“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
Proverbs 22:6
At St. Clare’s, our commitment to Catholic Social Teaching is deeply embedded in our ethos, guiding our actions and shaping our curriculum and community. Please see each subject page for details of how the Catholic Social Teaching values are promoted and embedded through each curriculum area.
Our Curriculum Intent
At St Clare’s our curriculum is designed to provide opportunities for all our children to develop as independent, confident, successful learners with high aspirations; who know how to make a positive contribution to their community and wider society. There is a high focus on developing children’s moral, spiritual, social and cultural understanding and our curriculum ensures that children are well prepared to be outstanding citizens in modern Britain. To promote the spiritual, moral, cultural, and mental development of pupils and prepare them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life, we enrich our curriculum by building in many diverse opportunities for them to learn.
We want our children to be happy, stimulated and challenged with no limits to their achievements.
Through our curriculum, we want our children to be curious and have a deep love and desire for learning. Our curriculum is ambitious and empowers our children to become independent and resilient. We strive for academic excellence and want our children to have high aspirations. Your children will be taught by teachers with high expectations who will plan a curriculum that is interesting, relevant, extends your children’s understanding of the subject and ensures high quality work and outcomes. At St Clare’s we aim to provide a highly inclusive environment where all learners enjoy their education. Pupils at all levels are helped to achieve their potential. Those who are most able are challenged and supported through appropriate extension activities. Those who struggle are encouraged and given targeted support to embed skills, to develop at their own pace or simply to learn in a style that best suits their individual needs. All pupils are encouraged, and given the opportunity, to challenge themselves. We believe this removes barriers to their own and our expectations, cultivates self-belief and increases aspiration.
Our focus on curriculum development means our curriculum is carefully designed to ensure coverage and progression. It provides pupils with memorable experiences, in addition to diverse and rich opportunities from which children can learn and develop a range of transferable skills. A primary focus of our curriculum is to raise aspirations, engender a sense of personal pride in achievement, and providing a purpose and relevance for learning. To promote physical health and wellbeing, a range of clubs gives learners an opportunity to access a wide variety of sports clubs after school hours and during lunch
times. Subject leaders play an important part in the success of the curriculum by leading a regular programme of monitoring, evaluation and review. This curriculum design ensures that the needs of individual and small groups of children can be met within the environment of high quality first teaching, supported by targeted, proven interventions where appropriate. In this way it can be seen to impact in a very positive way on pupil outcomes. Enjoyment of the curriculum promotes achievement, confidence and good behaviour. Children feel safe to try new things. High quality visits and visitors to St Clare’s enhance the curriculum and provide opportunities for writing for a purpose. As your child progresses through our school they will develop high expectations of themselves in terms of their learning and behaviour; they will be encouraged to be independent learners who can also work cooperatively with others. They will develop support skills and nurturing skills towards their peers and younger pupils and organisational skills to support their learning.
| We want our children to… Be organised – bring in PE kit, homework, reading books, be punctual. Be respectful – show good manners, listen attentively and follow instructions. Be responsible – take pride in their work and themselves, show initiative, make good choices, volunteer for responsibilities. Be resilient – don’t give up even when it is difficult. We normalise resilience through this approach in all aspects of school life. Participate – ask questions, be inquisitive, contribute to group work, join clubs and teams, volunteer |
At St Clare’s we believe that a healthy body is essential for a healthy mind and that this is especially relevant in an area where there is statistically poor health. Our commitment to this is evident in the provision of, on average, two hours Physical Education each week for all pupils. We teach a varied, carefully designed curriculum with supporting processes and strategies to ensure maximum participation while the long-term benefits of regular exercise and a healthy diet are reinforced throughout. The long-term benefits of regular exercise are also repeated and consolidated in PSHE and Science lessons. This approach has enabled us to achieve the Healthy Schools Award.
At St Clare’s our pupils can expect:
- a curriculum that is ambitious for ALL pupils;
- a curriculum that is coherently planned and sequenced;
- a curriculum that is successfully adapted, designed and developed for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities;
- a curriculum that is broad and balanced for all pupils;
- Opportunities to share their achievements in assemblies and other whole school events
- Opportunities to contribute towards their learning and be involved in decision-making that effects the whole school through our School Council and regular pupil perception surveys
- Opportunities to represent the school through sporting events and musical/dramatic performances
- A wide range of clubs and extra-curricular activities both after school and during lunchtimes
- The opportunity to join a choir
- Regular opportunities to work with the local community
- The opportunity to be a playground buddy, where older pupils support younger pupils in their playtime
- The opportunity to undertake cycling proficiency
- Opportunities to perform in plays and other dramatic and musical performances and the support for those who find that challenging, in the forms of class assemblies, school productions collective worship
- To apply for positions of Head Boy/Head Girl and other positions within school.
- To be recognised for their uniqueness and treated as an individual, whilst celebrating the diversity of our school family.
Our Curriculum Implementation
At St Clare’s our teachers deliver varied and engaging topics across the year to enable children to develop a real interest in and a depth of understanding of the subject studied. Teachers plan to include many opportunities for applying the taught skills and knowledge of other foundation subjects and to include reading, writing and maths in a meaningful way. Fundamental British Values and SMSC Values are taught within the topics and may also be taught as part of a theme day or week across school. For example, we hold an ‘Anti-Bullying day’ and Safeguarding themed days, including Safer Internet Day and these are planned for the whole school. We follow the statutory National Curriculum 2014 for Key Stages 1 and 2. We teach the statutory National Curriculum subjects: Religious Education, English, Mathematics, Science, Computing, History, Geography, Art, Design Technology, Foreign Languages, Relationships, Sex Education and Music. We deliver an engaging ‘Keeping Safe & Healthy’ curriculum incorporating physical, social, health and emotional education (PSHE), and aspects of SMSC, British values, e-Safety and safeguarding.
As a faith school, we ensure we deliver a high-quality Religious Education programme to our children. We ensure Collective Worship involves all children and that worship takes place daily. Our children are taught with the Catholic Social Teaching Values being at the heart of all our lessons. English and Mathematics are taught each day and are at the core of our curriculum to ensure pupils attain as highly as possible and are fully prepared for secondary school and beyond. Science is taught for two hours each week. We believe that these core subjects are best delivered in the context of a full and rich wider curriculum which gives exciting and engaging opportunities for pupils to learn. Subjects are timetabled and taught discretely with cross-curricular links and themes used where they enable us to most effectively meet the specific learning objectives of the subjects concerned or give pupils additional opportunities to embed and extend learning. Everything we do is underpinned by our school mission statement “Let Our Light Shine”, showing our children their uniqueness is celebrated and we want everybody to be the best that they can be.
We make use of specialist providers where they contribute to our curriculum philosophy or school improvement plan. For example, they may provide expertise which will enhance pupils’ learning and/or offer high-quality CPD to our teachers. We value and prioritise school visits, residential and extra-curricular activities which enhance the taught curriculum, offer experiences of the wider world beyond the pupils’ immediate community and give growing confidence and independence.
We are committed to full inclusion for all pupils, including those with special educational needs. Provision is made for all our pupils within their appropriate level of development. For pupils working below the level of the national primary curriculum, the PIVATS assessment tool supports teachers in setting ambitious targets as well as informing planning and tracking progress. St Clare’s takes pride in providing a highly inclusive environment, where learners demonstrate high levels of enjoyment in their education and most make very good progress in most subjects and areas of learning. Children at all levels are helped to achieve their potential. Those who are most able are challenged and supported through being offered tasks which provide opportunities for greater depth and those who struggle are encouraged and given targeted support to embed skills, to develop at their own pace or simply to learn in a style that best suits their individual needs.
Opportunities for pupil voice are planned throughout the year and we actively encourage our children to take on leadership roles within our school. Please refer to our Curriculum Guide for full information. Our curriculum provides children with memorable experiences, in addition to diverse and rich opportunities from which children can learn and develop a range of transferable skills.
Subject leaders play a very important part in the success of the curriculum by leading a regular programme of monitoring, evaluation and review and the celebration of good practice contributes to the ongoing commitment to evolve and improve further. All subject leaders are given training and the opportunity to keep developing their own subject knowledge, skills and understanding, so they can support curriculum development and their colleagues throughout the school.
We ensure a timetable for extra-curricular activities is offered by the school, with clubs that support the core curriculum offer, as well as those which develop specialist skills. A primary focus of our curriculum is to raise aspirations, engender a sense of personal pride in achievement, and provide a purpose and relevance for learning.
Our curriculum will be enhanced by visits and visitors: –
- The opportunity to work alongside a professional writer or storyteller during local and national literacy festivals.
- Enrichment activities and visits that are linked to topics – at least one visit per term
- The opportunity to play in sports tournaments across the year
- Regular opportunities to work alongside parents on a day-to-day basis and during practical whole school projects
- Visits from clergy from our Parish Priest, Canon Aidan from our parish St Clare’s and St Hugh’s
- Visiting scientists and STEM ambassadors to enhance Science and Engineering across our school
- Class visits – e.g. Church, Science Museum, Wildlife Park, Farm Visit
- Visitors to school – e.g. parents who share their skills and work experiences, Drama groups, Dance specialists.
- Workshops delivered by specialists – e.g.: sculpture, music teacher, history experiences
- Themed Weeks/Days – e.g.: British Values, Health and Fitness Week, French Café, Art Week.
- Class Assemblies – children present their work to parents, carers and grandparents
- Performance opportunities – e.g.: Christmas Performances, Performance Poetry and Musical performances.
Our Curriculum Impact
The impact of our curriculum is that by the end of each key phase, most pupils have sustained mastery of the content, that is, they remember it all and are fluent in it; Some pupils will have achieved a greater depth of understanding. We track carefully to ensure pupils are on track to reach expectations of our curriculum.
The innovative practice across the school provides a strong foundation and opportunities for children to collaborate and develop social skills both indoors and out. This curriculum design ensures that the needs of individual and small groups of children can be met within the environment of high quality first teaching, supported by targeted, proven interventions where appropriate. In this way it can be seen to impact in a very positive way on children’s outcomes.
Enjoyment of the curriculum promotes achievement, confidence and good behaviour. Children feel safe to try new things. High quality visits and visitors to the school enhance the curriculum and provide opportunities for writing for a purpose.
Children 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.
As we focus on our ‘St Clare’s Values’ aspiration, determination, respect, faith, trust, friendship, curiosity and forgiveness, we will see our children living out these values in their daily life, that living by our values will promote positive attitudes, which reflect the values and skills needed for future success. Our pupils will have an interest in the wider-world, its processes and history, its people and their societies; in the arts and culture; in computing and the digital world; and in sports and healthy lifestyles.
At St. Clare’s Catholic Primary School, our curriculum is based on the September 2014 National Curriculum for Key Stages 1 & 2 and the DfE (2021) ‘Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage’ along with Development Matters. Our rigorous, well planned curriculum combined with high quality teaching ensures that children have access to rich and varied life experiences in which they will have the motivation and confidence to go out into the wider world and fulfil their human potential.