Geography

Children’s local geography is the starting point of the curriculum for this subject. As they progress through school, they have the opportunity to improve their enquiry skills and explore physical and political geography as well as investigating human resources and their impact on local and worldwide environmental issues. Maps, photographs, videos and trips in our local area are just some of the available resources to support this. Local trips and those further afield contribute hugely to the cultural capital our pupils receive, here in the heart of Westminster.

History

The teaching of history takes our children on a journey through time. The subject is initiated through children’s early experiences of history which leads them to discover key figures and events through the ages. Children can then further explore and investigate the major periods of history as they progress through our school. 

History encourages their enquiry and expects them to make comparisons and draw conclusions from their learning opportunities. Photographs, videos and artefacts are amongst the resources used to support the teaching of history. Our local area, with its vast number of historic buildings and monuments contributes essential context to our pupils’ learning. Trips and visits are carefully planned to positively impact the pupils’ cultural capital experiences.

Music

We aim to ensure that through listening to music, performing and composing, our children develop self-confidence, express themselves creatively and develop an understanding of the interrelated dimensions of this curriculum area. Music of the Week is listened to daily and carefully planned to ensure the pupils have access to a wide range of genres, performers, instruments and cultural representation. Collective Worship, including weekly KS2 Mass, further celebrate a variety of musical styles and traditions.

Our strong partnership with St Paul’s Cathedral offers further opportunities for our pupils to have wide-ranging experiences. In addition, our KS2 choir enjoys performing in many places in the local area. Instrumental tuition is available and we have specialist teaching these sessions. We have very strong links with local secondary schools and our pupils benefit from being invited to music workshops where they have the opportunities to play a variety of instruments and compose their own pieces.

We use and follow the Charanga Primary Music Curriculum for our music provision, focusing on the following skills: listening, appraising, composing, singing and performing.

 

Art and Design

Children are progressively taught skills and techniques that they are encouraged to apply to a wide range of materials and mediums, with a variety of different tools. They are given the opportunity to develop their knowledge and understanding, and encouraged to express their opinions and preferences. Their introduction to a range of artists, carefully planned to be diverse and inclusive, encourages their evaluation skills and can influence the interpretation and composition of their work. It also allows them to assess and suggest improvements.

 

Design and Technology

Planning and evaluating are an essential part of the development of this subject. It is often presented through projects and lends itself to the inclusion of other curriculum skills. Pupils select materials and they assess their effectiveness for the task. The design and making elements require positive dialogue between pairs or small groups and encourage co-operation that further supports and develops pupils of all abilities. Product knowledge is also explored as pupils progress through school. This supports the development of their work for the project they have undertaken and extends their understanding of technological processes and their contributions to our community and the wider world.

 

Spanish

Learning a foreign language is such an effective way to further support progress in grammar, as well as the addition of another language to the pupils’ skill set. It also allows the pupils to explore and learn about other countries and cultures where the language is spoken.

We use the Language Angels scheme of work, which is a comprehensive and extremely engaging scheme with an excellent assortment of online resources that appeal to all learners. The children learn Spanish through rhymes, songs, role play and a variety of writing genres, with a constant focus on listening, speaking and writing skills. Pupils already confident in Spanish, have lessons adapted to meet their needs, ensuring all language stages are catered for.

 

Computing

Our computing curriculum helps children to gain an understanding of computational systems of all kinds, whether they include computers or not. Computational thinking provides insights into many areas of the curriculum, and influences work at the cutting edge of a wide range of disciplines.

Computing is a practical subject in which invention and resourcefulness are encouraged. The ideas of computing are applied to understanding real-world systems and creating purposeful products. There is also great scope for creativity with opportunities for creative work in programming and digital media.

 

PE

Physical Education is crucial in developing a range of skills in our pupils, as well as understanding the benefits this has to their health. Through a range of disciplines, including dance, we ensure the pupils are physically active and find enjoyment in physical activity. They have opportunities to develop physical skills, habits and interests that will promote healthy lifestyles. They understand the need for and how to achieve safe practice in physical activities. They are taught to develop positive attitudes to physical endeavour, including perseverance, fair play and sporting behaviour, and the ability to cope with success and failure. 

We are committed to providing all children with the opportunity to take part in two hours of high-quality and well-planned PE lessons delivered by confident and well-trained teachers.

Swimming is also extremely important at St Matthew’s and each child in Years 5 and 6 has the opportunity to go swimming for at least a term each year. This is vital in ensuring that all children are able to swim 25m by the time they leave primary school.