{"id":16863,"date":"2025-08-29T19:31:42","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T14:01:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/montclairschool.org\/website\/?page_id=16863"},"modified":"2026-06-02T18:09:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T12:39:18","slug":"curriculum","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.clarwynschool.com\/website\/academics\/curriculum\/","title":{"rendered":"Curriculum"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Curriculum<\/h1>\n<\/div>
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\n Compass Beacons:<\/span>
\n Clarity<\/span>
\n Mastery<\/span>
\n Craftsmanship<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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How to read our curriculum<\/h3>\n

We organise learning by stage and by discipline. Every unit follows the school\u2019s six-step lesson arc, so knowledge sticks and shows up in real-world spaces like labs, studios, and the Library.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Early Years (Pre\u2011Primary) \u2014 play to practice<\/h3>\n

Children explore language and early numeracy through guided play and calm routines. Role-play, sensorial trays, songs, and movement help build social habits such as sharing, waiting, and caring for materials.<\/p>\n

Where it happens: language & numeracy corners, sensorial shelves, a Wonderland role\u2011play area, an indoor junior zone, and outdoor spaces that encourage safe movement and curiosity.<\/p>\n

What comes home: picture\u2011word banks, simple reading routines, and short talk prompts so families can join in.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

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Primary (I\u2013V) \u2014 concept\u2011first & literacies<\/h3>\n

Students build strong reading and writing habits, practise maths in workshops, and learn to investigate the world through mini\u2011labs and short field tasks. Clear criteria and examples make quality visible.<\/p>\n

Typical outcomes: short reports, ratio posters, and oral\u2011history maps. Families can view exemplars, ensuring support at home remains aligned.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Middle (VI\u2013VIII) \u2014 specialism with confidence<\/h3>\n

Subject specialists lead deeper study in science labs and project studios. Students learn study skills, note systems, and how to defend a conclusion with data or sources.<\/p>\n

Typical outcomes: data sheets and graphs, CER write\u2011ups, debates, and prototypes tested in our labs and studios.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

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Secondary & Senior \u2014 depth, writing, futures<\/h3>\n

Students use diagnostics and targeted practice to close gaps, write from exemplars, and complete research or design capstones. Guidance supports internships and university planning without hype.<\/p>\n

Typical outcomes: extended essays, viva\u2011style defences, capstone presentations, prototypes with pitches, and showreels.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Discipline strands \u2014 what that means for your child<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Languages & Library<\/h3>\n

Reading ladders, guided groups, and literature circles build stamina and taste. Library clinics teach how to narrow a question, paraphrase ethically, and cite correctly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

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Mathematics & Science<\/h3>\n

From manipulatives to models: students move from concrete to abstract and practise fair tests in science. Composite Science (VI\u2013X) builds apparatus confidence before senior specialisation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

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Technology & Computing (CodeForge)<\/h3>\n

Students keep organised files and produce clean documents, charts, and slides. Age\u2011graded coding pathways lead into sensors and control, always with digital citizenship in view.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Innovation & Entrepreneurship (Venture Studio)<\/h3>\n

Problem \u2192 prototype \u2192 pitch. Teams interview users, test ideas, and explain value in two minutes with a working demo.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

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Creative Media (Pixel Forge)<\/h3>\n

Students learn about framing, light, sound, and editing to tell honest stories with the consent of those involved. Public screenings build confidence and audience etiquette.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

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Social Sciences & Civics<\/h3>\n

Students learn to effectively use sources and maps, build timelines, and conduct civic simulations that make public life more legible.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

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PE & Sports<\/h3>\n

Skill ladders and fitness build confidence and teamwork; wellness routines support healthy habits.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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FAQs<\/h3>\n<\/div>
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\n\n<\/span>\n<\/span>\n<\/span>\nHow is the curriculum organised across the school?<\/a>\n<\/div>\n
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By stage (Early Years, Primary, Middle, Secondary & Senior) and by discipline strands\u2014Languages & Library; Mathematics & Science; Technology & Computing; Innovation & Entrepreneurship; Creative Media; Social Sciences & Civics; Physical Education & Sports.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

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\n\n<\/span>\n<\/span>\n<\/span>\nWhat will my child actually make or do in Primary and Middle years?<\/a>\n<\/div>\n
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Primary: short reports, recipe\u2011ratio posters, and local\u2011history maps. Middle: data sheets with graphs, CER write\u2011ups in science, debates, and prototypes\u2014often in the Library, labs, CodeForge\/AI & Robotics, and Pixel Forge.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

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\n\n<\/span>\n<\/span>\n<\/span>\nHow do you teach research and avoid copy\u2011paste?<\/a>\n<\/div>\n
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The Atria Library runs Research Bootcamps (IX\u2013XI) and clinics on questions, source triage, note\u2011taking, paraphrase vs patch\u2011write, and citation integrity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

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\n\n<\/span>\n<\/span>\n<\/span>\nWhat\u2019s the difference between Science Labs, the Technology Lab, and the STEM Activity Bay?<\/a>\n<\/div>\n
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Science Labs focus on natural\u2011science investigations and measurement; Technology\/AI & Robotics focus on computing, sensors, and control; the STEM Activity Bay integrates disciplines with hands\u2011on kits for approachable builds.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

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\n\n<\/span>\n<\/span>\n<\/span>\nHow are assessments used without over\u2011testing?<\/a>\n<\/div>\n
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Daily retrieval checks and exit tickets guide same\u2011day reteach or enrichment; term benchmarks use exemplars and reports emphasise next steps over raw scores.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

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\n\n<\/span>\n<\/span>\n<\/span>\nWhat can we do at home to help?<\/a>\n<\/div>\n
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Read and talk together regularly, encourage short retrieval practice, and ask your child to \u2018show the steps\u2019 or \u2018explain the graph\u2019 rather than only the answer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":13607,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-16863","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clarwynschool.com\/website\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16863","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clarwynschool.com\/website\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clarwynschool.com\/website\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarwynschool.com\/website\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarwynschool.com\/website\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16863"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarwynschool.com\/website\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16863\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17351,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarwynschool.com\/website\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16863\/revisions\/17351"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarwynschool.com\/website\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13607"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clarwynschool.com\/website\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}