Miss Meg Ayres 

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 Andy Clarke

Whilst DJS is not a church school, in line with national guidance, our daily whole school assemblies are ‘broadly Christian in nature’. We relate these to the school value of the month; a key event or anniversary happening in the world, or a key date for a particular religion.  They usually end in a quiet reflection, while a poem or reflective words are said.

We have regular visits from either the Vicar or the Youth Curate from the local church in Denmead – All Saints Church. We also hold in-class reflections delivered by the class teacher.

The school attends All Saints Church twice a year.  In December, all children from  attend and perform in the Christmas Service at the church.  At again, at Easter children from across the school perform in the school’s Easter Service.

Mr Carl Restall

To foster responsible digital citizens with a strong foundation of digital literacy and a growing understanding of coding. All children at Denmead Junior School will have access to a range of hardware and software and will learn how to apply them to a variety of tasks. Children at DJS will learn through a progression of knowledge that aims to develop their confidence when using technology, no matter what their barriers to learning may be. Children will be introduced to concepts first through ‘unplugged’ teacher led lessons, then progressing to modify pre-existing examples where possible and finally applying their new knowledge to create something of their own. They will develop the learning power of co-operation by applying the ‘driver/navigator’ approach when applicable. Children will develop the learning power of resilience and self-improvement through the process of debugging their code. We place a high importance on instilling respect and a knowledge of how to safely use technology in an ever expanding digital world.

Mr Jack Goodens

Designing and eco-friendly bag, building a space buggy, producing an authentic item of Anglo-Saxon clothing and making modern and traditional types of bread. These are just some of the DT projects found in our curriculum.

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

Mr Tom Stapleton

Reading is taught daily during Guided Reading lessons which are usually 30 minutes in length.  Children learn different strategies for working out unknown words, the most important one of which is using their phonic knowledge to break the word down.

Children should be joining the school in Year 3 with secure phonic knowledge but if this is not the case they will be taught this in small groups using the ‘Letters and Sounds’ progression document.

Children have the opportunity to read in whole class, small groups and on a one to one basis throughout the week.

The school has a well-stocked library as the school subscribes to the Hampshire Library Services, who refresh and replace the book stock regularly throughout the year.

It is vital that children read at home every day.  There is a Home-School reading record and parents must sign it so that their child can be entered for the book draw which is held every few weeks.  The winner of the year group draws gets to choose a book of their choice to keep.

We celebrate World Book Day each year and you can find ideas for sharing a love of reading with your children on their  website and in the article below...

Sharing stories...

Mr Tom Stapleton

The school follows a handwriting scheme which is a joined up cursive script style and the children have daily handwriting practice which covers the different patterns of joining letters.  Pen licences are awarded when children are consistently taking care over their handwriting across the curriculum.

Writing is taught daily in discrete one hour English lessons which teach the different genres of writing, both fiction and non-fiction.  This can be a ‘stand-alone’ unit of work or linked to the current Topic teaching. Grammar and punctuation are taught within writing lessons.

Spelling is taught discretely focusing on word lists generated from the new national curriculum, but also including topic words which need to be learned alongside key words which an individual child is struggling with.  Children have a weekly spelling test and use personal spelling dictionaries in class.

Below please find some useful spelling activities:

Mr Stapleton runs annual workshops for parents on different aspects of English learning.  Please find below his latest presentation:

Mr Jack Earl 

Intent

To inspire a curiosity and fascination about the world we live in. Children will deepen their understanding of physical and human geography through thoughtfully planned units, based around answering a key question, to give purpose and real life application to our learning. Due to our location, Children need to be exposed to environments which can be compared and contrasted to our area of Denmead to enhance their understanding of where they live, and how it differs to other areas around the globe. Children will develop their geographical skills and fieldwork knowledge as they will experience a range of lesson mediums to engage them and allow them to thrive regardless of learning barriers.

Mrs Joy Painting

Within the teaching of history here at Denmead Junior School, the children are given the opportunity to fuel their curiosity and deepen their learning. By thinking like an historian, the children contemplate the impact that events in history have had on the local area, the whole of the UK and the world beyond. We consider historical events and the impact that these events have on us in the modern world. All children at Denmead, use skills such as: hypothesising, interpreting, questioning and investigating to help to develop their knowledge of different periods of history and knowledge of the world around them. Carefully considered key questions, give the children the opportunity to have meaningful discussions to develop and support their understanding and to support them to develop their own theories. We use field trips, artefacts and well-chosen online resources to support the development of children’s knowledge of the past and to give them a ‘hands on’ and visual opportunity for all pupils to experience and engage with life of other periods and cultures.  

Mrs Jo Marks

Children have two maths lessons a day – an hour long lesson following the Hampshire Maths curriculum which is linked to the new phases of teaching designed to bring about mastery in the subject.  Once children have learned a particular maths concept, they then apply their knowledge to a range of contexts.

The second lesson is our Denmead Maths Express. This is a fast paced 25 minute lesson which enables children to constantly revisit and revise their maths skills so that they are efficient calculators of everyday maths questions.  This builds up fluency in Maths.

Children have regular times tables tests (weekly in year 3 and 4 and fortnightly in 5 and 6).  It is vital that children learn their number bonds for 10, 20 and 100 and the related subtraction facts and times tables to 12x12 and the inverse division facts.

Below are the end of year expectations for Maths as set out in the new 2014 curriculum:

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

Miss Cath Luxton

All children learn Spanish in weekly MFL lessons. The school is linked via the British Council via their ‘Connecting Classrooms’ initiative to a school in Mexico and children have the opportunity to connect remotely and to work together on joint projects e.g. ‘A day in the life of..’ unit in Year 3. 

Miss Louise Gill

At DJS, children will describe, write, compose and perform music from a range of musical genres with links to other cultures and times, as well as studying some of the great, historical musicians. This enables the children to think and behaving like a musician.

All children with have an opportunity to learn an instrument through the Listen2Me programme where they will be taught by one of the Hampshire music teachers. Every class will have one school term of Listen2Me each year. There is also an active choir for children to join and children have opportunities to perform to the local community. All children take part in regular singing assemblies.

Children also have the option to learn an instrument through individual lessons with one of the Hampshire music specialists.

We also have very popular additional ‘Rock Steady’ lessons on a Friday when children have the option to perform as a group (e.g. singer, drums, keyboards, guitarists).

Children are given opportunities to experience other’s performances but also to have opportunities to performances for both parents and the rest of the school.

Miss Zoe Halford

Wherever possible DJS takes the children outside to learn within our extensive Forest Garden area, which include 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

Children learn about key physical attributes such as stamina, speed, balance, co-ordination and agility as well as passing, shooting/striking, throwing, catching and fielding to help them access and be successful at a range of sports.

Children have 2 PE lessons a week – one taught by their class teacher. They are taught basic skills and individual sports such as Cricket, Rounders, Football and Hockey.

In year 5 we teach all the children to swim 25 metres confidently in a range of different strokes.  Children travel to Waterlooville Leisure Centre for 10 weeks in the spring term.

In addition, we have a number of after school sports clubs including Multi-Sports, Volleyball, Football, Fencing.  Some of these are run by external providers where there is a charge, and others by class teachers which are free.

Mr Duncan Proctor & Mrs Kristen Baker

At Denmead Junior School, children will learn to value, trust, respect and love themselves and others as individuals who are all different. They will develop knowledge to remain safe (in the real world and online), using strategies to maintain good physical and mental health. Children will learn, and take increasing responsibility for how to manage their academic, personal and social lives in a positive way, including conflict resolution and forgiveness. Children should be given the opportunity to discuss, have respect for others opinions and share their own opinions about a range of topical issues, problems and events. Children will understand 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. 

Mrs Natalie Pettit

The faiths of Islam, Judaism and Christianity are all explored respectfully throughout the curriculum, often through a concept e.g. Holy; Rites of Passage, Power.  The school follows the Hampshire RE curriculum.

Miss Amanda Brady

At Denmead Junior School, science will give children the opportunity to learn about themselves and the world around them.  Science will stimulate children’s curiosity and link to the real world.  The children will be able to explore the key science ideas in a range of contexts and they will understand the linked key vocabulary.  The children will have opportunities to use a range of scientific methods and to work as scientists.

Pupils will learn key science ideas through units of linked lessons which build upon previous knowledge, skills and experiences as mapped out on the progression of skills document.

Pupils will have the opportunity to work as scientists by making observations, asking questions and making predictions based on what they have seen.  They will plan and carrying out fair tests.  They will learn how to take accurate measurements using a range of equipment and record their data in a variety of different ways.  They will be shown how to interpret their own and others data to try and reach conclusions.

Pupils will have the opportunity to develop science knowledge and skills through their own experiences by carrying out classroom based investigations, describing examples of key ideas in contexts they have experienced, using the school grounds, going on science focused school trips and through brought in experiences.

Pupils will have the opportunity to identify potential hazards.  With guidance, they will recognise ways to minimise risks and know what actions to take to keep themselves and others safe.

Science will provide 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 experiences, 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 improve investigations