Our English Curriculum is based on the Cambridge Primary framework. To prepare our students for higher level study and to prepare them to sit IGCSEs at the end of Key Stage 4, we fully implement the standards set out by this framework.
To ensure that we best serve our pupils who join us from an array of school systems from around the world and to honour the different cultural heritages, we supplement the Cambridge Primary curriculum with a range of global resources. In this way, we maintain an engaging, appropriate, and flexible English curriculum tailored to our students’ needs.
English is at the same time for all Primary classes which allows for flexibility in moving students between classes depending on their needs.
The Maths teaching at River House Academy is rooted in the Bridges in Mathematics curriculum. The focus of our primary Maths teaching is to develop number sense in our students who are encouraged to develop a range of strategies to solve problems, using different visual models. Teaching towards number sense enables students to make connections to real world contexts and apply their understanding to a wide range of problems.
They become problem solvers rather than calculators. And, like English, Maths is at the same time for all Primary classes which allows for flexibility in moving students between classes depending on their needs.
Humanities teaching at River House is concept-based and takes its structure from the IB Primary Years Programme and the Cambridge Global Perspectives curriculum. Students’ interests are at the heart of this approach, as is an awareness and appreciation of Current Affairs and the world around us. Throughout the year, classes choose how to investigate a range of concepts and enquiries through different contexts and from different viewpoints. The focus on conceptual learning rather than the accumulation of facts fosters lifelong investigative skills that can be transferred to different contexts.
The Science curriculum is based on the Cambridge Primary framework and standards. However, we put a strong emphasis on hands-on enquiry-based learning. Through this approach, a wide range of skills are learned and applied in context. Students work towards understanding the concepts that underpin scientific knowledge and how to apply these to novel situations. We supplement the Cambridge Primary framework with resources from the Nuffield Foundation and other STEM focused curricula.
Every morning starts with a short Class Time session which is used to establish social bonds and create a positive class culture. There is a strong emphasis on acquiring social and emotional competencies throughout the school and a PSHE (Personal, Social and Health Education) curriculum is interwoven with all subject areas. We also have Sex and Relationship lessons starting in the Pre-School. These are age-appropriate lessons that enable children to make positive choices about their bodies and relationships.
- Food and nutrition
- Gardening
- Physical Education
- Humanities
- Music
- Drama
- Dance
- Creative arts and crafts
- Technology
- Media Studies
- Personal Social Health and Careers Education