Curriculum Statement

Intent

Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School’s vision is: ‘PROUD of our children; PROUD of our School; PROUD of our faith’. Through our curriculum we strive to develop the, knowledge, skills and learning attitudes of our pupils so that they may become the best that they can be, enabling them to make maximum PROGRESS, develop RESILIENCE, be OPEN to new ideas, celebrate their UNIQUENESS and DEMONSTRATE their faith.

All that we do at Sacred Heart is underpinned by our Christian foundation. We are a Catholic Primary School and as such we believe that every child is special, unique and loved by God. Through the Christian ethos and Gospel values taught at our school, we encourage everyone to treat each other with respect and to develop in their own personal journey of faith, learning and life. Our ambition is to develop the ‘whole child’ nurturing children’s talents and celebrating their achievements and successes.

At Sacred Heart we aim to inspire and motivate children through a curriculum that engages and challenges. Our curriculum is designed to deepen knowledge and understanding and develop skills, so that pupils are prepared for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life. Pupils develop their understanding of their local and national heritage; of multi-cultural Britain and the global world and are encouraged to play an active part as responsible citizens of the 21st Century.

To create a richness in learning, we aim to provide a broad range of exciting, relevant and creative experiences, that inspire pupils to be ‘bothered’ about their own learning; to be curious, passionate and open to new ideas.

Our curriculum is designed to be broad and balanced with literacy and numeracy at its heart. We aim to ensure that all pupils are able to read and therefore access the curriculum with confidence and independence. Effective and deep learning, over time, is gained through carefully constructed progression objectives and sequencing of concepts, within each subject discipline, and across all year groups.

Implementation

At Sacred Heart, we implement an inclusive curriculum that meets the statutory requirements of the Early Years and National Curriculum. Our curriculum is well-planned and delivered through high quality and effective ‘quality first teaching’. There are literacy-rich, cross-curricular opportunities, outdoor learning, inspirational visitors and exciting educational visits. 

From the first foundations, in our Nursery, high priority is given to the development of early reading and writing e.g. through ‘Helicopter Stories’, ‘Drawing the Write Way and phonic development. This continues into Reception, where children continue their phonic development through our scheme: ‘Read, Write Inc’.

Knowledge about language, communication skills and vocabulary development are given high priority. Lessons are well-planned to systematically increase children’s knowledge, building on prior learning, revisiting ideas; to embed concepts and making links in learning. Children are immersed in and exposed to a diet of vocabulary, which is ambitious and subject-specific, to extend their breadth in language.

We give high priority to teaching the fundamentals of reading, writing and Mathematics, every day, to ensure that all pupils acquire the basic skills for learning and life. In Maths, pupils follow ‘Singapore Maths No Problem’ and writing and reading skills are developed through a focus on the enjoyment of literature.

From Year One, all year groups have a ‘Learning Challenge’ which is ‘driven’ through History, Geography or Science focus themes. These themes are also linked to the English curriculum and teachers use high quality focussed texts to inspire reading opportunities and deliver aspects of the English curriculum.

The Learning Challenge idea is built around the principle of maximum pupil involvement in their work. Each ‘learning challenge’ begins with an inspiring ‘Brilliant Beginning’ and concludes with a ‘Fabulous Finish’. It requires deep thinking and encourages pupils to work using ‘big questions’ as the starting point.

Time for pupils to reflect and review their learning is central to the whole process. The opportunity to carry out independent and collaborative work to plan a celebration of learning is an important part of individuals’ learning at the end of each topic.

A number of subject areas are taught as discrete subjects e.g. Science, Physical Education, Foreign Language and cross-curricular links in learning are formed, where appropriate.

Our Religious Education Programme; ‘Come and See’ enables our children to explore their own life experience, their relationships with others and the choices they make. Pupils discover scripture, discussing and interpreting its significance and meaning and re-visit their own experiences in the light of deeper appreciation. Learning about other faiths and cultures is important to us and there are two topics each year in which all pupils find out about Judaism and Islam or Sikhism.

Learning about relationships, sex and health education is developed across the whole school from Nursery to Year Six. There are many opportunities across the curriculum for pupils to ask questions and search for meaning about their relationships with others. Our programme, ‘A Journey in Love’ enables understanding of personal physical development through age appropriate sex education. We use a range of other resources, for example, Coram Education, SCARF and ‘No Outsiders' to explore RSHE themes.

Catholic values and mission help children to develop their spiritual, moral, social and cultural knowledge, understanding and appreciation and British Values are woven through cross curricular work and assemblies.

Impact

Knowledge and skills are regularly assessed against age-related expectations and knowledge based learning objectives. Our literacy-rich curriculum ensures that children are knowledgeable and skilled, achieve well and make progress across the different phases of their education.

The breadth and depth of our curriculum experience enables pupils to become well-rounded, resilient, independent and confident individuals who are well-equipped for the next stage of their education.

Our curriculum enables pupils to be ‘bothered’ about their place and impact in the world and provides them with the

knowledge and skills to achieve their dreams and ambitions.