Whole School Curriculum Statement
St Katherine’s Church of England Primary School
Curriculum Design Statement:
The journey to becoming the unique child starts here.
‘Love your neighbour as yourself’
Intent
Our curriculum intends to inspire pupils’ to thrive in a constantly changing world and is committed to meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Curriculum and the Primary National Curriculum. At St Katherine’s Church of England Primary School, we will prepare children for life by giving them the knowledge, skills and experiences to engage in a diverse British society and wider world, including a knowledge of their British values and protected characteristics.
Our curriculum drivers of Spirituality, Diversity, Environment and Possibilities aim to meet the diverse needs of all our pupils alongside our Christian values of Friendship, Trust, Thankfulness, Hope, Wisdom, Love, Courage and Koinonia. When these values are seen in our daily lives and within our community, we know we will be guided in the right direction and follow the commandment from Jesus to ‘love your neighbour as yourself’. (Gospel of Mark Chapter 12 verse 31).
We intend to provide a broad, balanced and inclusive curriculum, which will lead to sustained mastery of subject topics. We aim to inspire children to nurture a passion for learning, enabling them to become independent and motivated thinkers, opening doors to future success and promoting their spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development.
Our curriculum will deliver appropriate and ambitious possibilities and experiences for all pupils, not just in structured lessons, but in the wider school environment; providing all pupils with ‘cultural capital’ opportunities to support their future success.
Implementation
St Katherine’s holds high expectations of attendance, achievement and pupil behaviour. All children are expected to work hard and demonstrate positive learning behaviours, to maximise their own learning protentional as well as contributing to the school and wider community. Systems within school allow us to reflect upon and reward the behaviours we strive to develop.
Subject leaders play a pivotal role in the design and delivery of their subject area. They monitor their subjects regularly to ensure relevant support, training and feedback is provided; enabling teachers to have the necessary skills and knowledge to plan and deliver lessons that excite, challenge and develop pupils’ knowledge, creativity and independence. When planning we consider the primary needs of all children to ensure they can reach their personal excellence.
We implement a curriculum that is progressive across the whole school. Subjects are taught in blocks of learning to embed a deeper understanding. Lessons are designed to ensure children know more and remember more, by revisiting and building on previous learning, vocabulary and skills; through flashbacks and linking transferrable skills. We offer wider curriculum opportunities, through visitors in school, off-site visits and a variety of extra-curricular activities. We are committed to working in partnership with parents to ensure we get the best outcomes for our pupils.
Reading and vocabulary are prioritised throughout the curriculum. Pupils are exposed to a wide variety of texts, rich with subject specific, academic and literary vocabulary. We have created an engaging reading environment throughout school, inspiring our pupils to develop a love of reading, creative writing and vocabulary.
The personal development and well-being of all pupils runs through our curriculum. Pupils are taught how to value, respect, take responsibility, show tolerance and understanding of each other, local communities and global communities.
Impact
Children at St Katherine’s develop into an ambitious, creative and curious generation of the future. They demonstrate confidence, independence, resilience and a thirst for learning. The have accessed a wide and varied curriculum that develops a sustained mastery of subject content and allows the children to excel as individuals and be the very best they can. They recognise that their future aspirations can be realised through hard work and determination. They develop into well-rounded citizens who celebrate differences, form meaningful relationships and make a positive contribution to the world they live in.
‘I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship.’
Louisa May Alcott