School Curriculum

Whole school curriculum

Our ethos is lived out through the Islamic Teaching in GJT; the way we behave and care for each other as one large family and through our service to society.  Our culture and aims promote the Islamic values and the dignity of the human person; each child is perceived as a precious individual. Our strong expression of a loving community, where everyone is treated with respect, gives our pupils, staff, families a sense of belonging, giving fullness to life.  We believe these ideals form the basis from which we grow our conscience; our values, motivations, aspirations, choices and actions.

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At GJT our aims are :

• To help children understand that they are uniquely created by Allah  and are loved and valued for who they are;

• To ensure that GJT is a community in which Islamic values are firmly rooted in the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of each child.

• To secure an unrelenting focus on raising standards so that our pupils are academically ambitious, confident and successful achievers.

• To ensure the provision of a rich learning environment and a broad and creative curriculum, enabling our children to be balanced and highly accomplished people.

• To promote excellent learning behaviour through the creation of a calm, well -disciplined and stable environment, within which all children can maximise their learning potential

• To be a place in which children are safe to try and fail, in which mistakes are opportunities for growth, resilience and empowerment, and where success is aligned with effort and attitude rather than with outcome.

• To ensure that safeguarding (including mental wellbeing) of each pupil receives the highest priority; that all children feel emotionally and physically safe and secure in a wholly supportive learning climate.

• To provide the children with the means to take ownership of their own learning; developing strong intra-personal skills and inspiring and encouraging the learning growth of their peers.

• To enable all members of GJT’s community – pupils, parents, proprietors and staff – to work in close partnership, ensuring operational transparency and lasting alliance built on mutual trust and integrity

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Our Principles for Learning and Teaching

• All children are engaged in their learning and are active learners; discovering and finding out.

• All children understand what they have achieved and know what to do to make progress.

• All children are independent, enthusiastic and self-motivated learners; raising their own questions.

• All children have time to evaluate and reflect on their learning.

• All children have their different learning styles recognised.

• All children experience teaching that inspires their learning.

• All children are exposed to learning opportunities that encourage them to be creative.

• All children are challenged and enjoy learning and problem solving.

• All children develop spiritually, morally and socially as members of the school community and the wider community.

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Curriculum Intent – how we designed our curriculum

As an Islamic school, the principles of Islamic education remain at our core. This includes the pursuit of excellence and preparing our children as world citizens of the 21st Century. To achieve this, our children need high levels of literacy and numeracy.  We also recognise that parents are the primary educators of the faith and we work closely with the community.

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Our Curriculum, based on the Nation Curriculum and EYFS Framework, is a highly ambitious and inspiring framework for our exceptional teachers to act within; a pedagogical tool with positive teacher/pupil relationships and communication at the core.  This ensures that our pupils experience a broad and balanced curriculum which unlocks the potential of every child.  There is flexibility in curriculum planning so that teachers can address identified gaps in knowledge and skills.  There are no attainment ‘flight paths’ at GJT as we believe this caps learning; instead we have high academic expectations for all our pupils (including SEND and disadvantaged pupils), with the majority, at the very least, mastering age-related expectations.

We want our children to:

• Develop spiritually on a journey in faith (RE)

• Communicate articulately and engage in discussion (S&L)

• Read with meaning and write creatively (English)

• Understand the language of the universe (Mathematics)

• Know how the universe and life works (Science)

• Know how our physical earth works (Geography)

• Know how we have struggled to become who we are (History)

• Know how society works and how we should live (SMSC & BV)

• Know how we experience existence (Art and design)

• How we use basic tools (Computing and Technology)

• How we look after ourselves (PE) and our families (PHSE)

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We want our children to learn and remember facts, so new knowledge is built through enquiry, debate and creativity because what we know changes what we see.

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Curriculum overview map out the Core Curriculum into yearly age-related sequenced, progressive objectives so that pupils accumulate knowledge and skills as life-long learners.  Teachers and pupils use target mapping to track knowledge and skills and record pupil outcomes, which are of a high quality, and are used precisely by teachers to inform and plan the next steps in pupils’ learning so to ensure pupils meet and exceed the expected end point.

We have the highest expectations in RE, English, Mathematics and Science, our curriculum is exceptionally broad.  The school recognises that foundation subjects are important and exciting so are taught as discrete subjects.  Staff create environments that maximise the opportunities to learn so Foundation Subjects are fully embedded in our curriculum, with cross-curriculum links made where relevant, in order to foster interconnectivity.

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When planning our curriculum, we recognise the wide cultural, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds of our families, who are attracted from a wide catchment area. Our curriculum is designed to enhance children’s awareness of different cultures, practices and beliefs so we provide a wide range of learning experiences in order to give them the knowledge and cultural capital to succeed in life.

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Opportunities are planned for the children to know about keeping safe, enabling pupils to recognise online and offline risk, with a particular focus on the danger of inappropriate use of mobile technology, social media and, specifically to Fulham, relevant age-appropriate introduction to knife crime and gangs. We include and promote British values, (Democracy, Rule of Law, Individual Liberty, Mutual Respect and Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs) ensuring that children are aware of their rights and responsibilities as a UK citizen. Our curriculum is designed to encourage creativity, imagination, enquiry, debate, discussion and independence.  We encourage children to make links and transfer their skills and knowledge from one curriculum area to another. We aim to create confident, self-regulating, adaptable learners who are comfortable working independently or collaboratively.  Pupils become academically ambitious, confident and accomplished young people as we develop pupils’ character, throughout their journey at GJT insha’Allah.

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The wellbeing agenda is at the heart of our curriculum. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is exceptional. Pupils show themselves to be deep thinkers. They are able to empathise with the feelings and actions of others, seeing points of views and beliefs other than their own. Particularly in RE and PSHE, they show a keen interest in ethical issues and can apply their personal values to situations, giving reasons for their decisions and actions. They are ready to question arguments and situations whilst remaining respectful of the views of others. In recognising the holistic development of the whole-child, the pastoral support given to children so they can access the curriculum is exceptionally strong.  Vulnerable children fully access their learning and curriculum entitlement. The school has various systems which support the emotional and mental well-being of children and provides signposting to their parents. This includes one to one support, focus groups and counselling including the FRIENDS CBT anxiety prevention programme.

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Emotional and mental wellbeing is also greatly enhanced by Sport.  P.E. remains central to both our curriculum and extra-curricular provision. We also strongly believe the pedagogy of P.E. in sport positively influences other areas of the curriculum and really enhances children’s learning, physiologically allowing better learning to happen, as well as children learning skills such as listening, problem solving, team work, respect and resilience. Recently we have invested heavily in the P.E. and sport provision, with a clear focus on inclusion for all. Pupils take part in the Daily Mile and enjoy the P.E. provision.

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Teaching staff annually review their medium-term planning to ensure subjects are relevant to the children’s interests and needs.  Topics may include an initial immersion activity, experience or event to instil excitement and enthusiasm for the subject. Learning environments are crucial to our curriculum. Classrooms, corridors and study spaces are vibrant, interactive and set up to stimulate and promote independent learning opportunities.

Subject leaders, all of whom are becoming experts in their subject, formulate yearly age-related sequenced, progressive objectives.  Teachers and pupils use these objectives to plan and track knowledge and skills and record pupil outcomes.

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Our curriculum is designed to ensure:

• deep learning, with focus made on extending those more able pupils who are working at a greater depth and supporting those pupils where learning differences have been identified;

• engagement with learning with pupils initiating and influencing the direction of the units of study.

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Curriculum – implementation

and questioning aids the development of metacognition in the classroom and across the curriculum. This, in turn, helps us to nurture young people who are more curious, more willing to take risks and have a go, more imaginative and creative, more thoughtful, more ready, willing and able to learn with, and from, others, thus developing an adventurous spirit. Throughout their journey pupils are rewarded for demonstrating and identifying these behaviours in their learning.  Curriculum time is allocated for pupils to reflect on these learning dispositions and multi-intelligences so to identify strength and areas of personal development.

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Our curriculum is focused on high quality learning experiences where every child is challenged through self-directed learning or choice of challenge, whether that be inside and outside the classroom. Our progressive curriculum is designed to encourage children to make links between traditional areas of the curriculum and to use and apply skills in order to connect new knowledge with existing knowledge so that they remember and retain more.

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Children look to the teacher to create a sense of security, calmness and order in the classroom, an opportunity to participate actively in the class and for it to be a positive, interesting and exciting place to be.  We consider it our duty to help pupils become motivated, self-regulated learners with a growth mindset and positive attitude to learning.  A collegiate spirit is a distinct feature of GJT, and teachers and pupils naturally support one another, feel safe and are happy.

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The overview for each year group can be found on the school’s website ‘Curriculum Information’ and is updated each term.

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We consider our children’s learning journey the joint responsibility of parents/carers, staff, fellow pupils and the wider community.  Parents are expected to support their child/ren’s learning at home by supporting the implementation of the school’s Homework Policy and Home/School Agreement which can be found on the GJT’s Website.

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Curriculum – impact

The curriculum at GJT is well planned and thought-through to enable a wide range of engagement, so to develop knowledge and skills cross the curriculum, not only within class but in providing out of class opportunities to enable children to develop themselves as learners and encourage each child to be as independent as possible. Pupil voice feedback, specific whole staff planning time and moderation during staff meetings allows the staff to regularly review and assess the impact that the curriculum is having.

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Regular and robust monitoring and scrutiny by SLT and Subject leaders provide first hand evidence of how pupils are doing and ensures that high expectation and demanding outcomes are maintained.  In-school and cross-school moderation is quality assured.

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The progress pupils are making in Reading, Writing and Mathematics along with their personal development is reviewed half termly in Achievement Team meetings where the impact of quality first teaching on every child are discussed, but especially individual vulnerable pupils, and interventions agreed to bridge attainment and progress gaps.

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We are working with Buttercup Primary School to develop, monitor and quality assure our curriculum quality and provision. This includes working groups for Mathematics, English and EYFS.

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Personal Development

 A curriculum for the whole child

The spiritual development of pupils is shown by:

• ability to be reflective about their own beliefs, religious or otherwise, that inform their perspective on life and their interest in and respect for different people’s faiths, feelings and valuesPupils’

• Their sense of enjoyment and fascination in learning about themselves, others and the world around them

• Their use of imagination and creativity in their learning

• Their willingness to reflect on their experiences

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The moral development of pupils is shown by:

• Pupils’ ability to recognise the difference between right and wrong, readily apply this understanding in their own lives and, in so doing, respect the civil and criminal law of England

• Their understanding of the consequences of their behaviour and actions

• Their interest in investigating and offering reasoned views about moral and ethical issues, and being able to understand and appreciate the viewpoints of others on these issues.

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The social development of pupils is shown by:

• Pupils’ use of a range of social skills in different contexts, including working and socialising with pupils from different religious, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds

• Their willingness to participate in a variety of communities and social settings, including by volunteering, cooperating well with others and being able to resolve conflicts effectively

• Their acceptance and engagement with the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs; the pupils develop and demonstrate skills and attitudes that will allow them to participate fully in and contribute positively to life in modern Britain.

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The children enjoy getting involved with national celebrations:

World Book Day, UNICEF, Pioneering Personalities , Visit to Buckingham palace  Parliament week, World Maths, diversity day.

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The cultural development of pupils is shown by:

Pupils’ understanding and appreciation of the wide range of cultural influences that have shaped their own heritage and that of others

• Their understanding and appreciation of the range of different cultures within school and further afield as an essential element of their preparation for life in modern Britain

• Their knowledge of Britain’s democratic parliamentary system and its central role in shaping our history and values and in continuing to develop Britain

• Their willingness to participate in and respond positively to artistic, sporting and cultural opportunities

• Their interest in exploring, improving understanding of and showing respect for different faiths and cultural diversity and the extent to which they understand, accept, respect and celebrate diversity, as shown by their tolerance and attitudes towards different religious, ethnic and socio-economic groups in the local, national and global communities.

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Curriculum Enrichment

Wherever relevant and possible, our curriculum is enriched with theme weeks, workshops, visiting speakers, special events and educational trips.  This list is a sample of the many exciting things within our curriculum)

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History Week focusing on:

• Pioneering personalities and pupils celebrating their cultural heritage by coming to school in their national dress

• Local History which included visits to museum and the local area.

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STEM week with visiting Mad Scientists, Science Fair organised by Year 5 & 6 and Maths NRICH workshops

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Food week Healthy Living and Well-being week which focused on physical, personal (diet, hygiene and personal safety and First Aid/Save a Life) mental and spiritual wellbeing.

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Growth Mindset week

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Visiting theatre groups

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Competitions: Poetry, Mathematics,literacy 500 Words

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Educational visits to universities , Science  Museum, Clacton beach.

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Residential visits to Gorsefield (Year 6)

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Junior Mock Trial magistrate Court

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Career Detectives – World of work day

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Ramadan month : Kahteeb Training – Muezzin competition public speaking skill

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Special celebration to which parents are invited:  Termly Class assembly, Termly Achievement Tea parties, Year 6 Leavers Assembly Graduation (July)

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School Community Engagement:  Headteacher coffee mornings, Grandparents lunch, ,Eid Fayre and Summer Fete.

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Extra- curricular activities and clubs: an extensive list features on the GJT Website and changes termly

 

Wrap around care

Before school, from 7:45am, Active Clubs are provided by LSAs and include activities such asHifsh/ meditation , and games.

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After school, Engineering club, ballet homework and reading club until 5pm, the  Activity Club is staffed by HTLAs/LSA during which children have an opportunity to enjoy extra curricular activities children, are also supported to complete homework and have time to play.After school, Engineering club, ballet homework and reading club until 5pm, the  Activity Club is staffed by HTLAs/LSA during which children have an opportunity to enjoy extra curricular activities children, are also