Our Curriculum
Our curriculum is the means by which we ensure that our children receive their fair share of the rich cultural inheritance our nation and our world affords. It aims to empower children with the knowledge they are entitled to: knowledge that will nourish both them and the society of which they are members. This cultural inheritance includes the study and practice of artistic endeavour and social and physical skills as well as intellectual thought. Our intention is that our children are suitably equipped to contribute positively to their community and to wider society.
We have an obligation to our children – they are entitled to a world-class curriculum that offers them the best possible opportunity to succeed. The curriculum will be planned and sequenced so that the understanding of key concepts is deepened. Connections within and across subjects (vertical links which are ‘high yield’ concepts revisited in the same subject over years, horizontal links, which are made between different subjects in the same year and diagonal links, which makes links between different subjects in different year groups) will be made around a topic (schema-building) so that children understand their learning is inter-linked.
Teachers will be confident that their subject knowledge is strong enough to deliver a sequence of learning with precision and clarity. They will focus on developing the long-term learning of children, not just the here-and-now. With that in mind, retrieval practice will feature throughout the curriculum so that children are encouraged and supported in remembering what they have been taught. This will be supported by assessments that we ask the children to take part in.
To ensure all children are provided with these opportunities our curriculum drivers are:
Coherence
We have planned our knowledge-based curriculum extremely carefully to ensure that pupils achieve broad and deep subject expertise. Through our research and development projects, we aspire to widen our pupils’ knowledge-base through developing their ability to recall and build upon previous learning. Children love knowing ‘stuff’! Our schemes of learning are well structured and ensure opportunities are provided to our children to retrieve their knowledge, whilst challenging them with new, rich learning. These are accompanied by our knowledge organisers that are the core of subjects and provide high quality vocabulary and learning progression to all of our children.
Curiosity
St Mary’s children will be brave enough to ask the questions that matter. They will question the way of the world and think about issues globally. They will be expressive and creative in their nature and will value diversity and celebrate our rich heritage and culture.
Challenge
Each subject at St Mary’s is unique and offers both substantive and disciplinary knowledge. Substantive knowledge relates to the core facts, concepts and ideas that are core to a subject. Disciplinary knowledge relates to how scholars and academics arrive at this knowledge. Through our well-sequenced schemes of learning, our children will be exposed to high level of challenge using a wide range of vocabulary in which they are taught to use in order to deepen their understanding across the curriculum.
Our Vision
St. Mary’s is a joyful place to be, where difference is celebrated and everyone is safe and accepted. We genuinely care about the individual interest of each other, inspiring all to be life-long learners and igniting a passion to follow their dreams. We are proud to be at the heart of our community and celebrate life in all it fullness.
This is theologically rooted from John 10:10 ‘I have come in order that you might have life – life in all its fulness.’
Our Christian Values that drive this our work are love, compassion and forgiveness.