Wardour Catholic Primary School

The Curriculum at Wardour Catholic Primary School

Statement of Intent:

At Wardour Catholic Primary School, we provide a curriculum that promotes the school’s culture and aims.

The school’s direction stems from its Mission Statement:  

“To develop young people who are confident, reflective, responsible and resilient learners; who understand that learning is for life and who are able to become all that God created them to be.”

Our aims are:

• To provide an inspiring and well-rounded Catholic education for all our children, based on the teaching of Jesus Christ, in which the values of the Gospel underpin all aspects of school life
• To provide a curriculum which is creative, imaginative, enriching, relevant and challenging, where children experience the opportunity to learn in a wide range of contexts
• To challenge our children to aim high but not to be afraid to fail, to have the courage to admit their mistakes, to be curious about the world and make informed decisions, to listen respectfully and value other people’s viewpoints, and to be fearless when standing up for what is right and fair
• To encourage our children to aspire to achieve their full potential and to develop a passion for learning that will stay with them throughout their life
• To support the emotional and spiritual needs of our children so that they develop strength of character and resilience, qualities they need as they grow up and go on to take their place in this fast changing world

Curriculum Intent – how we designed our curriculum

As a Catholic school, the principles of Catholic education remain at our core. This includes the pursuit of excellence and preparing our children as world citizens of the 21st Century. In order for this to be achieved our children need high levels of literacy and numeracy. We recognise R.E as a core subject, so we adhere to the curriculum, ‘God Matters’. At Wardour, we recognise that foundation subjects are important and exciting, providing key learning experiences for children. These are fully embedded in our curriculum.

• Catholic Social Teaching underpins the essence of our daily school life and the curriculum.  It is based on the belief that God has a plan for creation, a plan to build his kingdom of peace, love and justice. It holds that God has a special place in this story for each of us, whoever we are and this is not limited to things ‘spiritual’ but that it involves every aspect of our lives, from the things we pray about, to how we live as responsible global citizens. Pope Francis emphasises that it is our duty to work together to bring about a more just and peaceful world: to put love into action.  At Wardour, we believe this is a vocation for the common good, a call to treat everyone as brothers and sisters and is something that we all share. 
• When planning our curriculum, we recognise the social and economic backgrounds of our families. Our curriculum is designed to enhance children’s awareness of different cultures, practices and beliefs. We plan to provide a wide range of learning experiences. We also plan opportunities for the children to know about keeping safe, with particular focus on keeping safe online. We include and promote British values, (Democracy, Rule of Law, Individual Liberty, Mutual Respect and Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs) ensuring that children are aware of their rights and responsibilities as a UK citizen. Our curriculum is designed to encourage creativity, imagination, enquiry and independence.  We encourage children to make links and transfer their skills and knowledge from one curriculum area to another. We aim to create confident, adaptable learners who are comfortable working independently or collaboratively.
• We plan to use the opportunities available to us in our local environment, making the most of the unique setting of our school.  Every child will have the opportunity to take part in Forest School activities which offer all the children regular opportunities to achieve, develop confidence and self-esteem, through hands on learning experiences in our school grounds. 
• Emotional and mental wellbeing is not only enhanced by Forest School but also by sport. Sport remains central to both our curriculum and extra-curricular provision. We believe the pedagogy of P.E. in sport positively influences other areas of the curriculum and really enhances children’s learning skills such as listening, problem solving, team work, respect and resilience.
• The wellbeing agenda is at the heart of our curriculum. Pupils are able to empathise with the feelings and actions of others, seeing points of views and beliefs other than their own. Particularly in RE and PSHE, they show a keen interest in ethical issues and are able to apply their personal values to situations, giving reasons for their decisions and actions. They are ready to question arguments and situations whilst remaining respectful of the views of others.
• In recognising the development of the whole child the pastoral support given to children so they can access the curriculum is exceptionally strong. The school has various systems which support the emotional and mental well-being of children and provides signposting to their parents. This includes 1 to 1 support and ELSA.
• Teaching staff annually review their medium-term planning to ensure topics are relevant to the children’s interests and needs. All topics include an exciting, experience or event to instil excitement and enthusiasm for the topic. Learning environments are crucial to our curriculum. Classrooms are vibrant, interactive and set up to stimulate and promote independent learning opportunities.
• Our curriculum is designed to ensure deep learning, with focus made on extending those who are working at a greater depth within the curriculum areas; engagement with their learning and initiating the direction of the units of study, particularly in the foundation subjects along with breadth and balance.

Wardour follows the National Curriculum for England as set out by the Department for Education. Details of the framework we follow can be downloaded below:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-curriculum