The Upper School begins in Year 3 at the age of 7 and runs through to Year 6 where pupils leave William Murdoch Primary School at the age of 11- this is known nationally as Key Stage 2 (KS2). There are 12 classes in total in the Upper School, three in each year group. The transition from Year 2 to Year 3 is treated in the same way as transitions between other year groups, with pupils spending time with their new teachers at the end of their time in Year 2, completing ‘get to know you’ activities and familiarising themselves with their new classrooms and learning areas.
The curriculum remains broadly the same, however pupils will be introduced to Latin as our language offering in Year 3 and will commence swimming at some point during their time in the Upper School. Swimming takes place at Handsworth Wellbeing Centre in Handsworth Park, a short walk from the school. It is expected that all pupils attend swimming every week and should come to school with the appropriate kit (see the Uniform section of the school website).
Pupils will have to complete certain statutory assessments during their time in the Upper School, including a Multiplication Tables Check in Year 4 and SATs in Reading, Maths and GPS in Year 6. Pupils will be well prepared for these assessments by their teachers and support staff and the school has a proven track record for producing good outcomes.
During their time in the Upper School, pupils will have many opportunities to extend their learning experience beyond the classroom by attending educational visits. Educational visits are an important part of school life at William Murdoch Primary School and contribute significantly to our pupils’ learning. Each year group will go on a maximum of three educational visits per academic year to support, extend and enrich the learning that is going on in the classroom. One of the visits during the year is to a local place of worship to enhance the pupils’ religious education.
The school also engages with numerous partners and external organisations to provide pupils with a variety of enrichment opportunities to supplement the learning that takes place in the classroom. For example, during Science Week, which takes place during the Spring Term, pupils will enrich their learning by taking part in a variety of workshops which have previously included forensic science and ‘silly science’. During our annual Health Week, our long-term partners Aspire Sports deliver PE-based workshops to every pupil, which have previously included workshops focused on the Paralympics, Ultimate Frisbee and gymnastics. Other workshops in school include African drumming, Egyptian dancing and a visit by a Viking!
Pupils also have the opportunity to engage in enrichment activities outside of school. We have a long-standing link with The Schools of King Edward VI in Birmingham and engage regularly with their outreach programme. As well our link with these schools, we also regularly attend the Grove Maths Olympiad, which we have won on numerous occasions. Additionally, we have visited The University of Birmingham on several occasions to engage with their classics workshops which are aimed at primary-aged children.
The curriculum remains broadly the same, however pupils will be introduced to Latin as our language offering in Year 3 and will commence swimming at some point during their time in the Upper School. Swimming takes place at Handsworth Wellbeing Centre in Handsworth Park, a short walk from the school. It is expected that all pupils attend swimming every week and should come to school with the appropriate kit (see the Uniform section of the school website).
Pupils will have to complete certain statutory assessments during their time in the Upper School, including a Multiplication Tables Check in Year 4 and SATs in Reading, Maths and GPS in Year 6. Pupils will be well prepared for these assessments by their teachers and support staff and the school has a proven track record for producing good outcomes.
During their time in the Upper School, pupils will have many opportunities to extend their learning experience beyond the classroom by attending educational visits. Educational visits are an important part of school life at William Murdoch Primary School and contribute significantly to our pupils’ learning. Each year group will go on a maximum of three educational visits per academic year to support, extend and enrich the learning that is going on in the classroom. One of the visits during the year is to a local place of worship to enhance the pupils’ religious education.
The school also engages with numerous partners and external organisations to provide pupils with a variety of enrichment opportunities to supplement the learning that takes place in the classroom. For example, during Science Week, which takes place during the Spring Term, pupils will enrich their learning by taking part in a variety of workshops which have previously included forensic science and ‘silly science’. During our annual Health Week, our long-term partners Aspire Sports deliver PE-based workshops to every pupil, which have previously included workshops focused on the Paralympics, Ultimate Frisbee and gymnastics. Other workshops in school include African drumming, Egyptian dancing and a visit by a Viking!
Pupils also have the opportunity to engage in enrichment activities outside of school. We have a long-standing link with The Schools of King Edward VI in Birmingham and engage regularly with their outreach programme. As well our link with these schools, we also regularly attend the Grove Maths Olympiad, which we have won on numerous occasions. Additionally, we have visited The University of Birmingham on several occasions to engage with their classics workshops which are aimed at primary-aged children.