Curriculum Intent

At St. Joseph’s it is our intent to enable every child to express themselves in a creative way, using their knowledge of artists, and an ever increasing set of skills, to explore, create and understand art in its various forms.

The curriculum engages, inspires and challenges pupils, supporting a growth mind set as children gain the confidence to evaluate and analyse their own work, and that of other artists, in an informed manner.

We support children to consider themselves artists and to recognise the rich diversity celebrated in the world of art and their place within it.

Through teaching computing we equip children to participate in a rapidly-changing world where work and leisure activities are increasingly transformed by technology.

It is our intention to enable children to find, explore, analyse, exchange and present information. We also focus on developing the skills necessary for children to be able to use information in a discriminating and effective way. We want children to know more, remember more and understand more in computing so that they leave primary school computer literate.

Computing skills are a major factor in enabling children to be confident, creative and independent learners and it is our intention that children have every opportunity available to allow them to achieve this.

At St Joseph’s the study of Design Technology offers our pupils opportunities to use creative thinking to design products for a specific purpose. Through a variety of creative and practical activities, pupils are taught to engage in an iterative process of researching, designing making and evaluating. They work in a range of contexts through our topic based approach, which allows for cross-curricular links to be made. Learning covers a range of technical knowledge and skills, including: structures, textiles, mechanisms, electronic systems, IT control and monitoring and cooking and nutrition.

At St Joseph’s our intention when teaching the English curriculum is that our pupils acquire the necessary knowledge, skills and understanding to became lifelong learners. We strive to create an environment where every child can succeed and where every child develops a love of learning. We believe that a quality English curriculum should develop children’s love of reading, writing and discussion. We aim to inspire an appreciation of a wide variety of literature and foster a culture of reading for pleasure.  We recognise the importance of planning progressive, engaging and thoughtful units of work where by the children feel excited, prepared and confident in producing writing that they are proud of. We want children to successfully develop their speaking and listening skills so that they can use discussion to communicate and further their learning. We intend for our pupils to be able to transfer these skills across the curriculum and in their own every day life for enjoyment.
 

The intent of Geography curriculum here at St. Joseph’s Catholic Primary School is to build a curriculum which is accessible to all and that will maximise the outcome for every child. Through the teaching of our curriculum the children will

• Increase their curiosity and fascination to know more about the world and their place in it.
• Increase their understanding about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes.
• Increase children’s knowledge of other cultures and, in so doing, teach a respect and understanding of what it means to be a positive citizen in a multi-cultural country.
• Increase understanding of environmental problems at a local, regional and global level.
• Develop and use the knowledge and skills which enable children to investigate and make enquires about their local area as well as the wider world.
• Develop graphic skills, including how to use, draw and interpret maps.
• Develop and apply geographical skills to confidently collect and interpret a range of sources of geographical information and communicate their findings and geographical understanding to a range of audiences.

The intent of History curriculum here at St. Joseph’s Catholic Primary School is to build a curriculum which is accessible to all and that will maximise the outcome for every child. Through the teaching of our curriculum the children will

• Increase their curiosity and fascination to know more about the past in Britain and the wider world;
• Increase their understanding of events in the past, how a variety of elements influenced people’s actions, how people lived in other times and how these influenced our lives today.
• Develop and use the knowledge and skills which enable children to enquire, research and analyse the past and thus know more and remember more
• Develop a sense of their own identity within a social, political, cultural and economic background through learning about chronology.

When teaching mathematics at St Joseph’s, we intend to provide a curriculum which caters for the needs of all individuals. We incorporate sustained levels of challenge through varied and high quality activities with a focus on fluency, reasoning and problem solving. Pupils are required to explore maths in depth, using mathematical vocabulary to reason and explain their workings.

We intend for our pupils to be able to apply their mathematical knowledge to science and other subjects. As our pupils progress, we intend for our pupils to be able to understand the world, have the ability to reason mathematically, have an appreciation of the beauty and power of mathematics, and a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject.

At St. Joseph’s we provide all children in KS2 with the opportunity to learn French. Our intent is that children will acquire the knowledge and skills to understand and make themselves understood in French. The children will have the opportunity to explore the cultural capital of another country through its language and traditions.

At St Joseph’s we believe that every child should have the opportunity to develop their musical potential and we aim to nurture and encourage musical development across the school. We ensure that skills and knowledge in music are built on year by year and sequenced appropriately to maximise learning for all children. Our wellbeing choir provides KS2 children with the opportunity to express feelings and communicate through song. We are proud to share our developing musical abilities throughout the years at a range of concerts and performances.

The intent of our PE curriculum is to enable children to achieve their full sporting potential.

The national curriculum for physical education aims to ensure that all pupils:

• develop competence to excel in a broad range of physical activities
• are physically active for sustained periods of time
• engage in competitive sports and activities
• lead healthy, active lives

Through PE lessons and extracurricular activities at St Joseph’s, children will learn the skills and knowledge needed to fulfil a healthy active lifestyle. They will have the opportunity to participate in sporting events, learning the skills of becoming a team player, being inclusive and respecting others. Our sporting provision is set to be enjoyable, challenging and accessible with an opportunity to be competitive.

The Department for Education (June 2019) states that:

“Personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education is an important and necessary part of all pupils’ education. All schools should teach PSHE, drawing on good practice, and this expectation is outlined in the introduction to the proposed new national curriculum.

Sex and relationship education (SRE) is an important part of PSHE education.”

At St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, personal, social and health education (PSHE) enables our children to become healthy, independent and responsible members of  society. It aims to help them understand how they are developing personally and socially, and tackles many of the moral, social and cultural issues that are part of growing up. We provide our children with opportunities for them to learn about rights and responsibilities and appreciate what it means to be a member of a diverse society. Our children are encouraged to develop their sense of self-worth by playing a positive role in contributing to school life and the wider community.

We believe that the purpose of PSHE education is to build, where appropriate, on the statutory content already outlined in the national curriculum, the basic school curriculum and in statutory guidance on: i.e. drug education, financial education, citizenship, personal safety, sex and relationship education (SRE) and the importance of physical activity and diet for a healthy lifestyle.

At St Joseph’s we believe that PSHE is integral to the development of children values in order for them to become a positive citizen in a forever changing community.

Religious Education is a fundamental part of life at St. Joseph’s and it permeates through everything that we do. The belief and trust in God is an essential part of life as a Catholic.  Therefore developing the importance of teaching and understanding the Catholic faith is fully understood, embraced and embodied by all staff and children. We aim to respect and promote each child’s capacity for wonder, awe, reverence and spirituality. We teach tolerance and respect for other faiths, races and cultures. We ensure that skills and knowledge in RE are built on year by year and sequenced appropriately to maximise learning for all children. The Parish Priest takes an active interest in the school and its religious life. Mass and liturgies are celebrated in the school each term. The school celebrates an act of collective worship each day, in class groups or as a whole school.

The 2014 National Curriculum for Science aims to ensure that all children:

• develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics
• develop understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science through different types of science enquiries that help them to answer scientific questions about the world around them
• are equipped with the scientific skills required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future. We understand that it is important for lessons to have a skills-based focus, and that the knowledge can be taught through this.

At St Joseph’s, we encourage children to be inquisitive about the world around them. Our Science curriculum fosters a healthy curiosity in children about our universe and promotes respect for the living and non-living. We believe science encompasses the acquisition of knowledge, concepts, skills and positive attitudes towards problem solving and challenge. Throughout the programmes of study, the children will acquire and develop the key knowledge that has been identified within each unit and across each year group, as well as the application of scientific skills. We ensure that the Working Scientifically skills are built-on and developed throughout children’s time at the school so that they can apply their knowledge of science when using equipment, conducting experiments, building arguments and explaining concepts confidently and continue to ask questions and be curious about their surroundings.

“The need to create and enforce a clear and rigorous expectation on all schools to promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.”

All  schools have a duty to ‘actively promote’ the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. At St Josephs  Primary School we promote the spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development of our pupils and through this demonstrate our commitment to fostering fundamental British values.

Meeting requirements for collective worship, establishing a strong school ethos supported by effective relationships throughout the school, and providing relevant activities beyond the classroom. Pupils are encouraged to regard people of all faiths, races and cultures with respect and tolerance.