Curriculum ethos
Our curriculum - bringing our Mission alive
Our curriculum is rooted in the Gospel values and Catholic Social Teaching. We deliver a modern curriculum for the modern world - preparing children to challenge and question. Our children develop a knowledge and understanding of worldwide events and issues which creates in them a growing sense of responsibility. In this way, we find different ways to share God’s love.
We promote a caring, learning community, where everyone shows respect, is valued and may flourish. We extend the National Curriculum through our cultural programme of visits and visitors, through our enrichment activities and extra curricular activities and through our wellbeing curriculum which promotes positive mental health, wellbeing and resilience.
We offer a stimulating and challenging curriculum which inspires and motivates our children. We believe in a creative curriculum model where pupils’ key skills and knowledge are developed across different subjects, themes and opportunities. Our wider curriculum complements class based learning and ensures our children have the cultural capital they need to succeed in life. Through rich experiences we inspire learners for life.
We want every child to be successful; to reach for success from the very first day they join us and throughout their school lives so that when they leave us, they have a love of learning for the rest of their lives.
Developing a new curriculum
In the Spring and Summer of 2021 we developed a new curriculum framework which promotes creativity. Our children will deepen and master their knowledge and skills in all subjects and be able to make meaningful links across the curriculum.
Our coverage is carefully plotted across the programme of topics so that the National Curriculum is covered, but is not the extent of the children’s learning.
We provide a broad and balanced curriculum that focuses on the development of the whole child with our new curriculum including all subjects including PSHCE and RSE. Our curriculum is inclusive and our focus on quality first teaching ensures it is accessible to all learners. Each subject shows a clear progression of knowledge and skills so children can recall the content outlined in the curriculum and make links between their learning.
Our teaching and learning process is structured through the HIKE four stage process:
- We hook the children with an exciting opener to the lesson
- We work together to investigate the topic a little further
- We build the children's knowledge and skills
- We express our learning through our written work, conversations and other creative methods so that children can practice and link their learning and come to a deeper understanding.
Each stage allows the children to immerse themselves in their learning creatively.
Subject-based learning
Our Foundation Subjects are taught in subject-specific blocks. We feel that the children receive a more focused and immersive learning experience, one which enables their knowledge to become more deeply embedded by focussing on the subject through a lens. Where it makes sense, our learning is linked across the foundation subjects and with English and Maths too, but other subjects might get taught in isolation, e.g. RE and PE.
Our School Values
It is through our full curriculum, through the learning opportunities that it enables and through the relationships that enshroud it, that we develop character within our pupils and ourselves. There are 6 key values that we cherish as a community.
Respect
For others, our school and ourselves.
Equality
We are all equal, valued and loved by God. We treat everybody fairly.
Perseverance
We keep trying to overcome challenges and succeed. We don’t give up.
Honesty
We tell the truth and consider the feelings of others.
Responsibility
We make positive choices and consider our actions.
Friendship
We build caring relationships with others.
