English

Reading Intent

We aspire to instil a life-long love of reading in our pupils; we work hard to equip children with the skill and stamina to read. We believe that reading is a life skill and fundamental to academic success and as a result, it lies at the heart of our curriculum.

The school aims to:

●       Foster a life-long love of reading, encouraging the children to be reflective readers by listening to and interacting with a variety of texts

●       Develop fluent, confident and independent readers through a structured focus on word, sentence and text level knowledge

●       Develop and extend the children’s vocabulary

●       Ensure children can read aloud with clarity

●       Provide plenty of opportunities to read for pleasure and help children to recognise its value

●       Ensure reading is a transferable skill and that children are reading across the wider curriculum

●       Develop a consistent approach to reading teaching in order to close any gaps and to target the highest number of children attaining the expected standard and higher.

Writing Intent

We aim to ensure all children are equipped with the relevant skills they need to communicate their ideas with the world effectively. Throughout our English lessons and across the curriculum, we encourage children to develop a love of writing, to embrace their imagination, whilst embedding the key skills of spelling, grammar and handwriting within their writing. Our aim is for all of our children to be able to write independently in a variety of genres and for a range of purposes with fluency, accuracy and enjoyment. We want children to leave Year 6 at Elmwood as confident, passionate and creative writers.

The school aims to:

• Deliver an engaging and exciting curriculum that helps develop a love of writing and inspires children to want to write.
• Encourage children to be imaginative and to bring this to their writing.
• Provide children with essential skills in grammar, spelling, punctuation and composition that will be life-long.
• Develop children into writers with an understanding of the writing process, including effective transcription and composition as well as fluent, legible and speedy handwriting.
• Support children to develop an awareness of purpose, audience and context and an increasing wide knowledge of vocabulary and grammar including how to apply this learning successfully.
• Create a culture where children love to read and are developed into outstanding writers

Maths Intent

Maths is a skill we use on a daily basis and is an essential part of everyday life.  At Elmwood, we aim to provide a high-quality mathematics education so that all children:

· become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics

· reason mathematically

· can solve problems by applying their mathematical knowledge

These keystones of Mathematics are embedded throughout all strands of the National Curriculum.  We aim for our teaching to inspire children to make better sense of the world around them by making connections between mathematics and everyday life. It is intended that all children, regardless of their starting point, will maximise their academic achievement and leave Elmwood Junior School with an appreciation and enthusiasm of maths, resulting in a lifelong positive relationship with number.  We encourage children to view maths with a growth mindset resulting in children being resilient, independent and confident learners.

Science Intent

At Elmwood, Science lessons provide an opportunity to inspire curiosity and excitement about the natural world in all students. We aim to create an environment where children are encouraged to ask questions, explore ideas, and build a strong understanding of scientific concepts through hands-on learning and real-world experiences. By promoting inquiry-based learning and fostering critical thinking, we ensure that students not only gain essential scientific knowledge but also develop the skills needed to investigate, experiment, and solve problems. Ultimately, the goal is to cultivate a lifelong passion for science, helping students appreciate its relevance to their lives and the world around them.

Religious Education Intent

At Elmwood, and in Croydon, we are part of a diverse community that celebrates a variety of religions. The main aim of the R.E curriculum is to significantly reduce prejudice and to encourage respect. It is important that children, whether they have a faith or not, learn about different faiths so they are able to better understand those around them and the things that are important to them. Through this, children should be able to learn from religion – they should have the opportunity for reflection and to understand how religion links to our Elmwood Values. Children should be encouraged to ask questions and challenge different perspectives in a respectful manner so that they can interact with and form relationships with people of different faiths in society and as they continue into secondary. Religious Education should develop curiosity and a range of communication and listening skills.

Computing intent

At Elmwood Juniors, we aim to give our pupils the life-skills that will enable them to embrace and utilise new technology in a socially responsible and safe way in order to flourish. We want our pupils to be able to operate in the 21st century workplace and we want them to know the career opportunities that will be open to them if they study computing. Not only do we want them to be digitally literate and competent end-users of technology but through our computer science lessons we want them to develop creativity, resilience, problem-solving and critical thinking skills. We want our pupils to gain vital skills which will help them in the future.

Within the Elmwood Computing curriculum we wish to enable the children to fully access computer programs such as the Google apps so that it can enhance communication and presentation in all the other subjects.

Elmwood Children should also learn the lifelong skill of touch typing and have some skills to create, edit and develop video creation for specific purposes.

PSHE intent

At Elmwood we believe that PSHE is an essential part of every child’s education. It encourages the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of children to prepare them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences for later life. We want our children to be ‘lifelong learners’ and provide them with the knowledge, skills and understanding to manage their lives and become independent and valuable members of society. We teach PSHE through a planned programme of learning and as part of a whole-school approach, which develops the qualities and attributes our children need to thrive as individuals, family members and members of society and the global community. We link our ‘Learner Values’ to the lessons we teach.

Geography intent

Geography is at the very heart beat of Elmwood Juniors. Indeed the school logo incorporates the globe as a reflection of the diverse makeup of the Elmwood community.The purpose of the Elmwood Geography curriculum is to bring the world into the classroom, to  build a lifetime curiosity and appreciation of the world around us. To understand that we live in one world and that it is extremely important to be good stewards of our collective planet. Within the Geography curriculum children will learn about the huge rich diversity and to instill a rich interest in learning about other countries and environments. At Elmwood, we believe that high-quality teaching and learning of Geography allows children to develop a lifelong appreciation of their place in the world both locally and internationally. We aim to enable children to have the skills to read and use maps and Atlases of varying complexity. To have a basic knowledge of locations of continents and countries around the world.

History intent

At Elmwood, we believe that high-quality teaching and learning within History will help children gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. History should inspire children’s curiosity to know more about the past. We aim to equip children with the ability to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments and develop perspective and judgement. We believe history helps children to understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups – as well as their own identity and the challenges of their time.

Spanish intent

At Elmwood Junior School, we recognise the profound cultural diversity among our students, reflected in the multitude of languages spoken. We are committed to nurturing lifelong learners, equipping them with comprehensive language skills (reading, listening, writing, and speaking) to communicate with individuals from diverse cultures and countries effectively. Our primary goal is to provide our students with a foundation in languages that extends beyond their primary years. Moreover, we firmly believe that learning another language offers a fresh and expansive perspective on the world, fostering a deeper understanding of both their own culture and that of others. This aligns with our school ethos, where numerous religions and cultures are represented and celebrated. Additionally, we strive to expose our pupils to potential career opportunities and the chance to work abroad, broadening their horizons and future prospects.

Art intent

At Elmwood, we believe that Art is a vital part of children’s education, giving children the confidence to express their creativity and individuality. We want the children to understand that Art is broad and is not limited to copying the work of others, but instead being unique and having creative freedom. We want children to not only be inspired but for Elmwood to instil a real love for the subject that they carry with them beyond the primary years. Adding to this, we want to expose the children to potential careers and art avenues that they may wish to pursue in the future.

Design and Technology intent

At Elmwood, Design and Technology is taught in order to inspire pupils to be creative thinkers who have an appreciation for the design cycle through ideation, creation and evaluation.  We strive for children to have the opportunity to solve real world problems and make connections beyond the classroom. With the support of clear progression through the curriculum we believe Design and Technology is a subject in which every child will have opportunities to find success. At Elmwood, every half term focuses on one of the six key areas: mechanisms, structures, textiles, cooking and nutrition (food), electrical systems, and the digital world. Topics are arranged to fit with our learning themes so that students can be encouraged to make relevant and meaningful connections.

Music intent

Our Music curriculum at Elmwood is designed so that all children have the opportunity to learn to play music, create music, learn about and appreciate a wide range of musical styles, and to use music as a medium to learn more about themselves and the world around them. The six key strands of singing, playing, creating, understanding notation, listening skills and musical knowledge are embedded throughout the curriculum. A range of genres and styles of music are covered – some that are chosen to reflect some of the cultures, languages

and heritages represented by our school community, and others that are chosen to broaden

children’s understanding of music genres and history across the world.

PE intent

Elmwood Junior School recognises and values the importance of Physical Education and Sports. PE at Elmwood aims to deliver fun and engaging lessons that will inspire children to lead physically active lives and develop fundamental skills to become physically confident. Our vision is to inspire all pupils to succeed and excel in competitive sports and pursue their ambitions, whilst promoting resilience, teamwork and communication skills, alongside the rest of our learner values. We aim to develop a love for physical activity that will lead to life-long participation in sports. Our Physical Education curriculum is designed so that the children are learning fundamental skills which they can then apply to a different key sport each half term. Alongside this, our curriculum addresses the importance of healthy lifestyles and a balanced diet.