Upper School begins in Year 3 at the age of 7 and runs through to Year 6, at which point 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 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 Upper School, including a Multiplication Tables Check (MTC) in Year 4 and End of Key Stage 2 Assessments (SATs) in Reading, Maths and Grammar, Punctuation & Spelling (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. Parents will be invited to attend meetings regarding these statutory assessments in the weeks leading up to them being completed.
During their time in 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, ‘silly science’ and virtual reality experiences. During our annual Health Week, our long-term partners A-Life deliver in-school workshops to every pupil, which aim to get them healthier, fitter, more energised and more productive and focus on themes such as mental health, drug awareness and physical fitness. In addition to this, staff in individual year groups will source workshops for pupils to attend based upon the units they are studying across the curriculum.