I.C.T.
The
overall aim for Information and Communication Technology
(ICT) is to enrich learning for all
pupils across the range of subjects in the curriculum, from
English and Maths, to Art and PE.
ICT offers opportunities for pupils to:
• develop their ICT capability and understand the
importance of information, including
how to select and prepare it;
• develop their skills in using hardware and software
to enable both collection and
manipulation of information;
• develop their ability to apply ICT to support their
use of language and communication;
• explore their attitudes towards ICT, its value for
themselves, others and society, and
their awareness of its advantages, limitations, and risks;
• enrich their learning across the curriculum through
the use of high quality multimedia
resources.
In
line with the National Curriculum, pupils have weekly access
to ICT through the school's well
equipped ICT suite and Media Suite where skills are individually
taught, reinforced and consolidated. This, together with
the interactive whiteboards in all of the classrooms, brings
a new and exciting dimension to ICT as well as enriching
the entire curriculum.
As
technology continues to advance, we at Southwater Junior
School are determined to move with it.
We strive to give our pupils every opportunity to become
familiar and confident with ICT thereby establishing its
place in their future.
Click here
to view the ICT Gallery.
Religious
Education
We teach Religious
Education at Southwater Junior School according to the 2008
West Sussex Agreed Syllabus. We aim to develop an awareness
of the Christian religion and some of the traditions and
beliefs of other faiths, such as Islam, Hinduism and Judaism.
We aim to ensure that the children develop an understanding
of other cultures, and how the everyday practices of people
of a variety of faiths impact on their own and others’
lives. We encourage the children to explore what faith brings
to the life of the individual and community.
  
School
assemblies follow themes that are broadly Christian in nature
and develop a sense of self, community, spirituality and
environment. These assemblies are underpinned by the school’s
core values. Visits to the local church are arranged and
when possible speakers from the other faiths come and share
their religious beliefs and experiences with the pupils.
We hope to foster mutual respect and understanding. Representatives
from the local churches maintain close contact with the
school. Parents/guardians/carers may withdraw their child
from Religious Education and acts of Collective Worship
if they so wish; if this is the case please contact the
Headteacher to arrange a meting to discuss the beliefs and
practices that you wish your child to be excluded from.
Art
In
Art, we intend to provide opportunities for children to
develop the visual aspect of their learning, taking into
account each child's individuality and particular needs.
In this way they are helped to achieve their individual
potential.
We
aim to provide a stimulating and lively environment to extend
their natural curiosity, helping to create higher standards
of work and its presentation. A balance of art activities
is provided for all children within the school, regardless
of background, ability, gender or race. They have the opportunity
to work individually, in groups and as a class.
We
use the resources of contemporary and acclaimed past artists,
designers and craftspeople to promote community and environmental
involvement; Bill Hackney, Artist in Residence, helped 200
of our children to design mosaics for the Confidence Pool,
at the Pavilions in the Park in Horsham and Hannah Stewart
worked with some of our Year 5 pupils in the making of the
'Southwater Iguanadon' statue.
We
believe that children learn about art by looking at it,
talking about it, discussing it with others and by doing
it. Regular work is done in drawing and colour work, paint,
print making, 3D and textile work. We encourage children
to become familiar with the work of famous artists and craftspeople
and to work in their styles and using their techniques.
Sketchbooks
are used for experimentation, as a store of ideas and feelings
and to provide a record of the child's artistic development.
Starting points are varied and cross curricular links with
Science, Maths, Drama and ICT are used to consolidate concepts.
Design
Technology
In this subject
we aim to give children the confidence and competence to
identify, examine and solve practical problems involving
the design and production of good quality products. These
products are then tested and evaluated in use. During the
process the pupils are encouraged to try a variety of approaches
and experiment with the use of different materials and tools.
Part of the learning process is to select the appropriate
tools and materials for their design. We encourage the children
to have a sense of pride and enjoyment in their achievements.
When
possible, we also take part in projects within the community.
In Spring 2006, a number of Year 6 pupils worked with students
at Collyer's, where they were able to benefit from additional
expertise and the use of extra equipment to produce some
challenging design project pieces.
History
 
The History curriculum
at Southwater Junior School stimulates children's curiosity
about the past in Britain and the wider world. During their
time with us, children learn about significant people, events
and places from both the recent and more distant past. Through
a developing understanding of the chronology of events,
which grows in complexity as they move up the school, the
children build a framework on which to base their knowledge.
They develop the ability to use and evaluate a variety of
sources of information to help them understand about the
past and the people who have shaped it.
Much emphasis is placed on finding information through the
use of primary resources and first hand experiences. We
take the opportunity to bring history to life through the
use of artifacts, through theatre groups and where possible
through visiting speakers and events. A variety of off-site
visits are organised from Year 3 to Year 6 allowing children
to empathise with people of the past, view first hand historical
evidence and experience the ways of life of people in history
  
In
Year 3, pupils experience History in close-up by spending
time as 'Victorian' children, and Year 4 as' Tudor' children.
Both pupils and teachers dress in period costume, and time
experiencing activites of 'the Tudor era'.
  
Children are encouraged
to develop their research skills by using a variety of good
quality texts, whilst networked internet access allows their
research to be developed further.
Geography
At Southwater, the pupils study a
variety of places from their immediate locality to a contrasting
environment overseas, always with the emphasis on the development
of geographical skills.
Enquiry skills are supported by specific geographical skills,
which include using plans, maps, atlases and secondary sources
(photos, videos and ICT). Fieldwork is at the heart of these
skills and children are offered many first hand learning
experiences to develop and enhance their skills. An understanding
of environmental issues forms part of each unit of work.
Year 3 – Children undertake a study of Southwater
and carry out collaborative environmental investigations
concentrating on the main features of the village and how
it differs to Horsham. Pupils also investigate different
weather features and patterns in the UK and around the world.
Year 4 – Pupils undertake a study of coastlines around
the UK, comparing and contrasting different localities.
Children then focus on the study of the coastline in the
Brighton vicinity, looking at both physical and human factors
which affect the changing coastal environment.
Year 5 – Children undertake a study of Ghana, looking
at similarities and differences between rural and urban
areas and also the UK. A separate study of water, involving
an understanding of the water cycle and how we can act to
conserve supplies around the world is also explored by pupils.
Year 6 – Pupils undertake a study of both river and
mountain environments. Children take part in a field trip
to a Sussex river, study its features and impact on the
immediate environment. This is compared to, and contrasted
with European rivers and the River Nile during the Egyptian
topic work. Mountain environments are also studied in the
topic “Touching the Void”.
MFL
All
teachers at Southwater Junior School are committed to providing
'Excellence and Enjoyment'
through a rich and coherent curriculum and Modern Foreign
Languages form a valuable part of this.
French is enjoyed by all Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 children as
part of the curriculum. In addition to this, all
Year 6 pupils learn Spanish in the Spring and Summer terms.
The curriculum is very varied and has been designed to be
meaningful and engaging for the children. They learn numbers
through games and songs and learn to introduce themselves
with songs and
role play activities. The children learn about areas of
life which are meaningful to them, such as
animals and sports, and explore France and French culture.
They go on to explore the unique
French island of Martinique with an in-depth study in Year
5. They learn essential Spanish food and
drink vocabulary and phrases and explore Spanish and Latin
American culture in year 6. Lessons
are based around fun, practical activities and each topic
ends with an engaging end product, such
as animal mask-making in Year 3 and a French breakfast in
Year 4.
Our goal is to secure a love of language learning. This
then provides a valuable platform for raising pupils' awareness
of the multilingual and multicultural world, giving them
an insight into other cultures,
and the opportunity to reflect up on their own. By the end
of Year 6 our aim is for the children to leave Southwater
confident in their ability to enjoy and succeed with language
learning at key stage 3 and beyond.
Music
Southwater
Junior School has an excellent reputation for music. The
last OFSTED inspection reported that music is 'outstanding'.
The philosophy behind teaching and learning in this subject
is to make all aspects of music stimulating, challenging
and fun! Music lessons take place on a weekly basis and
are taught in the 'studio' - a purpose built music room
- and all children are taught by a specialist teacher.
On
entry to the school, children in Year 3 are keen to participate
in 'listening' games. For two full terms they are taught
to play the recorder (after half a term the classes are
split and ability grouped).
In Year 4, children learn more about percussion instruments
and different methods of notating their work. Pupils work
in groups to compose and perform their own 'graphic scores'
based on the idea of 'feelings'. Year 5 children learn how
to read rhythmic and melodic musical notation. They apply
their knowledge and skills by learning to play tunes on
glockenspiels. Classes are taught as a whole, but pupils
work in three different ability groups in order to cater
for the wide range of abilities in this subject.
In Year 6, children are taught about chord structures and
they learn how to accompany melodies using chime bar chord
accompaniments. They write their own song compositions using
voices, keyboards, percussion and the instuments they are
having peripatetic lessons on.
Music and ICT challenges are in place in all four year groups.
At
the end of Year 3, a great number of children take up the
opportunity to learn to play an instrument of their choice.
They are able to take up small group lessons on stringed
instruments - violin, cello or guitar; woodwind - flute,
clarinet or oboe, (bassoon and saxophone are available in
yrs 5/6 due to the size of the instrument) brass - trumpet,
cornet, French horn, trombone or euphonium, and the drums.
By the time our pupils leave, many of them have already
taken up places in bands and orchestras. Transition and
liaison ensures that pupils are quickly involved in extra
curricuclar activities at secondary schools! In Years 4,
5 & 6 over half of the pupils are learning to play instruments
in the school (currently approx. 170 children).
.
Children
are also able to attend music clubs. Every year we have
large upper school and lower school choirs, recorder clubs
to suit different abilities,a woodwind band and an African
drumming club and children are very enthusiastic to take
part.
 
Visitors
to the school include Indian and African music and dance
companies and performances from the peripatetic music teachers
who perform 'live music' together on a regular basis. Children
also take part in performance to their parents at the following
times each year:
Autumn term - Lower School Harvest, Lower
Junior Christmas performances, Upper Junior Christmas performances,
Christmas Fayre
Spring term - Upper Junior recorder players
and the Upper Junior Choir take part in the 'Horsham Schools
Music Festival, 'Southwater's Got Talent'
Summer
term - Year
2 Induction Evening, the Leavers Service, Year 6 production,
Year 6 Transition concert
Children
also perform regularly in less formal situations such as
assemblies or to the Infant school.
Music at the Junior School is 'hands-on', challenging and
fun!
P.E.
Games, Gymnastics,
Dance, Athletics and outdoors and adventurous activities
are all taught within the Physical Education curriculum
at Southwater Junior School.
P.E.
plays a very important role in the education of children
at our school. Pupils are taught to plan and perform and
are continuously encouraged to evaluate their work and the
work of their peers in a positive and helpful way. Children
learn how to play small-sided games and acquire many useful
team building and social skills. Many of the skills learned
in the P.E. curriculum are not only transferable into their
day to day learning, but are skills which will be of great
value to them throughout their lives.
We
recognise the value of children competing and there are
many opportunities for children to take part in team sports
or to compete as individuals at the after school clubs and
in a wide range of inter-school sporting events.
Swimming
Lessons
Swimming
lessons are taught by qualified instructors at the Horsham
leisure complex, Pavilions in the Park, as part of the P.E.
curriculum for Years 3 and 5.
P.S.H.C.E
In
order to communicate and interact with the world around
them a child needs to develop effective personal and communication
skills. During circle time activities children have the
opportunity to
practise these skills whilst finding out about emotions,
bullying, relationships, change, democracy,
first aid and much more.
Citizenship forms part of the taught curriculum but also
involves the active participation of the children
in many
areas of school life such as: school council, eco-school
work, Triple R, playground buddies, running charity stalls
etc. Through the Triple R work children learn about their
rights and the rights of others, they develop an understanding
of their responsibilities and through this learn about respect.
All of these areas promote pupil voice which encourages
our children to develop self confidence
and understand how they can make a difference in the school
and in the world.
Health education is taught through these subjects such as
D.T., P.E. and Science. It covers healthy eating, exercise,
drugs, first aid and sex education. Sex education is taught
in both Years 4 and 6 and
is always presented in the context of a loving relationship
and respect for others, at a level appropriate
to the child's understanding.
It
is our hope that through our PSHCE education in all of its
forms that pupils at Southwater Junior
school understand the choices available to them and that
they develop the knowledge, skills and
values to be successful, confident and active members of
the society.
Special
Educational Needs
A
child has a special educational need (SEN) if s/he has a
learning disability or difficulties (LDD)
and needs special help.
A
child has learning difficulties if s/he finds it much harder
to learn than most children of the same age,
or if s/he has a disability which makes it difficult to
use the education facilities in the area.
At
Southwater Junior School we are committed to offering an
inclusive education to enable every pupil
to have full access to the curriculum and we identify ways
in which pupils with learning difficulties can
fulfil their potential. In accordance with the aims of the
school, we believe that all pupils should have
equal opportunities, irrespective of gender, race, faith
or disability. All pupils should have full access
to a broad, balanced and differentiated curriculum and a
suitable environment to meet their needs.
This provision is co-ordinated by the Inclusion and Learning
Support Manager, Mrs Shirley Gardner.
Our
Special Educational Needs policy outlines when and how we
identify a pupil as having special educational needs and
the provision which we make in order to ensure that pupil
achieves their full potential. We have excellent links with
outside agencies and they will assess pupils and/or offer
advice as to how best meet that pupil’s needs.
We
aim to teach all our pupils the skills which they need to
access the curriculum through the provision
of multi sensory learning. The views of the pupil and their
parents, guardians and carers will always be sought and
acted upon.
We
have a well resourced Learning Support room for those pupils
who require additional support.
We
aim to support challenge and extend all our pupils. Teachers
take particular care to ensure that worked planned is carefully
differentiated so that activities are given to all pupils
according to their individual need.
Very
Able, Gifted and Talented
When
planning, our teachers take particular care that work is
differentiated so that activities are given to challenge,
stimulate and extend all children, particularly taking into
account those with a special talent. We also employ additional
members of staff who support us in specific areas to ensure
those children who are very able have their needs met.
Children in the Upper Juniors are split into ability groups
for Maths in order to extend and support the variety of
needs across the Year Groups. Special writing groups have
also been introduced to develop and extend individual children's
interest and skills.
We are able to identify a range of skills and talents from
Music to Sport, Leadership to Empathy, I.C.T. to Drama.
However, it would help us if you could advise us of any
particular interests or hobbies your child enjoys or excels
at outside of school as this would enable us to develop
their interests further.
We are very aware that all children have particular needs
and talents. To this end, we are able to offer a wide variety
of clubs, trips and events to allow children to excel at
their particular area of interest. A variety of enrichment
courses are run by the L.E.A. and we are able to put forward
those children who would benefit from these, with the opportunity
to work with children from other schools. The school's strong
commitment to the local community and its events again provide
the opportunity for our pupils to share a wealth of different
experiences. Activities such as District Sports, the Music
Festival, Dance Time 2009, Let’s Get Cooking, performances
at the Carnival, helping design the play area in the Country
Park and to produce the 'Southwater Iguanadon' statue are
just a few of the examples of the many extra-curricular
activities that have recently been offered to those children
showing aptitude in a particular field.
Creativity
in the Curriculum
In
2006 Southwater Junior School was one of only 13 primary
schools in West Sussex invited to take part in this innovative
curriculum project. The brief was for the selected schools
to develop further their existing very good curriculum plans
by injecting greater opportunities for creative learning.
At
Southwater the project chosen was in Year 6 and was called
“Walk like an Egyptian”. The children were asked
to imagine that they were applying to be Howard Carter’s
assistant in the discovery of Tutankamen’s tomb, with
all the learning stemming from this premise.
All of the children
became so engrossed in their learning, and produced work
of an amazing quality. It was great to hear an Education
Consultant who visited the school recently saying that it
was the best Year 6 work she had ever seen and the learning
from our childrens' work is now being shared across the
County. I’m so proud of the high standards the children
have achieved, their hard work and commitment and enthusiasm.
This creative
approach is now being spread across the whole school
 
Cycling
Proficiency
In Year 6 pupils are able to take
part in a week of Cycling Proficiency training to enable
them to learn the rules of the road and ensure they feel
safe and confident when out on their bicycles.
 
We believe
that it is essential to provide a rich balanced curriculum,
which is based, where possible, upon direct experience.
We therefore promote the use of the local environment and
educational visits to enhance the curriculum and motivate
the pupils. We also believe that choice, responsibility
and independence are central to learning, so children are
encouraged to participate actively in their own learning.
We expect our pupils to aim for high standards and to work
with concentration and commitment
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