Curriculum

“We are learning and growing together as God's family. 
We will always do our best to love and respect each other as we prepare for our future”. 

Curriculum Intent Statement 

Our Catholic school is a community with Christ at the centre

Intent:

As a Catholic school, the precepts of Catholic education remain at our core. The key virtues of faith, hope love, charity, justice and solidarity are central to us, in order that children feel secure to learn and achieve in a safe environment. Catholic Social Teaching underpins our curriculum with Christ at the centre of all that we do. We believe in peace and human dignity, as well as the importance of our place in the contribution to the wider society. Catholic Social Teaching is based on the belief that God has a plan for creation, a plan to build his kingdom of peace, love and justice. Our part in this plan involves every aspect of our lives, from the things we pray about, to how we live as a responsible global citizen. In doing so, we actively promote the common good and British values (democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs) to prepare our pupils for life in modern day Britain. We use Caritas in Action, which provides a unique cross-curriculum and multi key stage approach for embedding the principles of Catholic Social Teaching. 

We recognise R.E as a core subject and we adhere to a Diocesan wide curriculum; all of which are based within the requirements of the Religious Education Curriculum Directory.  

We work closely with the local Parish, our parents/carers and the local community. We foster an ethos of serving both individuals and society. 

“If our schools are not a space where another humanity is being created, where another wisdom is taking root, where another society is being created, where hope and transcendence have a place, then we are losing out on making a unique contribution to this historical moment.” Pope Francis 

Our curriculum is based on the National Curriculum (NC). It provides access to a knowledge rich, purposeful curriculum where core skills are built upon daily. Knowledge, skills, attitudes and values are developed to prepare the children for the next stage of learning, from Nursery/Primary to Secondary School, and to enable them to be successful individuals in society. We believe that effective learning takes place when there is considerable emphasis on active involvement with opportunities to talk both imaginatively and expressively to explain and clarify thinking. 
Children leave St George’s with a sense of belonging to a tight knit community. They look back with fondness to their primary education, and are well equipped for their future. They have the confidence and skills to make decisions, self-evaluate, make connections and become lifelong learners. 

Implementation:

Our curriculum is designed to show a sequential approach to learning with the application of knowledge and skills, expected across all subject areas, thus offering every opportunity to practice and rehearse skills. Progression of skills maps for each subject area have been carefully designed by subject leaders. It is evident that the broad and balanced curriculum that we offer, allows children the opportunity to learn, process, practice and extend their learning in a creative way. In adopting a cross-curricular approach through the use of a range of resources and schemes of work, utilising our outdoor space to the maximum, we offer a fully inclusive primary experience for pupils which is spiritually fulfilling and celebrates achievement.  

Children in Nursery and Reception follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum. This learning challenges children and encourages them to develop into independent, motivated learners and thinkers, full of curiosity about the world around them within a fun, happy and secure environment. Children have opportunities to explore, enquire and to take risks through practical, hands-on learning experiences. We have a high quality outside learning environment which the children are able to use throughout the day. This approach to learning provides the spring-board for future development and readiness for the next stage.

We believe in enrichment for the curriculum. We track this through our annual enrichment grid and we offer a wide range of extra-curricular activities for pupils. We hold thematic curriculum weeks / events bi-annuallly. Our safeguarding curriculum is embedded and we have mapped opportunities for teaching children how to be safe within our curriculum safeguarding matrix. The children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural developments are key ingredients within our curriculum and are outlined in our – Defining spiritual, moral, social and cultural development document. The children have many opportunities across all subject areas to develop their knowledge and skills within these areas. We have an in-depth PSHE Policy and the spiritual, moral, social and cultural elements of the curriculum are embedded in assemblies and other times of collective worship. Sport and music remain central to both our curriculum and extra-curricular provision. 

Impact:

The curriculum is successfully implemented to ensure pupil’s progression in knowledge and skills with opportunities to extend their long term memory, so that they know more and remember more.  We encourage pupils to apply their personal values to situations, giving reasons for their decisions and actions. They are encouraged to question arguments and situations. 

At St. George’s we ensure that the children are regularly assessed against the relevant NC frameworks across the breadth of the curriculum. Both formative and summative assessment informs planning and actions for provision for pupils. Our Marking and Effective Feedback Policy is clear and sets out a structure that informs our practices, allowing pupils to be fully informed and able to contribute to raising their level of achievement. Marking also includes next steps within books and the level of independent work and verbal feedback are identified. This results in each child receiving personalised learning. 

Children leave St George’s spiritually enlightened having grown in their Faith journey. They are academically successful, happy and culturally literate individuals with good emotional intelligence and leadership skills. Pupils are given many opportunities to be proactive members of pupil groups in school and make their contribution. We are committed to ensure that our pupils take their place with confidence within a changing world and our curriculum ensures they are ready for the stages within primary and next stage post primary education.  

For information about the Government Primary National Curriculum, please click here

‘If you require further information about the Curriculum we teach, please speak to your class teacher.’