Intent
We endeavour to deliver a purposeful and ambitious curriculum that is broad and balanced. Our inspirational curriculum is designed to be inclusive, promote independence and resilience, and raise aspirations, with Jesus at the centre of all we do. We want to inspire our children to be life-long learners.
We have developed a curriculum that prepares children for every stage of their education as well as being aware of their role and place in society. Our knowledge and skills-based curriculum provides children with the opportunities to be numerate and literate young people who are curious and know how they can contribute to modern society and their community. When children leave our school, they have experienced a wide range of opportunities and responsibilities that enable them to be the best they can and live their life to the full.
Our bespoke curriculum is designed to revisit prior learning to ensure knowledge and skills are stored in the long-term memory. It is tailored to meet the needs of each individual child, to enable all children to succeed. Keeping children safe, developing children personally and spiritually is at the core of our curriculum.
Implementation
Leaders use research to plan professional development to ensure all teaching staff know how to successfully implement our bespoke curriculum. Subjects are taught discretely with regular opportunities to revisit learning to ensure that children can acquire new knowledge and skills.
Evidence-based practice has informed how we implement our curriculum, Rosenshine’s Principles are at the heart of the approach to teaching and learning. Teachers are currently developing the use of these principles within their teaching. We believe that together we can inspire growth and change in all our pupils, whatever their barriers to learning. Teachers are self-reflective throughout and planning demonstrates prior learning, a theory-based approach to delivering new learning, such as modelling, guided practice, providing scaffolds, targeted questioning, and planned knowledge for the future.
Lessons are skilfully planned using quality resources to ensure that children effectively acquire, rehearse and connect existing knowledge to new learning. Previous learning is revisited and new knowledge and skills are explicitly taught through guided practice so that children rapidly acquire new learning.
Starting each learning sequence with a ‘key question’, we give learning a context and a focus: a purpose for their study so that learning is meaningful and relevant. Experiences are planned to enhance learning such as a field study, a visitor, workshops, artefact boxes, role play, to inspire and consolidate children’s understanding. Such immersive experiences provide all children with cultural capital and an understanding of their community and the wider world. Teachers’ are motivated and their passion and knowledge of their pupils, through continuous formative assessment, drives enthusiasm. They focus feedback on the following questions ‘Where am I going?’, ‘How am I going to get there?’ and ‘Where do I go next?’. This leads them on an interconnected narrative of what has gone before and what is yet to come.
Children regularly revisit learning to reflect and consolidate their learning through discussions, low stake quizzes ‘show me’ and answering planned questions to express what they have learnt and achieved. By doing so, teachers can effectively address gaps in learning and plan for the next steps in their learning. We value communication with all our stakeholders and share all relevant information, regularly sharing positive messages with families to ensure our children feel valued.
Impact
We are extremely proud of our children. Our children can express the kind of people they aspire to be, the kind of world they aspire to create, and the kind of education we aspire to provide.
By talking with our children, it is clear the impact our curriculum has on their lives and on preparing them for their future. Curriculum plans are continually reviewed and amendments made based upon the voice of our children and their needs. It celebrates their individuality, moulding their whole being. From their different starting points, we deliver an ambitious curriculum for every pupil and their books and confidence in discussing their own learning illustrates their strong progress.
The teaching of the curriculum ensures the children’s learning is embedded in their long-term memory, thus securing their understanding of the knowledge and skills needed to enable them to attain highly and be fully prepared for their next stage of education. We aim for our children to leave here resilient, respectful, skilful, ambitious and with a thirst for life and all it has to offer. The children know they are listened to. Everything we do here at St. Charles’ is for the children, with Jesus at the centre.