Our Curriculum Lead is Mrs Manning who can be contacted via the school office.

Learning at Sawley:

to Aspire… Achieve… Thrive…

• We do our very best to encourage our children to be positive and motivated about learning so that each and every one can reach their true and full potential.
• We offer an inclusive curriculum where high standards of learning and teaching also allows for independent learning; we set challenging targets which encourages our pupils to participate in their own learning and achieve high standards.
• We strive to create a stimulating atmosphere where staff are fully committed and dedicated to support our children on an exciting journey through their learning.
• We work hard to ensure that parents and carers can work with us in partnership to ensure that Sawley children will become the responsible citizens of the future.

We recognise that aspirations and commitment must remain high from pupils, staff, parents and governors. 

The strategic partnership of all the school’s stakeholders sharing a clear vision of what is possible and what has to be done to achieve it will ensure that:

• Every child is making good progress
• Every group of learners are well supported and their needs fully met
• Every lesson is a good lesson in every classroom
• Every staff member is fully committed, well supported and effectively challenged
• Every parent is fully engaged and active participants in their child’s learning
• Every leader is improving outcomes for children, lifting staff performance and managing change
• Every stakeholder is well informed and supportive.

SJS Curriculum

A curriculum which:

• is broad, balanced, inclusive and progressive: deepening subject knowledge and developing specific expertise whilst embedding non-negotiable skills across the wider curriculum.

A curriculum that:

• supports and guides learning that inspires, engages and fosters curiosity, incorporating cross-curricular links that enable pupils to explore and discover with increasing independence.
• provides opportunities and motivation to learn and apply knowledge and skills in a purposeful context.
• offers consistent and appropriate skills progression with opportunities for consolidation.
• is relevant and challenging, and which promotes deeper thinking and reflection.
• develops essential life skills that Empower Learning.
• includes opportunities for experiential learning, with knowledge, understanding and skills developed through first-hand, practical experience and evaluation.
• Prepares pupils to become the responsible citizens of the future.
• Appreciates the uniqueness of each child and recognises their potential, ensuring each child can

Aspire… Achieve… Thrive…

At Sawley Junior School, we are proud of our curriculum which is at the heart of our vision for pupils to Aspire, Achieve and Thrive during their time with us and beyond.

The school’s vision (above) is firmly embedded in everything we do at Sawley Junior School and contributes to the development of the whole-child. We are invested in the development of independent learners by offering an inclusive curriculum which encourages our pupils to participate in their own learning and achieve high standards.

Our curriculum strives to ensure that pupils have deep knowledge and understanding in all of the national curriculum subjects and that our pupils are prepared for their next steps in learning. This is achieved through carefully structured sequences of learning, making explicit the essential knowledge for units of work and individual lessons, and with a focus on learning for long term memory: knowing and remembering more, identifying and teaching key concepts, skills and vocabulary which is progressive.

Teaching makes links to previous and future learning: links are made in each knowledge block to core elements and key points ensuring reflection on previous learning, building into a comprehensive understanding of key learning points. For example, in history, we have identified concepts that weave throughout the children’s learning as they progress through the key stage.

The school takes pride in providing a highly inclusive environment, where learners demonstrate high levels of enjoyment in their education and make good progress across the curriculum. Children at all levels are helped to achieve their potential. Those who are most able are challenged and supported through being offered tasks which provide opportunities for greater depth and those who can struggle are encouraged and given targeted support to embed skills, to develop at their own pace or simply to learn in a style that best suits their individual needs.

Our Curriculum has been developed to recognise and explore the wealth of resources within our local community: we celebrate diversity and expand our children’s knowledge of Long Eaton and the local area, as well as the world beyond.

We recognise the importance of physical and mental health and wellbeing on a child’s ability to learn and be happy: in addition to an established PSHE and PE curriculum, in 2022 we introduced Wilmot’s Well-Being Week which focused learning on keeping physically and mentally fit to ensure that children have the knowledge and skills to maintain good mental health and where they can get support if they need it. We are active in the Erewash School Sports programme and encourage participation in active after-school provision. Supporting our approach to wellness, all pupils participate in our provision for growing, cooking and healthy eating.

Our curriculum is designed with equality and diversity in mind to reflect cultural and societal expectations in line with British Values. At every level we consider the individual needs of our children and ensure it is accessible for all children. Within the different curriculum areas, we aim to present a curriculum which is culturally and socially diverse, exposing our learners to aspects of society which they may not otherwise encounter and which will enrich their understanding of diversity and promote inclusion and acceptance.

Sawley Juniors is proud of its commitment to curriculum enrichment offering a wide range of experiences and opportunities both within and beyond the school day. This includes a programme of after-school clubs, that support the core curriculum offer, as well as those which develop specialist skills, extending the range of children’s experiences.  A primary focus of our curriculum is to raise aspirations, engender a sense of personal pride in achievement, and provide a purpose and relevance for learning. We provide further opportunities to enhance children’s learning wherever possible.

These include: whole school theme days/weeks, outdoor learning, educational visits and residentials, visitors into school, workshops, music, art & drama. We also offer pupils the opportunity to take responsibility for others in order to promote well-being and purpose with initiatives such as Peer Mediators, Mini-Leaders and Reading Buddy schemes. A full list of our Enrichment Offer can be found on our website - https://www.sawleyjunior.co.uk/sjs-enrichment-activities-theme-weeks/

Curriculum design at Sawley is viewed as an exciting, continuous and fluid process which takes into consideration the needs, characteristics and interests of our children; their prior learning and experiences; and the statutory curriculum. It is constantly evolving to ensure local, national and global contexts are topical; that approaches to ever-changing technologies are embraced; and current educational research and best practice informs pedagogy.