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Our Curriculum

Our Curriculum at St. John's Green Primary School

At St. John's Green Primary School, we believe that every child has the right to experience a rich, ambitious and engaging curriculum that prepares them for lifelong learning. Our curriculum is carefully designed to develop confident, resilient and reflective learners who are equipped with the knowledge, skills and values they need to succeed both in school and beyond.  

Our Curriculum Vision

Our curriculum combines the requirements of the National Curriculum with memorable enrichment opportunities, local learning experiences and our Visible Learning approach. We want our children to develop:

  • A love of learning
  • Strong knowledge and skills across all subjects
  • Confidence and independence
  • Respect, empathy and kindness
  • The ability to collaborate, reflect and persevere when faced with challenges

At the heart of our curriculum are our Learning Powers:

Resilience • Motivation • Reflection • Making Links • Collaboration

Visible Learning

We have been a Visible Learning school since 2016. This approach helps children understand how they learn, recognise their progress and become active participants in their own learning journey. We encourage pupils to challenge themselves, reflect on their achievements and make meaningful links across different areas of the curriculum.

Building Knowledge That Lasts

We believe in developing "sticky knowledge"—important facts, concepts and skills that children can remember and apply over time. Daily retrieval practice helps pupils revisit previous learning, strengthen their understanding and build secure foundations for future success.

 What We Teach

Our curriculum is broad, balanced and progressive from Reception to Year 6. We teach all National Curriculum subjects, including:

  • English
  • Mathematics
  • Science
  • History
  • Geography
  • Art and Design
  • Design and Technology
  • Computing
  • Music
  • Physical Education
  • Spanish
  • Religious Education
  • Personal, Social and Health Education, including Relationships Education (SCARF)

We use a range of high-quality schemes and resources, alongside our own bespoke curriculum design, to ensure learning is engaging, progressive and ambitious for all pupils.

Learning Beyond the Classroom

We believe that some of the most memorable learning happens through real-life experiences. Children benefit from educational visits, visitors, performances, enrichment opportunities and links with our local community. Our unique One Square Mile History Curriculum helps pupils develop a deep understanding of the history of Colchester and the area around our school.

Supporting Every Child

We are committed to ensuring that all children can succeed. Through ongoing assessment, timely intervention and carefully planned support, we help every child make strong progress and achieve their potential. We work closely with families to celebrate achievements and support learning every step of the way.

The Impact of Our Curriculum

Our aim is that children leave St. John's Green as:

  • Happy and confident learners
  • Respectful and responsible citizens
  • Curious and independent thinkers
  • Resilient problem-solvers
  • Well-prepared for the next stage of their education

We want every child to develop a genuine thirst for learning and the confidence to embrace new challenges throughout their lives.

 
 

Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)

At St. John's Green Primary School, we believe that every child deserves the best possible start to their school journey. Our Reception classes provide a safe, caring and stimulating environment where children feel happy, confident and ready to learn.

We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum, which focuses on developing children's skills, knowledge and understanding through a balance of play, exploration and direct teaching.

Children learn through the seven areas of learning:

  • Communication and Language
  • Personal, Social and Emotional Development
  • Physical Development
  • Literacy
  • Mathematics
  • Understanding the World
  • Expressive Arts and Design

How We Learn

Our curriculum combines child-led learning with carefully planned adult-led activities. We provide:

  • Daily phonics lessons using the ‘Twinkl’ scheme
  • Practical and engaging maths activities
  • Opportunities to learn indoors and outdoors
  • Stories, songs and rhymes every day
  • A language-rich environment that develops vocabulary and communication skills
  • Activities that build confidence, resilience and independence

We use regular observations and assessments to ensure that every child is supported and challenged appropriately.

Working with Families

We value strong partnerships with parents and carers and work closely together to support each child's learning and development. We share achievements throughout the year and celebrate every child's successes.

Preparing for the Future

Our aim is for every child to leave Reception as a happy, confident and independent learner who is ready for Year 1. We want our children to develop a love of learning, strong early reading, writing and maths skills, and the confidence to embrace new challenges.

At St. John's Green, we are proud to give our youngest learners the foundations they need to thrive both in school and beyond.

Our long term plan shows what each year group will learn each Assessment Period.

 Sometimes subjects will be taught discretely (as individual subjects) at other times teachers will utilise the natural links that exist between subject areas and the children will learn more than one subject at the same time.

 

Other elements integral to our Curriculum.

 English

At St. John's Green Primary School, we believe that English provides the foundation for success across the curriculum and beyond. Our ambitious English curriculum is carefully sequenced from Reception to Year 6, ensuring that pupils develop the knowledge, vocabulary and skills needed to become fluent readers, confident writers and effective communicators. Through high-quality teaching, purposeful practice and regular opportunities to apply learning, we support all children to achieve their full potential.

Writing

Our bespoke Road to Writing provides a clear progression of writing knowledge and skills from Early Years to Year 6. Learning is carefully sequenced to ensure that pupils build on prior knowledge and develop increasing independence as writers.

Writing is taught through high-quality texts which provide a rich context for learning. Teachers use explicit instruction, modelling and shared writing to demonstrate the writing process, enabling pupils to understand both the craft and purpose of writing. Children are taught how to plan, draft, revise and edit their work effectively, while developing a secure understanding of grammar, punctuation and vocabulary.

Opportunities for retrieval, practice and application are built into the curriculum to help pupils retain and use their learning over time. Writing outcomes are purposeful and often linked to wider curriculum learning, helping children understand the relevance of their writing across different contexts.

Spelling

We recognise that accurate spelling supports both reading and writing development. Spelling is taught through a structured and progressive programme using the Twinkl Spelling Scheme.

Pupils are explicitly taught spelling patterns, rules and morphological knowledge, alongside opportunities to investigate and apply these independently. Regular retrieval practice and application within writing help children commit key spelling knowledge to long-term memory and develop confidence as writers.

Handwriting

We believe that fluent handwriting enables pupils to communicate their ideas effectively and take pride in their work. Handwriting is taught explicitly and progressively throughout the school using the Letter-join programme.

Children are taught correct letter formation, joins and presentation skills through regular practice. Consistent expectations across the school help pupils develop automaticity in handwriting, reducing cognitive load and allowing greater focus on composition and content.

Reading and Phonics

Reading sits at the heart of our curriculum. We are committed to ensuring that every child becomes a fluent, confident reader who develops both a love of reading and the skills required to access learning across all subjects.

Early Reading and Phonics

We teach early reading through the Twinkl Phonics Programme, a systematic synthetic phonics programme that is fully aligned with the Early Years Foundation Stage and National Curriculum expectations.

Pupils are taught to recognise, blend and segment sounds through a carefully planned sequence of learning. Ongoing assessment enables teachers to identify pupils who require additional support and provide timely intervention to ensure that children keep up rather than catch up.

Reading for Fluency and Understanding

As children progress through the school, teaching focuses on developing reading fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. Through daily reading opportunities, shared reading, whole-class lessons and targeted support, pupils learn to interpret, analyse and respond to a wide range of texts.

We place a strong emphasis on vocabulary development, recognising its importance in reading comprehension and overall academic success. Children are exposed to high-quality, diverse texts that broaden their knowledge of the world, build cultural capital and foster a lifelong enjoyment of reading.

By the end of Year 6, we aim for all pupils to be fluent readers and confident writers who can draw upon their knowledge and skills to communicate effectively in a wide range of contexts.

 Maths

At St. John’s Green Primary School, we believe that all children can achieve success in mathematics through high-quality teaching, carefully sequenced learning and regular opportunities to practise and apply their understanding. Our mathematics curriculum is built around the White Rose Maths scheme and our bespoke Maths Flightpath, ensuring that knowledge and skills progress logically from Reception to Year 6.

We place a strong emphasis on developing secure foundational skills, particularly in number, place value and calculation. We recognise that a deep understanding of these core concepts is essential for future mathematical success. Learning is carefully structured so that new knowledge builds upon what pupils already know, helping them to develop confidence, fluency and long-term understanding. This approach reflects evidence from the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), which highlights the importance of securing early mathematical understanding before introducing more complex concepts.

Our teaching approach combines clear teacher modelling, guided practice and independent application through an “I Do, We Do, You Do” structure. Teachers explicitly teach new concepts, demonstrate methods and provide opportunities for pupils to practise and discuss their thinking. Regular retrieval and review help children to remember key learning and apply it with increasing confidence and accuracy.

We make extensive use of manipulatives and visual representations, including Numicon, base ten equipment, place value counters, number lines and fraction resources. These resources support children in developing a deep conceptual understanding by helping them make connections between concrete experiences, visual models and abstract mathematical ideas. Research shows that carefully chosen manipulatives can be highly effective in supporting mathematical understanding and reasoning.

Mathematical language, reasoning and problem-solving are central to our curriculum. Pupils are encouraged to explain their thinking, justify their answers and make connections between different areas of mathematics. Through rich discussion and carefully planned tasks, children develop the ability to reason mathematically and apply their knowledge to solve increasingly complex problems.

By the time pupils leave St. John’s Green, we aim for them to be fluent in key mathematical facts and procedures, confident in their reasoning and problem-solving, and equipped with the knowledge and skills needed for the next stage of their education. Our approach is informed by educational research, including the Education Endowment Foundation's guidance reports on improving mathematics in the Early Years, Key Stage 1, and Key Stages 2 and 3.

For further information about the evidence that underpins our approach, please visit the Education Endowment Foundation's Mathematics Guidance Reports:

  • https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/guidance-reports/early-maths
  • https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/guidance-reports/maths-ks-2-3