Curriculum

Our Curriculum Intent

Our curriculum is not just what we teach, it is all that we do. There are two elements to our curriculum that work alongside each other so that we can develop virtuous, well rounded children who are well prepared for the demands and challenges of both the wider world and their local context. We also believe that primary school should be an adventure, that it should be the best days of your life.

These two elements are:

Christ at the Centre: Our curriculum is designed to enable our pupils to deepen their faith and become virtuous disciples. Through the teaching of Catholic Character Education, we deepen our faith, explore the virtues and contribute to our community, both locally and beyond. With Christ at the centre of all we do, we aim to provide a creative, inclusive, challenging and real-world curriculum that inspires future thinkers, innovators and problem solvers in an immersive environment that stimulates and supports high quality learning. We aim to ensure that all learners exceed their potential academically, socially, emotionally and spiritually with their families, in their communities as in the wider world ensuring that they become ambitious lifelong learners.

We are:

• A School of Faith
• A School of Virtue
• A School of Mission

Child at the Centre: Our curriculum is designed to meet the needs of our children. We are guided by the National Curriculum which sets out subjects and content which we must teach. Within this, however, there is flexibility so that we can interpret and plan to meet the needs and interests of our children now and for the future. The key aim for all our teaching and learning is to provide opportunities for all pupils to learn, to enjoy, be curious, creative and to achieve. We want to provide a safe, language-rich environment where children can have an adventure and have the best days of their lives.

We are:

• A School of Excellence
• A School of Reading
• A School of Communication
• A School of Citizenship
• A School of Health
• A School of Culture, Curiosity and Creativity

Our Curriculum Implementation

Christ at the Centre

A School of Faith

We help each child grow in faith by following The Way, The Truth and The Life Religious Education programme, by giving children the opportunity to worship their creator in the classroom, in church and when alone. We also learn about and respect other faiths and celebrate our differences.

A School of Virtue

We help each child grow in positive personal strengths called virtues, through the teaching of Catholic Character Education: to develop a good understanding of right and wrong, to love one another, to respect and treat each other as equals and become decent and responsible citizens.

We do this through teaching knowledge and understanding of the spiritual, moral, social and cultural heritages of our diverse community and society. We want everyone in our school to understand and appreciate their own and different beliefs and cultures, and how these influence our communities.

A School of Mission

We help each child nurture and grow in their faith so that they can continue God’s work.  We want children at St Anne’s to contribute to the Catholic mission of the school and parish by leading class and whole school worship; joining in pilgrimages with children from our sister schools; contributing to parish masses; helping others in our local, national and international community by volunteering, fundraising and supporting the work of a variety of charities.

Child at the Centre

A School of Excellence

We encourage confidence and high aspirations so everyone realises their full potential and talents.

We encourage and stimulate the best possible progress and the highest attainment for all our pupils. Our curriculum builds on pupils’ needs, strengths, interests and experiences and develops children’s confidence in their capacity to learn and work independently and collaboratively.

We place great importance on the skills of literacy, numeracy, information and communication technology and problem-solving. We promote skills that help our learners to improve their own learning and performance.  We aim for them to have the skills to learn independently, interdependently and to work as a team. 

A School of Reading

We place reading and books at the centre of the curriculum as children who enjoy reading achieve highly across the curriculum.  Developing a love for reading is one of the most effective ways we can create a love for learning and raise attainment. 

We aim for all children to enjoy reading for pleasure. Promoting a love for reading sets children up as readers for life, with all the accompanying benefits that follow. Being able to read well is a key life skill for children, whatever their background and every child deserves the chance to become a reader and have a lifetime of enjoyment. 

We believe that reading is a passport to the world. The benefits of reading go beyond the opportunities offered by being well-read with a good command of english. Reading opens children up to ideas, experiences, places and times they might never otherwise experience in real life. Reading for pleasure helps us to enhance opportunities to learn about a multitude of things that may not be covered by a school curriculum.

We believe that the reading environment of our school should appeal to children of all ages and abilities, and to both boys and girls. Our library and book areas are welcoming, working spaces, where children visit, read, choose, enjoy and talk about books.

A School of Communication and Language

We believe that the development of language is essential for children to grow and learn. Many of our children have English as an additional language and therefore it is important that we teach them English so they can become communicators. Communication and language development is about more than talking. It means all the different ways a child understands and communicates, only part of which are spoken words. As an infant, hearing words and seeing pictures helps a child understand the two are connected. We teach the children the rich vocabulary they need to make the most of our curriculum and the Elklan methods that we have trained staff in give us the tools needed to help children with their speech, language and communication needs.

A School of Citizenship

We aim to provide opportunities that enable pupils and staff to develop tolerance, confidence, perseverance, determination and resourcefulness.

We promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and, in particular, the differences between right and wrong, and that we have rights but also responsibilities. We want everyone in our school to be responsible and caring citizens who make positive contributions to our local, national and international communities.

A School of Health

We help each child adopt healthy lifestyles with a sound knowledge and understanding of the factors that affect their physical and mental health and emotional well-being.

We place a high priority on developing pupils’ physical skills, self-esteem and emotional well-being. We encourage them to recognise the importance of pursuing a healthy lifestyle and keeping themselves and others safe. We promote happy, effective relationships that are based on respect for themselves and for others.

A School of Culture, Curiosity and Creativity

We believe that cultural experiences enrich lives, and participation in creative and cultural activities and experiences can have a significant impact on young people, by developing their appreciation and skills and helping them to learn.

We believe that our children's participation in cultural activities gives them the chance to develop important life skills such as creativity, confidence, self-discipline, effective communication and curiosity. Skills that are particularly important in our current world. We encourage learning to also take place outside the classroom with activities that give children and young people the opportunity to work on real-life challenges; handle risk; develop their curiosity, thinking imaginatively and creatively; think and imagine, facing the unknown and making things happen. Our exciting programme of school visits and residentials gives our children wonderful educational and life enriching experiences.

If you would to find out anymore information on our curriculum vision then please contact Mr Paul Booth (Head of School) Tel: 01535 210600

'I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full'

John 10:10

Below is a recording of the meeting we held for parents introducing our new curriculum. More information can be found below.