Our Curriculum Intent at RJS.

Captivating, collaborative, cohesive curriculum.

Ripley Junior School we believe that pupils’ learning and development should be at the very heart of our school’s curriculum; it should be broad and balanced and equip pupils with the skills necessary to succeed in life beyond their education with us and it will help them to be successful in all areas of their lives.

This curriculum intent has been carefully designed for our children and the benefits it will bring to our pupils’ are opportunities for wonderful learning and self-improvement, both academically and socially and emotionally.

Alongside this document, there will also be a long term overview which will outline the opportunities for the teaching of particular skills, opportunities for ‘wowing’ and engaging the children in their learning and for any additional trips or visits and extra-curricular provision.

What is the curriculum designed to achieve?

At Ripley Junior School we have designed our curriculum with pupils’ learning and excellence and enjoyment at its centre. We recognise that a curriculum should always be broad, balanced and offer pupils opportunities to grow as individuals, enabling them to positively contribute as members of our community as well as becoming lifelong learners. It is also essential that our curriculum gives our children an opportunity to take risks, take part in learning that builds on previous skills and knowledge, creating analytical thinkers who ‘think for themselves’ and reflect on what they need to do for the next steps in their learning.

Through a combination of quality first teaching and learning techniques, we aim to ensure pupils enjoy learning and feel prepared for life after junior school. We also are committed to offering our pupils new and exciting experiences through engaging curricular activities and extra-curricular activities that are designed to build resilience, confidence and self-esteem. These experiences will take place in and out of our classrooms, in our community and beyond. Children will also learn about and accept more about other cultures and heritages that create Great Britain and beyond, whilst celebrating our locality and the diversity found within it. 

We recognise that pupils should be challenged in their schooling; learning from failures and celebrating successes. We intend for our curriculum to be empowering, enabling pupils to develop their interpersonal skills, creativity and independence. Through taking risks in their learning, we are ambitious for all our pupils and aiming to forge resilience, setting high expectations and are determined that all pupils will achieve to the best of their ability.

How our school intends to deliver the curriculum throughout the school.

As briefly mentioned above, we intend to deliver the curriculum through a variety of methods that are both classroom-based and extra-curricular. Below, we have outlined how we intend to deliver this promise. We promote equal opportunities to all of our pupils in line with the Equality Act 2010 throughout our practices. (Our Equality Policy can also be found on are website.)

Classroom-based learning: Our team value the different ways in which pupils learn and plan lessons to account for these differences, this includes the use of themed days / weeks that link to both subject content and coverage and also to our pupils’ development within PSHE and SMSC. We encourage teachers to make cross-curricular links where possible within their lesson plans, particularly between English and other subject areas, so that pupils can draw upon knowledge from different subjects and understand how each topic plays a part in everyday life.

Teachers use different learning resources to teach core content, e.g. concrete equipment and apparatus, multimedia resources, guest speakers and computer hardware, to name a few. By using different techniques, we intend on keeping pupils engaged with and independent in their learning and accommodate pupils who learn differently to their peers.

The school carries out one - to - one intervention sessions for pupils who require additional support. Parents can request this, but we also identify children who we know would most benefit from this support. We also carry out interventions for small groups of pupils with both teachers and TAs. Within these interventions, staff breakdown the content of a particular concept in a more digestible way for that group of pupils, or they may concentrate on an area of learning that needs further development. This allows pupils to access dedicated one-to-one or small group support, ensuring any questions that pupils may have get answered in a way they understand.

A full list of the subjects and key objectives available to our pupils in each year can be found on our school website.

Extra-curricular activities: We provide a variety of extra-curricular activities for pupils that enhance their learning experience. The activities range from after-school clubs, to educational trips and visits – a list of the extra-curricular activities available for each year group is available on our website. Extra-curricular activities are designed to enhance pupils’ learning experience, form personal connections between pupils and their peers, create opportunities for pupils to try new experiences and teach skills essential for life after school.

How the school involves parents, pupils and the local community in curriculum planning and delivery.

Our school values the input of its pupils, parents and the local community with regards to the planning and delivery of the curriculum. We believe pupils get a well-rounded education if everyone is involved in shaping it. We hold half termly Pupil Voice sessions on a wide range of topics that influence our curriculum and we also send parents questionnaires on annual basis. Our most recent questionnaire to parents has asked them questions about what they feel are priority subjects and experiences for our pupils that will give them the education they need to succeed beyond junior school.

We engage with the wider community by ensuring there are opportunities for pupils to participate in community projects, e.g. crocus planting with our local Rotary Club to raise awareness and funds for their vaccination programs overseas. We embed each project within the curriculum into the relevant subjects and within relevant clubs and committees, e.g. local parliamentary elections, creating our own ballot and the Mayor visiting school to speak about his role and announce our ballot results. This shows pupils the value of being involved in their community and establishes a link between the theories they learn in the classroom to practical examples in real life. 

How the curriculum benefits pupils’ learning and personal development.

Our curriculum has been designed for a range of learners who have a range of experience and starting points, providing equal opportunities for all and by doing this, pupils will benefit in the following ways:

• Learning how to lead safe, healthy and fulfilling lives
• Understanding that failure is part of the road to success
• Being rewarded for academic successes and resilience in learning
• Being supported with their next stages in education
• Becoming responsible individuals who contribute to community living and the environment
• Achieving to the best of their ability
• Acquiring a wealth of knowledge and experience 
• Becoming critical and independent thinkers
• Finding a sense of belonging to the school and its community
• Understand how our locality fits within our multicultural Great Britain
• Learning how to cooperate with their peers and the adults around them and respect one another inside and outside the classroom.