Our Curriculum Intention

St Mark’s CE Primary School offers a broad, balanced and fully inclusive curriculum. We ensure that reading and language acquisition play a central part and that every child has the opportunity to leave us with confidence and independence, knowing that their opinions and ideas matter. Our aim is to develop life-long learners giving them the skills and tools to equip them for the real world. Children understand what it is to be an artist, a geographer, a mathematician etc and through memorable experiences and excellent quality delivery, children are encouraged to develop inquisitive minds and a love of learning. By considering each subject separately and the skills within it which need developing, we are able to ensure we have a broad and balanced curriculum.

Our intent is to give children life skills, learning skills and knowledge so that they are able to resiliently express themselves and approach life as all-rounded citizens.  At St Mark’s we believe in promoting a growth mindset in all learners.  If you have a growth mindset you become more resilient and are more able to have a positive attitude to challenges.  We teach children strategies and ideas to become more resilient and to see the benefit in finding learning challenging.

 Our curriculum is ambitious and progressive. It is well planned and sequenced towards clearly defined end points for each pupil, in each subject. It provides focused opportunities for all children to have rich, memorable, awe-inspiring experiences that are developed around the needs and interests of the whole child. The mental health and wellbeing of our children is a priority. This is supported throughout the whole curriculum in the way in which it is delivered and by making good use of extra-curricular opportunities.

We aim to equip our children with the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed as educated, responsible citizens within an ever-changing world. Our CIRCLE values enable them to thrive, be safe and do the very best they can in all areas of school life. Our curriculum promotes positive behaviours and relationships and a love of learning, allowing children to take an interest and appreciation in the world around them, whilst contributing positively to our local community and beyond.

The aims of our school curriculum are:

• to ensure children leave St Mark’s with subject specific knowledge and skills 
• to ensure they are ready for the next stage of learning
• to enable all children to learn and develop their skills to the best of their ability
• to provide learning opportunities which are accessible to all
• to promote a positive attitude towards learning, so that children enjoy coming to school, and acquire a solid basis for lifelong learning
• to promote positive mental health and well-being
• to teach children the basic skills of literacy, numeracy and information technology (IT)
• to enable children to be creative and to develop their own thinking
• to teach children how to be safe in the wider world
• to teach children about their developing world, including how their environment and society have changed
• to help children understand Britain’s cultural heritage and the British Values
• to enable children to be positive citizens in society
• to fulfil all the requirements of the National Curriculum and the Locally Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education
• to teach children to have an awareness of their own spiritual development, and to understand right from wrong
• to help children understand the importance of truth and fairness
• to enable children to have respect for themselves and high self-esteem, and to be able to live and work co-operatively with others

Curriculum Implementation

Our integrated curriculum (projects) is unique to St Mark’s CE Primary School and this is taught in EYFS and Key Stage 1.  Projects integrate subjects to ensure it is meaningful and purposeful, with first hand experiences. These projects enable children to make connections and links over and over again. Some subjects are taught discretely, e.g. Maths, RE, PE, Music, Computing, Spanish and Phonics/Spelling, however, we endeavour to integrate knowledge and skills where possible.

In Key Stage 2 subject specific areas are taught and links are made between subjects when they enhance the learning.  This enables children to deepen their learning further in specific subject areas and to know what skills and knowledge is necessary to be a Historian, Artist etc. Learning is taught through stand-alone subject areas in order for the progressive skills and knowledge development to take place. Learning experiences are carefully sequenced and planned in order for skills and knowledge to be developed. 

Teachers plan the learning journey in small, engaging steps through a range of memorable experiences and lessons.  Children are taught the learning journey so that all learning has purpose and children can make links in their learning.  Lessons are planned with a ‘spotlight’ being shone on the key learning. This supports the development of a love of learning and engagement in the learning process. Children are also encouraged to reflect on their learning and to consider what more they know now. Small steps in learning, questioning and retrieval enable children to really understand what they are doing and to deepen their understanding. Teachers do not move children on in their learning until they are ready to do so. Retrieval opportunities are used regularly as part of learning in order for children to revisit learning and to apply it in other contexts. All statutory elements of the curriculum are planned for and monitoring is in place to ensure coverage takes place.

Due to our mixed year group classes, our curriculum is taught over a two year rolling programme (except in the EYFS), which ensures the long term objectives from the Early Years Framework and the National Curriculum (KS1 and KS2) are coherently planned to ensure broad and balanced coverage, as well as progression across all year groups.

Teachers know what key vocabulary, knowledge and skills the children need to learn in order to achieve success and progress across a range of contexts. Leaders use Book Study (monitoring through pupil voice, book looks and planning scrutiny) and summative/formative assessment to check on understanding and inform further teaching. This information is also used to plan for enrichment, cultural experiences, interventions, additional support, challenge and mastery for all groups of children. We have high expectations for our children to achieve expected end of year outcomes or beyond.

Different audiences, including parents/carers, are often invited to the outcomes and have the opportunity, as do the children, to feedback which supports the planning and review process.

CIRCLE VALUES linked to learning

Through the school CIRCLE values children learn the life skills to be respectful and responsible citizens. These values and attributes underpin our curriculum and all of school life.

Mental health, wellbeing and spirituality

St Mark’s CE Primary School prioritises mental health and wellbeing of the whole school community.  Staff and children are taught ways to ensure they keep themselves healthy in both body and mind.  The children have time to discuss their worries and time for relaxation, mindfulness sessions for thinking deeply and time to ‘just be’.

In addition to our SCARF PSHE curriculum, we have a trained ELSA and make good use of services and support offered by other providers, including the Mental Health Support Team and Primary Behaviour Service.  As a school, we recognise that securing positive emotional development is key to success for both educational and pastoral outcomes.

Impact

Our pupil’s attainment and achievement has consistently been above national expectations. Our children become confident, knowledgeable learners who are well prepared for their next step in learning. Children leave St Mark’s with a rich and wide range of experiences and happy memories, which will impact on their future enthusiasm and motivation for lifelong learning.

If you have any queries regarding our curriculum, please feel free to contact your child's Class Teacher or Rachel Jones (Deputy Headteacher)