Mr Jack Goodens 

When being artists at Denmead Junior School, children will experience art in seven mediums; drawing, painting, sculpting, collage, digital media, print and textiles. Across the key stage, children will develop their mastery in these skills, giving opportunities to be resilient, curious and to self-improve, all whilst fostering a creative outlet. At its heart, art will inspire children’s curiosity so that they love learning. Children at DJS will have an opportunity to hone their creativity and build their confidence and ability to self-reflect. In all units, children will get a chance to exhibit their work, appraising and appreciating their efforts and those of their peers. Art will also give the children the opportunity to explore other cultures and people unlike themselves; aiding their own personal development and their ability to make sense of the diverse world around them, outside of Denmead Junior School.

 

 

Mr Carl Restall

 

Intent

At Denmead Junior School we believe that Computing is an essential part of a broad and balanced curriculum, equipping children with the skills needed to navigate an ever-expanding digital world. Our Computing curriculum is designed to give children exposure to the skills and knowledge of coding, foster responsible digital citizens who are able to make safe and healthy choices with technology, and encourage digitally literate individuals who can effectively use a range of software and tools to complete a variety of tasks.

Through the development of coding skills, children will learn computational thinking, problem-solving, and resilience, enabling them to design, create, and debug programs with increasing independence. As responsible digital citizens, they will understand how to stay safe online, communicate respectfully, and critically assess digital content. Digital literacy will be facilitated through opportunities to select and use appropriate software and devices for different purposes, ensuring they can adapt to new and emerging technologies.

By embedding these core skills throughout their school journey, we aim to prepare our pupils for future education, the workforce, and their everyday lives in an increasingly technology-driven society.

We aim to be ambitious with our Computing Curriculum and will explore opportunities to offer children experiences with developing areas of technology such as 3D printing and AI.

Implementation

Our Computing curriculum follows a structured progression of skills across three key strands: Computer Science (Coding), Digital Literacy (Use of Software), and Digital Citizenship (E-Safety). These strands are revisited throughout a pupil’s time in school to ensure depth of understanding and skill mastery.

Computing is taught through a combination of discrete lessons and cross-curricular learning opportunities, allowing children to apply their skills in meaningful contexts. Our approach includes:

• Programming and Coding: Using a range of tools such as Lego Spike, Scratch, and Microbits. We adopt the PRIMM model (Predict, Run, Investigate, Modify, Make) to structure learning, ensuring children understand existing programs before creating their own.
• Digital Citizenship and Online Safety: Embedded within the curriculum and taught explicitly, children learn how to stay safe online, protect their personal information, and use technology responsibly. We engage with national initiatives such as Safer Internet Day to reinforce these messages.
• Digital Literacy and Software Proficiency: Pupils gain hands-on experience with a variety of digital tools, including word processors, data handling software, creative design applications, and multimedia tools. They learn to select the most appropriate software for a given task, enhancing their ability to work efficiently and creatively.

Regular formative and summative assessments, teacher observations, and pupil reflections ensure progression and inform future teaching. Staff receive ongoing CPD to stay up to date with emerging technologies and best practices in Computing education.

Impact

By the time children leave Denmead Junior School they will be confident, competent, and responsible users of technology. Through high-quality computing education, our pupils will leave us with the foundational skills needed to succeed in a digital future, ready to embrace new technologies and adapt to an ever-evolving technological landscape.

What Makes DJS Computing Curriculum Stand Out?

We offer:

• An ambitious and diverse curriculum that fosters plenty of opportunities for cross –curricular use of technology.
• A calendar with integrated events such as STEM Week and Safer Internet Day puts further emphasis on the importance of computational thinking and being an exemplary digital citizen.
• Well trained and confident staff who can facilitate the planned curriculum and assess children’s progression of knowledge and skills effectively.
• A well devised curriculum covering the 3 key areas of Computing at the KS2 level that aims to provide Year 6 students with the confidence and autonomy to lead a project that consolidates their learning in a scenario that replicates a ‘real world’ experience, further preparing them for life beyond Denmead Junior School.

 

 

Mr Tom Stapleton

Intent

The Design and Technology curriculum at Denmead Junior School is designed to empower our students with practical skills, creative thinking and resilience in problem-solving. Through hands-on experiences in cooking, sewing and manufacture, we aim to encourage bravery, curiosity and a passion for developing the world around them. The curriculum is designed to:

• Equip students with essential life skills through diverse practical experiences.
• Inspire creativity, innovation, and an understanding of how things work through the investigation and analysis of existing products.
• Develop creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently
• Develop perseverance, adaptability, and teamwork through real-world, relevant challenges in a variety of contexts.
• Critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and the work of others
• Encourage students to think critically about sustainability and the impact of design choices on their communities and the environment.

Implementation

1. Cooking and Nutrition

We introduce students to the basics of food preparation, safety, and nutrition. Through cooking, students learn essential skills, from understanding ingredients’ nutritional values and origins to following and adapting recipes. We emphasize the importance of making informed food choices and encourage students to develop a lifelong appreciation for healthy, balanced eating.

2. Textiles and Sewing

In sewing, students learn skills such as stitching, pattern-making, and creatively using a range of textiles based on the purpose and their properties. Projects are designed to develop both fine motor skills and patience while fostering a sense of achievement as students create and complete their own products. We also introduce them to the importance of sustainability and encourage the repurposing of materials to reduce waste.

3. Manufacture and Materials

Through practical manufacturing tasks, students are introduced to a variety of materials, tools, and techniques. They learn to design, plan, and create products that serve a purpose, focusing on understanding and working safely with different materials. This area of the curriculum builds foundational skills in measurement, design thinking, and functional problem-solving including the use of electrical components and CAD.

We support progression in each key skill area across year groups, building students’ confidence and competence as they move to more complex projects. Each project is structured to develop planning, execution, and evaluation skills, encouraging students to reflect on their work and learn from experience.

Our DT curriculum celebrates the value of practical skills within the community. We foster an understanding of local and global issues, such as food sustainability, waste reduction, and ethical consumption, which allows students to see the relevance of their learning in the world around them.

Impact

Pupils at DJS will foster a confidence in Design and Technology and become acutely aware of the role of evaluation, design and construction in a range of areas of modern life today. 

Through carefully planned and implemented learning activities, the pupils develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world. They gain a firm foundation of knowledge and skills to see them equipped to take on further learning in Secondary School. 

Utilising our carefully planned and constructed learning activities and projects, pupils will develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world. The knowledge and skills they acquire will prepare them for the demands of secondary school and the wider world beyond.

Mrs Joy Painting

At Denmead Junior School we believe that reading and writing lie at the heart of all great learning. We believe that every child has the right to leave Junior school with a good knowledge of the English language, having developed the key skills of speaking, reading and writing needed to inspire curiosity and build success.

Through the use of varied and rich texts, we have developed a curriculum that aims to stimulate and motivate children to act out, have meaningful discussions and encourage them to use the written word. Throughout their time at Denmead, children will be introduced to a range of authors –old and new- and a variety of genres, in order to broaden their skills and ignite their interests within the world of English. By linking some of the texts we study to our topic-based curriculum, we also intend to develop the children’s awareness of how English can open up the wider curriculum.

Our English curriculum covers all aspects of speaking and listening, reading, phonics, spelling, handwriting and writing. It is thoroughly planned and consistently monitored and adapted to ensure that children are provided with the best opportunities to develop the following key skills:

Reading

Reading is an important part of our school day and children are given daily opportunities to engage with books and stories. Teachers read to the class every day a selection of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Children are also given the opportunity to drop everything and read (D.E.A.R) to enjoy a book by themselves or with others.

Our school library is an important part of our school. Run by an experienced librarian and a team of year 6 children, the library offers children a good selection of fiction and non-fiction books, newspapers and magazines that are regularly changed by the School Library Service (SLS). All pupils also have access to the online library app SORA, where they can access E-reader books and audio books, including books in a dyslexic-friendly font.

Our guided reading sessions give the children the opportunity to work in a small group, as a whole class and individually. A variety of texts are used and focus is placed on discussions regarding vocabulary choices, meaning and intention as well as the reading of the text. Children are taught echo reading, an opportunity for all children to read aloud together, following the teachers' example. This helps to develop pace, use of punctuation and intonation.

Children should join school in Year 3 with secure phonics knowledge, but if this is not the case, they will be taught this in small groups using a Synthetic Phonics Program-Little Wandle- Rapid Recovery - that is designed for 7+

It is vital that children read at home every day, a ten minute daily read forms part of our home school agreement. Parents and carers are able to log the reads they complete with the children on the Boom Reader App. To encourage the sharing of books, parents and carers are given access to the school library twice a week. There, they can look at books with their children, sit and read and have the assistance of a member of staff if they need it.

 

 

 

 

Writing

Here at Denmead we focus on the craft of writing. Using high quality text drivers, we learn to read as a writer, looking at the way that authors create exciting and interesting texts that help engage their audience.

We look at a range of themes and conventions and ensure that the children have the opportunity to comprehend what they have read and analyse the choices made by the author. We read a wide range of texts to help children make comparisons between texts and authors through the analysis of themes and convention.

Writing should feel real. Therefore, we ensure that they write for real or creative purposes and audiences and are given opportunities to develop their own creative style and express their imaginative thoughts.

It is important for children to understand the process of writing and develop cohesion and accuracy within their writing through their awareness of the craft of the English language-read and make improvements to their work by viewing writing as a drafting and re-crafting process.

Overall, we hope that we open children’s minds to enquiry and imagination so that they not only learn the skills needed to be competent in English but apply them in their own way to be creative and expressive individuals. 

 

 

 

Spelling and Handwriting

We follow the National Curriculum expectations by following the Nonsense Spelling programme. Children have the opportunity to engage in spelling lessons within English teaching, and we offer access to Spelling Frame to support the learning of spelling at home.

We currently teach cursive writing in the classrooms, using a variety of resources. Children have the opportunity to earn their pen licence, when they have shown that they can produce writing in a cursive style with consistent size and shape.

 

 

 

 

Speaking and Listening

Discussion, storytelling and drama play a vital role in the English Curriculum. We encourage a variety of different opportunities to engage with speaking and listening throughout the school day and school year.

Through class assemblies, end of year productions and external providers, we provide the children with the opportunity to perform and see quality performances.

In class, children use ABC discussions which help them add, build and contest throughout a discussion. Teachers use questioning to help students articulate successfully.

Drama

Children perform two class assemblies a year, and there is an annual year 6 production every July.

Miss Meg Ayres

Intent:

When learning about History at Denmead Junior School, all children, including those with SEN, Pupil Premium and disadvantaged, will have the opportunity to be historians. Children will understand what it is to be an historian, to use skills, attributes and research to explore, understand and unlock the past. By delving into different time periods and cultures, children will experience what life was like for people like and unlike themselves, and will leave our school having had the opportunity to reflect on these events and their impact on the diverse, modern world around them.

Implementation:

History learning at Denmead Junior School is linked from Year 3 to Year 6 with our Golden Threads- key areas of focus that will allow children to make connections between time periods, people and events that might not otherwise be linked. They are: Inventions and Innovations, Culture and Civilisations and Conflict and Resolution. These themes will be explored in the different units taught across the school and will allow all children to explore the human side of historically significant events that are important not only to British history, but wider world history. The themes will also incorporate a more detailed look at other concepts like continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance. This will allow children, in an age-appropriate and progressive manner, to make connections, draw contrasts, analyse trends, frame historically-valid questions, all while using an increasingly wider historically accurate vocabulary.

History learning is structured through Hampshire’s ‘Six Step Approach to Historical Enquiry’.

Step 1: Teacher motivates pupils to want to learn and scopes the enquiry

Step 2: Children collect information in interesting and varied ways

Step 3: Children make sense of ideas and process the information

Step 4: Children draw their own conclusions, making their own meaning

Step 5: Their understanding is checked, developed or refined

Step 6: Pupils create their final, imaginative product

Impact:

Throughout their time here, children will hone their historical skills like questioning, interpretation and analysis and comparing and contrasting. Whilst imperative as a historian, these skills are also transferable, allowing children to explore all aspects of their learning more deeply, giving them opportunities to use critical thinking. Children will be able to express their knowledge and understanding of themes, dates, people and events through different mediums, ensuring that all learners are able to develop their own historical theories and opinions based on both historical fact and speculation.

By the end of KS2, children will leave Denmead Junior School having had the opportunity to go on engaging school trips to further develop their knowledge of history in the wider and local context. They will be engaged in historical discussions about artefacts and the limitations of primary and secondary evidence from different time periods. Children will be curious about the world around them, and have the opportunity to explore a perspective that is not their own and to analyse and make judgements based on historical record and evidence on events that have shaped the world.

 

Miss Amanda Brady

Maths provides great opportunities for the children to develop their DJS learning powers.

• To be curious by making observations, noticing patterns and connections and asking questions

• To concentrate by managing distractions and focusing on the learning tasks

• To be resilient by being excited by new challenges, not worrying if things go wrong and learning from mistakes

• To co-operate by listening to others, working together and sharing ideas

• To self-improve by looking for ways to correct mistakes and find more efficient ways of solving problems

 

At Denmead Junior School, children are encouraged to explore and overcome challenges in their maths learning, to view maths positively and to recognise the importance of maths both within school and the world outside of school.

Across their four years, children will develop their knowledge and understanding of six key mathematical areas: number and place value, the four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division), fractions including decimals and percentages, measurement, geometry and statistics. 

Guided by the Hampshire schemes of learning, carefully sequenced learning journeys through each unit ensure that we meet the three aims of the National Curriculum (fluency, reasoning and problem solving).  Each unit builds on prior knowledge and links are made to the new material. Regular retrieval practice ensures that learning is retained and not lost and the spiral nature of the long-term plan means that each of the 6 key areas is visited more than once each year.

Prior teaching and entry tasks enable each class teacher to ensure that the guided practice is focused on the children’s needs, allowing all children to be challenged and to succeed.  Gaps in learning are promptly identified and targeted.  Maths learning is supported through the use of models and images and scaffolded using a concrete, pictorial then abstract approach to secure the children’s conceptual understanding.

In each maths unit, there are opportunities for the children to develop their reasoning and problem solving skills.  These are underpinned by developing the children’s fluency of procedures, the learning of key facts and the understanding of key maths vocabulary. Across our curriculum, we also create opportunities to make meaningful links to maths enabling children to apply key skills in different contexts.

The doodle maths and doodle tables apps provide an engaging platform to support parents with maths home learning.  The apps tailor questions to the individual child’s levels with a balance of reward and challenge.  They support the children to develop their knowledge and recall of key facts as well as enabling the teacher to set assignments linked to class learning.

 

 

 

 

 

Miss Brady usually runs two workshops for parents each year.  Below please find the recent presentations:

 

 

Miss Louise Gill

Intent

At DJS, we provide high quality, inclusive music education that engages and inspires a love for music in our children, as well as a desire to perform musically at home and in the community. Music is an opportunity for self-expression and creativity and we want our pupils to develop this as performers and have a feeling of self-achievement during their time at DJS.

Pupils develop their understanding of the interrelated musical dimensions through listening and responding to music, composing and performing their musical ideas. By the end of year 6, pupils will have built a knowledge and understanding of music from a broad range of cultural and historical backgrounds. This teaches children to respect and show appreciation for a rich and diverse range of music. They will also learn how to record and write down their musical ideas. Every child will have an opportunity to perform in class and to wider audiences. During music lessons, children regularly demonstrate the school's learning powers as they have opportunities to work together collaboratively and to explore their creativity.

 

Implementation

Throughout their time at DJS, children have the opportunity to perform and to feel like they are part of a community. We work with Hampshire Music Service, who support us in providing resources and create opportunities for children to learn about and make music. All children have weekly music lessons with their class teacher, while Year 4 children have one term of learning to play a musical instrument as part of the Listen2Me programme, provided by HMS. All children are able to demonstrate their musical skills and understanding of performing to an audience, as well as taking pride in what they have achieved. 

Each month we explore and celebrate the work of a musician/composer from around the world and throughout time. Children will listen to and appraise the music they hear and they will find out more about the composer/artist. They will also learn more about the music tradition and its history.

We value the opportunity for children to perform. Musical performances in school showcase their skills to family and friends, as well as to celebrate special occasions throughout the year. Each week, children take part in weekly singing assemblies, where children can feel part of a whole school community. Assemblies are an opportunity to appreciate the value and joy of collective singing, as well as develop the skills of part singing, call and response and simple harmony. We also sing together collectively at Christmas and Easter each year. We ensure that our school values are reflected in the songs we sing. In addition, each year group has a performance focus.

 

These are:

Year 3: Nativity

Year 4:  Harvest

Year 5: Shakespeare

Year 6: Leavers’ Production

There is also an active choir for children to join, where there are a number of performance opportunities to showcase the pupils’ hard work and dedication. We also offer Rock Steady as an extra-curricular activity. Children have the option to learn an instrument through individual lessons from our visiting peripatetic teachers. Music is assessed through teacher observation and assessment for learning against the assessment statements.

 

Impact:

Children progress throughout school, developing as creative musicians, learning and developing skills they can use beyond school and into adulthood. If children are achieving the knowledge and skills in lessons, then they are deemed to be making good or better progress. Each year, children build on their knowledge of music in the world around them and develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of music from different cultures and traditions.

By the time children leave Denmead Junior School, pupils will have developed a lifelong love for music and continue to play and enjoy music beyond the classroom. They will be able to articulate their musical preferences and express their opinions and have a wide knowledge and appreciation of different musical cultures, genres and traditions.

 

Miss Zoe Halford

Wherever possible, DJS takes the children outside to learn within our extensive Forest Garden area, which includes an outdoor classroom, raised beds, a performance stage, a woodland walk, Buttercup the Caravan, a range of ponds and a wildlife area. In addition, two outdoor Adventure Residentials are run in year 4 (3 days and 2 nights) and year 6 (5 days and 4 nights).

Miss Lauren Shute

Intent of the Physical Education Curriculum

Physical Education at Denmead Junior School will enable children to develop a positive mind set for a healthy lifestyle. Children will also develop a sportsmanship like approach by respecting their team mates or competitors. Our pupils should be inspired by trying new and exciting physical activities that they may not have heard or played before. This will help to ‘level the playing field’ for all children regardless of their experience or learning barriers. We hope that in Physical Education, our children will demonstrate determination when trying new activities and skills as well as developing excellent knowledge, skills and understanding, so that they can perform, with increasing competence and confidence, in a range of physical activities. At Denmead Junior School, these activities include dance, games, gymnastics, swimming and water safety, athletics and outdoor adventure activities.

Physical Education involves strategic decision making and applying skills, and it can improve a young person’s health and mental well-being. This is something we highly value at Denmead Junior School. We aim to enable every child to make healthy food choices and take part in a good level of physical activity through the adoption of an active lifestyle which can be through a range of lunch time activities and using our running track to promote the daily mile.

Here at Denmead Junior School, we strive to ensure that every pupil develops a passion for being active through varying and plentiful opportunities for Physical Education School Sport and Physical Activity. We provide the environment for children to flourish and build their confidence and enjoyment of being active and taking part in sport. Through fostering the enjoyment that taking part in Physical Education School Sport and Physical Activity can bring, we focus on building up children’s confidence to explore sport and physical activity both independently, and with others in a social context. We hope that this enjoyment and passion, will enable our children to develop and explore physical skills with increasing control, and through practice, understand how to improve the quality and control of their performances as well as develop core life skills such as reflection, resilience and co-operation.

Implementation of the Physical Education Curriculum

Here at Denmead Junior we use a new scheme of work ‘Get Set 4 PE’. This PE curriculum encompasses both teaching and applying ‘fundamental’ skills in sporting activities, and providing the opportunities to use these skills in competitive and non-competitive sporting events. This scheme of work also enables children to learn key vocabulary for different activities and to learn new rules, strategies and tactics that they can transfer across a range of sports. Get Set 4 PE has given our teachers the confidence to teach Physical Education to a high standard and for them to gain the knowledge which they need to deliver an effective lesson. Children participate in multiple Physical Education and School Sport opportunities over the course of each week. In addition to lessons, there are opportunities afforded through our break and lunch time play equipment/ Play Leader activities, residential/non-residential educational visits and extra-curricular opportunities.

In Key Stage 2, we teach compulsory dance, games and gymnastics, plus swimming and water safety, athletics and outdoor and adventurous activities (OAA). When teaching games, children will learn a range of attacking and defending principles instead of just the sport. Our swimming and water safety lessons take place in our local leisure centre, where the children are taught by qualified swim teachers. Our residential trip in Year 4 to Calshot aids to further support the use of OAA.

Within PE sessions at Denmead Junior School, children develop their knowledge, skills and understanding through a mixture of whole class teaching and individual, pair or group activities. Teachers draw attention to good examples of individual performance as models to inspire others, and encourage the children to evaluate their own work as well as the work of other children. Within lessons we give the children the opportunity both to collaborate and to compete, and they use a wide range of resources.

Our teachers and children will begin to use floor books to record the Physical Education learning journey in order to see the clear progression throughout their sessions. To record assessment teachers are to use the progression of skills assessment criteria to assess whether children are either working towards, at expected or exceeding in National Curriculum expectations. Teachers record this information on Get Set 4 PE and use it to plan the future work of each child and class. We feel that it is essential that pupils are given effective and regular feedback in order to inform them of their strengths, and areas requiring further development. Positive feedback is also a highly important part of PE sessions at Denmead, as we believe this significantly builds children’s confidence in their own ability and self-esteem.

 

Impact of the Physical Education Curriculum

The impact of the PE curriculum at Denmead Junior School is that children are truly enthused and inspired by physical activity and develop a lifelong love of participating in sport. They should leave Denmead Junior School with a wide range of knowledge for varying sporting activities and be able to use this in their future Physical Education lessons. We Hope that our children are able to effectively develop their physical literacy and improve their understanding of their own bodies in action and that they recognise the importance of being physically active to their own wellbeing and value this. A high proportion of the children will be working at age related expectations or beyond at key points and they are effectively prepared for the next stage of their educational journey within the subject of PE.

 

Mrs Kristen Baker

Intent

At Denmead Junior School, we develop children to be compassionate, motivated, resilient citizens, with a strong sense of well-being, who will be successful in both school and the rapidly changing wider world.

We promote a culture of kindness, respect, and empathy, ensuring that every child feels valued and included. Our PSHE curriculum celebrates diversity, teaches the importance of equality, and equips children with the skills to build positive relationships and contribute to a fair and kind society.

Children learn to value, trust, respect and love themselves and others and celebrate and value both similarities and differences. They develop knowledge to remain safe (in the real world and online), and will take increasing responsibility for how to manage their academic, personal and social lives with respect. They will be empowered to resolve their own conflicts in a positive way, through discussion within class where they will be taught to form and share their own opinions and respect those of others.

Through engaging lessons, discussions, and activities, we ensure that PSHE is a vital part of both our curriculum, but also runs through all of our relationships and interactions within school, every day.

Implementation

At Denmead Junior school we teach PHSE through the SCARF scheme (Safety, Caring, Achievement, Resilience, Friendship), a comprehensive scheme of work for PSHE and wellbeing education that also covers all the DfE's statutory requirements for Relationships Education and Health Education, including non-statutory Sex Education and is integral to our school’s ethos and values.

SCARF is designed as a comprehensive, spiral curriculum, with all year groups working on the same theme at the same time. 

Class teachers follow the suggested six half-termly units provided by SCARF for each year.

The themed units are:

1.    Me and My Relationships: includes content on feelings, emotions, conflict resolution and friendships;

2.    Valuing Difference: a focus on respectful relationships and British values;

3.    Keeping Myself Safe: looking at keeping ourselves healthy and safe;

4.    Rights and Responsibilities: learning about money, living in the wider world and the environment;

5.    Being My Best: developing skills for keeping healthy, developing a growth mindset (resilience), goal-setting and achievement;

6.    Growing and Changing: finding out about the human body, the changes that take place from birth to old age and being safe.

As they move through school, they will understand the physical and emotional changes that happen during puberty and have the skills to make informed choices, develop and maintain positive relationships and learn strategies to cope with negative emotions.

In addition to being taught by class teachers, children benefit from expert teaching from the SCARF team, through annual workshops, aimed at enhancing the well-being and resilience of our children as they move through school and transition to the next step.

PDL lessons are linked to the statutory requirement to teach about the British Values of Democracy, Rule of Law, Individual Liberty, Mutual Respect and Tolerance of those with different faiths/beliefs, and the protected characteristics, which are covered by the curriculum, as well as through our collective worship and extensive cultural capital offering.

Impact

The SCARF curriculum provides teachers with regular opportunities to assess the progress of children, but the real impact is seen through pupil voice feedback, and real-life application of PSHE learning, where we see children making responsible choices, engaging in meaningful discussions, and demonstrating resilience in their everyday interactions.

Through the delivery of our robust PHSE curriculum, we equip our children with the tools they need to move on to the next stage of their journey as confident, happy, resilient individuals, with a sense of their place in the world and an understanding of how they can make a positive impact on society.

 

 

Mrs Natalie Pettit

Intent:

At Denmead Junior school, we believe that children should have an awareness of major faiths: Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism and Hinduism. We want our children to understand the different views of other people across the school, the local area and the world. In doing so, our children understand other members of the community to make them more empathetic world citizens. We have links to our PDL curriculum where we teach our children that difference is something to be celebrated as we live in a diverse world.

Throughout school, children have opportunities to show a deeper understanding of the main religions. Year 3 learn about Hinduism, Year 4 Judaism, Year 5 Buddhism and Year 6 Islam. These are not exclusive and within their learning journeys our pupils have the opportunity to explore other faiths and discover similarities between them. This allows children to demonstrate their understanding of common themes across world religions and how these are relevant to their lives. Each cohort also has the opportunity to find out about the Christian faith. We have close links with the clergy at All Saints church in Denmead, which gives the children the opportunity to take part in a service at the church and receive regular input from the All Saints team. By the end of year 6, pupils will have built upon their knowledge of both the story of the nativity and of holy week whilst having the opportunity to experience a variety of stimuli and practical experiences to bring RE to life.

Implementation

Each year group teaches a different unit every half term where we explore different concepts in line with Living Difference VI. Living difference VI states that children should be doing 45 hours per year in KS2. This means they will need to spend about 7.5 hours on each of their 6 units.

All concepts fall into one of three categories. ‘A’ concepts are common to all people e.g. celebration, power, belonging. ‘B’ concepts are shared by many religions e.g. God, worship, symbolism. ‘C’ concepts are unique to a particular religion e.g. Dukkha (Buddhism). Each unit follows a concept cycle and is divided into 5 sections, starting at either ‘communicate’ or ‘enquire’. ‘Communicate’ is when children are encouraged to reflect on their own beliefs, values and experiences. ‘Apply’ is when we give them the opportunity to consider how other people are affected by a concept. ‘Enquire’ allows our children to define what the concept actually means. During ‘Contextualise’ children have the opportunity to find out more about one or more religions and how the concept is special to them. This includes special events, rituals and celebrations. Finally, ‘Evaluate’ allows children to unpick the importance of this concept to certain groups of people.

Creativity and active learning are promoted within our RE lessons. Where possible, our children use resources, images and artefacts to explore different religions through the concept that they are learning about. Discussion and thinking skills also feature significantly within RE lessons as children are given the opportunity to develop their oracy skills and engage in P4C enquiries.

Impact

Our children are assessed at each stage of the enquiry wheel. They will have developed their spiritual, moral, and social and cultural skills. They are able to share their opinions whilst appreciating the opinions of others. They are able to apply all four British values of democracy, rule of law, respect and tolerance and individual liberty.  A Denmead theologist will be able to talk confidently about their beliefs and use appropriate and respectful comments to explain elements of different religions. In addition, they are able to apply their understanding to moral and philosophical questions. They will respect and value all people within the school, wider communities and across the world.

 

Mr Ian Addison

Intent

At Denmead Junior School, Science ignites curiosity and helps children make sense of themselves and the world around them. Through engaging, real-life contexts, children explore key scientific ideas and develop a strong understanding of associated vocabulary. They learn to think and work like scientists by asking questions, making predictions, observing closely, and drawing conclusions.

Our intent is to ensure that pupils develop a secure understanding of key scientific knowledge and concepts, as well as the skills to work scientifically. We aim to foster confident, inquisitive learners who are well-prepared to engage with the scientific world, both now and in the future.

Science also supports our DJS Learning Powers:

• To be curious – by noticing patterns, making observations, and asking thoughtful questions
• To concentrate – by focusing on tasks and managing distractions
• To be resilient – by embracing challenges and learning from mistakes
• To co-operate – by sharing ideas and working effectively with others
• To self-improve – by reflecting on and refining scientific investigations

Implementation

Scientific knowledge and skills are taught through carefully sequenced units that build on prior learning across all four year groups. Each unit provides opportunities for children to develop their understanding of scientific concepts and enquiry.

Children work as scientists by:

• Planning and carrying out investigations and fair tests
• Making predictions and asking questions
• Taking accurate measurements with a range of equipment
• Recording results in a variety of ways
• Interpreting data to draw evidence-based conclusions

Science is brought to life through meaningful experiences—using the school grounds, participating in trips, and engaging with visiting experts. These hands-on opportunities make learning memorable and help children apply their understanding in real-world contexts.

We place high importance on safety. Pupils learn to identify risks, take precautions, and use equipment responsibly.

Impact

By the end of Year 6, children leave Denmead with a strong curiosity about the world and a real enjoyment of science. They participate enthusiastically in investigations and use scientific vocabulary confidently, supported by knowledge organisers and regular retrieval tasks.

Ongoing assessment through questioning and retrieval tasks helps teachers to monitor progress and provide support where needed. Scientific knowledge and enquiry skills develop progressively across all year groups.

Science at Denmead also builds on children’s wider personal development. Pupils collaborate effectively and demonstrate responsibility through risk assessments. Many continue their learning independently, showing a genuine interest in science beyond the classroom.

Through our curriculum, pupils gain the skills, confidence, and mind-set to explore, question, and understand the world around them.

 

 

Miss Heather Wallace

Intent

At Denmead Junior School, we believe that learning a foreign language is an essential part of children's education, enabling them to connect with diverse cultures and fostering a greater understanding of the world around them. Our aim is to provide a dynamic and engaging language curriculum that promotes curiosity, enhances communication skills, and prepares children for further language learning at secondary school.

We focus on building the confidence of our students in both speaking and understanding Spanish, ensuring they develop a strong foundation in language, grammar, and vocabulary. By the end of Key Stage 2, our goal is for every child to be able to use Spanish confidently, whether through listening, speaking, reading, or writing, and to appreciate the culture and traditions of Spanish-speaking countries.

Implementation

During Spanish lessons, Denmead Junior School follows the Language Angels scheme, which is designed to build on prior learning while introducing new skills. We use a range of resources, including songs, games, stories and role-play, to engage students in active language learning.

In Year 3 and 4, the focus is on developing listening and speaking skills, with vocabulary and short sentences being introduced. As students’ progress through Years 5 and 6, we introduce more complex structures and written tasks, such as using conjunctions and creating short passages from memory. Grammar, pronunciation, and cultural appreciation are integral parts of the curriculum, with students gradually building their ability to use the language in real-world contexts.

The children’s lessons have been curated to have cross-curricular links with their science, DT and maths lessons where appropriate to broaden students’ understanding of Spanish-speaking countries and enrich their learning experience. We assess progress regularly through class activities, quizzes, and teacher observations, ensuring each child’s learning needs are met. Teachers adapt lessons to provide additional support or challenge as needed.

Here at Denmead, we celebrate Spanish-speaking countries and their unique cultures through a whole-school Spanish day.

Impact

By the end of Year 6, students at Denmead Junior School will have developed a strong foundation in Spanish. They will be able to engage in basic conversations, understand simple written texts, and express themselves clearly both orally and in writing. Our students will leave Key Stage 2 with a love of language learning, confident in their ability to communicate in Spanish, and prepared to continue their language journey at secondary school. Through learning Spanish, students not only gain linguistic skills but also develop a broader appreciation for global cultures, which enhances their overall educational experience.