviour.

• provide every child with memorable and fulfilling experiences as a foundation to becoming life-long learners.

• enable each child to participate fully in society as a responsible, articulate and self-confident citizen.

• teach, demonstrate and celebrate our School Values, which are underpinned by the Parable of the Good Samaritan – that we should actively treat everyone with love and kindness through positive actions.

• celebrate perseverance, resilience and risk taking, ensuring children welcome challenge and use mistakes as opportunities to learn, always treating others with care, compassion and kindness.

Basic Principles of our curriculum.

We believe that knowledge underpins the successful application of skills. Therefore, we explicitly teach subject-specific knowledge, revisiting key concepts at the start of—and throughout—every topic to ensure it remains the central focus. We understand that for learning to be permanent, children require regular opportunities to review prior knowledge, acquire new subject-specific content, and then practice applying those skills. Our curriculum is designed to provide this essential repetition, enabling children to move information into their long-term memory through enjoyable, creative, and cross-curricular experiences.

By carefully sequencing our curriculum, we provide every child with a rich and varied breadth of study. This robust foundation empowers our pupils to transition confidently to secondary education, equipped with the knowledge and thirst for discovery that fosters a lifelong love of learning.

Our Curriculum Intent - What is the Aim of our Curriculum?

We believe that our children deserve and need us to provide more than just the National Curriculum. Rather than just let subjects drive the curriculum, it is the needs of our children at Harnham Junior School who determine our curriculum emphasis. We have prioritised the things we feel our children should experience during their time with us to meet our aspirations for them. We call these our Curriculum Influencers, as they have influenced our design of the curriculum. We use influencers, alongside our School Values, to underpin everything we do and lay the foundations for every learning opportunity we offer.

Curriculum Influencers:

• Communication – Our children will have a good grasp of the English language and use ambitious, precise and technical vocabulary. They will be able to communicate their feelings in a mature way. They will be confident at speaking in a range of circumstances – such as with partners, in groups, with peers, with adults. All children will be given chances to perform in front of an audience and recite poems.

• Resilience – Our children will appreciate that learning is difficult and be taught key skills and strategies to ensure they have the tenacity and perseverance to keep going. They will have the resilience to accept feedback (from peers and adults) to help them improve their work.

• Diversity – Our children will appreciate the local environment of Harnham, and then be encouraged to compare and contrast it with other local, national and international areas. We will give children the opportunity to appreciate diversity and celebrate other cultures, religions, and family groupings.

• Aspirations – We will encourage all of our children, regardless of background, to be aspirational for their future. We will show children the possibilities of many different jobs. As inspired by the Good Samaritan, we will encourage children to be actively kind and to aspire to make a difference, to the world they live in. We will teach children the value of money and encourage entrepreneurial skills, through different aspects of the curriculum.

Values:  

Our School Values are underpinned by the Christian Principles practically demonstrated through the parable of the Good Samaritan – that we should actively treat everyone with love and kindness. Our school values are remembered by the mnemonic FAITH:   

Forgiveness  

Active love   

Inspiration   

Tenacity   

Harmony