We are very proud of our curriculum at Granard which has been designed to give our children a wealth of learning opportunities (in school, our local community, London and further afield), building on and developing their knowledge and creating independent, passionate learners.   

We provide a broad and balanced, creative curriculum to ensure that the National Curriculum is covered and that children develop a range of knowledge, skills and understanding.  Progression of knowledge and subject specific skills are considered for each subject so that prior learning is built upon.

We promote high standards of reading, writing and maths and expect the best possible attainment and progress for all our pupils.  Throughout our curriculum, there is a focus on language acquisition through: exposure to good quality spoken and written language; meaningful speaking and listening opportunities (such as presenting and discussions) and exposure to subject specific terminology and knowledge.   

Our stimulating, engaging lessons spark children’s interest in learning, enabling our pupils to develop the skills and attributes needed to be successful, independent learners through teaching metacognitive approaches including working scientifically, risk taking, enquiry, challenge, resilience and self-reflection.

Our curriculum aims to help children develop socially and emotionally.  We promote the school values and 6Rs (see below) so that children develop empathy for others and are encouraged to develop spiritually and morally. We provide opportunities for pupils to become more self-aware, have an awareness of others’ feelings, and to apply a range of strategies so that they are calm, focused and ready to learn.  We plan for opportunities to practise personal and social skills through working both independently and collaboratively.  We create an inclusive learning community where all contributions are valued.

Aims for our children

• Ready: organised, prepared, calm, flexible and focused
• Responsible: for their own learning, for the school and wider environment
• Respectful: towards each other, adults and resources
• Resourceful: access resources independently; use different approaches and strategies
• Resilient: problem solvers; rise to challenges
• Reflective: think about and improve their work; see things from others’ perspective; consider the impact of own actions; challenge themselves

The National Curriculum

In Key Stages 1 and 2 The National Curriculum is followed which comprises 3 core subjects and the Foundation subjects.  The core subjects are English, Maths and Science.

The Foundation subjects are Art, Design Technology, Geography, History, Computing, Music, Physical Education, Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) and Religious Education. Granard welcomes pupils from all religious backgrounds and this is reflected in our multi-faith R.E. curriculum and assemblies.  Our topic based curriculum fulfils all requirements of the National Curriculum. 

Pupils are encouraged to share their religious beliefs and customs to celebrate the school’s cultural diversity.  Parents have the right to withdraw their child from R.E. lessons or assemblies with a written request to the Headteacher.

At Granard, children from Year 3 upwards are taught Spanish.

Carefully selected books are used to enhance the English Curriculum which support the children's language development and link with their half termly topic.

Daily lessons of English and Maths are taught in Key Stages 1 and 2.

At the start of each school year, parents are invited into school to discuss the forthcoming year with the teachers, and are provided with a Transition Booklet (also available on our school website) containing detailed information regarding the Curriculum and other activities. 

The Foundation Stage

The Nursery and Reception Curriculum covers the seven areas of learning as listed in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).  These areas are Communication and Language, Physical Development, Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World and Expressive Arts and Design.  The Nursery fosters children’s learning through a programme of structured play that supports and extends children’s early development.

We are fortunate at Granard to have a spacious and well-resourced outdoor area, which is used for activities such as gardening and exploring the natural world as well as providing opportunities for physical development.

The Reception year builds upon and extends the children’s previous experiences, gradually moving towards a more structured programme and incorporating daily English, including phonics, and Maths lessons.
 

Key Stage 1

Children between the ages of 5 - 7 years are in Key Stage 1 (Years 1 and 2).  Children begin the National Curriculum in Year 1.  The school uses Read Write Inc. to support the teaching of phonics and a range of different reading schemes to provide a broad variety of different reading books.  At the end of Year 1 children undertake a phonics screening test and at the end of Year 2 they are assessed against National Curriculum levels in Reading, Writing and Maths.  The results of these are reported to parents.
 

Key Stage 2

This third phase provides an education for children between 7 – 11 years (Years 3, 4, 5 and 6).  In Key Stage 2 children continue to follow the National Curriculum culminating in Year 6 with the statutory testing referred to as SATs.