Curriculum Intent

Aims

As a Catholic school, we have designed a diverse curriculum that teaches pupils morality, respect and a sense of community based on our gospel values. With Christ’s love at the centre of all that we do, our curriculum aims to develop young people who:
 

• Are happy and feel fulfilled
• Are curious, enjoy learning, have high expectations for themselves and are ambitious for their futures
• Act as positive role models, guiding others by example
• Can make and articulate informed decisions and take responsibility for themselves
• Know how to live safe, healthy and rewarding lives
• Approach activities with effort and commitment, showing resilience and perseverance
• Demonstrate respect, compassion and empathy towards the beliefs and values of others
• Understand what it is to be a global citizen of the twenty first century.

Through our school curriculum, pupils will:

• Receive opportunities to apply learning to a range of contexts, preparing as global citizens of the future, ready for the challenges of the 21st century.
• Be presented with a well-structured and inspiring curriculum which makes meaningful links between disciplines and effectively builds on previous knowledge
• Make great use of the local community and London as a whole to recognise and celebrate its rich heritage and history
• Learn to understand and celebrate diversity in all of its forms, challenging stereotypes and embracing individuality.
• Be offered a curriculum which actively works to overcome any barriers that may prevent them from reaching their potential
• Have opportunities to effectively and purposefully apply English and maths skills across the curriculum for a range of purposes.

At the heart of our curriculum is the well-being of our pupils.  We are working hard to ensure effective practice and provision is in place that promotes emotional well-being, embedding an ethos where mental health is regarded as the responsibility of all. Every member of staff ensures that safeguarding receives the highest priority so that our children feel emotionally and physically safe and secure in our supportive and nurturing school.

Diversity & opportunities

The school’s focus on curriculum development ensures there are opportunities to celebrate the diversity of our community and the wider world. Our diverse workforce reflects the many cultures in our school community. In addition, our range of diverse core texts coupled with the variety of scientists, artists, authors, mathematicians and role models who the children learn about, promote and celebrate difference.

Where possible, cross-curricular links are made to deepen the learning experiences so that children remember more through lived experiences. Not all of our children (including some of our disadvantaged pupils) have the opportunity to develop their life experiences outside of school. Our curriculum considers the local context and it is enriched with local trips, residential visits, workshops and visits linked to curriculum areas.

Oracy

The promotion of strong oracy skills is a priority for our children, as many enter school with limited vocabulary and practice in speaking. Our disadvantaged pupils often have gaps in their vocabulary, furthermore, over 50% of our children speak English as an Additional Language. This focus on oracy runs throughout our curriculum, because children must be able to talk about what they have learned in a knowledgeable and articulate way in order to be able to communicate it in different ways.  All staff have high expectations of pupil talk and understand that classroom dialogue is essential to thinking and learning.

Reading, which we link closely to our focus on oracy skill development, is the gateway to pupils learning. To ensure all our pupils are able to access the full curriculum, we therefore place a strong focus on oracy, early reading and vocabulary development right from the start.

Within our curriculum, the children experience and learn the skills of discussion and debate and hence begin to realise that they each have a voice, the right to an opinion and the freedom to make choices. Therefore, we are laying the foundations for their understanding of democracy, how it works in the world and our children will realise the value of learning from one another.

SEN

When a pupil has been identified as having special educational needs, the curriculum and the learning environment will be further adapted by the class teacher to reduce their barriers to learning and enable them to access the curriculum more easily. The SENCO will meet with parents and we will work in partnership to ensure that each child's individual needs are met, and they have equal access to the curriculum (see Special Educational Needs).

Lifelong learners

We believe that education is a lifelong gift and process and we encourage our children to share their thirst for learning and extend their studies outside of school with their families. Community involvement is an essential part of our curriculum. Our children leave our school with a sense of belonging to a tightly knit community, where they have the confidence and skills to make decisions, self-evaluate, make connections and become lifelong learners.