Our Curriculum

Curriculum Intent Statement

At Stillness Junior School we have designed our curriculum with the following main goals in mind:

• To encourage pupils to become ambitious, curious learners who can make a positive contribution to the school and local community.
• To develop pupils’ skills and knowledge by providing a coherent, progressive curriculum.
• To build rich ‘cultural capital’
• To ensure learning experiences are memorable and aid long-term retention
• To develop word power among our pupils so they are well equipped with a wide range of vocabulary

1. School values

Our school values and aims underpin our curriculum and strongly contribute to pupils receiving an effective education that enables them to achieve highly. Our knowledge engaged approach to learning promotes communication, problem solving and creativity.

At Stillness, we have an inclusive curriculum where every child is recognised as a unique individual. We adapt the curriculum for different groups of children, including disadvantaged pupils and those with EAL and SEND.

We welcome and celebrate differences and strive to ensure pupil’s wellbeing and safety is implicit in all that we do. Children learn to be respectful towards others, build self-esteem and confidence in their abilities and draw on each other’s strengths.

2. Progressive framework of skills and knowledge

When developing the schools curriculum, we decide on the ‘important knowledge’ and ‘key vocabulary’ that pupils should learn. We build upon prior knowledge and make links to prior learning. This leads to a vertical accumulation of skills and knowledge. Lessons are carefully sequenced to ensure that learning is revisited, deepened and used as a basis to acquire new learning. Appropriate experiences are planned to aid understanding and move the learning from the short to the long term memory. We believe our curriculum provides appropriate depth, breadth and balance tailored to our children’s’ specific needs and interests.

3. Cultural capital

Our pupils are provided with plenty of opportunities to gain cultural capital by exposing them to a range of cultural experiences and vital background knowledge required to become active, informed, thoughtful citizens.

We aim to use our local community effectively and want children to be aware of the fantastic opportunities that living in London offers. Children are taught to be mindful of how privileged they are to have access to so many local museums, galleries, exhibitions in our vibrant, multicultural city.

4. Memorable learning experiences

All year groups partake in a wide range of visits and workshops in addition to special curriculum days and weeks.  Some examples include Science week, NSPCC workshop, and a special visit from an athlete and pioneer.  Stillness proactively looks for opportunities to welcome parents and carers to take part in children’s learning and experiences. This includes parent workshops in addition to utilising the skills and expertise that our parents offer to further enhance the curriculum. These memorable learning experiences broaden their horizons and encourage them to tackle new challenges and be fearless of what is new or unknown.

5. Word power

We believe vocabulary size matters for all children to be successful. We want children to be well equipped with a wide range of vocabulary in order to be effective communicators who can speak with fluency and confidence. We promote adventurous vocabulary through our use of high quality texts that we share with the children.

Our full and rich curriculum, with its excellent range of experiences, ensures that every pupil at Stillness Junior School makes excellent progress both academically and personally. Pupils are encouraged to be ambitious and utilise their balanced range of skills and knowledge effectively, ensuring they are well prepared for the next stage of their education and beyond.