The Curriculum at St Anne's Catholic Primary School

A curriculum that promotes the school’s culture and values.

Christ is at the heart of St Anne’s school: we are all created in God’s image. Our ethos is lived out through signs of Christ’s teaching in the school; the way we behave and care for each other as one large family and through our service to society in Catholic Social Teaching. Our values, based on Gospel teachings recognise the dignity of the human person and each child is perceived as a precious individual. Our strong expression of a loving community, where everyone is treated with respect, gives our pupils, staff, families and governors a sense of belonging, giving fullness to life.  We believe these ideals form the basis from which we grow our conscience; our values, motivations, aspirations, choices and actions.

The school’s mission is:
                                                             Each one of us is special

Each one of us is unique

Because we are created by God’s love.

May God’s love shine on our lives

As we care and share and learn together.

Curriculum Intent 

As a Catholic school, the principles of Catholic education is at St Anne's core, guiding us in pursuit of excellence and preparing our children as world citizens of the 21st century.

St Anne's is driven by a high academic ambition for all children and we ensure a broad and balanced curriculum for all pupils regardless of any barriers for learning. 

At St Anne's our curriculum fulfils the requirements of the National Curriculum and ensures we meet the needs of our school context and community. Our curriculum raises the ambition for all our pupils enabling them the chance for success, regardless of their starting points. We strive to provide meaningful experiences, allowing children to appreciate the wider world and recognise the opportunities that exist outside of our community.

• Knowledge is at the heart of our curriculum; the more knowledge children have the more they will make sense of the concepts taught.

• Learning is most effective when children have the opportunity to build on prior learning.  Knowledge, skills and understanding are carefully planned and organised so learning is sequential and developmental.

• For knowledge to become embedded into long term memory, children develop understanding by applying knowledge in a variety of contexts.
• Central to the curriculum is the development of vocabulary so that pupils can articulate their understanding with confidence and fluency.
• The curriculum and ethos recognises our children’s uniqueness and builds upon their home experiences,
• The cultural capital we provide for our children is to support them to grow into educated citizens who have had broad experiences and knowledge with a strong appreciation of human achievement and creativity. We recognise cultural capital as one of the key things that our children will utilise throughout their lives in order to become successful in society.
• Children know about keeping safe, enabling pupils to recognise online and offline risk. The promotion of British values, (Democracy, Rule of Law, Individual Liberty, Mutual Respect and Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs) ensures that children are aware of their rights and responsibilities as UK citizens.
• In recognising each child’s holistic development, emotional support for children’s mental and physical well being enables vulnerable children to fully access their learning and curriculum entitlement.
• Reading is a priority and is an interconnected subject across the curriculum.

Curriculum Implementation 

At St  Anne’s, all subjects within the curriculum are carefully mapped out into long-term plans. Curriculum plans outline when key concepts, knowledge and skills will be taught and revisited and show how these concepts progressively lead towards children achieving national curriculum end points. Short term planning is informed by the subject’s long-term plan, medium term planning and the subject’s progression statements. 

We ensure that quality first teaching based on the EEF SEND Five-a-Day model is in place to meet the needs of the children.

Lessons have clearly defined outcomes and pupils are taught using effective teaching sequences which include explicit instruction, modelling, scaffolding, guided practice, independent work and feedback.

Teachers assess pupils work and identify any misconceptions so that these can be addressed. Assessment is used to check whether pupils have gained the intended learning during lessons and to inform future teaching. Teachers understand that for pupils to learn, knowledge and skills need to become embedded in long-term memory. To ensure this happens all lessons are planned to build on what has been taught before and work towards defined end points. Teachers ensure pupils have a secure understanding of the learning intention and can use and apply their knowledge and skills fluently and independently. All teachers are supported to develop expert subject knowledge through high quality CPD, both from within school and from external providers.

Curriculum Content

Our curriculum follows the National Curriculum in content. Our approach to curriculum design recognises the benefits of a focus on subject specific content coupled with a flexible approach that enables us to make links across the curriculum. 

An overview of each subject is as follows:

Religious Education

We follow the Catholic Birmingham Diocese curriculum strategy (Learning and Growing as the People of God) from Foundation (Nursery) to Year 6.

English

English is planned for, following the EYFS Framework and KS1 and KS2 national curriculum.
St Anne’s has chosen the following programmes and frameworks to support the delivery of the English NC

       Speaking and Listening approaches utilising 'The Oracy Framework'

• RWI in early years and KS1(including relevant interventions across KS2)
• Sentence building 'The Writing Revolution'
• Talk-for Writing approach across school
• Cross-curricular 'Disciplinary' writing
• Collins spellings and grammar KS1 & KS2
• Pie Corbett Reading Spine
• Ashley Booth Reading Resources

Whilst the National Curriculum forms the foundation of our curriculum, we make sure that children learn additional skills, knowledge and understanding and enhance our curriculum as and when appropriate.

Mathematics

Mathematics units are based upon the ‘White Rose’ schemes of work.  There is a yearly overview for each year group from Rec to Year 6. Each term is split into blocks of work, with time allowed for the introduction of new content and the integration of fluency, reasoning and problem solving. We use a variety of resources to support our Maths planning alongside White Rose.

Science

Science planning is built around the Collins ‘Snap Science” scheme of work which delivers an enquiry based approach to science teaching and supports children to use their developing science enquiry skills to build their knowledge of the scientific ideas in a systematic and conceptually appropriate way.

Computing

Our computing curriculum uses the scheme produced by Purple Mash which aims to provide an exciting, rich, relevant and challenging computing curriculum for all pupils which teach pupils to become responsible, respectful and competent users of data, information and communication technology. Each unit includes a specific focus on e-safety.

History

Our history curriculum is planned and designed, using the units of work produced by Rising Stars and Pearson as its core, whilst also incorporating opportunities to draw upon the children’s own personal experiences and their locality. Our aim is to provide a high quality history education, which will help children to gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past, present and future and that of wider world.

Geography

Our geography curriculum is planned and designed, using the units of work produced by Rising Stars and Pearson as its core, whilst also incorporating opportunities to draw upon the children’s own personal experiences and their locality. Our aim is to equip children with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with an understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes.

Design and Technology

Design and Technology is built around the KAPOW scheme. The projects we have selected encourage children to look at, evaluate and adapt existing products and systems, working creatively to design their own. These projects include a focus on cooking and apply the principles of nutrition and healthy eating.

Art and Design

Art and Design is built around the KAPOW scheme. All lessons are built on four key pillars: generating ideas, evaluating, knowledge and making, and ensure progression of skills. Throughout each unit, the children are introduced to inspirational artists and craftspeople from around the world.

Modern Foreign Language

French is taught through the Language Angels scheme of work and resources to ensure we offer a relevant, broad, vibrant and ambitious foreign languages curriculum that will inspire and excite our pupils using a wide variety of topics and themes.

Music

Music uses KAPOW resources to give children confidence and a life-long love of music. The children will develop the ability to become performers, composers and listeners of music from many genres. 

Physical Education

Physical Education is based on Get Set 4PE scheme of work which aims to give EVERY child the physical literacy, emotional and thinking skills to achieve in PE, sport and life. The child-centred approach is designed to offer support and challenge. Each unit focuses on the development of agility, balance and coordination, healthy competition and cooperative learning. 

PSHE
The school makes a conscious effort to incorporate PSHE into the curriculum, placing a great deal of importance on the children’s emotional health and well-being and the part they can play in the sustainability agenda.
We use the Jigsaw PSHE which is a unique, spiral, progressive and effective scheme of work, aiming to prepare children for life, helping them really know and value who they truly are and understand how they relate to other people in this ever-changing world

Curriculum Enrichment

Our curriculum is extended by a variety of enrichment activities including day visits, cultural experiences and themed days.  We also offer a wide range of clubs.

Curriculum Impact 

Learning can be defined as an alteration in long-term memory. Teachers use assessment to ensure our pupils have gained the intended knowledge and skills, can use these effectively and know more, remember more and are able to do more. The impact of our curriculum can be seen in the work produced by our pupils and by considering the progress they are making in line with the defined end points identified in our curriculum. Our pupils develop the knowledge, skills and cultural capital needed to ensure they successfully progress onto the next stage in their education and life and develop into responsible, respectful and resilient citizens. Most importantly, they will continue with their journey of faith.

Our work on promoting language and social skills, including virtues and values, resilience and well-being enables the children to become the very best version of themselves made in the image of Christ.

To our pupils:

• You will embrace each other’s differences and show kindness and forgiveness to those around you, journeying towards a shared understanding of God’s love for one another.
• You will understand how unique you are, believe in yourself and have confidence in your abilities.
• You will have experienced learning in many creative forms, though music and art, science, drama and debating. Through using the outdoors and practical activities, making use of our school grounds, local area and beyond.
• You will feel a part of your community and be proud of your school.
• You will understand the shared responsibility we have to look after God’s World and encourage others to do so.
• You will know the importance of making mistakes and spend your time learning and achieving from them.
• You will know what it feels like to succeed and have achieved your very best
• You will love learning new things and want to keep learning more by being inquisitive and asking questions.
• You will know and understand friendship and have learned how to get along.

Christ is at the centre of all that we do.

Teachers assess pupils work and identify any misconceptions so that these can be addressed. Assessment is used to check whether pupils have gained the intended learning during lessons and to inform future teaching. Teachers understand that for pupils to learn, knowledge and skills need to become embedded in long-term memory. To ensure this happens all lessons are planned to build on what has been taught before and work towards defined end points. Teachers ensure pupils have a secure understanding of the learning intention and can use and apply their knowledge and skills fluently and independently. All teachers are supported to develop expert subject knowledge through high quality CPD, both from within school and from external providers.

Christ is at the centre of all that we do.