Curriculum Overview

Curriculum Intent: aspirational and inclusive

Our curriculum is ambitious, broad and carefully sequenced so that every child, regardless of starting point, can flourish academically, socially and spiritually, and develop the knowledge and vocabulary they need for the next stage and for life in today’s world. We put “what we want pupils to learn” at the heart of our curriculum thinking, ensuring learning builds securely over time so children know more, remember more and can do more. Rooted in our Catholic ethos, we teach and act with the conviction that every child is made in God’s image and therefore worthy of dignity, high expectation and joyful belonging. Inclusion is woven throughout our curriculum design: we do not narrow entitlement for pupils with additional needs or disadvantage; instead, we adapt pathways and remove barriers so all children access the same ambitious curriculum, reflecting our Gospel call to a preferential care for the poor and vulnerable.

Curriculum Implementation: evidence-informed teaching and carefully chosen resources

Implementation focuses on how we teach the curriculum so that it is learned securely and retained, using evidence-informed pedagogy and high-quality resources selected for impact.  This means that we use a variety of subject specific resources chosen carefully and tailored to meet the needs of the children. Teaching is structured and explicit: we review prior learning, present new content in small steps, model thinking, practise together, check understanding and revisit key knowledge frequently, supporting all pupils to succeed and reducing cognitive overload. We deliberately build language, oracy and reasoning across subjects, recognising the strong evidence base for oral language approaches and high-quality feedback in improving outcomes. We also teach children to become reflective, independent learners by explicitly modelling and scaffolding planning, monitoring and evaluating, embedding metacognition within subject learning rather than as a separate “study skills” bolt-on. Guided by our Catholic commitment to social justice, we prioritise classroom strategies and targeted support that make the biggest difference for disadvantaged pupils, including thoughtful deployment of interventions alongside quality day-to-day teaching.

Curriculum Impact: whAT CHILDREN KNOW, REMEMBER AND BECOME

We define impact through what children know and can do as a result of the curriculum, and how securely that learning is held over time. We evaluate impact using a rich range of evidence (children’s work, talk, low-stakes checks, and end-points within subjects) so assessment strengthens teaching and learning without narrowing the curriculum. Over time, our intended impact is that pupils become confident readers, articulate communicators, fluent mathematicians and curious young scientists and citizens, equipped with strong foundational knowledge and the habits of self-regulation that support lifelong learning. We measure success not only in attainment, but also in progress and equity, closing gaps where they exist, because our mission compels us to place the needs of the most vulnerable at the centre of our decisions and to ensure every child is seen, valued and enabled to achieve excellence.