Learning

We place kindness and compassion at the heart of what we teach and offer a modern, forward-thinking and academically rigorous education. This will empower children to be creative, collaborative and independent thinkers.

Learning

Learning at City Junior School is fun, meaningful and engaging and takes place throughout the day, both within and beyond the classroom.

Our curriculum is dynamic, modern and inclusive. Children are given a secure foundation in core skills and knowledge, and learn how to think, question and apply their understanding to a range of contexts. Speaking and listening is a key feature in our classrooms. Our learning environment - the classrooms, corridors and communal spaces that make up our school - reflect our high expectations and act to inspire, inform and celebrate all our learners.

Our teachers engage in evidence-based practice, meeting regularly in collaborative enquiry groups to observe learning and teaching and share best practice. Just as we encourage our students to be critical thinkers, we also encourage our teachers to be critical friends to each other. Our collaborative, classroom-based research empowers our teachers to be highly skilled, effective practitioners who are constantly learning themselves.

Children will move on from City Junior School to the senior schools relaxed yet confident in their abilities, equipped with the knowledge and skills to ensure they thrive both within the classroom and beyond.

In the classroom

Children are taught in form groups of up to 25 children, made up of roughly equal numbers of girls and boys. Each class has a teacher and a classroom assistant. Children are taught by their form teacher and by specialist teachers, depending on the subject and year group. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 have more lessons taught by specialist teachers, in preparation for their transition to the senior schools.

Children are not placed in sets or streamed based on ability. Teachers differentiate work within classes to ensure that every learner is challenged or supported, depending on their individual needs.

Our curriculum is made up of the following subjects:

English
Maths
Science
Art
Classics
Computer science
Design technology
Drama
Geography
History
LAMDA
Modern foreign languages
Music
PE and games
PSHCEE (personal, social, health, citizenship and economic education)
Religion, philosophy and ethics
Thinking skills

Beyond the classroom

Co-curricular activities are an essential element of a well-rounded education, providing children with opportunities to develop perseverance, commitment and focus. The chance to work as part of a team, take on leadership roles and deepen friendships means that, whether trying something new or engaging with a long-held interest, your child will benefit enormously from the rich co-curricular offer available at our school.

After school clubs

We have an after school clubs programme running each day until 5pm. Where these are provided by external agencies, there will be a charge. Examples of clubs include:

Thinking and Philosophy Club
Thinking outside the box and learning about some significant philosophers. Learn about Plato and Aristotle, who they were, what they believed in and whether you think the same as them! WARNING! After this club nothing will be the same anymore; doubt is going to take root in your mind! 

Book Club
Keen readers enjoy the quiet opportunity to share books they have loved and to create artwork, original writing and display work to encourage a love of reading across the school. From book-swaps to scavenger hunts, to secret book reviews, lively book debates and self-published books; this is a club for avid bookworms.

Knitting Club
A beginners’ class for those who have not yet experienced the joy of knitting! You will learn to cast on, make basic stitches and work towards learning more complex skills.

Football Club
Participating in football club provides many benefits. It’s a physically demanding game that provides an opportunity for players to improve their speed, agility, strength, hand-eye coordination and to learn new technical skills and enjoy some healthy competition.

STEM Club
For those who are obsessed with science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM), this club is sure to keep our young scientists engaged, learning and well-prepared for their STEM-filled future.

Puzzles and Strategy Club
Learning to solve puzzles, including word searches, crosswords, sudoku, kakuro, mazes, as well as developing more strategic thinking to problem-solve. A fun and educational way to challenge children to think strategically while learning life skills.

Fencing Club
Fencing is a great way to build focus, accuracy and lightning-fast reflexes. To enjoy it properly, every child needs to practice respect and good communication. A sport that is exciting and active, without being strenuous.

Gym Development Club
Gym Development Club offers budding competitive gymnasts the space, specialist teaching and opportunity to develop their skills, with the aim of competing in the Gym Squad.

Mindfulness Club
A moment of peace and clarity in a busy school day. Children will learn techniques such as breathing, body scanning and visualisation to support their mental and emotional health and wellbeing.

Tag Rugby Club
Tag Rugby is a brilliant mixed social sport, suitable for all sizes, ages and sporting abilities, where boys and girls play together in a competitive environment. Tag Rugby is a minimal contact team game which enables the children to learn skills, teamwork and to enjoy physical exertion!

Origami Club
What can you make by folding a piece of paper: a boat, a swan, an aero plane? This art of paper folding is a form of Japanese art and is known as ‘Origami’. In Japanese ‘Ori’ stands for ‘folding’ and ‘gami’ stands for ‘paper’. This art form has been handed over from parents to their children for many generations: and now CJS children can continue this tradition.

Embroidery Club
Embroidery is an easy way to add fun, colour, and inspiration to all sorts of clothing and accessories. Learning to thread a needle and create different stitches is a mindful and creative way to develop artistic and fine motor control skills.

Construction Club
Using a wide range of all sorts of unusual materials, learn to create weird and wonderful constructions. From Lego, to cardboard and wooden structures, this is a chance to get hands on problem-solving in a group setting.

Mythology Club
Mythology is the rich collection of traditional tales from cultures all over the world. They are stories about how the world was created and why certain things happen and many date back to ancient times. Listening to these tales, discussing them and creating original stories is a fun way to support oracy and literacy.

Lingo Club
Lingo Club is an opportunity to explore etymology, phrases and sayings. It also provides a basic introduction to some of the languages of the world. No need for prior knowledge; this is an enjoyable chance for keen readers and speakers to learn some intriguing facts and skills.

Drama

Drama is taught as a curriculum subject, but there are many opportunities for children to further develop their interest and skills by taking part in class and whole school performances.

Houses

Each child is allocated a ‘house’ upon joining City Junior School. This provides them with opportunities to get to know children in other year groups, and brings the whole school together for fun events such as House Music and House Drama.

Music

In addition to their timetabled whole class music lesson, children are able to take part in a whole range of musical activities. There are orchestras, ensembles and choirs, and there are opportunities available for everyone, from beginners to those working towards Grade 8, to participate and perform.

Pupil leadership

There are a number of pupil leadership roles for the children to engage with, including House Captains and Vice Captains (Year 6), School Council class representatives for each class, and Eco Council representatives. Pupils also have the opportunity to act as CJS Ambassadors, helping to represent the school to visitors, parents and the outside world. Working with the senior leadership team, these roles provide meaningful opportunities for students to have their voice heard within the school.

Sport

Children have four sports lessons timetabled each week. There are a mix of indoor and outdoor activities, and they use facilities in the school building at Gray’s Inn, at both senior schools and within the local community (for example, Coram’s Fields). Children are also be able to take part in sports clubs after school, and take part in competitions and fixtures.

Visits and visitors

We make the most of our location in the heart of London to visit the very best the capital has to offer in terms of museums, galleries and exhibitions. As part of our assembly programme, and also our challenge programme, we welcome speakers to school who further enrich the curriculum.

Each year group takes part in a residential visit, starting with an overnight stay in London during Year 3, and building up to four nights away somewhere further afield in Year 6. Residential visits are a real highlight for pupils (and parents!).

The school day

The school day is busy and active, but with plenty of opportunities for children to rest and recharge.

07:30 – 08:15	Breakfast club
08:15 – 08:30	Morning drop off
08:30 – 08:40	Registration
08:40 – 9:20	Lesson 1
09:20 – 10:00	Lesson 2
10:00 – 10:30	Morning break
10:30 – 11:10	Lesson 3
11:10 – 11:40	Lesson 4
11:40 – 12:45	Lunch
12:45 – 12:50	Registration
12:50 – 13:30	Lesson 5
13:30 – 14:10	Lesson 6
14:10 – 14:20	Afternoon break
14:20 – 15:00	Lesson 7
15:00 – 15:40	Lesson 8
15:45 – 16:00	Home time
16:00 – 16:45	Clubs
16:00 – 18:15	After school supervision

Learning

We place kindness and compassion at the heart of what we teach and offer a modern, forward-thinking and academically rigorous education which enables children to be creative, collaborative and independent thinkers.

Wellbeing

Children leave the junior school ready to thrive at our senior schools, equipped with skills, experiences and friendships that will help them flourish throughout their lives.

Admissions

City Junior School is a unique place to learn, and we are delighted that you are considering joining us. We aim to make the admissions process as seamless and transparent as possible. This section of our website reflects the most up-to-date information and dates for entry in the coming academic year.

News

All news

Hannah Gold visiting author

On Wednesday afternoon, author Hannah Gold came to talk to Year 5 and 6 about her book series.

On Wednesday afternoon, author Hannah Gold came to talk to Year 5 and 6 about her book series.

Hannah Gold (author) has written three books, The Lost Whale, The Last Bear and Finding Bear (which came out yesterday!). On Wednesday, she came to visit us! Everyone was very excited, we couldn’t wait to meet her and get our books signed! It started off with Hannah telling us about the book, where it was set, who were the characters and a run through of the plot. Fortunately, she didn’t tell us everything, like will they solve the problems or not because we can find out when we read it! After that, Hannah picked two volunteers (one to be April,…

Year 3 London Eye trip

Year 3 have been exploring the city from the water and sky, as part of their humanities topic on London.

Year 3 have been exploring the city from the water and sky, as part of their humanities topic on London.

The children enjoyed a river cruise before hopping on board the London Eye. They enjoyed learning more about the many landmarks in the city. Aahaan said: "I loved it when I was at the top of the London Eye and I could see the hospital where I was born." Claudia added: "When we were at the top of the London Eye it was a little bit scary but really fun!"

Instagram

Yesterday we held our final breakfast concert of the year. 6S entertained their…

Yesterday we held our final breakfast concert of the year. 6S entertained their parents and class with a wide range of music, from Metallica to Tchaikovsky and Heller to One Republic. Well done, everyone! 👏 🎶 🎸 🎹 🥁 🎤 🎵

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