Curriculum
St Joseph’s Curriculum Intent Statement:
Pupils’ learning and development should be at the heart of every school’s curriculum; it should be broad and balanced and equip pupils with the skills necessary to succeed in life after school.
This curriculum intent statement outlines how we at St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School have created our curriculum and the benefits that this will bring to pupils’ learning and self-improvement.
Our Curricular Aims
CREATIVITY
ART & DESIGN
We want our children to be creative, confident in the use of colour and different artistic mediums. Pupils need to develop their artistic skills in drawing, painting, printing, modelling, designing, 3D techniques, digital art and an appreciation of artists through confident creativity.
| DESIGN TECHNOLOGY
We want our pupils to use of a broad range of skills and understanding to design and make products that solve real & relevant problems in a variety of contexts. This should also enable pupils to engage in enterprise activities.
| EXPRESSIVE ARTS & PE
An appreciation of music, dance, drama and languages as essential elements of cultural capital We place great value on children’s ability to express themselves through the arts, dance, drama & languages. PE and Sport are well promoted through the curriculum.
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HISTORY
HISTORY
Our history curriculum traces British history and the great civilisations of the world We aim to provide pupils with the knowledge, skills and understanding to appreciate our history and that of human creativity, endeavour & exploration through time.
| CULTURAL HERITAGE
We believe that it is important that children understand and value their own identity and heritage This includes their cultural roots, as citizens of their local area, Herefordshire, the UK and as members of a global society. Our curriculum is designed to achieve this.
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UNDERSTANDING THE WORLD
GEOGRAPHY
Our Geography curriculum engages children in the study of the wider world, people, places & the environment Children need to have a knowledge of the world– oceans continents, major countries & cities, social and physical geography, the environment and sustainability.
| CURRENT AFFAIRS
It is important that our children have an age appropriate understanding of British and World News Current affairs include matters of national and global importance, such as climate change. We have designed our curriculum to promote a developing appreciation of current affairs on a local, national and global scale.
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DISCOVERY
SCIENCE
Developing scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding, and a thirst for investigation, experimentation, exploration and discovery, through practical investigation and the development and application of key scientific skills from year to year.
| COMPUTING
Understanding and applying the fundamental principles of computing, including abstraction, logic, algorithms and information representation as well as familiarisation and use of digital technology.
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What the curriculum is designed to do
At St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School we have designed our curriculum with pupils’ learning at the centre. We recognise that a curriculum has to be broad, balanced and offer pupils opportunities to grow as individuals as well as learners.
Through a combination of learning techniques, we aim to ensure pupils enjoy learning and feel prepared for life beyond school. We also intend to offer our pupils new and exciting experiences through extra-curricular activities that are designed to build resilience, confidence and self-esteem. A whole school curriculum overview and termly topic plans are created and shared with parents and carers. These are then developed into cohesive medium term plans that cover the whole curriculum. They are shared with all staff to ensure that learning is cumulative throughout the school, with regard to both subject skills and knowledge. This coherent planning of sequenced learning leads to a to secure understanding, confidence and the ability within learners to apply their skills across the curriculum in a variety of ways.
We recognise that pupils should be challenged in their schooling; learning through resilience and celebrating successes. We plan for our curriculum to be empowering, enabling pupils to develop their interpersonal skills, creativity and independence.
How the school intends to deliver the curriculum
throughout the school
We intend to deliver the curriculum through a variety of methods that are both classroom-based and extra-curricular. Below, we have outlined how we intend to deliver this promise. We promote equal opportunities to all of our pupils in line with the Equality Act 2010 throughout our practices.
Classroom-based learning: Our staff value the different ways in which pupils learn and plan lessons to account for these differences, this includes the use of PSHE, wellbeing sessions and the introduction of our new Relationships Education programme. We encourage teachers to make cross-curricular links where possible within their classroom planning and practise, so that pupils can draw upon knowledge from different subjects and understand how each area of learning plays a part in everyday life.
Teachers use different learning resources to teach core content, including the use of web based resources, field trips and learning within the local and wider community, specialist P.E. teaching to support staff professional development, as well as providing an enriched and varied P.E. curriculum, and offsite learning linked to specific projects and topics. By using different techniques, we intend on keeping pupils engaged with learning and meet the individual learning needs of all of our pupils.
Specialist Music and Spanish teachers deliver the curriculum in these subject areas, allowing for high academic challenge. The expectation is pupils at the end of Key Stage 2 are able to read music and play an instrument competently, as well as being able to read, write and speak Spanish confidently.
The school carries out one-to-one teaching sessions for pupils who require additional support or challenge. We also incorporate interventions for small groups of pupils as part of our learning provision. These can be used to revisit learning, extend understanding through challenge and application as well as providing additional learning support where it is needed. This allows pupils to get dedicated one-to-one time, ensuring any questions that pupils may have get answered in a way they understand. Where pupils require additional learning in order to access the wider curriculum and make progress, individual intervention sessions and planned and carried out on a regular basis.
Extra-curricular activities:
We provide a variety of extra-curricular activities for pupils that enhance their learning experience. The activities range from after-school clubs, to educational trips and visits – a list of the extra-curricular activities available is updated every term and shared with parents and carers. Extra-curricular activities are designed to enhance and extend pupils’ learning experiences, form personal connections between pupils and their peers, provide additional opportunities beyond the classroom curriculum and support in the acquisition of social skills essential for life both within and beyond school.
How the school involves parents, pupils and the local
community in curriculum planning and delivery:
Our school values the input of its pupils, parents and carers with regards to the planning and delivery of the curriculum. We believe pupils get a well-rounded education if everyone is involved in shaping it. We inform parents of curricular learning through effective use of our digital learing platform - Kinteract, in addition to parent/teacher termly meetings, which also provide an opportunity for parents to share their own ideas about the class curriculum.
We engage with the wider community by ensuring there are opportunities for pupils to participate in community projects and work with local organisations and groups, for example the Parish Council. We embed each project within the curriculum into the relevant subjects. This shows pupils the value of being and active and responsible member of their community.
How the curriculum benefits pupils’
learning and personal development
Our curriculum has been designed for a range of learners, providing equal opportunities for all – by doing this, pupils will benefit in the following ways:
- Treating others as they would like to be treated, showing respect for themselves, each other, and people within the local, national and global community through an understanding of diversity, linked to our Pupil Profile virtues.
- Learning how to lead safe, healthy and fulfilling lives
- Understanding that making mistakes and persevering is all part of the road to success
- Being rewarded for academic successes
Whole School Curriculum Overview - Summer Term 2023
Whole School Curriculum Overview - Spring Term 2023
Whole School Curriculum Overview - Autumn Term 2022
Whole School Curriculum Overview - Summer 2022
Whole School Curriculum Overview - Spring 2022
Whole School Curriculum Overview - Autumn Term 2021
Whole School Curriculum Overview - Spring Term 2021
Whole School Curriculum Overview- Autumn Term 2020
Click on the topic you are interested in finding out more about. There are links to external sites included to give a broader view of the programmes we are using to support the curriculum as well as photographs of the classes putting them into practice.
Please use our separate pages to learn more
about our curriculum subjects: