Curriculum

Our Curriculum Intent:

A child’s early and primary years are a time where children progress and grow at a rapid rate. They view the world with awe and wonder, are abound with questions and continually looking for answers. Life should be full of fun, laughter and learning. At St Gregory’s ALL staff aim to develop this exhilarating time and give our children opportunities to flourish by offering an exciting, challenging and empowering curriculum, equipping them for today and tomorrow.

At St Gregory’s CE Primary School our curriculum is designed to……………….

  1. Make learning a positive, engaging, adventurous and active experience
  2. Enable our children to thrive in a Christian environment, where every child is given opportunities to experience all life has to offer in abundance
  3. Equip our children with skills to enable them to be independent, resilient problem solvers and tenacious in facing next steps
  4. Encourage curiosity, filling inquiring minds with information, answers and more questions
  5. Build on prior knowledge / skills, allowing for progression of learning in a cohesive manner
  6. Promote respect for all, allow for individuality and cultural diversity
  7. Give children the experience of being part of a valued community

We want to offer all our children a range of rich and memorable learning experiences. Ensuring that all children experience a broad, balanced curriculum, providing rich, meaningful opportunities, which continue to promote and be underpinned by our school vision and values: LOVE, FAITH, HOPE. 

 

Curriculum Implementation:

We have introduced the Cornerstones Curriculum. This is a creative approach to learning built on the criteria for an outstanding curriculum.  It ensures that our children learn in the most creative way and are involved in what they are learning.

We use this as a basis for our structure and within this very much understand the importance of personalising the curriculum to our children, our setting and our community. Themes are chosen appropriately and with relevance. Through our curriculum at St Gregory’s we strongly believe in giving our pupils personal first hand experiences.

St-Gregory-unique-pupil-offering-DF-January-2020 (3)St-Gregory-unique-pupil-offering-DF-September 2020

The Four Cornerstones – Philosophy

The most important underlying principle of a curriculum is to help children learn. We believe that a successful curriculum is brought to life by high quality teaching, inspirational learning activities and opportunities to listen and plan for the developing interests and motivations of children.

Cornerstones Curriculum is delivered through a range of inspirational yet rigorous learning projects.

These are based on the National Curriculum, but bring learning together in new and exciting ways.

Each project combines different strands of learning so that children learn more holistically and start to challenge themselves and learn problem solving skills as they create truly fantastic learning opportunities.

Reading and writing form an integral element of the approach but it is important to us at St Gregory’s that all children flourish and experience and enjoy a range of learning.

Learning is a journey and we strive to provide opportunities which will enable our children to enter into society with the necessary skills, experiences and responsibilities for later life.

That is why the Cornerstones Primary Curriculum is built upon a four stage teaching and learning philosophy…

During the Engage stage children will:-

  1. have memorable first-hand experiences – for example going on a visit outside the classroom or inviting a specialist visitor into the classroom
  2. have WOW experiences – Investigate and Discover
  3. be introduced in exciting ways to the new topic or theme
  4. begin initial research and set enquiry questions
  5. have lots of opportunity to make observations
  6. develop spoken language skills
  7. take part in sensory activities
  8. have a great deal of fun, allowing them to fully ‘engage’ with their new topic

During the Develop stage children will:-

  1. dig much deeper to develop their skills, knowledge and understanding of a topic across the curriculum
  2. practice their newfound skills
  3. compose, make, do, build, investigate, explore, write for different purposes, read across the curriculum
  4. research their own questions and those posed by others
  5. follow new pathways of enquiry based on their own interests
  6. complete homework activities that support their learning in school

During the Innovate stage children will:-

  1. apply previous skills, knowledge and understanding in real life contexts
  2. be challenged with real or imagined problems and situations to solve using knowledge and skills from the earlier stages
  3. be inspired with imaginative and creative opportunities
  4. have time to re-visit skills, knowledge and understanding not grasped during the develop stage
  5. have the opportunity to take on different roles

During the Express stage children will:-

  1. become the performers, the experts, the informers
  2. share their achievements with others in many different ways…….parents, class mates and the community
  3. evaluate finished products/processes
  4. tie learning back to the beginning
  5. celebrate

Our approach

  1. develops children to the best of their abilities
  2. helps children to find their passions and interests
  3. facilitates children’s acquisition of knowledge, skills and understanding
  4. helps children to develop intellectually, emotionally, socially, physically and morally
  5. assists children in becoming independent, responsible, useful, confident and considerate members of the community
  6. promotes a positive attitude towards learning, so children enjoy coming to school
  7. helps children to acquire a solid basis for lifelong learning
  8. creates and maintains an exciting and stimulating learning environment
  9. ensures that each child’s education has continuity and progression
  10. enables children to contribute positively within a culturally diverse society.

The curriculum contains the programmes of study and attainment targets for all subjects.

All maintained schools in England began teaching these programmes of study from September 2014.

At St Gregory’s, we follow the programs of study as set out in the national curriculum, adding a wide range of enriching activities in order to achieve academic excellence through a broad, balanced, differentiated, ambitious and exciting curriculum where every child has the opportunity to achieve their potential. 

Key knowledge and skills are taught in ways that seek to enthuse and engage children in their learning.  As the children progress through the school, their experience in all aspects of the curriculum helps towards preparing them for the secondary phase of education and most importantly, for life as a good citizen.

Our school values feature highly throughout life at St Gregory’s along with manners and politeness continually being actively promoted and encouraged.

St Gregory’s Progression of Skills & Knowedge documents:

Please open the following links to see our curriculum coverage and information about individual subjects.

Curriculum Policy

Long Term Plan 2020-21

St-Gregory-unique-pupil-offering-DF-September 2020

English

Writing progression of skills

Maths

Art & Design

Computing

Design & Technology

Geography

History

Languages

Science

Music

PE

Please open the following links to understand assessments as per the National Curriculum:

National Curriculum Assessment for Schools

Assessment Principles for Schools

STAY & LEARN – September 2021

We had a very successful STAY & LEARN morning. Many parents came into school and spent the morning with our classes and engaged in our daily routines. Our Daily mile, had some of them puffing and panting but enjoying none the less. Lessons were attended and learning explored.

We hope this will become a regular feature of St Gregory’s

READING at St Gregory’s

September 2021 Parents Reading Evening

This evening was an open invite to all parents to attend and hear how we deliver phonics / reading at St Gregory’s. This was run by the staff team and our School Improvement Partner, Mike Randall. This was a huge success and feedback from parents showed an improved understanding of school Reading and the resources being offered to our children across the whole school.

We believe children learning to read is a whole school approach and strong foundations be built in our EYFS classroom. Miss Edwards, our English lead has worked hard with staff to develop this approach and supported by our amazing school PTFA we have been able to purchase high quality texts across the setting. This will impact hugely in helping to create a culture of reading, enthusiasm for reading and our pupils becoming life long readers, who gain much pleasure from it.

Development / redecoration of our school library has taken place – this is now accessible to all children, who are getting pleasure from browsing for new books to take home , researching for themes or just enjoying a quiet moment with a book.

All classes have a designated reading area, with recommended reads on display.

Miss Edwards and some of Year 6 Reading Ambassadors run a ‘Book Club’ – giving children the opportunity to share books with friends and with children outside of their age group.

Parents and members of the community, who have been DBS checked are welcomed into school to listen to our children read. We also have a wonderful new school reading dog, who will be joining us next term – following his training.

Cookie & Cream, our gorgeous school guinea pigs are readily available for children to read to and have a cuddle whilst doing so.

Parents & our curriculum:

We try to engage all our parents in our curriculum through inviting them into school to share in the children’s learning, setting home learning activities, holding curriculum evenings, asking their ideas and welcoming feedback.