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 will be areas that are not covered here as fully as some might like and if you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us about them. The Form Teacher is probably the best person to speak to over minor matters and acts as a liaison person if there are other members of staff you would like to speak to.
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.
Tom Morgan Headmaster from January
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, 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, and/or Senior Academic staff (Mr McKeating or Mr Stonier). Parents are informed of any significant difficulty of which we are aware and invited to discuss the possible ways forward.
FUTURE SCHOOLING
Junior King’s sends most of its pupils to the Senior King’s School although this is not exclusively the case and parents should not regard the transfer to be automatic. We will take time to advise and assist parents in finding the school which will best suit their child and in which their child will therefore thrive.
The question of scholarship potential leading to valuable awards for Academic, Dance, Drama, Design & Technology Music, Art and Games will be covered during any discussions with The Headteacher over future schooling. Parents are of course free to change or to delay making up their minds about a choice of school although it is generally in the child’s best interests to know his/her future direction well before examinations.
At 13+, the parents of those children taking Scholarship/Year 8 End of year examinations must declare their first choice of school early in the calendar year in which the examination is taken. Throughout this procedure, The Headteacher will gladly give a frank opinion of a child’s needs and potential. Overall, parents should feel free to contact The Headteacher and/or Mr Lapthorn as a source of advice and assistance in this most important area.
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.
As a general guide, each prep should take about 30 minutes as it is important that pupils achieve a sensible balance between academic work and play. Pupils in Year 8 have been issued with a School Planner and are expected to record each assignment. Please sign off each prep once it has been completed. After a long day at school, prep should not overwhelm the evening. Please inform the Form Teacher should you feel that your child is regularly not coping with the workload within the given times (or it is too easy).
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
The programme will build upon and develop the skills started in Year 7 with the aim of preparing students for the transfer exams. At least one novel and a range of poems will be studied from a range of different times and cultures; there will also be opportunities to do plenty of writing in different styles and for different purposes. There will be extension and revision modules with a focus on individual needs. The November examination and the mock exams in the Lent term will be of CE style and length. Students sitting Scholarship exams for entry to Year 9, whether for The King’s School or elsewhere, will receive supplementary support with this aim in mind.
ISEB Common Entrance Examination at 13+
The main aim of the 13+ assessment for King’s at JKS is to test the ability of candidates to think and express their feelings and ideas in accurate and effective English. The papers will continue to examine a range of relevant skills in modes which reflect good practice in both the classroom and the examination room. The examiners will need to see evidence of independent literary knowledge reflected in the pupils’ own writing, with an ability to write both analytically and creatively.
Coursework will cover an extended poetry essay. Candidates will be asked to read and write about a poem which they have been introduced to in class. This poem could be classic or contemporary and could come from either British or a different culture. The essay question will seek to test both candidates’ understanding of poetic techniques and personal responses, including understanding as well as powers of analysis and evaluation. Pupils will be able to draft and re-draft their answers prior to final submission.
The Exam is a test of writing for multiple purposes. There will be a choice of titles. Students can choose two tasks from a list that includes various options; these will focus on the use of prose to argue, persuade, explain, advise or inform, as well as options to use imaginative, descriptive or narrative writing. For instance, candidates may have to write a story, a letter, a speech or an article. Time will be spent in class preparing for this and experimenting with different literary techniques, e.g. multiple-narrators, non-linear form etc.
Pupils will be expected to demonstrate their abilities to use correct spelling, punctuation, grammar and syntax. Work will be marked and moderated by the JKS English Department in the first instance; a sample will then be moderated by The King’s School English Department.
Pupilss not looking for entry to The King’s School will continue to study poetry and creative writing with their peers and will be prepared to sit the ISEB 13+ Writing Paper. Students invited to sit for scholarships will be supported to prepare for the relevant papers.
During the year, pupils’ performance will be assessed by a variety of methods including:
• oral work
• written work including planning and drafting
• drama
• contribution to group work
• ICT
• examination in November, ‘mocks’ in the Lent term and end of year transfer exams in June.
A PARENTS’ GUIDE TO READING
Children should:
• read silently for sustained periods.
• read a wider and more challenging range of books from a range of cultures for pleasure and for information.
• be able to justify their preferences.
• continue to take part in discussions about their individual reading and about books they have shared.
• continue to identify key features, themes and characters from the texts they read, increasingly using inference and deduction (reading between the lines).
• adopt a regular reading pattern.
Teachers will:
• incorporate a reading element.
• encourage discussion of books read.
• encourage pupils to extend the range of their individual reading and cover texts from a range of different periods and cultures.
• help pupils to evaluate the texts they have read.
• create opportunities for pupils to read for different purposes and teach appropriate strategies i.e. skimming to gain an overall impression, scanning to locate information and detailed reading to obtain specific information.
• continue to monitor individuals progress and offer advice on reading choices.
Parents can:
• demonstrate an enthusiastic, personal response to books and reading.
• help their child to create regular, quality reading ‘space’ in an increasingly busy schedule.
• share in their child’s reading through discussion…what did you like best?...what do you think will happen next?...etc.
• encourage visits to the local library.
Mathematics
In the last year at Junior King’s, pupils are being prepared for their secondary school transfer examinations. The course leading up to Year 8 has been broadly based around the Common Entrance syllabus and has fostered a sound understanding of basic mathematical ideas and techniques whilst extending the subject into more in-depth analysis.
Pupils moving onto King’s will sit one of two possible examination combinations:
Common Entrance Core (Non-Calculator and Calculator papers)
These are both of 60 minutes duration and they are a ‘non-calculator’ and a ‘calculator’ paper respectively reflecting the assessment at GCSE. This route covers the basic Common Entrance requirements.
Common Entrance Core (Non-Calculator and Calculator papers) plus Additional paper (Calculator)
Unlike the old Level 3, the advanced, Additional Paper will be taken as an option after the two Core Papers, not instead. So, stronger candidates will still have their basics tested on a level playing field at the Core, where they can expect to score highly, and any score on the Additional can be considered a bonus: nothing to lose. It will be a single calculator paper. The more advanced topics in the Additional paper include: Pythagoras, Simultaneous Equations, nth Term of Sequences, Standard Form and Plotting Curves, but other topics and ideas will also be explored in greater depth.
The Common Entrance syllabus is based on the Key Stage 3 National Curriculum.
There are two exams for Year 8. The first is in the Autumn Term and the second in the Summer Term. However, there are also tests undertaken at the end of specific units of the course.
Listed below is a summary of the Common Entrance syllabus at its basic level. It gives an excellent mathematical grounding to all of the pupils in preparation for their future choices in mathematics beyond Junior King’s.
Number and Algebra
• rounding to decimal places (all sets) and significant figures (top sets)
• order of calculations
• directed numbers and the four operations
• types of numbers (square, cubed, triangular, rectangular, prime)
• decomposing numbers into their factors and prime factors
• standard index form (top sets)
• roots and powers of numbers and calculations with these
• laws of indices
• solving linear equations in one unknown
• algebraic simplification and substitution
• rearranging formulae
• factorising
• formulae
• problems involving algebraic expressions
• ratio
• understanding the relationship between percentages, decimals and fractions
• finding percentages of a value – increasing and decreasing by a percentage, expressing an amount as a percentage of another
• percentage problems involving profit and loss
Shape, Space and Measures
• understanding and using measures (metric and imperial)
• units of measurement – time, length, mass, capacity and volume
• vocabulary of solids
• angle properties of polygons (interior and exterior angles in polygons)
• area and perimeter (triangle, rectangle, square, parallelogram, trapezium, circle)
• surface area and volume of cuboids
• volume of prisms
• Bilateral and rotational symmetry
• angle theorems on parallel lines
• transformations and coordinates
• graphs of straight lines (all sets) and parabola (top sets)
• using and applying shape, space and measures
• Pythagoras’ theorem (top sets only)
Handling Data
• specifying the problem and planning
• collecting data (finding mean, median, mode and range, pictograms, bar charts, pie charts, tally charts)
• processing, representing, interpreting data and discussing results
• using and applying data handling skills
• calendars and timetables
• using Venn Diagrams
Science
Science in Year 8 consolidates the laboratory, investigative and analytical skills which pupils have encountered, and extends their planning and data handling abilities. All lessons are taught in the laboratories. Investigations are included wherever appropriate, and students also learn from demonstrations or personal research. Extensive use is made of field studies based on the ecology of the School grounds to extend the pupil’s familiarity with indigenous species and their life cycles.
Pupils will study the following topics this year:
Biology
• the human animal – skeleton and movement, nutrition and health, circulation and breathing, respiration, reproduction and development
• micro-organisms and people, environmental issues
• planning investigations and data handling
Chemistry
• water purification, pollution, rusting, elements and compounds, metals and nonmetals, rock types and the rock cycle
• Acid/bases/alkalis and neutralisation reactions
• limestone and its uses, hardness of water, reactivity series, metals and their purification
Physics
• forces – all aspects
• pressure
• static electricity, electrical circuits, series and parallel circuits, current measurement
• electrical components, electrolysis, earthing and the domestic supply, joules
• magnetism
French
Pupils are taught by specialist teachers of French. The continued development of listening/ speaking skills is supported by the use of interactive programmes. Reading and writing skills are extended by the course book –Dynamo 2- and associated online materials.
Topic areas introduced or extended at this level:
• the Perfect and Imperfect Tenses
• the body
• injury and illness
• the Present Tense
• sports
• comparatives and superlatives
• the imperative Tense
• media-based leisure activities
• the Future and Conditional Tenses
• travel and holidays in the past tense
Continuous assessments are conducting during the year. All four skills: Speaking, Writing, Listening and Reading will be assessed at different times in the year to coincide with the end of module. The assessments are modular with a summative assessment at the end of the year including Reading, Listening and Writing skills. Equal weighting is given to the four language skills.
Spanish
Pupils are taught by specialist teachers of Spanish.
In Year 8 all four areas of skill are considered equally important. The continued development of listening and speaking skills is supported by the use of interactive programmes, audio and video material. Reading and writing skills are extended by the textbook and associated online materials. Pupils will continue using Viva 2.
Pupils who are new to the language will cover topics including:
• greetings
• personal information
• school (material, subjects and timetable)
• daily routine
• the family and home
• pets
• alphabet, numbers to 100, dates and birthdays
• colours
• nationalities and countries
Pupils who have previous experience of the language will cover topics including:
• transport and comparatives
• hotel reservations and facilities
• holiday activities in past, present and future
• weather
• media-based leisure activities
• the future and Conditional Tenses
• opinions on films/free-time activities
Continuous assessments are conducting during the year. All four skills: Speaking, Writing, Listening and Reading will be assessed at different times in the year to coincide with the end of module. The assessments are modular with a summative assessment at the end of the year including Reading, Listening and Writing skills. Equal weighting is given to the four language skills.
French & Spanish Bilingual Pupils
We offer a French and Spanish bilingual programme that enables pupils to have lessons with French and Spanish speaking teachers. The pupils work in either small groups and/ or sometimes in a 1:1 environment with the relevant assistant to maintain their fluency in speaking and writing. They will also work on their grammar at a native level using a range of high level and authentic reading materials. Listening exercises are also part of the 1:1 sessions. The lessons take place at the same time as the French/Spanish timetabled lessons for that set.
Classics
Latin
Classics is the study of the languages and culture of the Greeks and Romans. This includes aspects of their literature, everyday life, art and architecture, philosophy, history, mythology and religion. At Junior King’s the emphasis is on the study of the language but we also work with all these aspects of the ancient world.
Latin As An Honour by Bob Bass will be our main textbook – starting with Book 1 to revise material mostly covered in previous years and eventually (depending on the group) Book 2. There will be plenty of translation practice and grammar work this year to prepare for the exams. We will continue with weekly vocabulary tests in the Autumn term and move towards past papers come the Lent term.
In the Lent and Summer Terms there will be plenty of opportunities to practise translation and comprehension skills, some of them under exam conditions.
Classical Civilisations
This course is provided for those children who do not study Latin as a language in Year 8. Over the course of the year pupils will learn about different aspects of the ancient world in English. The year is divided into two main topics, one on Ancient Greeks and the other on the Romans. This course is also designed to help the children that need additional support with English and there will be a particular emphasis on research skills, debating and presentation skills. This leads to a CE exam at the end of the year.
History Humanities
In Year 8 we will continue to gain mastery of historical writing, studying content and source analysis through a variety of topics. We will study some topics in depth and others broadly over time. We will complete assessments each half term until Easter then have an end of year exam too. This course provides pupils with a core knowledge of the subject and enabling them to conduct their own study as we learn a wide range of differing topics.
Pupils will study a selection of the following topics this year:
• The slave trade, the Haitian revolution and the abolition of slavery
• The cholera pandemics of the 1800s
• Joseph Lister and the revolution of Victorian surgery
• The sinking of the Titanic
• Women’s Suffrage
Geography
This year we conclude the Upper School Humanities course and will continue to focus on a practical and investigative approach to learning. Assessments will be in a variety of forms challenging pupils to draw on their Geographical knowledge and applying their skills to the given task.
Topics to be covered:
• Population and Settlement (demographic processes)
• Rivers and Coasts
• Environmental Issues
• Glaciation
• Global Location
• Ordnance Survey Maps
Religious Studies
Pupils begin the second year of the Upper School RS course. They will study a range of topics covering theology, philosophy and ethics.
Topics include:
• Parables of Jesus
• Prejudice and Discrimination including the theology and thought of Martin Luther King
• Miracles of Jesus and Easter
• Just War Theory and Pacifism
• World Heroes of Faith – incl. Gandhi, Dalai Lama, Guru Nanak, Mother Teresa.
• Philosophical Arguments for the Existence of God – Causation, Design and the Problem of Evil.
• Why is Canterbury a place of religious significance?
Assessments will take place every half-term. Pupils will be tested on a range of skills including factual questions, discursive essays, presentation and debate.
Art
It is the aim in Year 8 to deliver Art lessons which provide a balance to the pupils’ academic work. Whilst new skills and materials are introduced, projects which allow for more creativity, imagination and personal response are selected. These should offer a greater understanding of the contexts and concepts in Art and provide a steppingstone to a possible GCSE course. During the first term, pupils who are seeking to take an Art Scholarship will continue to develop their portfolios.
Projects will include:
• Still Life drawing
• Working from the theme ‘Birds in Still life’
• Clay bird relief wall hangings
• Optical Art and graphic design
Music
There is one-hour long lesson per week of class music for half of the year. 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 and which cover all the instrumental combinations. For more experienced musicians there is also the possibility of joining the Milner Court Orchestra. Year 8 are also invited to join the Upper School Choir and to audition for the Chamber Choir which performs regularly in important events and which tours abroad every couple of years.
Curriculum
We make full use of the Music School on a Saturday morning with a special varied programme of musical activities that include improvising, composing, drum circles, music history and song writing. There are occasional visits from professional musicians.
Computing
Pupils will be given the opportunity to:
• Use a wide variety of applications to develop their interest and skills in Computing and Computational thinking
• Develop their touch-typing skills
During the year the children will be able to develop the following skills:
• Graphics creation and manipulation
• Coding in Python
• Web page HTML coding
Design & Technology
The Design Technology course alternates with Computing, with pupils studying each subject area for 10 weeks. Design and Technology lessons for 8M and 8DWG will take place throughout the Winter Term and during the first half of the Lent term.
Through focused practical tasks and open projects, students will develop skills in the following areas:
Designing skills: generating ideas, developing and communicating ideas using a range of media, planning, researching and evaluating Making skills: measuring and marking out, cutting and shaping, joining, combining and finishing
Knowledge and understanding of: materials and components, computer aided design and manufacture, mechanisms, structures, electronics products and systems
Pupils are encouraged to develop and enrich their design thinking by working with the theme: “Making a stand!” This open project is purposefully mimicking the coursework set by the exam boards for GCSE Product Design.
Drama
Pupils have drama lessons as part of a carousel system. Year 8 provides an introduction to the strands of study required for GCSE drama.
Pupils will consider What is drama and theatre?, they will further develop their acting skills and apply them to a range of scripts, exploring individual speeches and interpreting theatre repertoire. Pupils will also devise their own work from different stimuli; considering different methods of communicating meaning and the role of theatre space and design choices.
Physical Education
All pupils are taught by one of three specialist teachers of physical education. The programme is divided into six areas which aim to promote physical development in the following areas
• health and fitness: to develop overall fitness levels through a variety of running and endurance activities
• team building: to promote skills inherent in promoting effective team work and communication
• net and wall: to improve hand eye coordination levels through participation in games of tennis and badminton
• 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: to develop tactical awareness and general skills inherent to the major team games
• plus striking and fielding: to develop batting, throwing, catching and fielding skills through the summer term games programme
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 8 Plan
Games Programme
Pupils in Year 8 receive two, one hour training sessions per week, during which they participate in major team games, working on a full range of skills and developing more advanced knowledge and understanding of tactics and rules. The sports covered are:
Girls – Hockey, Netball and Rounders or Tennis
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.
PSHE
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 education 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.
