Academic
The Junior School curriculum is broad, exciting, relevant and challenging, ensuring academic rigour and challenge to enable all pupils to realise their potential.
Pupils enjoy a wealth of opportunities to develop creative, artistic, musical, cultural, charitable and sporting interests and talents within and beyond the classroom, including our Free Learning and Co-Curricular programmes. Making use of bespoke Junior School Art, D&T, Music, Theatre and Science spaces, pupils in all year groups have specialist weekly lessons in these areas.
Core subjects are central to the Junior School curriculum and pupils have daily Maths and English and a generous allocation of both time and resources given to the teaching of Science. In addition, each class has a dedicated library lesson in the Junior School library which helps foster a love of reading.
Throughout the Junior School pupils have 1-1 ipads which are used across the curriculum to enhance and extend learning, offering innovative outcomes across subjects whilst building pupil's digital literacy.
Our Forest School, which takes children into the great outdoors (whatever the weather!) explores the natural environment and develops an appreciation for nature whilst learning to work collaboratively. We use the nearby Dulwich and Sydenham Woods as well as our own on-site Forest School area and boys enjoy bespoke Forest School sessions throughout the year to support their academic learning and personal development.
We strive to immerse students in topics studied through WOW Days such as Viking Day, Victorian Day which enhance learning in subject areas. In addition, boys complete research projects throughout their time in the Junior School, gaining experience and confidence in research and presentation skills. Year 6 pupils take on a cross-curricular Extended Research Project, ‘The Great Exhibition’, based on the UN Global Goals which fosters free learning, critical thinking, creativity and independence. This project is the culmination of the independent research skills learned through their time in the Junior School and boys have ownership of the direction of their project, applying different ‘lenses’ to generate questions to extend and deepen their inquiries.
Each year group is connected to a local charity which has a specific need and the children learn about that need and give their time (e.g. through charity fundraising) to learn how to serve that need. We call this ‘service learning’. Our Year 4s, for instance, are connected to a local foodbank, they travel to the foodbank on the public bus with their donations, they meet the volunteers, help sort the food and learn about the need. Our Year 3s are connected to Guide Dogs. Our Year 5s organise a Christmas party for members of our local care homes and our Year 6s help organise a sports day for children from a local refugee charity.
We have close relationships with our two local girls schools (Sydenham High and James Allen’s Girls School Prep) which brings the children together on a termly basis, in each year group for collaborative events. Examples of the activities in the programme include philosophy, debating, technology workshops, art, forest school, economics, team-building and multi-sports.
We make full use of the wealth of world-class museums, galleries, theatres on our doorstep, and boys enjoy regular trips to support academic learning. In addition, an annual visit from the Young Shakespeare Company is a perfect introduction to Shakespeare and brings to life the plays, completely mesmerising the pupils.
Our annual Academic Enrichment Symposium is an off timetable day where our students are joined by pupils from JAGS and Dulwich Wood Primary School. The children work collaboratively and take part in workshops run by College staff as well as visiting speakers and it is a magical day to see interests piqued and passions ignited.
Our role in the Junior School is to equip children with a range of skills and a desire for lifelong learning and to help children grow into courteous, reliable, independent and positive citizens who hold a high level of respect for a diversity of cultures, values, beliefs and abilities. As they move into the Lower School at 11+, pupils are organised, confident, articulate, aspirational in their efforts as well as having a broad and deep knowledge base.
We are passionate about the opportunities our curriculum offers the boys, and they fully engage in inspiring and intellectually challenging activities with enthusiasm and excitement.
