Curriculum

We follow the same ‘Stage Not Age’ curriculum as our secondary school in Seaford. The curriculum builds on the knowledge and skills for each stage. Each pupil's capability is considered individually and the appropriate stage identified for each subject. Learning objectives are highly personalised and based on pupils’ current ability rather than chronological age.

English

Children are given many opportunities to immerse themselves in reading and we encourage a love of books. We use the Read Write Inc. phonics programme and all our pupils access daily phonics/reading sessions.

We also use more focused interventions such as Five Minute Box for those who need a different approach to learning how to read. We use a whole-school topic-based approach to teaching which revolves around a different book every half term.

The pupils become immersed in the book through a range of activities such as role play, prediction and comprehension. Pupils are taught to apply sounds they learn in reading and we endeavour to make writing meaningful to them, and enjoyable for them. For example, they have written letters to foreign ambassadors about the plight of the rainforest, instructions for how to escape an Egyptian tomb and firework poetry.

Maths

We follow a concrete, pictorial, abstract model and use practical resources with our pupils to explain new concepts. We encourage them to show their learning through different models, before asking them to calculate mentally. We ensure that our pupils’ knowledge of place value and the four operations is secure before moving them on to more challenging activities. We use Times Tables Rock Stars to develop fluency of multiplication and division facts.

Science

We use an investigative approach and encourage curiosity and questioning. We continuously make links to real life to allow our pupils to see how much the development of science impacts our every day world. Recently our pupils have been making electrical circuits and filmed themselves explaining how they work.

RE

Religious festivals are used as opportunities to develop pupil knowledge of world religions and linked to other areas of the curriculum, notably cooking. This year we will be visiting places of worship in the local area.

Opportunities for collective worship are embedded in the timetable with check in time, lunch time and reflection time. We reflect on the values we consider important, promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and prepare them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of the present and the future.

PSHE

PSHE is taught as a discrete subject, following the Jigsaw curriculum, but also constitutes an important part of the day-to-day conversations we hold with our pupils during reflection times or restorative conversations. We support our pupils and their families in making better health choices through cooking sessions and daily conversations. 

We use the Zones of Regulation to teach self-regulation. Our focus is to help our pupils develop their self-esteem, empathy and build better relationships by taking responsibilities for their actions. 

Our Golden Rules encourage them to become better citizens. We use Votes for Schools, an online platform that provides resources on current affairs and allows pupils to use their voice to vote on a weekly question. We use Jigsaw, in line with statutory guidance, when teaching SRE.

PE

We use a variety of approaches to help our pupils develop fundamental movement skills and gross motor skills. We have weekly PE sessions, and this also happens during lunch play and the many enrichment activities we offer our children. We foster teamwork and collaborative skills through our entire curriculum and the use of our We Not Me reward system.

Topic

We use a topic-based approach to teach Science, Art, D&T, Computing, Geography, History, Languages and Music. This allows pupils to become immersed in a topic for a half term, and learn about different aspects of it. We use an investigative approach and encourage curiosity and questioning. Our location means that we can travel easily around London for school trips that enrich our topics even further. Some of the topics we have covered include:

• Space Explorers
• Great Fire of London
• Extreme Earth
• Rumbling Rainforest
• Excellent Egyptians
• Eco Warriors

Emotional Literacy

The Zones of Regulation

The Zones of Regulation
We use the Zones of Regulation curriculum to teach our pupils to recognise and manage their feelings. Pupils use our Zones of Regulation board throughout the day to tell staff how they are feeling and use individually agreed strategies to look after themselves whichever zone they are in, with the goal of being able to return to learning in the ‘green zone’. Each classroom has a Den that the pupils can use when they need some space to self-regulate.

Celebrating Achievement

Pupils earn Golden Time and Dojo points by following our Golden Rules. They earn We Not Me points by working collaboratively and showing kindness and consideration to others. Both Dojo and We Not Me points lead to rewards which have been discussed and agreed on by the whole group. Headteacher awards are given to recognise pupils who have gone the extra mile.

Our Enrichment Offer

Our enrichment offer is varied because our pupils tend to learn better outside the classroom. As well as providing opportunities for cross-curricular learning, it equips our pupils with the skills they need to better manage their feelings and develop their social skills.

We offer weekly activities such as:

• Urban Adventure Base at Mile End Park (cycling, climbing, caving, canoeing)
• Young Volunteers programme at Stepney City Farm
• Forest School
• Cooking

We also organise regular curriculum-related and reward trips. Recently we have been to London Zoo, the Natural History Museum, the Cutty Sark and Canary Wharf Ice Rink.

Our Therapeutic Offer

Our Speech and Language Therapist

We receive half termly visits from Bowden House School’s Speech and Language Therapist, who carries out pupil assessments and supports our staff with planning the most effective lessons for each pupil.

Sensory breaks

All our staff are trained in trauma-informed practice and our timetable includes many opportunities for sensory breaks throughout the day, including settling time, snack time, sensory circuits and Golden Time.

The sensory room

We have a dedicated space where children can spend time with an adult on a timetabled basis, notably during transitions, after play or lunch. The room contains a range of resources to support the pupils' regulation through calming, organising and alerting activities.

The Bowden Garden

We have dedicated a whole corner of our playground to the Bowden Garden. The pupils have been involved in setting it up and have helped us clear up the old garden, prepare the soil for the new garden, build the planters and plant the seeds. We now have many varieties of plants and vegetables growing in the Bowden Garden. It is a small oasis in the city, a calm space where the pupils can come and spend time when they need some breathing space.

TERM	ENGLISH/TOPIC	TRIP	MATHS	PSHE/SEAL	RE LINKS
Autumn 1	Our Great City Black History	Thames Boat Olympic Park	Place value	Being me in my world (Jigsaw)	Yom Kippar Diwali
Autumn 2	Crime & Punishment	Tower of London The Clink Museum	Addition and subtraction	Celebrating difference (Jigsaw)	Guy Fawkes Remembrance day Hannukah Christmas
Spring 1	Religions of the World	Local Places of Worship e.g. Church, Mosque	Multiplication & division	Dreams and Goals (Jigsaw)	Epiphany Chinese New Year Shrove Tuesday/Ash Wednesday
Spring 2	The Human Body	Science Museum Queen Mary Centre of the Cell	Fractions Decimals	Healthy Me (Jigsaw)	Ramadan/Eid Passover Easter Holi
Summer 1	Food Glorious Food	Pizza Express Supermarket (Morrisons)	Statistics Position and direction Shape	Relationships (Jigsaw)	Vesak Mental Health Awareness Week
Summer 2	Superheroes	The Cartoon Museum (Superheroes workshop)	Time Measurement	Changing Me - RSE (Jigsaw)	Eid