The National Curriculum is followed by all pupils in Years 1-6 with very few exceptions. The content of the National Curriculum determined by the DfES can be viewed here and copies can be made available in school if necessary.
The curriculum is everything that is taught in school from the academic subjects to good manners and respect for others. The aim of the Governors is to ensure that the school provides a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum which caters for the needs of each child. In this way, children will gain knowledge of the world around them and develop a desire to learn more about the world.
The National Curriculum and RE, together with the distinctive contribution of the schools formal and informal polices, all contribute to the whole school curriculum.
The three ‘Is’
The Education Inspection Framework states that a school’s curriculum offer should be centered on the three ‘Is’ – ‘intent’, ‘implementation’ and ‘impact’.
Curriculum intent is about curriculum design, the emphasis being on how effectively schools provide a broad and balanced curriculum for all pupils, opening rather than closing doors to future success.
What knowledge and understanding do we expect pupils to gain at each stage of their schooling and in each subject?
Curriculum implementation, meanwhile, is concerned with curriculum delivery, in other words teaching, assessment and feedback, and crucially that which leads to long-term learning.
How does our whole-school curriculum hang together and how does our specific context inform the curriculum?
Curriculum impact, finally, is about pupil achievement in terms of both attainment and progress, recognising that good outcomes are not just measured in test results but in how successfully pupils are developed as well-rounded citizens.
What knowledge and skills do pupils gain at each stage and over time and how does this compare to expectations?
This section of our website contains information on our curriculum offer at St Joseph’s. If you have any questions or require any further information please do not hesitate to contact the school.
Intent
The broad and balanced curriculum at St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School is designed to ensure that pupils recognise their unique skills and talents, have a passion for learning, are equipped to contribute positively to the community, achieve well and have high aspirations. It is underpinned by the core values of our mission statements and is driven by an understanding of and proactive response to our schools’ distinctive ethos as Catholic schools and to the culture and diversity of our local and wider communities. The curriculum is designed to be progressive and sequential ensuring academic success, the development of creativity and problem solving skills, reliability, responsibility and resilience, as well as physical development. Well-being and mental health are also key elements that support the development of the whole child and promote a positive attitude to learning, supporting pupils for their next stage. These values are taught on their own and through other areas of the curriculum, including assemblies. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of our pupils and their understanding of the core values of our society are woven through the curriculum.
St Joseph’s is committed to meeting the requirements of the primary National Curriculum and the requirements of the Bishops of England and Wales as our pupils pass through each key stage. Our schemes of work reflect the content and challenge of the curriculum.
Teachers have received training in key areas of curriculum change in order to provide outstanding curriculum provision.
Experiences for pupils are:
• Inclusive
• Exciting
• Challenging
• Engaging
• Real and experiential
• Relevant to their context
• Influenced by pupils
• Progressive
• Values-led
• Safe
The curriculum is designed to include:
• A clearly articulated learning journey with a purposeful outcome
• An engaging stimulant for learning
• Opportunities for pupils to contribute to planning the learning journey
• Real experiences
• Application of basic skills including computing
• Cross-curricular links where they add value
Implementation
The curriculum at St Joseph’s has been designed to ensure that children receive their curricular entitlement in a way which is meaningful to their:
• context
• stage of learning
• capabilities
• interests
• prior experiences
Our pedagogical approach is designed to enhance the learning experience for pupils and each unit of work includes the following opportunities when appropriate:
• Links to English units
• Links to mathematics units
• Basic skills to be reinforced during the unit
The National Curriculum is typically delivered using an integrated topic approach and pupils responses are assessed and monitored to ensure coverage and progression throughout the schools. Subjects are taught in distinct lessons when the core skills and knowledge would not be appropriately addressed through the integrated approach. All children are challenged, appropriate to their capabilities; children who find aspects of their learning more difficult are appropriately supported so that they too are enabled to experience success.
Pupils have opportunities to share their learning with each other, their parents and carers and other learners through school-based and external exhibitions, performances, competitions and events involving other schools. Developing their independence and motivation as learners and their sense of responsibility as future citizens is at the heart of all our teaching and learning.
Impact
The following outcomes are used to measure the impact of our curriculum:
• Pupils who are passionate about learning
• Pupils who confidently apply their learning
• Pupils who have relevant key skills
• Pupils’ standards and achievements in a range of subjects
• Pupils who understand:
– themselves
– their relationship with others
– society
– the environment
Our full curriculum statement can be viewed here.
