Junior Department curriculum

The Junior Art and Design curriculum is a thrilling adventure for budding artists to unleash their creative spirit and hone their artistic skills. With a strong emphasis on exploration, experimentation, and innovation, students are encouraged to push boundaries and explore new frontiers in art.

One of the most exciting parts of Junior Art and Design at St Helen and St Katharine is the sheer variety of materials and techniques at students’ disposal. From paintbrushes and pencils to textiles and sculptures, the possibilities are endless. Students can delve into the magic of colours, textures, and mediums, discovering new ways to express themselves and bring their ideas to life.

The Junior Computer Science curriculum aims to build foundations and confidence in computer literacy. Students learn about how systems and networks work, how to deal with data and information, how to create digital media and build their programming skills in a range of contexts. This includes projects on creating podcasts, building their own computer games and designing a smart school. Woven in amongst all of this is a constant focus on building the skills and awareness to keep themselves safe in an increasingly digital world, when working, socialising or having fun online.

The main purpose of Junior Drama lessons is to build confidence and enjoyment in creating and performing. There is a focus on developing the skills of working with others in groups. Each year group begin with a skills-based unit, building their knowledge of drama techniques and vocabulary. Students also develop their creativity in units based on Peter Pan and traditional animal tales. In Year 5, students develop a nativity play for our Christmas Celebration, and Year 6 take the lead in our big summer musical production. Recent examples are The Wizard of Oz, Paws & Claws and The Tempest.

The English curriculum in the Junior Department aims to foster a love of reading for pleasure, as well as developing text analysis skills and an appreciation of a wide range of genres. Over the two years, students meet a variety of texts including myths and legends, detective fiction, poetry, newspaper articles and travel writing.

We aim for a balance between encouraging creativity in writing and ensuring our students have the fundamental spelling, punctuation and grammar knowledge needed to equip them for Senior School.

Through their ‘Young Entrepreneur’ project, Year 6 work on their formal presentation skills and persuasive writing, and both year groups benefit from a weekly lesson in the well-equipped library.

Our Geography curriculum inspires in our students a fascination about the world and its people, equipping them with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and environments.

Year 5 students use maps, globes and digital mapping to locate countries and use Ordnance Survey maps to help them learn how to use compass points and how to identify map symbols and 4 and 6 figure grid references. They also study the key features of rivers and how they are formed and used, along with investigating how and why flooding occurs and its consequences. Students have the opportunity to undertake a local fieldwork study of the River Thames.

In Year 6 students explore the history of trade, including the journey of food, food miles and the impact that trade can have on the environment. They undertake an in-depth study of Scandinavia and how the physical and human geography compares to the UK. Students also study how the earth changes over time, exploring tectonics and coastal processes.

Our syllabus is designed to foster a love and curiosity of the past, allowing students to deepen their general understanding of history.

In Year 5, students learn about Benin, a non-European society that provides a contrast with British history. They also undertake a local history project learning about the school and its development, drawing on information from alumnae, our school archives and a variety of primary sources.

Year 6 students study the chronology of British history through the lens of how crime and punishment was used and changed as society developed. They also study the Ancient Greeks, learning about Greek life and achievements and their influence on the Western World.

The Junior mathematics curriculum is designed to ensure a great foundation of mathematical understanding, ensuring our students are ready for Year 7. Lessons cover the key areas of number, calculation, proportion, geometry and statistics and a high value is put on the development and extension of mental maths strategies to support their thinking. Challenge is built into all lessons with great emphasis on problem-solving and reasoning skills. In Year 6, students are split into two groups based on ability allowing greater support for those who need it.

In Year 5, students are introduced to the key skills of listening, performing and composing which they explore through group work, use of music technology and practical singing and instrumental work. The three topics covered are Loops and Ostinatos, Rivers and Gamelan, which cover a diverse range of music. Performances in Class Concerts are also encouraged as is participation in extra-curricular musical activities and all students participate in a weekly musicianship class.

In Year 6, students are encouraged to further their skills and to explore different musical styles and genres. The three topics studied are Notation, Programme Music and the Music of Japan, and listening, composing and performing are central to the teaching and learning experience within these topics. A Class Concert takes place once in each term in which all students participate as soloists or in an ensemble. Participation in extra-curricular musical activities is always encouraged and all students participate in a weekly musicianship class.

Our Outdoor Learning programme gives students the opportunity to explore a range of cross-curricular activities whilst enjoying nature and using our external space. There is a strong emphasis on learning by discovery, to allow students to foster their own curiosity and to work together to solve problems and develop resilience. Activities include pitching tents and building shelters, learning about fire and preparing food to cook over it, building insect hotels, and planting seeds and a wildflower meadow. In the summer term, students have an opportunity to learn how to sail at Farmoor and undertake a project looking at trees at the arboretum or flowers at the Botanic Gardens.

The key aim of PD lessons is to allow a safe space for discussion of a range of issues that might affect our junior students, allowing them to develop their knowledge of themselves and of the wider world. We work on building resilience and independence alongside a greater understanding of others.

The programme is designed to be flexible in order to respond to any issues that arise within the class, the school or the wider world but always covers the following six key themes through a range of practical and reflective activities:

• Family and relationships
• Health and wellbeing
• Diversity and identity
• Safety and the changing body
• Citizenship
• Economic wellbeing

At St Helen’s, we believe that studying science helps students appreciate and understand the rapidly changing and evolving world in which they live. It teaches them to make observations, collect information and draw conclusions, by being reflective and analytical.

In Year 5, students learn about space, forces, lifecycles, properties of materials, changing materials and separating techniques. In Year 6, students study light, electricity, the human body, acids and alkalis, temperature, microbes and variation. Lessons take place in our dedicated junior science laboratory and we have a strong emphasis on working scientifically and practically, to equip our students with essential laboratory skills.