Curriculum Intent
Let your light shine ~ be the best we can be!
Our curriculum's purpose is to develop the children's knowledge, understanding and character in order for them to let their light shine and be the best they can be.
Pupils academic and personal development are nurtured side-by side as they travel through school. Beyond the academic a wider framework of spiritual, physical, intellectual, emotional, moral and social development has been developed to enable our children to flourish.
Through our curriculum and school vision, we aim to ensure that all pupils leave us with the necessary knowledge, skills, attitudes, and international mindfulness that they need to succeed in life. We aim to ensure that pupils are independently minded, courageous, and confident citizens of the future.
Let your light shine to reach your God-given potential.
Our curriculum establishes a secure knowledge base.We have considered the knowledge, skills and attitudes that are required to achieve academic excellence at primary and secondary school, and beyond.Subject leaders oversee planning, ensuring that pupils in each year group receive a rigorous, coherent and intelligently sequenced curriculum, which builds on what has come before.Our curriculum is grounded in evidence about how pupils learn and retain knowledge in the long term. High quality teaching and well-planned learning activities, mean that children of all abilities experience success, challenge and enjoyment across all subjects.
Pupils’ cultural capital is well developed due to adults knowing pupils well - this enables us to adapt our provision to bridge gaps. Cultural capital is also considered at every strategic level through the design of our wider curriculum opportunities and experiences.
Learning behaviours are explicitly modelled, taught and recognised. Our Learning Gems have been specifically selected to meet the needs of our pupils and provide a common language for children to identify, discuss and improve their own learning behaviours.
At St James’s, we have developed a question based curriculum, where children learn through meaningful questioning and exploration.Teachers aim to spark curiosity and support pupils in developing personal learning skills and a lifelong love of learning. Our broad and balanced curriculum is full of experiences planned to engage and excite, including visits and visitors, Stunning Starts and Fantastic Finishes. Learning Ambassadors provide the pupils with a voice to directly influence and develop the teaching and learning within school.
Our curriculum reflects the school’s pride in local industrial heritage, and we have worked closely with Historic England to ensure that our children have a clear understanding of the significance of the area in which they live. In unison Geography field work is integrated into all units of work and is designed to build pupils’ sense of place within the local area and beyond.
Let your light shine courageously.
With courage as one of our of school values, we encourage our pupils to take risks and use mistakes as learning opportunities in a safe environment . Growth mindset is interwoven into lessons , collective worship and whole school events. As a result, over time, pupils build their skillsets in terms of resilience, perseverance and independence with showing courage as the vital ingredient.Our curriculum activities are opportunities for teaching and practice of these skills, for example through maths problems, science experiments and zip wires on residentials! Planned opportunities throughout our curriculum to further develop oracy skills aim to create confident and articulate speakers. Our lunchtime provision – Opal – is designed to allow pupils to invent, risk take and learn through play. Our anti-bullying programme ‘No Bystanders’ encourages pupils to be courageous and make difficult choices to protect others. In Collective worship pupils have the opportunity to courageously reflect and respond to challenging themes. Courageous advocacy is taught explicitly as a concept and modelled and guided by staff so that pupils develop a secure understanding. This ‘blue print’ then allows inspired pupils to act as courageous advocates with increased independence overtime.
Let your light shine as a beacon of hope.
We aim to develop our pupils understanding of how their choices and actions can impact on others. We often talk of being role models to others and our ability to bring light where there is darkness. Pupils learn how shining their lights can make a real difference but also how the lights of many in unison can have impact on a larger scale. The children are exposed to the lives of inspirational people through units of work and collective worship who act as shining lights themselves and examples to our pupils. We support children in viewing the world as future local, national, and global citizens for example by providing opportunities for them to reflect and respond to real-world news stories, environmental issues, and key events. Supporting different charities throughout the year, pupils explore thankfulness and generosity as important values.
