Our Junior School

Welcome to the Junior School at Polam, where we offer a vibrant and varied curriculum, delivered by committed staff with a passion for nurturing young learners. We believe that our primary programme instils in our pupils a love of learning, develops their natural curiosity and equips them with the toolkit they need to give them a firm foundation on which to become confident, successful learners as they move through their educational career. 

In Reception we follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework and staff liaise closely with pre-school settings to support a smooth transition for our youngest pupils.  Combining direct teaching of literacy and numeracy with child-led learning based on pupil interests within a purpose built free-flow setting our pupils are able to establish firm friendships and become confident, secure members of our school community.

In Years 1 and 2 pupils build on their learning across the curriculum with content which follows the progression of the National Curriculum.  Discrete teaching for English, Maths, Music, RE and PE is complemented by cross-curricular themes for Foundation Subjects, taught through our ‘Convince Me…’ approach which aims to support children’s independent thinking and understanding of varied viewpoints.   

In Years 3-6 children continue to develop the breadth of their skills and understanding across the whole curriculum through a similar pattern of subjects and approaches as in previous years, with increasing emphasis on research and independent learning to prepare them for the transition into Senior School.  Through our system of timetabling some Senior School specialists to teach some Junior School lessons, shared facilities and the ability to provide an in-house transition programme pupils are ready to make the move to Year 7 with confidence.

In addition to their academic learning, we aim to provide a breadth of learning outside the classroom to motivate pupils and encourage their interests in the world around them.  A full programme of educational trips and visits for every year group is in place and includes the highly popular Year 6 outdoor and adventurous residential.  We also have our own dedicated Forest School on site providing a setting where pupils can learn outside the classroom and develop understanding to support and complement the academic curriculum alongside the acquisition of skills in resilience and teamwork. 

In Junior School we aim to develop the four aspects of the Polam Learner through encouraging pupils to try their best at all times and to participate in all aspects of Junior School life so that they become independent, self-assured learners in readiness for the move to our secondary phase.

Click here for our Junior School Parents Information Booklet 2023 -2024