William Ford C. of E.
Junior School

Our school intent

How we apply this in Creative and Wellbeing

To be successful:

• Pupils are exposed to a variety of career options so, post education, they can work diligently in a career where they can be successful and not just survive.
• All pupils have the skills that employers’ value to support their success.
• Pupils are exposed to an ambitious and engaging curriculum.
• All pupils achieve well in order that they have a firm baseline to be successful at secondary school.

Through creative subjects and topics, such as Art, Music and PE, pupils are able to express themselves and we pride ourselves at William Ford, in the support in which we provide for our pupils, enabling every pupil to reach their potential and beyond, academically and emotionally. Pupils are exposed to a wide variety of career opportunities and the learning in creative subjects lends itself well to purposeful learning. During pupil voice, pupils clearly aspire to pursue careers in the sport and fitness industry, as well as in art and music. We have a school choir, as well as a weekly band practice across all year groups, run by iRock. Many pupils have experienced being part of productions, music festivals and events within school and externally. These experiences, coupled with our excellent music provision has further inspired pupils to aspire to be a musician or to work in the music and film industry. We are involved in community art projects, as well as collaborating with secondary schools and having visits from illustrators, in conjunction with our enterprise projects. As well as this, we offer a varied, ambitious art curriculum including topics, such as artist focuses and photography. This has inspired many pupils to want to pursue a career involving art. 

Through creative subjects and topics, such as Art, Music and PE, pupils are able to express themselves and we pride ourselves at William Ford, in the support in which we provide for our pupils, enabling every pupil to reach their potential and beyond, academically and emotionally. Through our Mini Marathon scheme, our WOW travelling to school initiative, our alternative sport provision, as well as our ‘Get fit, get healthy’ club, run twice a week and our girls only multisport, we are addressing the statistics related to the borough of Barking and Dagenham and providing our pupils who may be reluctant to participate in team games and competitive clubs to participate and experience other ways to exercise and to succeed academically and emotionally. Through the Art club, run every lunch time, as well as our Art specialist and specific Art room, we offer effective support to all pupils, ensuring they have the space and time to express themselves and pursue their artistic goals and aspirations.

To be healthy:

• To be physically healthy – to understand the importance of exercise and healthy eating; providing support to pupils where needed.
• To be mentally healthy – to develop resilience and emotional well-being, understanding the importance of self-care, mindfulness, and seeking support when needed.
• To be spiritually healthy – to be confident in their own beliefs but curious to find out more, including about the beliefs of others.

In creative and well-being, we promote healthy lifestyles by exposing children to a range of physical activities, including alternative and paralympic sports in PE, trips and visits including climbing, kayaking and archery, as well as various purposeful clubs, such as our ‘Get fit, get healthy’ club, run twice a week and our girls only multisport to inspire girls to engage with sport and feel empowered. This empowers pupils and enables all pupils to experience sport in a variety of ways that in turn has generated aspirational influences, with many of our children wanted to pursue a career in the sport and health industries.

In creative and well-being, we provide engaging, enriching activities and experiences which allow our pupils to make purposeful choices, as well as adopting a healthy lifestyle and contributing to the community. In PSHE, we have a carefully thought-out curriculum which covers topics, such as Health and Well-being, Hopes and Dreams, as well as Being me in this world. Through the units mentioned, as well as the multiple well-being initiatives that we run, such as our recent whole school project, supported by the Institute of Imagination, where the pupils learned to look inward, looking at ways to better themselves, pupils are able to make decisions to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

Our faith-based ethos is at the centre of everything we do at William Ford and each of our creative subjects are underpinned by our vision and values. Each topic starts with a ‘Big question’ which allows pupils to engage with their spirituality. In PSHE, our curriculum caters to allowing pupils to feel respected, confident in their own beliefs, to be tolerant of other beliefs, as well as creating curiosity about the world around them.

To be fulfilled:

• To develop cultural capital, experiencing a range of places, environments and activities.
• To promote the benefits of positive behaviour, ensuring sufficient intrinsic and extrinsic rewards are evident.
• To provide support where necessary with mental and behavioural support.

Through our ambitious and creative curriculum, we enable pupils to develop rich cultural capital, of which they would not normally experience. This is partly through our offer and promise of ‘11 engaging activities’. Our sports premium is focused on giving pupils opportunities, such as experiencing alternative sports and events, such as taking part in archery, kayaking and watching a live sports event. Through our Mini Marathon scheme, our WOW travelling to school initiative, our alternative sport provision, as well as our ‘Get fit, get healthy’ club, run twice a week and our girls only multisport, we are addressing the statistics related to the borough of Barking and Dagenham and providing our pupils who may be reluctant to participate in team games and competitive clubs to participate and experience other ways to exercise and to succeed academically and emotionally. Through the Art club, run every lunch time, as well as our Art specialist and specific Art room, we offer effective support to all pupils, ensuring they have the space and time to express themselves and pursue their artistic goals and aspirations.

In creativity and well-being, we enable all pupils to explore their creative traits, as well as expressing their opinions, beliefs and differences. Through our music curriculum, pupils are able to discuss and explore their favourite genres of music, learning how to agree and disagree in a pleasant manor, as well as expressing themselves through units such as: Looping and remixing, where Year 5 pupils collaborate with Dagenham Park School’s music department, learning once a week in Dagenham Park’s music facilities, through their state of the art music resources and software, how to create their own piece of music, using looping and remixing techniques. This enables pupils to explore and express themselves in groups, disagreeing and compromising, whilst working towards their end outcome. Our big questions and values feed into every unit and pupils discuss these and make links to faith, beliefs and attitudes towards learning and life.

To be empowered to make a difference:

• To develop cultural capital, experiencing a range of places, environments and activities through our 11 engaging experiences.
• Pupils support and develop their local community, ensuring it is a desirable place to live, work and raise a family.
• Pupils recognise their role within the national and global community.

At William Ford, ‘Pupil voice’ is very important to us and we have three different pupil councils, including: Worship council, School council and our Eco council. These pupil groups are diplomatically voted for, and pupils have a key part in the changes, improvements and developments of the school. Through our pupil-created collective worship topics, as well as multiple community events, including community breakfasts, ‘William Ford presents’ and our iSingPop Christmas concert, pupils are able to understand and contribute to making a difference to the community in which they live, through acting generously.

Through community month, enterprise week and regular work in the community: working with the local care home, the local Dagenham arts community group, supporting and communicating with our ‘neighbours’ in Columbia, through Stand by Me, pupils are able to recognise their role within the local, national and global community. Art, music and PSHE are at the forefront of these community projects, as we invest in singing and spending time with the residents at the local care home; we design artistic pieces to be part of our community and we recognise the benefits on well-being of collaborating with the community.