The National Curriculum is the document which sets out what all maintained state schools are required to teach. Although Academies are not obliged to follow the National Curriculum, it provides an invaluable starting point. At Henleaze Junior School we aim to cover the National Curriculum content and more.
The National Curriculum consists of Programmes of Study for each subject, which describe what is to be taught, and expected outcomes for each subject.
The compulsory subjects are divided into Core Subjects - English, Maths, Science, and Foundation Subjects - History, Geography, Art and Design, Computing, Design and Technology, Modern Foreign Languages, Music and PE. In addition, guidance is provided for Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE). Religious Education is not covered by the National Curriculum, but is compulsory. PSHE is also not covered by the National Curriculum, but Relationships Education is compulsory in primary schools, and Sex Education is compulsory in secondary schools.
The National Curriculum describes what must be taught and indicates progressive levels of achievement to help measure children's progress. It does not tell schools how to teach and does not require children to achieve particular levels by a particular age. Neither does it specify amounts of time to be spent on each subject each week. Schools are free to design their curriculum to suit their individual needs.
The core subjects of English, Maths and Science are assessed against essential learning goals which are defined in our HJS Assessment Framework. This represents the key achievements which we believe are essential indicators that a child is ready to move on to the next stage.
Curriculum is more than just reading, writing and arithmetic. The curriculum at Henleaze involves everything from sports to science, from computing to life skills. We have created a curriculum to maximise learning and present a high degree of challenge.
