Thursday 09 September 2010

The Curriculum


For Senior School Curriculum please see Academic Departments


Junior School Curriculum

 

The Westbourne curriculum is not only the subjects taught in lessons, but also all the planned activities that we organise in order to enrich the children’s experience and promote learning and personal growth and development. It includes the ‘hidden curriculum’ that  the children learn from the way they are treated and the way they are expected to behave.

 

The aims of our school curriculum are:

· To enable all children to learn and develop their skills to the best of their ability;

· To promote a positive attitude towards learning, so that children enjoy coming to school, and acquire a solid basis for lifelong learning;

· To teach children the skills of literacy, numeracy and information technology (IT), appropriate to their age and aptitude;

· To enable children to be creative and to develop their own thinking;

· To teach children about their developing world, including how their environment and society have changed over time;

· To enable children to be positive citizens in society;

· To teach children to have an awareness of their own spiritual development, and to understand right from wrong;

· To help children understand the importance of truth and fairness, so that they grow up committed to equal opportunities for all;

· To enable children to have respect for themselves and high self-esteem, and to be able to live and work co-operatively with others

 

Careful planning ensures there is coherence between and progression in all curriculum areas and there is often cross curricular teaching when topics allow.


Each half term, the topics that are to be taught in Literacy, Maths and Science are posted outside the classroom and sent home with pupils in order to keep our parents informed.


Transition through the school

 

Westbourne uses informal opportunities each day, alongside planned formal opportunities, for the pupils to meet teachers and use the facilities in all areas of the school community.

 

The school has in place excellent transition arrangements from Nurseries to Reception Class, from one class to the next at each year end and at the end of each key stage. These support our children through the Junior School and into Senior School, enabling smooth progression in terms of their social, emotional and academic development.

 

Senior School Curriculum
The programme of study in Key Stage 3 (S7 – S9) includes Art, Music, Geography, History, Music, Games and PE, Design Technology as well as PSHE and two modern foreign languages.

Throughout Senior School, Maths, Science and English are taught back to back so pupils may be 'set' according to ability.  This means that all individuals have the opportunity to work at his or her most appropriate level in these core subjects.

The core curriculum for GCSE Key Stage 4 (S10 - S11) consists of :

English
English Literature
Mathematics
Physics
Chemistry
Biology
A modern foreign language
ICT or Business Communication Systems

In addition to this, pupils choose options from a wide range of subjects including

Media
Art
Drama
Music
Sports science
History
Geography
Design Technology
Media Studies
Spanish
French

There are regular outings and journeys abroad, including Skiing and French/Spanish language and sports trips.  Any idea for a school trip from students themselves is welcomed and the practicalities explored.

Extra curricular activities currently offered include theatre and drama visits, climbing, chess, Concert Band, bridge, book clubs and running, but the list changes constantly as it is pupil driven.


Junior School Curriculum
Cross Curricular Topics
Knowledge and understanding of the World (includes Science / History / Geography) for Reception Class.

•    Our Senses
•    Colours
•    Pushing and Pulling
•    Growing and Changing
•    Homes and Families
•    Grandparents
•    Minibeasts
•    Harvest, Seasons and Weather
•    Birthdays
•    Teddy Bears
•    Holidays
•    Water

Reading Books in the Early Years
Children at Westbourne read books from several published reading schemes.  These schemes are integrated to ensure that your child can make progress through the schemes and broaden their vocabulary at the same time.  Children work on their reading at school in different ways.  They may, for example, be reading to a teacher on an individual basis; they may be reading extra large books together as a class; they may be using worksheets or playing games to develop particular reading skills.

Each day your child will bring a reading pack home from school.  This pack contains a reading book and a reading record book.  Each time your child reads at school the reading record book will be updated.  When you listen to your child at home, please write in this book.  We try to keep comments positive to encourage the children in their reading.  The reading books may not be changed every time your child reads at school as it is often best to read the same book several times.  Please return both books to school each morning.  After a few weeks your child will be given a card containing words to learn, a few at a time.  Please practise these at reading times.

Parents sometimes become concerned that their child is memorising a book instead of being able to read each word individually.  Please be reassured that this is an important stage in learning to read.

The following are suggestions for you to use to help your child to make progress: 
•    Try to read regularly with your child, daily if possibly, but don’t make it a chore.
•    Talk about the pictures or the story.  Your child may like to tell you what the book is about or guess what happens on the next page.
•    If your child gets stuck on a word, help after a few seconds to allow a little time for thinking but no time for worrying.
•    Choose a comfortable time and place that suits you, ensuring your child is not too tired or distracted.
•    Enjoy reading together!


J1
Pupils entering J1 are in the care of Miss Vickers and Miss Cadman.

Cross Curricular Topics
Science / History / Geography for J1

•    Ourselves
•    Light and Dark
•    Sound and Hearing
•    Sorting and Using Materials
•    Health and Growth
•    Plants and Animals in the Environmnet
•    Children and Toys in History
•    Florence Nightingale
•    Local Area
•    The Island of Struay-comparing town and countryside
•    Barnaby Bear


J2
Pupils entering J2 will be in the care of Mrs Loasby and Miss Rees

Cross Curricular Topics
Science / History / Geography for J2
•    Autumn changes
•    Light
•    Circuits
•    Grouping and changing materials
•    Variety of life – plants and minibeasts
•    Gunpowder Plot
•    Great Plague and Fire of London
•    Roman Invasion of Britain
•    Christopher Columbus
•    Roald Dahl
•    Uk Countries – 2 fig. grid refs.
•    Seaside Focus
•    Eyam Study
•    Rainforests – Central America


J3
Pupils entering J3 will be in the care of Mrs Whitmore

Having completed Key Stage One of the national Curriculum, pupils now embark on Key Stage Two in all subjects.  This is a natural progression with work still planned according to children’s needs to enable them to make progress according to their individual abilities.

Swimming at King Edward’s Swimming Baths is now part of the PE Curriculum and J3 children have a whole afternoon of Games with J4 on Tuesdays.

Cross Curricular Topics
Science / History / Geography
•    Forces
•    Sound
•    Animal Habits
•    Victorians
•    Ancient Egypt
•    Land use & services in the local area
•    Victorian Sheffield
•    Contrasting Climates Eygyt/Antarctica
•    Weather around the World
•    Continents – special focus Africa


J4, J5 and J6 are in Westbourne House

J4
Pupils entering J4 will be in the care of Ms Scattergood.

J4 children continue with a wekkly swimming lesson and Tuesday Games Afternoon.

Every child should now add an ink cartridge to their simple pencil case.  Use of the pen will begin in some written work (not spelling or maths) during the first few weeks of term.  It may help to have some practice during the Summer break.

Cross Curricular Topics
Geography / History
•    Britain since 1930
•    Ancient Greece
•    Settlements
•    India
•    Britain, Europe and Worldwide maps

Science
•    Solids, liquids and how they can be separated
•    Kepping warm
•    Circuits and conductors
•    Friction
•    Moving and growing (including teeth)
•    Materials and their properties

RE
•    Creation stories
•    Bible as a library
•    Hinduism


J5
Pupils entering J5 are set in ability bands for all English and Mathematics lessons.  All other subjects are taught in mixed ability groups which are also registration groups.  Miss Heyes and Mrs Harris are J5 form tutors.

Cross Curricular Topics
History
•    Roman Britain
•    Anglo-Saxons
•    The Vikings
•    Tudors

Geography
•    Mapping
•    Water
•    Rivers
•    United Nations
•    The Wider World: Capitals, Countries and Continents

Science
•    Changing states
•    Sun, Earth and Moon
•    Gases around us
•    Changing sounds
•    Keeping healthy
•    Lifecycles

RE
•    Bible stories from The Old Testament
•    Judaism


J6

Pupils entering J6 are set in ability bands for all English and Mathematics lessons.  All other subjects are taught in mixed ability registration groups which are also registration groups.  Mr Clark and Mrs Smith are J6 form tutors.

Cross Curricular Topics
History
•    Aztecs
•    Sheffield Flood
•    Britain since 1948

Geography
•    What is Geography?
•    Pollution
•    Mountain environments
•    Environmental Study

Science
•    Reversible and irreversible changes
•    More about dissolving
•    Forces in action
•    How we see things
•    Changing circuits
•    Interdependence and adaption
•    Micro-organisms

RE
•    Stories from the Bible – New Testament
•    Sikhism


J6 to J7 Transition

Westbourne takes a pro-active approach in addressing pupil concerns and offering practical support to enhance self-esteem and confidence in all our pupils moving from Junior School to Senior School.

Close liaison between Junior and Senior school allows pupils to reflect on the many achievements and successes in Junior School whilst ensuring they possess the knowledge and skills to be confident and competent in fully accessing post-transition opportunities.

The information below outlines some of the various initatives and opportunities pupils experience as part of our J6 Transition programme.

Term1
•    JS and SS pupils share games afternoon twice a week.
•    Novemebr – J5/6 to visit SS Children In Need fund raising event

Term 2
•    JS and SS pupils share games afternoon twice a week.
•    Some taster lessons in French, Geography and ICT in Ashdell Grove.
•    Mrs Bornand, Head of Seniors, gives assembly in Ashdell Grove Hall for all J6’s. Q & A session to follow.
•    J6 forms visit SS during a PSHE lesson and are guided by a pre-selected froup of pupils (S7 – S11) around Ashdell Grove and Ashdell House. J6 pupils finish with a Q & A session with SS pupils.
•    JS pupils attend a dress rehersal of SS summer production.

Term 3
•    JS and SS pupils share games afternoon twice a week.
•    Some taster lessons in Science, Maths and English in Ashdell Grove.
•    Information meeting for parents of children entering Senior School with the Headmaster and Head of Seniors.
•    Changeover morning for J6s to visit Senior School. Children will tour the school and complete a Q & A session with Senior School pupils.
•    J6 complete a personal transition booklet