3p Curriculum
The curriculum at John Burns is designed to be challenging, engaging and exciting for the children. It is completely bespoke and closely aligned to the skill and knowledge expectations that are outlined in the Primary National Curriculum.
The model of the curriculum we have created is unique to John Burns and is based around a concept we have devised called ‘The 3Ps’. These represent an important Person, Place and Point (time/date) relevant to each topic. They will provide the focal points around which the learning will be planned and taught. The children will be expected to learn by heart these three key pieces of information (The 3Ps) for every topic as they move up through the school. The idea being that by the time they leave John Burns their general knowledge will have greatly improved. The 3Ps will also provide children with three key areas to focus their learning, ensuring that they have the opportunity to go deeper into the more traditional topics and broaden their understanding of key skills.
The 3Ps have allowed us to steer the curriculum towards areas which are relevant to the children and ensures that the curriculum taps into the local area and proves to be culturally significant for our learners. This has meant that we have been able to break away from more traditional topics to create topics which are bespoke and interesting for our children. Where statutory topics remain, the 3Ps have allowed us to drill down past the traditional programmes of study into more in-depth studies associated with the topic. English, maths, science and computing continue to be taught discreetly, with relevant links to the 3Ps being made where applicable, particularly through the choice of key book studies for each class in English.
The curriculum will be continuously developed throughout this academic year.
Autumn Term
Year |
Topic Title |
Person |
Place |
Point |
Year 1 |
Home Sweet Home |
Me |
John Burns Primary School |
1863 |
Year 2 |
Smouldering London |
Christopher Wren |
Battersea Arts Centre |
1865 |
Year 3 |
Ages Ago |
Cheddar Man |
Stonehenge |
3180BC |
Year 4 |
Burnt Cakes |
Alfred the Great |
Lundenwic |
1066 |
Year 5 |
Under the Chimneys |
John Burns |
Battersea Power Station |
1777 |
Year 6 |
Battling Britain |
Krystyna Skarbek |
Bletchley Park |
1939 |
Spring Term
Year |
Topic Title |
Person |
Place |
Point |
Year 1 |
To the Ends of the Earth | Marion North | The Bahamas | 2012 |
Year 2 |
Mapping the Monarchy | Queen Victoria | Hampton Court Palace | 1926 |
Year 3 |
Fantastic Plastic? | Kahi Pacarro |
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch |
2017 |
Year 4 |
Beneath the Surface | Greta Thunberg | Marianna Trench | 2047 |
Year 5 |
Up, Up and Away! | Amy Johnson | Arch 75 - Battersea Park | 17/12/1903 |
Year 6 |
Against the Odds | Tilly Smith | Dunkirk | 1912 |
Summer Term
Year |
Topic Title |
Person |
Place |
Point |
Year 1 |
London Landmarks | Augustus Pugin | Tower Bridge | 1999 |
Year 2 |
Britain's Great | Sir David Attenborough | White Cliffs of Dover | 1902 |
Year 3 |
Resisting the Romans | Hannibal | Colchester | 76AD |
Year 4 |
Achieving Their Highest | Stephen Hawking | South Africa | 1989 |
Year 5 |
The Greatest Empire? | Alexander the Great | China | 1833 |
Year 6 |
Back to the Future |
China USA UK |
2016 2020 2027 |