At St Edward’s, we encourage pupils ‘to Love each other and know we are loved”.

John:13 34-35 - ‘A new command I give you, love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another’.

The importance of understanding that each of us is rooted in love is not under-estimated at St Edward’s.

 

Our intention is for our pupils to leave St Edward’s prepared for ‘Life in all its fullness’ and ready to tell their own stories.

 

Our Christian vision has driven us to create a bespoke curriculum for our pupils that pursues the acquisition of wisdom, knowledge and skills alongside educating for aspiration, dignity, and respect. It is also our intention to nurture a sense of community, so that all members of our school develop a deep sense of belonging, both locally and within the wider world. We believe that these attributes will support our pupils to live well together and flourish, as they move on to secondary school and beyond.

 

Our curriculum offer is therefore divided into three focus areas: ‘Love, forgiveness and Trust’:

 

 

Love – Embracing our neighbours, developing a greater awareness of the challenge’s others face in life and how we can make a difference in our school community, local community and further afield.  Through the curriculum we develop pupils understanding of challenges locally and globally. We teach pupils to listen with respect and

 

 

Forgiveness – Having a growth mindset, developing resilience, being able to persevere to achieve our goals. Forgiving ourselves when things don’t go well so that we can learn and grow.

 

Trust – Living wholeheartedly. Using the knowledge and skills in our curriculum to trust our decisions and choices so that we are able to choose our own path free from stereotyping; being curious, aspirational. Speaking out for those who do not have a voice. 

 

 

At St Edward’s CofE Primary School, we believe that a carefully sequenced curriculum can empower our pupils and reduce social inequality, whilst providing the knowledge they need for the next stage of their education and beyond. We view our curriculum as a spiral: the mapped-out journey of concept building leading to a change in long term memory and an increase in knowledge. Through progressive concepts throughout the curriculum, the children will develop a deep and rich understanding, meaning that the knowledge and skills that are acquired are more likely to be remembered. Our curriculum sets out WHAT will be learned and WHEN it will be learned. We understand that cultural capital is the essential knowledge that children need to prepare them for their future success. Through our curriculum we provide different experiences and opportunities to support the accumulation of knowledge, behaviours, and skills that a child gains over time.

An aspirational, inclusive and broad curriculum; sequenced carefully to encourage children to know more and remember more. A curriculum that prepares pupils for a full and rich life within a global community where diversity, responsibility and inclusion provide opportunity for all.

Curriculum Intent, Implementation, Impact

Intent

• All staff were involved in developing and planning the curriculum.

• The curriculum has been developed so that all children have the opportunities to be the best they can be and to flourish within a supportive loving environment.

• Subject leaders have ensured their expertise and passion for each subject have driven the careful sequencing, progression and building upon key skills and knowledge.

• The curriculum is broad, balanced and aspirational for all pupils regardless of background or circumstances.

• Our pupils are encouraged to identify links between and within subjects as well as previous learning.

• They are exposed to rich subject specific vocabulary and the deliberate practice of key skills in order to strengthen memory and make information more retrievable.

• Our curriculum runs as a rolling programme, which ensures purposeful repetition and deliberate opportunities to deepen knowledge.

Implementation

• Our curriculum is carefully tailored to meet the needs of our pupils, they are encouraged to explore and understand the geography and history of the rural area they live in, whilst also being introduced to urban and coastal settlements within the British Isles and the world.

• Our curriculum includes the teaching and learning of a deliberate mixture of knowledge and skills as set out in the National Curriculum and the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Statutory Framework.

• Kapow, Access Art, Get Set4PE & National Centre for Computing Education supports subject leaders to provide a progressive curriculum in some subject areas.

• There is a focus on inclusion, equality, diversity and personal responsibility which provides pupils with a clear understanding of their place in a global community and the opportunities experiences and responsibilities this offers them, encouraging them to explore the world as part of a life-long learning journey.

• Our learning values of self–motivation, confidence, resilience, collaboration, creativity and independence underpin the activities in each lesson.

• Growth Mindset is a reference point for all pupils to reflect on their learning, apply their skills and knowledge and embrace challenge.

• Key vocabulary is a focus in every lesson with the progression of subject specific vocabulary planned into the subject progressions.

• Whilst the curriculum is broad and balanced; reading is prioritized above all else. Guided reading texts are chosen carefully to link with other subjects and the link between reading, writing and oracy is evident through the planning and teaching.

• Research and CPD are key to teachers’ expertise in developing learning.

• Progression in vocabulary is specified at subject, year group and key question level and is directly taught.

• Our learning environment reflects the broad and balanced curriculum, the ambition we have for every child and clearly reflects the learning.

• Curriculum overviews are shared termly with parents and children.

• The broader curriculum includes musical ensembles, workshops, sporting tournaments across schools, after school clubs and trips eg coastal and city. These provide opportunities for pupils to extend their experience beyond the classroom.

• Subject progressions specify prior learning, endpoints and vocabulary.

• Staff are supported in planning and delivery through collaborative working, timetabling, shared teaching and resource files developed by subject leaders to enable best practice.

• Support for children with SEND needs is based on true inclusion. Tasks are scaffolded, prior learning is clear and expectations are set out in smaller steps if needed.

• Subject leaders plan post unit tasks which encourage children to think, talk and write about their learning.

• The post unit tasks enable teachers and leaders to assess the impact of learning and to assess learning gains. They demonstrate progress made over time.

• Flashback 4s are used in most lessons to strengthen memory and retrieval of knowledge.

• Pupil progress in all curriculum areas is tracked carefully using Insight at least termly.

• Formative assessment is used to identify gaps in learning and these are addressed through planning and additional support for groups or individuals as required.

• Monitoring by subject’s leaders and SLT, supported through external expertise, CPD and sharing of best practice develops teachers knowledge and skills

Impact

Pupils leave St Edward’s School, with a love of learning, ready to progress to secondary school with a range of skills and key knowledge, which they can apply to future learning. They are able to offer opinions and views as well as listen to and appreciate the beliefs, ideas and views of others. They understand their responsibilities and know that they are special because they are unique and valued. The secondary schools that pupils move on to always feedback that students from St Edward’s thrive at secondary school because they are well prepared and use their previously learnt skills and knowledge well to move their learning on in Key Stage 3 and beyond.