Alleyn's children believe it is 'cool' to be clever, to play an instrument, to be good at sport and to act on the stage.
The school day is purposeful and active learning and our learning dispositions are at the heart of lessons. The children are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning and become increasingly independent. The academic curriculum remains broad, enriching and engaging.
We have a child-centred approach which, at its heart, creates an environment designed to encourage every child to fulfil their potential.
The curriculum and opportunities are such that all children play in sports teams, all children are in class assemblies and the Year 6 play and learning to play a musical instrument is something that all children in Years 2 to 5 participate in. Doing it all and having the breadth of experience is at the heart of the positive and rewarding education that we offer.
Learning at Alleyn's is fun.
It is our central purpose to prepare our pupils for entry to our Senior School and to equip them for life beyond. We believe in the concept of lifelong learning and give our children the experiences, skills, knowledge and understanding necessary for them to make informed choices about important things in their lives.
We endeavour to provide a curriculum and learning experiences which encourage pupils to be independent, confident, flexible and able to co-operate with others. Our pupils express themselves imaginatively and creatively. They are conscious of our multi-cultural society and respectful of one another. We aim to nurture a desire to succeed and encourage pupils to take pride in their achievements. We hope that our pupils develop as courteous, balanced and well-rounded individuals.
Pupils spend approximately half of their curriculum time engaged in English, mathematical or scientific activities. The remainder of their timetable, dependant on their age, is made up of humanities (known as topic in Years 1 and 2), RE, art, DT, music, PE, computing, PSHE, and modern foreign languages.
Form teachers provide our pupils with the highest standards of pastoral care.
The youngest children are taught by their form teacher for all subjects, except where we use specialist staff to teach languages, music, computing and PE. Each Infant class benefits from a teaching assistant whose role is to assist with the pastoral welfare and academic progress of the pupils. This affords the form teacher the flexibility to plan for supported, differentiated work within the classroom as necessary.
Children in the Junior part of the school spend the majority of their curriculum time with their form teachers. In addition to specialist teaching in languages, music, computing and PE, specialist art teaching is available throughout the junior section of the school and some degree of subject specialism may be used in humanities and science.
Half-class and small-group teaching takes place throughout the school. Two half-classes per week are timetabled from Year 2 upwards; these are used for English or mathematics and we stream in maths from Year 5, splitting two class groups into three smaller sets.
We believe that children learn best when they are happy, confident and motivated by challenge. We set clear boundaries and expectations. Our children are given tasks appropriate to their ability levels and they achieve success and gain approval.
Classrooms at Alleyn's Junior School are vibrant, inviting places and the learning environments are organised so that children have the opportunity to work in a variety of ways: collaborating in lively debate, working quietly with a partner or in a group, or working independently. Children in the Junior part of the school set targets for their own learning. They review their learning and reflect on the process of learning.
For the promotion of high self-esteem and its benefits to academic learning, social, physical, creative and academic achievements are celebrated in many ways; the school often celebrates learning as a community. We are liberal in giving verbal and written praise. We reward our children for all their positive endeavours be they related to academic achievement, progress or effort or acts of kindness or good citizenship. A whole range of awards and certificates for achievements gained in school and outside are presented during assemblies.
All children have a Form Teacher, who fosters a sense of identity and security from an early age and who will be the first port of call for both children and parents.
The Form Teacher will always teach some of the academic curriculum to their children and, quite frequently, will teach several subjects to their children. All the children will see specialist teachers for some subjects, such as Sport, Music, Art, DT, Computing, PSHE and Languages. There are cross curricular links between many subjects that help to bring definition and breadth to a particular topic.
The classroom-based learning largely takes place in The Fortune Building with Infants downstairs and Juniors upstairs.
Each class has its own form room adjacent to their parallel class so as to foster collaboration and shared experiences. Shared specialist learning spaces are centrally located in this building: two music classrooms, an IT room, a science lab and a large library.
There is a spacious art and design technology studio as well as a suite of learning support rooms and our own practice rooms for individual music lessons. We have access to the MCT theatre for big musical concerts and it plays host to the annual Year 6 play.
The dining hall is used by all pupils, as are the sports hall, the all-weather astro-turf pitch and the heated indoor swimming pool.
We have extensive playing fields within the school grounds where a wide range of team games are taught at all levels, with a premium being placed on team spirit. The grounds also provide lots of space for young children to run around in safety.
We also have a School Garden for outdoor learning and an adventure playground for playtimes. Our Reception class attends Forest School in a woodland copse on site one afternoon each week.
The School has the flexibility to put children into smaller groups to support and extend, whether it be in Sport, Music, Maths or English. It is an approach which enables us to go well beyond the requirements of the National Curriculum, introducing some subjects earlier and delivering others in greater depth.
All children study English, Mathematics, Science, Religious Studies, Design Technology, Humanities/topic, a language (French, Spanish and Mandarin), Music, Art, Computing, Sport and PSHE (Personal Social and Health Education).
In order to encourage greater responsibility for our children’s learning and development, we have developed a set of seven key Learning Dispositions. These are: Empathy and Humility, Responsibility, Resilience, Reflection, Thoroughness and Focus, Imagination, Courage and Self-belief.
We hope that by focussing on our learning dispositions the children will become better and more successful learners. We want the children to become more curious, to think for themselves and to develop their imaginative and creative instincts. The children are encouraged to take a risk with their learning and to be ready to learn with and through others. We want them to enjoy throwing themselves into difficult tasks and to have the self-belief to respond confidently and creatively to the challenges they will encounter at school.
We believe that these dispositions can be taught but feel they can’t be taught effectively as a one-off lesson. Therefore we give our children the necessary time, patience and regular opportunities to practise these skills so they can develop into confident learners. Our seven Learning Dispositions are frequently discussed and referred to. We encourage the children to challenge themselves and to reflect and learn from their mistakes. Our Learning Dispositions are highlighted in moments of triumph as well as during times of difficulty and challenge.
Children’s successes with our Learning Dispositions are regularly recognised and celebrated alongside their other achievements across the curriculum. Each classroom also has a Learning Dispositions display so the children can familiarise themselves with and understand each disposition. Our seven Learning Dispositions are an integral part of each child’s experience at Alleyn’s Junior School and will hopefully allow them to develop as learners throughout their time here and also beyond.
At Alleyn's Junior School every child enjoys a stimulating and engaging curriculum with the resources and support to develop confidence and independence and thrive.
Find out how opportunities stretch well beyond the classroom with a varied co-curriculum and a series of trips, workshops and competitions throughout the year offering all pupils the chance to grow their passions and develop new interests.
Children are exposed to a wide variety of inspiring individuals throughout their time at the Junior School.
Curriculum-linked trips, visiting speakers and workshops are a regular part of school life and allow hands-on, in depth exploration of topics. Although these opportunities are often year group specific, all Junior School children are invited to the half termly Friday Mini Lectures, where associates of the school community share their passion and expertise on a whole manner of topics. Recent events have included hearing about journalism, photography, art, design and technology and netball. We also appreciate regular assemblies from alumni of the school that offer the children a vision of possible futures.
Residential trips offer more extended times of learning and growth together. Outward bounds expeditions in Year 3, 4 and 5 boost confidence and problem-solving skills. In Year 6, the children undertake a week of cultural activities that offer both breadth and depth to their learning.
We regularly take part in external competitions, giving children a chance to shine on both a local and national stage.
We enjoy success in maths, science and general knowledge quiz competitions, frequently reaching national finals. Children score highly in the Primary Maths Challenge and Junior Memory Challenge each year.
Children’s writing has been selected for publication in both fiction and non-fiction works and we have similar success in art and design competitions.
Reading is valued immensely at Alleyn’s Junior School.
Every day, children are read to after lunch by their form tutor. We are fortunate to have a very spacious and well-stocked library that all children access for a lesson each week and can drop into at breaktimes. Our librarian gets to know each child and their reading journey and can offer expert and tailored suggestions.
We have weekly ‘Drop Everything And Read’ sessions in class where children enjoy sharing books together. As they move through the school, children are challenged to complete extended reading lists, moving outside of their comfort zone to try a variety of genres and styles.
Children are encouraged to use reading to engage with the world around them through access to magazines and newspapers in classrooms and the library, with children selecting and sharing news items of interest with the class.
Alleyn’s Junior School has a full and varied co-curricular programme with many opportunities for children to develop current interests and discover new ones.
In all subject areas, activities take place to go beyond the already ambitious curriculum. Budding linguists can explore Japanese and Greek, for example, and Chess Club gives focused time to develop gameplay and strategy. Maths Explorers groups take place from Year 1 to challenge children in their thinking and problem solving. Computing Club gives time to explore programming and journalists in the making can hone their writing in Magazine Club, producing a magazine (Chatterbox) for the whole school to read. Science Club is always full of energy and excitement as children explore and discover more through engineering and experiments. Electronic Music Club introduces children to the use of technology in music production and History Club gives the opportunity to explore historical events and debates while General Knowledge Club tests quick thinking and factual recall.
The Year 6 Diploma is a collection of learning experiences that allow the children to showcase and stretch their own learning and skills.
Independent time management is key when completing extended projects such as autobiographies. The Head’s Research Essay Prize gives children the opportunity to conduct their own study of a personal interest, express their ideas and argue their case using the written word. Maths is applied to a range of real-life scenarios and endeavours; in particular, the ‘Fiver Challenge’ gives children a taste of managing their own business to raise money for charity.
As children prepare for the move to senior schools, they are encouraged to become confident and independent citizens of London, understanding the transport system and appreciating all that the city has to offer.
We track our children's progress through both standardised assessments and our own internal assessments. The vast majority of our children perform comfortably ahead of the national averages. Many will go on to gain awards of some form at their 11+ transition.
Pupils begin their educational journey at Alleyn’s Junior School in our vibrant, nurturing and stimulating Reception classroom.
Over the course of their first year at school children are encouraged to be independent. They are provided with interactive and fun opportunities which foster key skills such as creativity, curiosity and critical thinking.
We are delighted to have expanded our Reception provision to now cater for 36 children. The positives for this change are immense, but notably, our children now have a greater opportunity to establish friendships and learn from a wider, more varied friendship group.
Our Reception classrooms provide safe and calm learning environments full of colourful displays, ever-changing role play areas and plenty of games, toys, and equipment. At the beginning of the school year our children largely learn through play and as each child progresses, their learning becomes more structured.
Every child is celebrated as an individual and supported or challenged in ways which are appropriate for them.
Our Reception children enjoy a full and balanced child-led curriculum that places their interests at the heart of their learning. Activities are always meaningful, purposeful, and enjoyable and range from being small group and whole class. With access to our own, private outdoor space, connected to Reception classrooms, the children benefit from learning both outside as well as inside.
Children have a rich and wide range of lessons including English, Maths, Phonics, Art and Topic which are all taught to them by their Form Tutor and supported by their teaching assistant. Children see specialist teachers for Computing, Languages, Music and PE. Critical Thinking and PSHE are taught to Reception by the Head of Infants.The Head of Infants has pastoral oversight for all the Infant children at Alleyn’s Junior School and in teaching these subjects, sees each child at least twice a week, getting to know them well. Our Reception classes benefit from having at least two trained Early Years practitioners in the classroom with them at all times.
Staff at Alleyn’s Junior School have created and implemented a bespoke scheme of work for Phonics which introduces our children to phonics sounds in a fun, structured and pacey way. Over the course of the Reception year, children will learn phonemes, digraphs, trigraphs and split sounds to support them with both reading and writing.
At Alleyn’s Junior School we follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum, helping to create a seamless transition from the previous nursery or pre-school settings of many pupils. The EYFS Curriculum is made up of the Prime (Communication and Language, Physical Development and Personal, Social and Emotional Development) and Specific (Literacy, Mathematics, Expressive Arts and Design and Understanding the World) areas of learning. Activities and tasks are planned and assessed using the EYFS framework.
We make use of a wonderful on-site Forest School which we visit weekly. Our children learn to be respectful of the outdoors and learn about the environment; they are encouraged to take risks; they are taught skills such as how to start a campfire and to use tools safely; and their physical development improves as they negotiate space, move freely and in different ways.
Alleyn’s Junior School is committed to providing challenging and enjoyable learning opportunities for all our pupils. We define a gifted child as one who, because of their exceptional ability, stands out above the majority of their peers. We apply the term talented to children who show exceptional potential in their skills and ability in music, art, drama or sport.
We believe that our pupils will thrive best in a learning environment that provides challenge while allowing our children to enjoy learning alongside their peers. Classroom differentiation is an important factor in ensuring the progress of our gifted and talented pupils. Our most able pupils will often have their work differentiated by task and will be encouraged to move on to more challenging activities. Learning activities planned for gifted and talented learners combine acceleration, enrichment and extension and they will be involved in a variety of open-ended and investigative tasks.
Through our everyday practice we seek to give our gifted and talented pupils access to experiences at the higher cognitive levels in order to develop their advanced thinking skills. They are also given opportunities in all areas of our rich curriculum to develop specific skills, talents, creativity and reasoning. In addition they are given opportunities to understand and make links between curriculum areas and to apply their knowledge to wider community or world contexts. Our most able children are encouraged to develop a reflective outlook and the confidence and skills to take a degree of ownership over their learning.
The experiences of all our pupils, including our most able, are enhanced and deepened in many different ways. Our specialist members of staff enrich the teaching and learning in their fields. Our pupils are provided with a wealth of opportunity to participate in co-curricular clubs and activities which allow them to further explore their interests. A variety of outside speakers are invited to come into school and talk to the children about their specialist subject or interest. In addition, children have numerous musical and drama performance opportunities and there is a very full list of competitive fixtures across a range of sports. Additional learning opportunities are also regularly promoted through special events and competitions in a variety of curriculum areas.
Alleyn’s Junior School is committed to providing equal access for all its pupils to the broad and balanced curriculum which it offers and to which they are entitled. The Learning Support Team consists of the Head of Learning Support, the Learning Support Assistant and the Speech and Language Therapist.
We endeavour to ensure that all children with specific learning differences are identified and supported in school, particularly where the difference is inhibiting a child’s efforts to achieve his or her potential.
Initially the Form Teacher will raise any concerns he or she may have about a particular child, who will be assessed by the Head of Learning Support. Parents will be informed of this course of action and on completion of the assessment, will be invited in to school to discuss the findings and the next steps. Depending on the needs of the child, this may make take the form of individual or small group sessions, on a short or more long-term basis. Arrangements may change as pupils make progress and become more independent and confident, or if they need some additional support.
In some cases, the Head of Learning Support may advise that a more detailed assessment by an external professional, e.g. an Educational Psychologist, may be helpful in identifying a child’s strengths and difficulties in more depth. Such assessments can provide the parents and the school with more specific strategies to support the child, tailored to his or her needs.
Where possible, the school endeavours to make any reasonable adjustments that support our pupils to take part in and enjoy all aspects of school life.
Homework, called "Enrichment" encompasses a whole variety of activities which pupils are asked to do outside lesson time, either on their own or with their parents or carers.
Alleyn's Junior School recognises and promotes the positive contribution that homework can make to a child's education. Homework makes the greatest contribution to learning when pupils, teachers and parents/carers share common goals and expectations are clear.
The purpose of homework is to support pupils in their aim to achieve the highest possible standards, by providing them with time to learn outside the normal school day. Homework should also prepare pupils for future learning and lessons by establishing healthy working habits and through the consolidation, reinforcement and application of skills. Through the setting of homework teachers are provided with the opportunity for further assessment.
Homework is set every night, but expectations in terms of content and time develop through the school years. You can see a guide to what is expected each year by clicking on the relevant tab below.
We understand that you are always keen to know what your children are learning in school, how they are progressing and what you can do to help.
We aim to keep you as up to date as possible.
There is a curriculum information evening at the start of each year and consultation evenings in the Advent and Lent terms. Written reports are sent home twice per year.
Informal email, telephone and face-to-face meetings through the year, initiated by parents and teachers, support more formal communications.
We regularly assess the children to measure progress and to inform next steps. The children are not usually aware that they are being assessed as teachers assess through normal class activities, although we do also administer formal assessment in the form of tests, primarily from Year 3.
The aims of assessment are:
It is important that judgements focus on the process through which a child has gone, as well as the output attained, when children's work is assessed. Assessment is ongoing and is carried out in a variety of ways:
Assessment can be broadly categorised as either formative or summative. Formative assessment is a process of continuous assessment used in mapping out the steps which pupils are following in their learning. Summative assessment considers what a child has achieved at a set moment in time.
The Junior School Library is a well used and valued resource in the school.
Staffed by our school Librarian, children have one timetabled lesson per week in the Library where they can browse, read, recommend and chat about books.
During break and lunchtimes the library is open to all children in Years 2-6 and offers a welcoming and comfortable place to read books or catch up on current affairs through newspapers and magazines. A team of Year 6 pupil librarians help return, renew and re-shelve books, as well as offering reading suggestions to younger children.
We have an excellent collection of books in both our fiction and non-fiction sections. This is evolving all the time to keep up with newly published titles as well as changes in children’s reading preferences. Pupils can recommend books to the Librarian and these are always considered for inclusion in our collection.
We have recently moved to a new Library Management System called Accessit which will soon be accessible to pupils and families. This will allow children more independence in managing their loans, browsing books and sharing recommendations.
Being part of a through school, the vast majority of our departing Year 6 children will transfer to Alleyn's Senior School after leaving the Junior School.
Regular internal assessments enable tracking of pupil progress and achievement and such assessments will support the transition process to senior school.
Ahead of that transfer children will sit the Alleyn’s 11+ academic assessments and many will also try for a scholarship in sport, music, drama, DT or art. Each year a good number of awards are gained as a result of this process. Progression to what is known as the Lower School section of the Senior School is supported through a range of transition events to prepare the children for the greater independence and responsibility that naturally come with this move. The Lower School accommodates Year 7 and Year 8 pupils in a bright and spacious building with a dedicated playground.
A very small number of leavers may also transfer to other independent or state schools.
Junior School Open Day
The next Alleyn's Junior School Open Event is from 1.30pm to 3pm on Wednesday 22 May 2024. There will be a Head's Talk at 1.40pm after which you will be offered a tour of the school with a pupil. There is no need to book a place at this Open Event - everyone is welcome.
Last updated on 20 05 24 at 09:18
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