The Curriculum at St. Mary's

Please see our one page overview about the St Mary’s curriculum here

Parents can find out more about our curriculum by looking at the curriculum statements for each subject, the long term plans for each subject and year group and the knowledge organisers.

At St Mary’s Horsforth, our pupils will develop the appropriate subject specific knowledge, skills and understanding as set out in the National Curriculum. As a Catholic school, the teachings of the Gospels are at the centre of everything we do. We are preparing our children to be curious and life-long learners who are active and respectful members of society.

The stimulating and experience-rich curriculum at St. Mary's Horsforth is designed to incorporate Ofsted's working definition of curriculum, being: “A framework for setting out the aims of a programme of education, including the knowledge and understanding to be gained at each stage (intent)… …for translating that framework over time into a structure and narrative, within an institutional context (implementation)… …and for evaluating what knowledge and understanding pupils have gained against expectations (impact).” Ofsted March 2018.

To find out more about our curriculum, please see the knowledge organisers for each year group under the heading knowledge organisers and long term plans under the curriculum tab.

Intent

Our intent is to provide an ambitious curriculum for all our pupils. We want our curriculum to excite and inspire children and be reflective of them and our community. Our curriculum is specifically designed to be progressive by building on prior learning and experiences. Through quality teaching of knowledge, skills and vocabulary across all subjects, our children will be challenged to become inquisitive, compassionate, self-reliant and creative learners. Each subject has been carefully and thoughtfully created to provide challenge and takes the children’s learning beyond the classroom, creating knowledge that sticks and has purpose. We intend to open our children’s eyes to awe and wonder and cause them to marvel at the incredible and fantastic world in which they live.

Implementation

Our curriculum has been designed to encompass knowledge and understanding of the world in which we live as well as the events that have shaped it in the past, making it what it is today. We are particularly proud of the respect and care that our children show for one another, the environment, and the community around us.

· Catholic Education provides the foundation for all aspects of learning throughout the curriculum.

· The curriculum is taught with the consideration of the needs of all our learners; it is exciting and inspires children to nurture a passion for learning.

· High priority is given to foundation subjects and curriculum coverage ensuring that our children have a breadth of knowledge to inspire them and fully prepare them for life beyond the classroom.

· Learning sequences are clear, highlight skills progression and contain milestones to ensure children are at the expected standard.

· Teachers explicitly teach the meaning of subject-specific language, and we expect lessons to contain challenging reading and writing.

· Knowledge organisers provide students with key information that they are expected to learn and recall with fluency, enabling them to develop their understanding of key concepts outside of their lessons.

· Curriculum leaders support teachers in using their pedagogical subject knowledge to ensure high quality teaching and learning.

· Members of staff are given responsibility for leading, managing, monitoring, evaluating and reviewing their curriculum areas.

· Teachers and Teaching Assistants are given excellent opportunities to use their subject expertise to enhance the curriculum.

· Opportunities are taken to enliven the curriculum using educational visits, experience days, visitors, artists, crafts people, actors and musicians - developing connections in their learning and aid long-term retention.

· Across all subjects we make links with our local area encompassing Horsforth, Leeds and Yorkshire, helping the children to make sense of the world, their local area and their place in it.

· An extensive range of high-quality resources including ICT are used effectively to underpin the curriculum. Online safety is taught both discretely and throughout lessons wherever applicable.

Impact

The rich and inspirational curriculum we provide enables our children to develop and embrace their God given gifts, talents and skills. They use their excellent grasp of English and maths to access the skills and knowledge required to achieve high standards in all subjects. We have very high standards: consistently performing at above national and Leeds averages.

Our carefully planned curriculum enables them to retain information and apply it in a variety of situations. All children become resilient and independent learners.

Our curriculum is underpinned by effective systems to check progress to ensure continuity and challenge. Leaders’ commitment and passion for their subject is infectious and has a tangible effect on the quality of teaching.

Children having a secure knowledge and understanding of where they live and their place in the world.

Children’s work and achievement throughout the curriculum is celebrated and displayed to enable it to make a significant impact on the visual appearance of the school and to contribute positively to our wonderful ethos.