St Mary’s Curriculum Statement

At St. Mary’s Catholic Primary School, we deliver a broad and balanced curriculum that provides children with the skills and attitudes to ‘have life to the full’ both now and in the future.  We constantly seek to develop an education that leads to wisdom and the ability to make good decisions. This enables a life in which the individual may flourish, but also a life in which individuals seek to help others flourish.  Our children will be taught how to care for others and the world they live in, knowing that they are unique and special in God’s eyes; they will be made aware of their potential as global citizens. 

INTENT - our curriculum aims to:

• Meet the requirements of the primary National Curriculum.
• Enable children to understand their place within the world and develop an understanding of what it means to be a responsible global citizen.
• Prepare children for life in modern Britain.
• Equip children with the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to make healthy and safe choices for themselves and others, promoting physical and mental wellbeing.
• Develop children’s ability to think critically and creatively, verbalise their thinking and be open to new or challenging concepts.
• Provide all children with experiences that raise aspirations, broaden horizons, and develop a sense of ambition so that all children can fulfil their potential.
• Develop the skills and attitudes required for all children to become independent, resourceful life-long learners.

IMPLEMENTATION - we offer our children:

• Our children are entitled to a broad and balanced curriculum which reflects the content and challenge of the National Curriculum and develops them both academically and personally.
• We recognise children’s physical and mental well-being are as valued and important as academic development. We carefully monitor children’s progress with their personal development and ensure that every child is well cared for and supported.
• The curriculum will be taught with the consideration of the needs of all learners; it will be highly inclusive.  Our curriculum will be exciting, engaging and will inspire children to nurture a passion for learning.

• Our curriculum builds on previous learning, ensuring subject progression and the widening and deepening of skills. 
• We build in many opportunities for repetition and practise opportunities for essential knowledge, skills and understanding in every subject. This ensures that children are able to revisit previous learning, which allows them to gradually develop a deeper understanding of the skills and processes within subjects, at their own pace and in the best possible way for each individual child.
• We are lucky to live in a coastal town on the edge of the Lake District National Park: a world heritage site.  Our children are entitled to be exposed to the beauty of the local area at each stage of their education through visits and carefully planned experiences.
• Our children are entitled to access a wide range of cultural resources and activities that support their learning.  We carefully plan these through visits to places of interest, planned experiences and inviting visitors in to work with our children.
• The children in St. Mary’s Catholic Primary School are entitled to know what life is like in modern Britain and to have the opportunity to develop an awareness of British Values, protected characteristics and build a sense of pride in belonging to and playing an active part in our diverse society. 
• Children are given the opportunity to work both independently and with others throughout the curriculum.
• The needs of all children are met individually or within a small group within the environment of quality-first teaching, supported by targeted, rapid and proven interventions, where appropriate, leading to a positive impact on pupil outcomes.
• Our children access to a range of high-quality texts which often drive the delivery of the curriculum and enrich their vocabulary.
• We enrich the curriculum with a range of activities and life experiences which also promote social, moral, spiritual and cultural development; for instance, children have access to both outdoor and adventurous and city-based residential visits.
• Children are given regular opportunities to build their confidence and celebrate their learning through working with and performing for others both within school and sometimes on a larger, professional stage to a wider audience.
• Regular opportunities to take part in sporting competitions or festivals or attending sporting events promote teamwork and raise aspirations.
• Opportunities to meet and work alongside experts and specialists and on occasions the chance to further develop personal and social skills through working with children from other schools and adults on the wider community. 

IMPACT:

• We have designed and planned our curriculum to offer a range of experiences which contribute to every child receiving a full and rich curriculum. The range of experiences we offer support and champion our culture and ensures that our children benefit from a full range of academic, spiritual, moral, social and cultural activities. We review this offer regularly to make the most of local opportunities and try to overcome local barriers to learning.
• These activities enrich children’s lives and those of our whole school community and make them proud of their British values and the diverse society to which belong and play an active part.  We are proud that our curriculum gives our children the skills, confidence and self-belief to lead a happy and fulfilled life by encouraging them to aim high and work towards their goals and dreams in life.  Regular reviews ensure high standards of learning throughout the curriculum.  Teachers regularly review children’s progress and adapt their teaching to ensure appropriate progress for all.

Through monitoring, evaluation and improvement, subject leaders ensure a high standard of teaching and learning leads to good outcomes for all children according to their ability, progression in learning and confident, aspirational

Equality and SEND compliance in our curriculum

At St Mary’s School we are committed to ensuring equality of education and opportunity for all pupils, staff, parents and carers receiving services from our school, irrespective of race, gender, disability, faith or religion or socio-economic background.  We aim to develop a culture of inclusion and diversity in which all those connected to our school feel proud of their identity and can participate fully in school life.

We have taken an organisational approach and have ensured that all equality strands are part of the work of our school, particularly in relation to creating policy and practice around delivery of our curriculum.

The achievement of pupils will be monitored by race, gender and disability and we will use this data to support pupils, raise standards and ensure inclusivity.  We will tackle discrimination by the promotion of equality, challenging bullying and stereotypes and creating an environment which champions respect for all.  We believe that diversity is a strength, which should be respected and celebrated by all those who learn, teach and visit here and is embedded in the School’s curriculum.

Please see the Single Equality Policy and SEND policy for more details. Please contact the Admin Office if you require printed copies of these policies or require more information about or curriculum.