Our Curriculum
Within the Junior School, our ultimate aim is to provide individualised learning for each child. Our small class sizes provide us with this unique opportunity and allows us to set personalised targets for each child.
These small class sizes enables the teaching staff to provide high quality learning experiences for all children through detailed planning and differentiation, ensuring no child becomes ‘lost’ within the class. In addition to this, the class sizes allow us as staff to form professional relationships with the children and their parents, creating a welcoming, nurturing family environment.
We are extremely privileged to have the luxury of adapting and changing the National Curriculum to create a curriculum that is tailor made to suit each individual pupil. Through this, we have the opportunity to create lessons based on the children’s interests, as well as current affairs, to engage and excite children. We firmly believe that by allowing the children to blossom individually, as well as providing a high quality education, we can inspire them to become life-long learners.
The children are assessed each half term, allowing us to regularly evaluate their understanding and progression throughout the half term, in addition to this we can identify any misconceptions quickly and act effectively to rectify these. These assessments also allow us to frequently evaluate the quality of teaching and learning.
Through this use of regular assessment, we make a promise to all parents and carers that any gaps in learning will not exceed a half term and will be identified and resolved quickly and efficiently. To help us achieve this, we run Private Tuition classes after school, 4 days a week. These classes follow our aim of providing individualised learning through personal targets for each child which are realistic and achievable. These targets are reviewed often and new targets are set when necessary.
In conjunction with these sessions, we run a weekly intervention programme for children who have been identified as having gaps in their learning and also to challenge our Gifted and Talented children. The children will again work towards their individual targets during these sessions.
As a method of ensuring that all children progress and flourish, we have implemented our Curriculum Review Panel, who meet weekly to discuss teaching and learning, assessment, differentiation, marking, intervention, the curriculum and the children. The purpose of this panel is to openly voice staff opinions and ideas to continuously improve the standard of each of the discussed areas. It is also to ensure that the high standards which we put in place, are being met and to provide continuity throughout the school.
We have a highly dedicated workforce who regard the children’s progression and academic success as a main priority. This, along with the Curriculum Review Panel, allows us to ensure that each child thrives whilst at Moorland School.
Our Unique Curriculum Model
High Standards, High Achievers
Within the Junior School, our ultimate aim is to provide individualised learning for each child. Our small class sizes provide us with this unique opportunity and allows us to set personalised targets for each child.
We are extremely privileged to have the luxury of adapting and changing the National Curriculum to create a curriculum that is tailor-made to suit each individual pupil. Through this, we have the opportunity to create lessons based on the children’s interests, as well as current affairs, to engage and excite children. We firmly believe that by allowing the children to blossom individually, as well as providing a high-quality education, we can inspire them to become life-long learners.
The children are assessed each half term, allowing us to regularly evaluate their understanding and progression throughout the half term, in addition to this we can identify any misconceptions quickly and act effectively to rectify these. These assessments also allow us to frequently evaluate the quality of teaching and learning.
Through this use of regular assessment, we make a promise to all parents and carers that any gaps in learning will not exceed a half term and will be identified and resolved quickly and efficiently. To help us achieve this, we run Private Tuition classes after school, 4 days a week. These classes follow our aim of providing individualised learning through personal targets for each child which are realistic and achievable. These targets are reviewed often and new targets are set when necessary.
In conjunction with these sessions, we run a weekly intervention programme for children who have been identified as having gaps in their learning and also to challenge our Gifted and Talented children. The children will again work towards their individual targets during these sessions.
A key success is that the school engenders self-esteem and confidence in pupils that had little beforehand. Many pupils testify to the impact of the school on the development of their self belief, and the confidence they now have in their relationships with others.
Learning Beyond the Classroom
Extra Curricular Activities
We believe in exposing children to as many opportunities as possible through our varied curriculum, in the form of a variety of extra-curricular activities. These activities are designed to enable children to develop essential life skills. The social interaction from these, allows the children to form firm life-long friendships.
All children have the opportunity to access our Football Programme, led by Manchester City coach, Charlie Jackson and our esteemed International Ballet Academy taught by Lynsey and Simon Kidd, who themselves have danced for the Royal Ballet.
Our Future: Making it Happen
In the Junior School, we constantly strive to find and provide new opportunities for our children. Due to this, we continuously look to the future and how we can provide these opportunities.
From the 2018 school year, we will be holding Enrichment Wednesdays which will involve the children taking part in outdoor and adventurous activities at Waddow Hall. Through this, the children are encouraged to work as part of a team and take part in activities that will engage them, excite them and provide experiences that will prepare them for the future. Our children will have the opportunity to develop their skills and talents through a wide range of activities including: caving, archery, tree climbing, raft building, abseiling and much more. This opportunity to develop their social, moral, spiritual and cultural strengths enables them to flourish in their childhood, as well as later life.
In addition to this, in September we will be implementing an Early Years Unit within the Junior School setting. This will provide effective provisions for children within Reception and Year 1, in an environment which encourages development at the child’s own pace. The children will be organised so that they have the best possible opportunity to develop their learning, where they will work in appropriate groups with members of the team, following the curriculum, developing phonics, reading writing and maths skills.
To capitalise on the facilities available to us, developments will take place over the summer to create an outdoor classroom, which will be freely accessible for the children within the Early Years Unit. We believe that providing the children with different learning environments enables them to learn in ways they did not know possible, which is our overall aim for the outdoor classroom.
