St Bede's Catholic Primary School

Our School Curriculum

Within our curriculum we ensure that we are covering the statutory content outlined by the National Curriculum however by embedding our school promises and curriculum drivers we are ensuring we are also preparing our children beyond the National Curriculum in order for them to be global citizens in a world which is forever moving forward.  

We have aspirational goals for every single child at St Bede’s and work hard to not only help them achieve their God given potential but to also create aspirational learners who believe there isn’t a ceiling on their learning and achievements. At the forefront of our curriculum, and embedded in everything we do, are our five promises which help us live out God’s gospel;

• We promise to care
• We promise to show respect
• We promise to be honest
• We promise to grow in faith
• We promise to persevere

At St Bede’s we want our children to develop a sense of pride in themselves and respect for others.  We believe in the power of the school community to change and enhance lives and we actively engage with the local Rotherham community to ensure our children know they can make a difference, and do make a difference.  

Intent

Our Curriculum is designed to provide a broad and balanced education that meets the needs of all children. It provides opportunities for children to develop as independent, confident and successful learners, with high aspirations, who know how to make a positive contribution to their community and the wider society. The curriculum ensures that academic success, creativity and problem solving, reliability, responsibility and resilience, as well as physical development, well-being and mental health are key elements that support the development of the whole child and promote a positive attitude to learning. The curriculum celebrates the diversity and utilises the skills, knowledge and cultural wealth of the community while supporting the children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, ensuring that children are well prepared for life in modern Britain whatever their starting points. Our curriculum intention is achieved through the implementation of three key drivers across a curriculum which is effectively planned over a two-year cycle.

Creativity: Creativity is interwoven into all aspects of our curriculum. We teach an engaging curriculum which captures children’s interests in order for them to develop their knowledge and skills. Children will be happy to share their experiences and knowledge gained throughout the topics with others and transfer to future learning.

Communication- Encouraging our children to become confident speakers and communicators. We want our children to be able to communicate within their communities and the wider world and have the confidence to express their ideas and emotions with others. We do this through several strategies including Talk for Writing, Philosophy for Children and Performance Literacy.

Inquiry: We grow inquisitive learners who pose questions and use creative approaches to answer them in their learning. Through project work and a flexible approach to the curriculum we let the children lead their learning, they leave St Bede’s being able to reflect, self-evaluate and solve problems.

Implementation

Our curriculum has been designed to create a balance between the National Curriculum statutory requirements and a range of experiences which allow our pupils the opportunities to broaden their life experiences. Our curriculum provides our pupils with experiences and opportunities which best meet their learning and developmental needs. Through clear strategic planning, our curriculum provides not only memorable experiences but is rich in opportunities from which the children can learn and develop transferable skills. The acquisition of knowledge and the development of skills is carefully planned to create a purposeful and exciting learning journey for every child, ensuring that milestones are met at key stages throughout their primary education. Our vibrant and rich curriculum is designed so that the subject specific skills are scaffolded within a cross-curricular theme or context each term. To ensure that progression and balance is maintained, the programmes of study are then developed into medium term plans which clearly highlight the learning objectives, assessment opportunities, differentiated tasks as well as links to other subjects. Teachers plan and tailor units of work and lessons to address the specific individual needs of pupils so that all pupils can reach their full potential regardless of their starting point. We deliver our curriculum through Quality first teaching ensuring:

• Staff have high expectations of themselves and all the children.
• Teachers are expected to impart knowledge accurately and with enthusiasm.
• Teachers are expected to consider prior knowledge and experiences and to build upon this in a systematic way
• High demands of child engagement with their learning
• High levels of interaction for all children; Appropriate use of teacher questioning, modelling and explaining
• Emphasis on learning through dialogue
• An expectation that children will develop resilience and accept responsibility for their own learning and work independently
• Regular use of encouragement and praise to motivate children
• Effective use of support staff to enhance Quality First Teaching (QFT).

 Impact

The impact of our curriculum is evaluated through end of year assessments and Government tests; through Governor meetings; visits and through our own monitoring of teaching, learning and pupil voice.

• All children achieve well by developing knowledge and skills on their journey through school. This is demonstrated through outcomes at EYFS, Phonics (Year 1), Keys Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.
• Through our Christian beliefs and values, we instil the importance of being ready, safe, and respectful
• Children with SEND achieve the best possible outcomes and are monitored through Governors and in school
• Children leave St Bede’s ready for a successful transition to secondary school. Our preparation for the next stage includes knowledge about the importance of being independent learners, able to contribute to society.

CURRICULUM OVERVIEW - Cycle A (2024/25)