Akiva School

Overview

The National Curriculum sets out what children should be taught and what they should be able to do at each stage of their education. We recognise the importance of making learning meaningful and memorable and for this reason we try to make connections between different parts of the curriculum, linking subjects where appropriate. Each year group plans work around a central theme on a termly or half termly basis. Themes include life in Tudor times, Romans and Jewish history.

There are computers and interactive whiteboards in every classroom, as well as computers at work stations outside the classrooms, and a very well equipped computer room. This helps us to ensure that our children acquire confidence and skills in ICT, which are used across the curriculum and throughout the day.

Teachers adopt a range of teaching styles and strategies, depending on the activity and lesson objectives. Each week there will be occasions when children will work individually, as one of a pair, as part of a mixed ability group, an ability group and as a member of the whole class.

Educational visits out of the school take place throughout the year. Day visits include, for example, a visit to the Roman baths, the House of Commons, to dance festivals and to places of worship of other faiths. There is also a residential visit within the UK for Years 4 and 5 and a visit to Israel in Year 6.

In addition, the children enjoy welcoming a range of visitors to the school such as members of different faiths, or people running themed activity days or workshops. Such activities have covered a variety of other topics from maths to music and even an Ancient Egyptian banquet. We are also visited by authors and travelling book fairs.

Foundation Stage

Reception children follow a curriculum designed around the six areas of learning: Communication, Language and Literacy; Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy; Physical Development; Knowledge and Understanding of the World; Creative Development and Personal and Social Development. Jewish Studies are taught as part of the wider curriculum. Hebrew is also introduced from the start, with learning differentiated according to prior knowledge.

The children are assessed via focussed observations, with parents very much involved in the ongoing planning that results from those assessments.

Key Stages One and Two

From Year One children follow a broad and balanced curriculum, keeping not just to the National Curriculum, but also benefitting from a range of other learning experiences and activities. Children study the four core subjects - Literacy, Numeracy, Science and Information and Communication Technology (computers) and seven ‘foundation subjects’ - History, Geography, Art, Music, Design and Technology, Physical Education and Religious Education. The local police and other members of the emergency services contribute to Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education.