Rationale
Our curriculum is underpinned by a Catholic education based on the life and teaching of Jesus Christ, in which the values of the Gospel underpin all aspects of school life. We insist on the highest standards of academic achievement so that our young people leave us as educated and caring people who have the knowledge and skills they need to flourish as human beings and make the world a better place.
Curriculum Intent
At St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, we offer a curriculum which is broad and balanced and promotes a positive attitude to life-long learning. It builds on the knowledge, conceptual understanding and skills of all children, whatever their starting points, as they progress through the school in readiness for their next stage of education.
The knowledge of our children’s needs and the diverse community in which they live has shaped what we believe is an exciting, innovative and creative curriculum, providing equality of opportunities to counter relative disadvantage/different starting points and meeting the needs of all our learners. Our curriculum has high expectations and combines transferable skills, demonstrates a breadth of vocabulary and develops strong cross curricular links. We have designed a curriculum which is relevant, vivid and real for our children from our local community located in modern Britain.
Our children are unique, valued individuals who possess their own talents, skills and qualities. We believe they have the right to succeed, the right to recognise their own greatness and the right to develop who they are in a respectful and nurturing environment. Our school ethos is firmly rooted in our values with a love of learning being the foundation of everything we do. We believe by working in partnership with parents and the community we will empower excellence and achieve our aims.
Our Curriculum Model and Aims
- Promotes our Gospel Values which underpin all aspects of school life
- Encourages the development of relationships based on the teachings of Jesus ‘love your neighbour as yourself’
- Supports each child in developing responsibility for his or her own learning and motivation to succeed.
- Equips each child with the skills to meet the demands of a changing society and promote our learning values of resilience, resourcefulness, independence, reflectiveness, critical thinking, and problem solvers
- Promotes stewardship enabling our children to develop an understanding of the wider world and their role as global citizens
- Promotes opportunities for our children to experience a wide breath of learning experiences enabling them to develop and discover their interests and talents
- Has an uncompromising focus on the development and application of reading, writing and mathematics skills
- Plays a major role in developing our children’s love and passion for learning
- Celebrates equity and diversity supporting the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development
- Develops children as leaders by valuing children’s voices and individual contributions and offering a range of opportunities to help in the day to day running of the school whilst developing their leadership skills
- Encourages the development of relationships based on the teachings of Jesus ‘love your neighbour as yourself’
- Supports each child in developing responsibility for his or her own learning and motivation to succeed.
- Equips each child with the skills to meet the demands of a changing society and promote our learning values of resilience, resourcefulness, independence, reflectiveness, critical thinking, and problem solvers
- Promotes stewardship enabling our children to develop an understanding of the wider world and their role as global citizens
- Promotes opportunities for our children to experience a wide breath of learning experiences enabling them to develop and discover their interests and talents
- Has an uncompromising focus on the development and application of reading, writing and mathematics skills
- Plays a major role in developing our children’s love and passion for learning
- Celebrates equity and diversity supporting the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development
- Develops children as leaders by valuing children’s voices and individual contributions and offering a range of opportunities to help in the day to day running of the school whilst developing their leadership skills
Curriculum Implementation and Design
Our carefully crafted curriculum balances the national expectations and an all- encompassing range of experiences allowing our children to flourish. Our whole school curriculum map ensures that the curriculum has sufficient depth and coverage of knowledge in all subjects and ensures pupils’ progression in knowledge and skills.
Our curriculum gives specific time for children to develop key skills in reading, writing and mathematics. We believe these key skills are essential for children to access the wider curriculum. Other subjects of the National Curriculum are organised to deliver a ‘theme’ based approach. Some subjects will be taught discretely and others will be linked.
Curriculum content includes the areas specified in the National Curriculum, providing a base for an education that ensures quality and progression. Assessment is used to shape future learning. Using the National Curriculum as our starting point, we plan learning experiences for our children which are engaging, often set in a real-life context, giving them the opportunity to work with a range of ‘experts’ and to participate in a range of visits.
Curriculum Impact
Our whole school team works together to reflect upon our curriculum and share outcomes driving forward next steps.
Class teachers are responsible to ensure that classroom practice and subject delivery matches our intentions. Teachers review and evaluate each curriculum theme and are continually improving provision based on feedback from senior leaders, pupils and colleagues.
Subject Leaders monitor individual subjects: reviewing learning, evaluating pupil voice, providing individual feedback to move practice forward, celebrating positives and highlighting areas of development.
Senior Leaders rigorously check implementation and review the curriculum throughout the year to gauge the impact of our curriculum model
Subject Leaders and Senior Leaders will collectively carry out performance analysis, measuring performance against ….
Governors, as part of their overall school scrutiny, monitor curriculum progress and impact via Headteacher Reports, SIP Progress Reviews and their link visits.
Our monitoring of impact approaches is rooted in ensuring that our key curriculum intentions are at the forefront of our planning, delivery and children’s experience of their learning journey at St Joseph’s.
For more information about our curriculum please contact: Toni Olsen Via the school office.