Our Curriculum
Intent
Our curriculum gives children the right skills to succeed in the next stage of their education, to be interested and ask questions about the world around them and to have a moral standpoint which reflects the Christian foundation of the school and that will enable them to be able to contribute in a positive way to our society.
Rationale
At St James' every child is recognised as a unique, precious individual - a gift from God; and this is reflected in our curriculum. At the heart of our curriculum are the needs of our pupils and families. We want learning to be meaningful and memorable so that our pupils are ready for the next step in their journey. Our aim to create well-rounded, life-long learners, who nurture kindness and respect in others in the world and who are prepared for the challenges and adventures that await them.
Our curriculum gives children the right skills to succeed in the next stage of their education, to be interested and ask questions about the world around them and to have a moral standpoint which reflects the Christian foundation of the school and that will enable them to be able to contribute in a positive way to our society.
Rationale
At St James' every child is recognised as a unique, precious individual - a gift from God; and this is reflected in our curriculum. At the heart of our curriculum are the needs of our pupils and families. We want learning to be meaningful and memorable so that our pupils are ready for the next step in their journey. Our aim to create well-rounded, life-long learners, who nurture kindness and respect in others in the world and who are prepared for the challenges and adventures that await them.
Our Curriculum Includes:
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Our curriculum is underpinned by the National Curriculum, which has been adapted so that learning is put into meaningful contexts that will be built upon each other as children progress through school.
In Key Stage One, foundation subjects are taught through a cross-curricular termly topic that combines History, Geography, Music, Design Technology and Art and Design whilst still maintaining their subject identity. These topics are centred around an enquiry question and the focus is to immerse the children fully in the themes so that it captures their imaginations and brings the topic to life in a meaningful way.
This progresses in Key Stage Two, in that History and Geography alternate each half term and are linked into termly topics based on a theme and an enquiry question that incorporates overview and depth studies of National Curriculum subject content. Across KS1 and KS2, these topics are taught to ensure that children are learning the appropriate skills, developing a deeper knowledge of the subject content and being challenged to apply this knowledge to different contexts. Also, this approach provides the opportunity for mastery of these foundation subjects, as well as the potential to achieve a greater depth understanding beyond that level.
Through the ‘Arts’, we want to ensure that children are provided with cultural capital and experiences that go beyond their everyday life. Art and Design and Design Technology are alternated each term to ensure that these subjects are given more focused time each week to allow for the emphasis on skills and understanding in a creative way, these subjects are taught as part of a topic in KS1 and as separate subjects in KS2. Music is taught weekly in class following the Charanga Musical School Primary Scheme of Work. The ‘Arts’ will also be celebrated through theme days, trips, workshops in school and links with Manchester Grammar School and Manchester High School for Girls.
Across the school, Science is given the same prominence as Maths and English. Our science curriculum places emphasis on ‘Working Scientifically’, as well as ensuring that given time, children will develop a high level of understanding by applying practical enquiry skills and building on prior learning.
Religious Education lessons are taught weekly following the new RE Today Syllabus. The syllabus reinforces the importance of RE as an academic discipline. It will enable understanding of concepts and the development of skills and attitudes so that our pupils can explore wider issues of religion and belief in religiously literate ways. The syllabus offers an inclusive education to all our young people, whatever their personal worldviews might be. This syllabus prepares the children and young people of our area for active citizenship in a diverse and rapidly changing world, exploring some aspects of British values in relation to religions and world views.
In our world today, computers are part of everyday life. Technology is vital to our lives, at home and at work. Our computing curriculum puts ‘Computational Thinking’ at the centre and provides children the practical skills they need to participate and succeed in today’s digital world. Computing is taught for 60 minutes per week across Key Stage One and Two. Children build the foundational skills, knowledge and understanding of Computer Science, Information Technology and Digital Literacy with continued focus on E-Safety.
Schools are an ideal environment for promoting good health and emotional wellbeing practices. At St James’ we ensure children are equipped with the knowledge, skills and experiences to maintain healthy bodies and minds throughout their lives. In Key Stage One and Two, children have three 60 minutes sessions of Physical Education per week (outdoor games, gymnastics, dance or swimming). There are two additional shorter sessions of Physical Activity per week (aerobics and weekly mile run). We promote active playtimes through Year 5 and 6 Play Leaders who run activities for younger children. Each year group has the opportunity to take part in Forest School sessions for 6 weeks per year. Children also take part in Philosophy for Children in standalone lessons as well as through opportunities for purposeful cross curricular links as part of subjects across the curriculum. P4C promotes an enquiry based curriculum where pupils are encouraged to ask questions and find the answers through discussion of social values. Therefore, children develop the ability to recognise differences and explore these constructively.
Our Foreign Language Curriculum intends to give children the knowledge, skills and confidence to learn to communicate through listening, speaking, reading and writing in Spanish with the additional opportunity to understand and speak some basic Mandarin.
Our curriculum, is varied, creative and has our children at its heart. It ensure that children develop the skills and knowledge that prepares them for future learning, as well as preparing them for their future. It adapts to the needs and interests of our children, our community and the wider world we live in. We are continually changing and moving forward, to ensure we give our children the very best start in life.
As a Voluntary Aided school, St James' follows the new Primary National Curriculum, including the English and Mathematics curricula, which can be found here. All of our curriculum maps have been designed to deliver this curriculum. Information regarding the Church of England's Statement of Entitlement for Religious Education in Church Schools can be found here.
In Key Stage One, foundation subjects are taught through a cross-curricular termly topic that combines History, Geography, Music, Design Technology and Art and Design whilst still maintaining their subject identity. These topics are centred around an enquiry question and the focus is to immerse the children fully in the themes so that it captures their imaginations and brings the topic to life in a meaningful way.
This progresses in Key Stage Two, in that History and Geography alternate each half term and are linked into termly topics based on a theme and an enquiry question that incorporates overview and depth studies of National Curriculum subject content. Across KS1 and KS2, these topics are taught to ensure that children are learning the appropriate skills, developing a deeper knowledge of the subject content and being challenged to apply this knowledge to different contexts. Also, this approach provides the opportunity for mastery of these foundation subjects, as well as the potential to achieve a greater depth understanding beyond that level.
Through the ‘Arts’, we want to ensure that children are provided with cultural capital and experiences that go beyond their everyday life. Art and Design and Design Technology are alternated each term to ensure that these subjects are given more focused time each week to allow for the emphasis on skills and understanding in a creative way, these subjects are taught as part of a topic in KS1 and as separate subjects in KS2. Music is taught weekly in class following the Charanga Musical School Primary Scheme of Work. The ‘Arts’ will also be celebrated through theme days, trips, workshops in school and links with Manchester Grammar School and Manchester High School for Girls.
Across the school, Science is given the same prominence as Maths and English. Our science curriculum places emphasis on ‘Working Scientifically’, as well as ensuring that given time, children will develop a high level of understanding by applying practical enquiry skills and building on prior learning.
Religious Education lessons are taught weekly following the new RE Today Syllabus. The syllabus reinforces the importance of RE as an academic discipline. It will enable understanding of concepts and the development of skills and attitudes so that our pupils can explore wider issues of religion and belief in religiously literate ways. The syllabus offers an inclusive education to all our young people, whatever their personal worldviews might be. This syllabus prepares the children and young people of our area for active citizenship in a diverse and rapidly changing world, exploring some aspects of British values in relation to religions and world views.
In our world today, computers are part of everyday life. Technology is vital to our lives, at home and at work. Our computing curriculum puts ‘Computational Thinking’ at the centre and provides children the practical skills they need to participate and succeed in today’s digital world. Computing is taught for 60 minutes per week across Key Stage One and Two. Children build the foundational skills, knowledge and understanding of Computer Science, Information Technology and Digital Literacy with continued focus on E-Safety.
Schools are an ideal environment for promoting good health and emotional wellbeing practices. At St James’ we ensure children are equipped with the knowledge, skills and experiences to maintain healthy bodies and minds throughout their lives. In Key Stage One and Two, children have three 60 minutes sessions of Physical Education per week (outdoor games, gymnastics, dance or swimming). There are two additional shorter sessions of Physical Activity per week (aerobics and weekly mile run). We promote active playtimes through Year 5 and 6 Play Leaders who run activities for younger children. Each year group has the opportunity to take part in Forest School sessions for 6 weeks per year. Children also take part in Philosophy for Children in standalone lessons as well as through opportunities for purposeful cross curricular links as part of subjects across the curriculum. P4C promotes an enquiry based curriculum where pupils are encouraged to ask questions and find the answers through discussion of social values. Therefore, children develop the ability to recognise differences and explore these constructively.
Our Foreign Language Curriculum intends to give children the knowledge, skills and confidence to learn to communicate through listening, speaking, reading and writing in Spanish with the additional opportunity to understand and speak some basic Mandarin.
Our curriculum, is varied, creative and has our children at its heart. It ensure that children develop the skills and knowledge that prepares them for future learning, as well as preparing them for their future. It adapts to the needs and interests of our children, our community and the wider world we live in. We are continually changing and moving forward, to ensure we give our children the very best start in life.
As a Voluntary Aided school, St James' follows the new Primary National Curriculum, including the English and Mathematics curricula, which can be found here. All of our curriculum maps have been designed to deliver this curriculum. Information regarding the Church of England's Statement of Entitlement for Religious Education in Church Schools can be found here.
"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
John 10:10
John 10:10