Our Teaching Model
Our teaching and learning model at Claires Court Juniors includes having experienced and qualified Junior teachers as well as specialist subject teachers.
Every pupil receives specialist lessons for:
- PE
- Swimming
- Games
- Music
- Modern Foreign Languages
- Library.
From Year 3, Art and ICT are added as specialist lessons and in Year 5 and 6, Drama and Science are taught by specialist teachers. This approach ensures consistency as well as challenge at the right time.
Our Academic Focus
The Junior School Teachers' personalised approach to education and differentiation in the classroom ensures that learners of diverse abilities are stretched and challenged as well as supported and encouraged. Our teachers have high expectations for all of our children, inspiring them to believe anything is possible.
Our teachers know which skills each pupil is working on, their level and where they need to be stretching themselves. They will get to know your child as an individual learner, ensuring they have mastered and consolidated the fundamental skills before they progress.
We are a partner school with Buckinghamshire Council for the 11+ and we are happy to support your child in their choices for senior school.
Independent, Collaborative & Extended Learning
To develop the skills of independent learning, enquiry and problem-solving, the curriculum is expressed as a series of questions which can be seen within the topic webs. Answering these questions challenges our young learners to research and select information to construct a solution. This allows us to create independent and collaborative learning opportunities enabling a high level of differentiation and our assessment and marking processes reflect this approach.
Our Essentials
The Claires Court ‘Essentials’ are the core of our learning philosophy throughout the whole school.
From the early Nursery days learning is fun but challenging and from that springboard, we focus on developing a variety of skills and behaviours that young people need to be successful learners and individuals in this fast-paced world. As they mature, pupils are expected to stretch themselves and push their own boundaries and limitations; we believe it is good to be wrong as long as we learn from that experience and bounce back.
Why our approach is unique
How to learn is a vital skill and we aim to develop children's learning confidence and resilience, becoming learners who are:
- Critical thinkers
- Risk-takers
- Reflective
- Communicators
- Problem solvers
- Inquirers
- Collaborative
- Creative
Learning Development Department
The Learning Development Department aims to support children with specific challenges in reading, spelling and numeracy. Your child will be assessed when he or she joins us and if learning needs are identified or emerge at a later date, the Head of Learning Development will liaise with parents and staff about appropriate teaching and learning strategies. Support is based on individual need and in the event of a child requiring specific assistance, parents are advised of this need and any further costs that may entail.
A strong sense of a proud community allows the pupils to feel secure.
ISI Report 2022
Junior School Creative Arts
The Creative Arts are explored through Drama, Music and Art and are key elements of the education we offer.