Curriculum
Curriculum Intent, Implementation and Impact
As a school community, we believe our children possess unique abilities and qualities; as such they have the right to succeed, recognise their own talents, and develop who they are in a respectful and caring environment. Our school ethos is firmly rooted in our values with a ‘love of learning’ being the foundation of everything we do…so that we are ‘Growing and Achieving Together.’
Curriculum Intent
St Thomas the Martyr CE’s curriculum is broad and balanced taking into account our school’s unique characteristics. Our curriculum is designed with an enquiry based approach which enables children to make progress and for teachers to facilitate the learning. We build children’s aspirations demonstrating possibilities for their future lives. Our Christian Values underpin all that we do in school – fostering independence and resilience. High expectations in speech, language and communication strengthen the children’s ability to learn at a deeper level, allowing them to articulate their learning; demonstrating quality thinking and application of skills and knowledge. Physical and mental wellbeing are prioritised within our curriculum design allowing children opportunities to exhibit spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding.
Curriculum Implementation
Our curriculum balances the national expectations and an all-encompassing range of experiences allowing our children to flourish. Clear strategic planning allows the curriculum to be dynamic and adapt to the context of the school and children’s needs. Age related expectations combine the acquisition of knowledge and development of skills to create a purposeful and exciting learning journey for every child. The curriculum has high expectations to combine transferable skills, demonstrate a breadth of vocabulary and develop strong cross curricular links. Our Outstanding classroom environments stimulate and engage quality thinking and reasoning. Our marking policy is an opportunity for children to reflect on their learning and think deeply in their feedback.
Curriculum Impact
We use rigorous triangulated monitoring throughout the year to gauge the impact of the curriculum design. Subject Leaders monitor individual subjects: reviewing learning, evaluating pupil voice, providing individual feedback to move practice forward, celebrating positives and highlighting areas of development. Our whole school team strengthen our ethos and vision as we work together to reflect upon our curriculum and share outcomes driving forward next steps. Learning is measured through careful analysis of application of skills across the curriculum; showing how acquisition of knowledge is enhanced dramatically by expectations to evidence quality thinking and demonstrate individual understanding. Class teachers, Subject Leaders and the SLT conduct performance analysis linked to monitoring and measuring performance against individual and school targets.
Please click on the links below to explore the school curriculum map and subject specific policies. Should you require any copies, contact our school bursar, Mrs Greenwood at [email protected]