Our Intent: the rationale for our curriculum design

Our vision underpins our curriculum design guiding us to offer a broad, deep and rich curriculum of learning so that our children grow to be knowledgable, skilful, emotionally intelligent and resilient. Taking into consideration the context of our cohort of children, we are focussed on building cultural capital opportunities where there are gaps, so that all children will flourish, no matter their starting points. We build on previous learning ensuring that all children are prepared for the next phase of their education journey. Sound reading fluency and comprehension is prioritised so that our children have the ability to access all aspects of their curriculum. Subject teaching is enriched through enquiry-based learning and through first hand learning experiences, both in-school and off-site in the many local parks, museums, galleries and places of worship in our city, and beyond. We prioritise rich learning experiences to help develop a love of learning in our children. The arts, music, physical education and teaching of a modern foreign language are additionally prioritised in our school.

Curriculum Overview

The National Curriculum provides pupils with an introduction to the essential knowledge they need to be educated citizens. It strives to introduce pupils to the best that has been thought and said, and helps engender an appreciation of human creativity and achievement.

The National Curriculum is just one element in the education of every child. It provides an outline of core knowledge around which teachers can develop exciting and stimulating lessons to promote the development of pupils’ knowledge, understanding and skills as part of the wider school curriculum. The curriculum contains the programmes of study and attainment targets for all subjects, at all key stages and was revised in 2014.

All maintained schools in England must teach the new programmes of study.  

Every state-funded school must offer a curriculum which is balanced and broadly based, and which promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at school and of society and prepares pupils at school for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life. All state schools are also required to make provision for a daily act of collective worship and must teach religious education to pupils at every key stage.

We ensure that our curriculum is accessible for those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. See Equality Policy and SEND Policy

Details of our curriculum can be found on Our Curriculum page 

Enrichment for All

At St Cuthbert with St Matthias School we believe that all children benefit from Enrichment opportunities outside the set school curriculum. We therefore aim to enhance learning and provide enrichment opportunities for all children in Y1-Y6 through our Enrichment Hour each Friday. In this time we arrange a variety of activities:

• We invite visitors in to speak to the children
• We plan whole day workshops
• We provide our Enrichment Programme where children sign up to an activity on offer, led by members of our staff team. This works as a cross key stage programme, so that children also have opportunities to learn with children in different year groups, within their key stage. Some examples of activities on offer are: origami, knitting, art and crafts, dance, craft, lego, board games, cooking.

Clubs

Our clubs are lunchtime or after-school activities that we believe are very important opportunities to extend children’s learning as well as encourage them in work, collaboration and good sportsmanship.  They can help children to acquire specialist skills and take part in competitive activities.  Clubs can also help children to improve their social skills and make new friends too.

The weekly newsletter provides the latest information about clubs. 

Trips and Visitors

We value opportunities for children to learn through real-life and first-hand experiences. Our curriculum is enriched in this way. We are fortunate to benefit from the close proximity of many wonderful museums and galleries and strive to ensure that our children enjoy rich learning opportunities relating their classroom-based knowledge to real life situations when visiting these centres. Cost of transport or entrance fees apply to most trips. Although we fundraise and apply for grant-funding for many trips or visits, there are times when we need to request payment to cover the travel, entrance costs or the cost of inviting a visitor to our school. We appreciate parents and carers supporting us in this way.