St Thomas More

The broad and balanced curriculum at St Thomas More Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School is designed to ensure that pupils recognise their unique skills and talents, have a passion for learning, are equipped to contribute positively to the community, achieve well and have high aspirations. It is underpinned by the core values of our mission statements and is driven by an understanding of and proactive response to our schools’ distinctive ethos as Catholic schools and to the culture and diversity of our local and wider communities. The curriculum is designed to be progressive and sequential ensuring academic success, the development of creativity and problem solving skills, reliability, responsibility and resilience, as well as physical development. Well-being and mental health are also key elements that support the development of the whole child and promote a positive attitude to learning, supporting pupils for their next stage. These values are taught on their own and through other areas of the curriculum, including assemblies. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of our pupils and their understanding of the core values of our society are woven through the curriculum.

St Thomas More is committed to meeting the requirements of the primary National Curriculum and the requirements of the Bishops of England and Wales as our pupils pass through each key stage. Our schemes of work reflect the content and challenge of the curriculum.

Teachers have received training in key areas of curriculum change in order to provide outstanding curriculum provision.

Experiences for pupils are:

• Inclusive
• Exciting
• Challenging
• Engaging
• Real and experiential
• Relevant to their context
• Influenced by pupils
• Progressive
• Values-led
• Safe

The curriculum is designed to include:

Cross-curricular links where they add value

A clearly articulated learning journey with a purposeful outcome

An engaging stimulant for learning

Opportunities for pupils to contribute to planning the learning journey

Real experiences

Application of basic skills including computing

The curriculum at St Thomas More has been designed to ensure that children receive their curricular entitlement in a way which is meaningful to their:

• context
• stage of learning
• capabilities
• interests
• prior experiences

Our pedagogical approach is designed to enhance the learning experience for pupils and each unit of work includes the following opportunities when appropriate:

• Links to English units
• Links to mathematics units
• Basic skills to be reinforced during the unit

The National Curriculum is typically delivered using an integrated topic approach and pupils responses are assessed and monitored to ensure coverage and progression throughout the schools. Subjects are taught in distinct lessons when the core skills and knowledge would not be appropriately addressed through the integrated approach. All children are challenged, appropriate to their capabilities; children who find aspects of their learning more difficult are appropriately supported so that they too are enabled to experience success.

Pupils have opportunities to share their learning with each other, their parents and carers and other learners through school-based and external exhibitions, performances, competitions and events involving other schools. Developing their independence and motivation as learners and their sense of responsibility as future citizens is at the heart of all our teaching and learning.

The following outcomes are used to measure the impact of our curriculum:

the environment

Pupils who are passionate about learning

Pupils who confidently apply their learning

Pupils who have relevant key skills

Pupils’ standards and achievements in a range of subjects

Pupils who understand:

themselves

their relationship with others

society