Curriculum Intent Statement

Teaching aims

We offer a holistic curriculum that champions our community and is aspirational. The teachings of Jesus and the Bible are the heart of our curriculum and guide us in our learning. At St. James’, we aspire to spark a love of learning in all our children where they build strong foundations of knowledge in EYFS which are further developed as they journey through Key Stages One and Two. We are passionate and committed to developing the Oracy skills of our children, enabling them to speak confidently and articulate themselves and their learning. This is achieved through a variety of lessons which may involve learning activities such as presenting, drama and role play. We have high aspirations for all learners and we endeavour to ensure that all children leave St James’ with life long skills - with a particular focus on being able to communicate effectively so that this enables them to flourish and be successful in the wider world. 

As children progress at St. James’ we endeavour to make explicit links to prior and future learning in all subjects. There is a particular focus on the pre-teaching of vocabulary to enable children to achieve good progress across the curriculum. We also ensure that writing is a focus across the curriculum to allow children to develop their language and communication skills in a range of subjects and contexts. Alongside this, we champion reading in all that we do, ensuring that we promote reading for pleasure as a daily non-negotiable.

In order for our children to become successful citizens, we ensure that we provide support to our children at all stages of transition in their educational journey. In addition to preparing our children through our values, SKATs and oracy, we also dedicate time to key stage transition and transition days for all children before they start a new year group. During their time at St. James’, all children will take part in the ‘Buddy’ scheme which pairs children in EYFS to a Year 5 child and allows them to build strong, positive relationships. For our Year 6 children, we have built positive relationships with the local secondary schools and work closely with them to ensure a positive transition for all children irrespective of background, SEND needs or academic ability. Transition for our year 6 children is also continued beyond Year 6, as we run ‘Drop In’, an after school club for children in Years 6-8 which allows us to maintain positive relationships with past pupils and their families. All children at St. James’ know that they will always be a part of the St. James’ CE family.

Curriculum Implementation at St James CE Primary

Curriculum design

At St. James’, we enhance our curriculum in many ways. In all subjects, we promote and explicitly teach oracy skills to enable our children to develop their language and communication skills. All classes use Kagan structures to allow children to build upon their knowledge through speaking, listening and collaboration with others. All teachers use active learning strategies to enhance teaching and learning and ensure that children are active participants in lessons at all times.

Learning is celebrated regularly through our Friday Worships, when Stars of the Week are announced. As well as this, children are recognised for showing SKATs and receive a certificate to celebrate this. Pupils’ learning is regularly given a real-life context which engages them in their learning, such as providing a meaningful audience to whom their learning is presented (e.g. publishing writing for display in the local library or inviting link governors to watch presentations of learning).

Inquiry and investigation skills are promoted in all lessons through the use of SKATs. These are woven into all lessons with explicit links made for children to understand how they are developing these skills and attributes within and outside of the classroom. As well as this, SKATs encourage and celebrate growth mindset (e.g. “I am positive.”, “I can learn from my mistakes.”, etc.).

Enrichment and Cultural Capital

Our curriculum is designed to provide our children with memorable experiences and diverse opportunities to learn and develop a wide range of transferable skills. Through outdoor learning, children are able to further develop their skills in different environments and make meaningful connections between their learning and the local area. The curriculum is further enriched through educational trips which allow children to apply newly-learned knowledge and skills to wider contexts and also provides opportunities for children to build cultural capital.

Curriculum Impact at St James CE Primary

The children have access to an ambitious curriculum which is broad and balanced and champions our community. It ensures that knowledge is built upon across year groups and Key Stages as it grows in difficulty sequentially. All children at St. James’ enjoy learning and make expected or better than expected progress.

The impact of our curriculum is evident in the work produced by the children in their books and scrapbooks. A celebration of this, as well as enrichment activities, can be seen on our website, Facebook page and Padlet boards. Subject leaders record pupil voice by speaking with the children on a regular basis to gather their views and allow them to celebrate their learning by sharing work they are proud of. Learning is also evident in the environment; on working walls, whole-school displays and in the wider community.

Pupil progress and attainment is rigorously monitored through ongoing assessment through key assessment points: three times a year for Reading, Writing and Maths; and twice a year for foundation subjects. Teachers meet with senior leaders in school to discuss pupil progress and set effective targets for all children, including children with SEND and PPG.

Future planning is directed by AfL. Through the use of clear and effective assessment recording, gaps in learning are analysed, identified and addressed as quickly as possible. Misconceptions are addressed immediately and planning is adapted to ensure lessons effectively meet the needs of all learners. Misconceptions and gaps in learning are pre-empted through the use of clear and effective assessment records. Prior learning is regularly revisited to ensure that knowledge and skills are embedded. Children are able to reflect on their learning journey by identifying what they already know and what they have learned in all subject areas at regular points during the year. Children are also encouraged to identify mistakes in their learning and explore how they can learn from this (e.g. during conferencing, fix-it time and editing time). All children are aware that mistakes are a natural part of their life experience and that they can be used as valuable tools to enhance learning, linking to our foundation scripture John 10:10, which can mean living through challenging times as well as times of abundance.

Leaders in school monitor the impact of our curriculum through regular learning walks, book scrutinies, analysis of data and pupil interviews. Governors maintain a strategic overview of the impact of our curriculum through termly ‘Standards’ meetings. They receive regular feedback from subject leaders and challenge them through questioning. Governors and subject leaders work effectively together to present findings to the whole governing body ensuring that all stakeholders are involved in the development and monitoring of our curriculum.