Torah Temimah offers the full National Curriculum, alongside a rich and challenging curriculum of Limmudei Kodesh (Jewish Studies).
The Limmudei Kodesh curriculum, which is introduced in Nursery class and continues through Years Reception to Year 6, includes:
- Hebrew Kriah (reading)
- Biblical and Classical Hebrew vocabulary and grammar
- Sedra (weekly Torah portion) and Festivals
- Chumash (Five Books of the Torah), with the commentary of the pre-eminent medieval commentator Rashi
- Mishna
- Gemora (Babylonian Talmud)
- Nach (Books of the Prophets)
- Yedioh kallis (Jewish life and practice)
- National curriculum KS2 Foreign Language (Classical Hebrew)
- PSHE and aspects of British Values
The Limmudei Kodesh curriculum is planned and delivered in close liaison with secular National Curriculum teachers to ensure close cross-curricular linkage and support.
Our secular curriculum includes the statutory National Curriculum.
Curriculum Statement
At Torah Temimah, we have designed a bespoke curriculum to support our vision which is “to provide an integrated curriculum around the Kodesh taught in the school by allowing the use of real experiences to help acquire and embed the knowledge and skills to become citizens that give back as well as receive”.
The curriculum is an immersive, multisensory, and experiential curriculum that makes meaningful links between different subjects creating curriculum cohesion and enabling pupils to link their learning appropriately and in meaningful ways. All pupil’s are stretched and challenged at their own level through adaptive teaching.
The senior management team has made a unique spiral curriculum based on the Jewish calendar and four fundamental questions:
- Who we are? (Taught in the first half of the autumn term and is link in with Tishri and the Yom Tovim)
- Where have we come from? (Taught in the second half of the autumn term as well as the first half of Spring term, and it links to Chanukah, Purim and the Jewish History)
- Where we live? (Taught in the second half of Spring term and first half of the summer term. It links with nature and new beginnings, hence Pesach and Shavous)
- Where could the future take us? (Taught in the last half of summer term and links to our possible journeys)
The Nursery and Reception classes follow the statutory Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum. This is delivered through the framework of the rhythm of the Jewish year: weekly sedra, festivals, and key aspects of Jewish life. Through this framework, the children play, learn and develop in all aspects of the Early Years curriculum, making good use of our well-equipped outdoor open and covered play areas and garden. The curriculum is also based around children’s interests and stories related to varying topics.
We have completed the rewriting of our curriculum for Years 1-6. We have adopted a topic-based curriculum approach that allows us to integrate discrete subjects (such as English, history, art etc.) within the framework of engaging and relevant themes that reference the children’s experience, the wider world and the cycle of the Jewish year. The topics change every half term, and in any single half term the topics for all classes are thematically linked. This allows us to create a visible and tangible whole-school theme for the half term and to plan for progression through the theme from year to year.
“Leaders have thought very carefully about the curriculum, which is rich, broad and balanced . Pupils are encouraged to think about their place in the world with four overarching questions that are explored in depth through the curriculum: Who are we? Where do we come from? Where do we live? Where could the future take us? Leaders have developed links across different subjects. For example, the Year 4 text about the conquest of Everest provides opportunities for deeper learning in history, geography and writing.
Leaders make sure that there is a clear progression of knowledge over time. This starts in early years.“
(Ofsted June 2023)
An overview of the whole-school curriculum structure for Years 1-6 can be downloaded here:
Sample curriculum unit overview webs can be viewed here, and will be added to over the course of 2022-2023:
Parents or members of the public wishing to find out more about our school curriculum should contact the school office. Contact details are on our Home Page.
Mathematics:
We are currently using the White Rose Maths Primary Scheme of Learning throughout the school as our main curriculum resource. We make discrete use of other resources where appropriate, including Third Space Maths Hub and Target maths. We also use the Rocking Times Tables programme.
Phonics & reading schemes:
In Reception and Year 1 we teach Phonics using the Little Wandle Letter and Sounds scheme. This ensures a systematic, progressive approach to the teaching of Phonics throughout as well as providing “Keep up ” units for those children who find it more difficulut and for those children who require it into KS2.
Our main reading scheme in KS1 is the Collins Big Cat scheme. We use additional reading programmes for specific groups where appropriate.
Torah Temimah Primary School 