Curriculum Overview
Curriculum Ethos Learning for Life Policy
Christian Design Statement:
“Learn , enjoy and succeed together for life in all its fullness.” John 10:10
At St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, we want our children to be happy and to thrive in a constantly changing world, whilst maintaining our commitment to the Early Years Foundation Curriculum and the Primary National Curriculum.
Together means supporting each other whether it is as a class, within your home/family and helping people when they are vulnerable and need support. This is under pinned by the verse from John 10:10 'I have come in order that you might have life - life in all its fullness.'
In order to achieve fullness the school and all stakeholders need to embrace the proverb 22 v6 'Teach children how they should live and they will remember it all their life.'
Our curriculum is driven not only by our educational aims ...
AIMS
Strand 1: Everybody has a shared understanding of the school’s vision which is embodied in the school’s action plan.
Strand 2: To have an outstanding curriculum and extra-curricular opportunities to meet the academic and spiritual needs of all learners.
Strand 3: For pupils to have aspiration for themselves and their local, national and global communities
Strand 4: To have an outstanding whole school approach to mental health and emotional wellbeing.
Strand 5: Outstanding policies and practices for safeguarding underpinned by respect and dignity for all.
Strand 6: Collective Worship is inclusive and inspirational.
Strand 7: To make outstanding progress in Religious Education which enables pupils to discuss and understand world religions and views.
... but also by our Core Christian values:
Respect, Kindness, Appreciation, Faith, Honesty and Friendship
When these values are seen in our daily lives and within our community, we know we will be guided in the right direction and according to our vision statement, “Learn , enjoy and succeed together for life in all its fullness.” John 10:10
School Ethos - At St Nicholas we:
o believe we are all special in God’s eyes;
o believe that everyone has the right to experience success;
o care for each other and value and respect our differences;
o value the importance of ensuring that everyone develops self-confidence and a positive secure sense of worth;
o celebrate achievement and encourage everyone to value their own achievements;
o believe in the provision of a safe, secure, happy and stimulating learning environment;
o value our partnership with pupils, parents, the Church and the community
Intent
We intend our curriculum to serve the diverse needs of all our pupils, to reflect our local context and our identified curriculum ‘drivers’:
Community
Opportunities
Wellbeing
Spirituality
Our curriculum will be a broad and balanced one; one which opens doors to future success and promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of all our pupils. Children will be offered opportunities in all areas – linguistic, mathematical, scientific, technological, physical and creative as well as numerous opportunities to engage in extra-curricular activities. Our curriculum will consider the possibilities for learning, not just in structured lessons, but in the spaces in between, the wider school community and in the behaviour and values of all those working in the school.
Our curriculum will deliver opportunities and experiences to enable our pupils to become confident and responsible citizens. We will provide the necessary ‘cultural capital’ to give our children the vital background knowledge required to be thoughtful members of our community, and the wider world. Cultural capital is gained through exposure to a wide variety of texts; rich and varied subject specific, academic and literary vocabulary; wide general knowledge; possibilities of experiencing the arts and an understanding of British values. We are invested in promoting hope, aspiration and courageous advocacy, for example, supporting charitable agencies and celebrating courageous advocates throughout history.
We will provide a coherent, structured and academic curriculum which leads to sustained mastery of a broad spectrum of subject topics, inspiring children to nurture a passion for learning and enabling them to become successful, independent and motivated thinkers and learners whilst taking account of a holistic view to their well-being. Our curriculum has clear outcomes with children’s learning advancing through our progression grids in every subject. The progression grids provide clear evidence of what a child is expected to know at the end of a year’s study.
Implementation
Our curriculum is designed and delivered to ensure that teaching, assessment and feedback all lead to long-term learning. The content of our curriculum is topic-based; we make intra-curricular links to strengthen children’s grasp of all subjects. We ensure a broad range of opportunities are provided through our curriculum, with enrichment activities to inspire such as trips, visits and forest school.
Impact
The impact of our curriculum is assessed using our progression grids. We carefully monitor pupils to ensure they are on track to reach the expectations of the curriculum and we constantly reflect and review to adapt to the ever-changing needs of the children.
St Nicholas recognises that pupils’ achievements are not just measured in academic results and qualifications but in how successfully children are developed as well-rounded, empathetic citizens. The impact of our curriculum can be measured by the extent to which our children have developed the knowledge and skills they need to excel and become ambitious, resilient and curious human beings. Our impact is underpinned by the school’s proverb linked in all our policies: Proverbs 22:6 ‘Teach children how they should live, and they will remember it all their life.’ For example, when ex-pupils return to our school for work placements it is evident that they have been successful, confident, curious and ambitious.
Curriculum Statements
Art & DesignEnglishMusicScienceGeographyPhysical EducationComputingMathematicsReligious EducationDesign & TechnologyModern Foreign Languages