Thelwall Community Junior School

At Thelwall Junior School we follow the National Curriculum as a framework for our curriculum. We aim for all children to engage and thrive in an inspiring curriculum that promotes curiosity, openness, diversity and high expectations for all learners.  Our curriculum offer ensures that children have opportunities to make a positive contribution to both the school and the local community. We aim to build learning experiences that are memorable and build from previous learning both within the key stage two curriculum and from what children have already learned in the key stage one curriculum. We ensure, in all subjects, that children’s knowledge and skills are built upon in a progressive, coherent way and that there are opportunities for children to revisit key knowledge to ensure any gaps in learning are addressed in a timely manner.

We aim for all children to be happy, respectful, confident individuals who celebrate their differences and leave our school with the capacity to contribute to and benefit society and are prepared for the next stages in their education. Our curriculum is an avenue in which we provide children with the cultural capital needed to become citizens of the future.

We have an inclusive curriculum, where every child is recognised as a unique individual. We ensure our curriculum has subject specific adaptations so that all children, including disadvantaged children, and those with EAL and SEND, can access learning in a way that optimises learning and retention and we recognise the use of ICT devices to adapt lessons for learners with specific needs. Regardless of these factors we are highly ambitious for every child and strive for all children to make good progress and reach age related expectations wherever possible. We welcome and celebrate differences amongst children and ensure the British Values of democracy, rule of law, tolerance and individual liberty are demonstrated throughout our curriculum and personal development offer. We ensure that the promotion of safeguarding is interwoven in the curriculum within relevant subjects in order to give children the skills and knowledge to keep themselves and others safe to navigate life in today’s world.

Throughout our curriculum we ensure knowledge is built upon in small steps and children have regular opportunities to revisit and retrieve their learning. This minimises the chances of gaps in learning and ensures teachers can address any gaps or misconceptions prior to moving on to new learning. We believe that a wide vocabulary knowledge base is highly linked to successful learning and retention, therefore our curriculum places a high emphasis on oracy, particularly in relation to subject specific vocabulary, and children are given opportunities to learn and retain vocabulary throughout the curriculum. We promote ambitious vocabulary through our use of a wide range of high-quality texts - both fiction and non-fiction based - that we share with children through our curriculum and when promoting reading for pleasure.

We are proud of the reputation of performing arts that our school holds and feel this area is vital in producing confident children who have the skills to take a risk and step out of their comfort zone. We ensure every child has an important role to play either on stage or behind the scenes in our whole school end of year production.

Our rich curriculum, with its varied range of experiences, ensures every pupil here makes excellent progress both academically and personally. Pupils are encouraged to be ambitious and collaborative and to use their wide range of skills and knowledge effectively and diversely ensuring they are well prepared for the next stage of their education and beyond.

Please visit our class curriculum maps to find out more about our curriculum.