Introduction
I hope you will find that the information in this Handbook provides you with a helpful view of what your child will be studying this year and our academic expectations for them. There may be areas not fully covered in this booklet. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the School. In most cases, the Form Teacher is the most appropriate person to contact initially, as they can act as a liaison with other staff members you may wish to speak with.
At the heart of our Curriculum is the belief that all pupils are entitled to a broad and balanced education in a stimulating learning environment in order to prepare them for the future. Children will be exposed to a wide variety of learning opportunities during their time at Junior King’s and they will be given individual encouragement to develop their interests and skills to the full. We believe that school days and the educational discoveries they make here should be fun and stimulating. We expect our children to always try their best, to put in good effort, and to take increasing responsibility for their own progress; help, support and encouragement are given in good measure. Above all, the children respond positively to the intellectual, physical, social and spiritual challenges presented to them.
Parents are always most welcome in school and your support for the work covered is essential to the progress of every child.
Mark Brotherton Headmaster
General Information
HOME-SCHOOL COMMUNICATION
It is crucial to our success that channels of communication between home and school are clear and that parents feel confident in using them.
The cycle of half term assessments, written reports and staff-parent meetings/ interviews establishes the framework within which a child’s progress is monitored and discussed. It is important that all parents should feel able to have access to the staff and appointments can be arranged after school through the school office. However, we encourage parents not to linger in the morning, other than to pass on necessary information for the day. Parents are, wherever possible, encouraged to make use of the many other informal opportunities for discussion that exist throughout the School.
ASSESSMENT
A pupil’s performance is carefully monitored throughout the year. Continuous assessment, through classroom work, tests, exercises and prep marks, provides important sources of information for reporting. Regular staff discussions of individual pupils enable staff to track individual progress and concerns may be discussed with the pupil, through the Form Teacher, or the Senior Academic Staff (Mr McKeating/Mr Stonier). Parents are informed of any significant difficulty of which we are aware and invited to discuss the possible ways forward.
PREP
Prep is given to encourage pupils to work on their own, to exercise self-discipline in their approach to learning and will provide an opportunity for further development of skills and knowledge.
We fully recognise and encourage the invaluable role played by parents in supporting good work at home and promoting prep as a positive activity. However, there should be a weaning process as the child grows older, and it is helpful, as part of the development of independent work habits, to let the child learn that unfinished or poorly completed prep may result in a sanction at school with staff concerned. The child needs to learn that it is their responsibility and that they will have to account for any shortcomings in school.
Work conditions are important. A quiet place in which to work will make a considerable difference – free from the distractions of siblings, pets and television. For some, complete silence is daunting and it may be allowable to have music playing quietly in the background.
Children in Year 4 are generally set one written prep each day, with the exception of Wednesday. We ask that the children read every night if possible. Tables, spelling and reading remain as important items on the agenda and we encourage and welcome parents working with their children in these areas to practise and reinforce the work done in class. After a hard day at school, prep should not overwhelm the evening and should take no longer than 15-20 minutes to complete. If your child is regularly not coping with the workload within the given times (or it is too easy) then you are encouraged to inform the Form teacher.
LEARNING SUPPORT
Junior King’s is committed to meeting the needs of all pupils. General, or ‘Quality First Teaching’, describes inclusive teaching which takes into account the learning needs of all in the classroom. It is achieved through appropriate differentiation through curriculum planning, learning tasks and teaching strategies.
Further to high quality teaching, some children may receive some additional intervention either from the class teacher/ teaching assistants, from the respective academic departments or overseen by The Learning Support Department.
Some pupils have learning needs which need more targeted and specific provision. The Learning Support Department at Junior King’s, co-ordinated by Ms Hannah Morris, has specialist staff, trained and qualified to support these pupils, throughout the age and ability range.
The Department also has strong links with external agencies, such as the KCC Specialist Teaching and Learning Service (STLS), educational psychologists, speech and language therapists and occupational therapists. Parental involvement and pupil voice, where appropriate, is an important part of the process.
If any parent is concerned about their child’s progress, they are encouraged to discuss this with their child’s Form Teacher in the first instance. Ms Morris is also available to speak to should you have any concerns.
English
During Key Stage 2, pupils learn to change the way they speak and write to suit different purposes and audiences. Work in speaking and listening, reading and writing is integrated.
The cursive handwriting scheme continues from Year 3. Children who do not have a fluent joined up handwriting style will be supported at their own pace.
Reading is supported by the Junior Library.
Pupils will:
• read a range of texts and respond to different layers of meaning in them
• explore the use of language in literary texts and learn how language works
The range covered includes:
• play scripts and poems based on common themes
• stories and novels about imagined worlds
• stories that raise issues
• stories by the same author
• stories from other cultures
• a range of poetry in different forms
• reports and articles in newspapers and magazines
• information texts linked to other curricular areas
A PARENTS’ GUIDE TO READING
Children should:
• read silently for sustained periods
• read an increasingly wide range of books in varying forms (fiction, poetry, non-fiction)
• maintain appropriate expression when reading aloud
• continue to build on their knowledge of phonics to use in both reading and writing
• use ideas from their reading in their own writing
Teachers will:
• continue to guide and encourage the child’s choice of books in varying styles and ensure the child begins to discuss what is read critically
• keep attention on meaning but continue to monitor progress in phonic knowledge and the reading of unknown words
• systematically teach the rules of spelling (using the National Literacy Strategy Spelling Bank for Key Stage 2), punctuation and sentence construction, particularly through writing
• encourage the use of dictionaries and other reference books
• expect the child to write confidently in a variety of different styles
• continue to assess and record progress
Parents can:
• read and discuss books with their children
• let the children see that books and reading are valued in the family
• encourage the children to collect favourite books and stories
• be tolerant when a child wants to read or re-read a book for younger readers
• accept the comforting familiarity of a well-loved tale, especially at the end of a tiring day
Mathematics
Pupils entering Year 4 will have form based mathematics teaching. The core of the syllabus taught will be in line with the National Curriculum. Pupils will build on the skills they developed in Year 3 and Key Stage 1, hence extending their competence and confidence with number. Pupils will explore shape and space, develop their measuring skills and be able to discuss and present their methods and reasoning using a wider range of mathematical language, diagrams and charts.
The topics taught will be taken from the list below. However, members of staff will, where it is appropriate for their pupils, teach beyond this to give as full and comprehensive a picture of the subject as possible for the age and ability group. This ensures that pupils are nurtured and helped to achieve their full potential, gaining confidence from their knowledge and abilities in the subject.
Number:
• place value and rounding
• properties of number
• addition, subtraction, multiplication and division
• fractions
• money
Measure:
• time
• length
• area
• perimeter
• capacity
• weight
Shape:
• angles
• symmetry
• 2D Shape
• 3D Shape
• tessellation
• grid references
Handling Data:
• extracting, collecting, organising and interpreting data
Science
This subject will be taught using practical demonstrations, experiments and, as the children become more familiar with appropriate techniques, the use of investigations. While following the guidance of the National Curriculum, our topic selection is aimed at providing the basis on which children can further explore their surroundings. Full use is made of the natural resources and habitats that occur in the School grounds.
Pupils will study the following topics this year:
• friction
• electricity
• moving and growing
Pupils will learn to:
• adopt safe practice in a scientific environment
• recognise and make appropriate use of data and scientific vocabulary
French
French continues to be taught by a specialist language teacher.
Year 4 will be studying topics including French culture, classroom instructions, appearance, food, activities, time, festivals, the body, French cities, directions, the weather, clothes, Francophone countries.
Grammar and skills will include the use of questions and answers, tu and vous, gender classification, cognates, plurals, word order, pronunciation, adjectival agreement, the partitive article, dates, the definite article, simple description, negatives, numbers, use of the third person, prepositions, present tense verbs and the verbs avoir and être.
Lessons will include a variety of activities to practise Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing including: Linguascope interactive whiteboard, songs, games and written worksheets.
There will also be regular revision of topics from Year 3.
History
This year’s work involves the study of the Roman and Victorian eras in British History, both of which culminated in dramatic change.
Pupils will study the following topics this year:
• political, military and technological aspects of Roman Britain
• causes, events and consequences of the Roman invasion of Britain
• the Roman army, Boudicca’s revolt & Roman defences
• events and changes in industry and transport in Victorian Britain
• living conditions and public health in the Victorian Era
• archaeological evidence
Pupils will be helped to:
• develop their abilities in sequencing historical developments chronologically
• recognise and make appropriate use of dates and historical vocabulary
• describe and analyse different features of an historical period
• develop an understanding about the cultural, religious and ethnic diversity of the societies studied
• describe and make links between the main events, situations and changes within and across the different periods and societies
Geography
This year’s work continues covering the National Curriculum Key Stage 2 guidelines and aims to develop further skills learned in Year 3.
Topics to be covered:
• Global knowledge
• The environment and recycling
• Ecosystems and food chains
• An overseas locality: African Country
• Local physical landscape
Pupils will learn to:
• develop a sense of place and location
• look at opinions and values
• make comparisons
Religious Studies
The programme of study in Year 4 is designed to build on the Christian traditions of the school, as well as looking at the beliefs and cultures of other world religions.
Topics covered
• The Church
• Places of worship
• Rites of Passage
• Festivals in world religions – Divali, Holi, Ramadan, Hannukah
Key concepts investigated:
• belief
• community
• respect for others
Computing
Topics covered:
Regular, dedicated eSafety lessons are spread throughout the year at the start of each topic
• Collaborative Learning using Office 365
• Coding in Scratch
• Website Design using MS Sway
• HTML – the language of web pages
• Computational Thinking
• Investigating the weather (data collection)
Pupils will also be helped to develop the following skills:
• Coding skills
• Word Processing
• Touch Typing
• Presentation skills
• Collaborative skills
Art
In Year 4 pupils will be working on theme-based projects that dovetail with other areas of study in History, RS and DT. We have 1 hour a week in the Art Room exploring a range of materials and techniques. All pupils have a sketch book that takes them through to the end of Year 6.
Year 4 projects this year will include:
• Roman Britain, Mosaics and Tile Ceramics.
• Looking at recreating a self portrait in mosaic.
• Natural form looking at the work of Ernst Haeckel
• Exploring the theme ‘Under the sea’
• Environmental installation about coral reefs and how we can protect them.
Music
There are two 30-minute lessons per week for class music. In addition, individual instrumental lessons are offered from a team of 30 visiting music teachers. Pupils are encouraged to practise at home and may be entered for Associated Board and Trinity College exams which are held each term at the school. Many musicians will be involved in the concerts and workshops that take place during the year, as well as joining ensembles that meet each week. There is also the Junior House Choir, for all children in Junior House, which meets each week. The choir performs in the Junior House Concert as well as the annual Carol Service in Canterbury Cathedral.
CURRICULUM
We develop some fundamental musical skills through songs and musical games. These include pulse, rhythm, melodic shape, rests, notation and time signatures. Songs will be drawn from a wide variety of sources, times and places and a great emphasis will be placed on finding a controlled, clear and healthy singing sound and developing a confident solo and class voice. We will listen to a great deal of music from different times and places, centred around ‘The Carnival of the Animals’ by Camille Saint-Saëns, but frequently moving off into the wonderful world of music inspired by animals, featuring a whole variety of musical styles. Classes are encouraged to respond to the music with sensitivity and understanding. Pupils who play musical instruments will be given an opportunity to play to the class.
Design & Technology
The Junior King’s Design and Technology department prepares pupils to be creative problem solvers, to work as individuals and as members of a team, to participate in tomorrow’s rapidly changing technologies and to enjoy expressing their ideas using a wide range of media. Students are engaged in using computer aided design and manufacture, and use wood, metal, plastic and electronics to communicate their unique ideas. Year 4 combine practical skills with an understanding of aesthetics, social and environmental issues and industrial practices. As they do so, they reflect on and evaluate present and past design and technology, its uses and effects. Working in stimulating contexts they engage in a continuous course of personal development, learning to use today’s technologies so they can participate in developing tomorrows.
Year 4 focused practical tasks and open projects this year will include designing and making:
• a flat LED torch
• an insect hotel
• discovering mechanisms
• a clock
Drama
Over the year the pupils will explore a wide range of drama and physical concepts, and will look in detail at stories and themes. In the second part of the year we will be rehearsing for our Junior House production and all children will have speaking roles. They will work on the key skills necessary to make an ensemble performance and will begin to consider actor’s techniques for exploring a character, looking particularly at motivation and physicality. Subjects for exploration include Roald Dahl stories and an introduction to the key theatrical concepts.
Physical Education
All pupils are taught by one of three specialist teachers of physical education. The programme is divided into the following units, which aim to promote physical development in a variety of areas.
• gymnastics: to include varieties of movement and travelling, floor work, vaulting and balance
• net and wall: to develop hitting and striking skills practised in games of short tennis and badminton, and to improve overall hand – eye coordination levels
• striking and fielding: to develop batting, throwing, catching and fielding skills
• general fitness work to develop and improve overall health and fitness levels whilst also improving agility, mobility and dodging skills
• athletics: to develop and improve technique alongside performance in running (speed, endurance and stamina), jumping (height and distance) and throwing (distance and power), tested and recorded throughout the summer term
• swimming: to improve technique and develop performance in the four major swimming strokes
• Plus invasion games: general games skills are further developed through participation in major team games (during twice weekly afternoon games sessions)
HEALTH RELATED EXERCISE/FITNESS
The six curriculum units combined enhance the health related exercise/fitness programme; particular attention in exercise and fitness classes is given to speed, stamina, endurance and strength. These areas are measured and recorded for each pupil throughout the year.
YEAR 4 PLAN
General Fitness through running activites and chasing games
/ striking & fielding games
Games Programme
Pupils in Year 4 receive two, one hour games sessions per week, during which they participate in major team games, further developing the core skills and knowledge of basic tactics and rules. The sports covered are:
Girls – Hockey, Netball and Cricket
Boys – Football, Rugby, Hockey, Cricket
Competitive opportunities are gained through house matches, which take place during their weekly games time, whole school, house events, including swimming galas, cross country and sports day, and through a full programme of inter school fixtures and tournaments which take place on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons.
Life Skills
Our Life Skills curriculum aims to promote the spiritual, physical and social development of pupils and to prepare them for some of the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life. This preparation for life involves self-knowledge; an understanding of the needs and motives of human beings; knowledge about their own health and bodies, and the importance of choice. Life Skills is a planned programme of learning though which pupils acquire the knowledge, understanding and skills they need to manage their lives now and in the future. As part of a whole school approach, it develops the qualities and attributes pupils need to thrive as individuals, family members and members of society. The values promoted in our Life Skills curriculum are inherently incorporated into the fabric of our school through assemblies, community events and the support of charities and in our day-to-day living.
Our Life Skills curriculum is a spiral curriculum based on the three core themes of “Health, Relationships and The wider world”.
Autumn Term
• Being in my world
• Celebrating difference
Lent Term
• Dreams and goals
• Healthy me
Summer Term
• Relationships
• Changing me
The Life Skills curriculum will be taught in a variety of ways that will involve discussion, reflection, role-play, collaboration and team-work, multi-media and outside speakers.
